I have a friend who seems to be exhibiting thyroid trouble. He is lethargic (he is usual active) he has problems sleeping, has dry skin and psoriasis, has difficulty walking, has mood swings etc. Unfortunately, his doctors will not listen to him and have refused in this instance to undertake a FT3 test (though we have an FT4). What do you think? I would be grateful for any feedback. Thank you
Serum Creatinine 51 umol/L (58-110) ‘Low’
Serum Potassium 4.6mmol/L (3.5-5.3)
Serum Globulin 28 g/L
Serum Cholesterol 4.8 mmol/L
Serum Troglycerides 1.8 mmol/L (<2.0)
Total Cholesterol: HDL ratio 3.4 ratio
Serum total 25-OH vit D level
Serum Free T4 level 17.4 pmol/L (11.0-25.0)
Serum TSH level 1.83 mU/L (0.27 – 4.20)
Serum Vitamin B12 436 ng/L (180-900)
Serum Folate 19.9 ug/L (>3.0)
Serum Ferritin 64ug/L (15-300)
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Eloisesupergirl
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No. They said (West Wales) that Vit D was 'not available'. My friends care has been deficient to say the least - and he has been denied proper investigation of his symptoms.
For example, on the creatinine page is this text :
Low levels of creatinine are not common and are not usually a cause for concern. As creatinine levels are related to the amount of muscle the person has, low levels may be a consequence of decreased muscle mass (such as in the elderly), but may also be occasionally found in advanced liver disease.
Vitamin B12 - Optimal for this is an absolute minimum for 500 ng/L, but personally I would want a result in the upper half of the range, and better still a result which is top of range or 1000 ng/L. A result of 436 ng/L isn't bad compared to many we see, but your friend may feel better with it being a bit higher.
The most effective supplement for most of us is methylcobalamin, easily sourced on Amazon and other sites selling supplements. Avoid cyanocobalamin. You could suggest that your friend buys some with a dose of 1000mcg, and takes one tablet twice a week.
Folate - This is a good result.
Ferritin - This result is only 17% of the way through the range. Many of us feel at our best with a result which is mid-range and possibly a little bit over, i.e. about 158 - 220 (ish).
Iron and ferritin (iron stores) levels can be improved with food - see these links for help :
It is possible to buy iron supplements, but this is not recommended just on the basis of a ferritin result. If ferritin is low then it is a good idea to find out more about iron in the body with an iron panel test. The best one I know of is this one :
I don't have psoriasis but I do have eczema. I don't know if psoriasis and eczema react the same to nutrient supplementation. When I started taking B12 I discovered that my eczema got substantially worse for a few weeks, but as my level of B12 rose, eventually my eczema improved and ended up being substantially better than it had been in decades.
I also had a problem with spots. My teenage spots never completely went away and I still had some in my 50s. Vitamin B12 got rid of them completely.
If I allow my B12 to drop the eczema and spots come back, so I keep my levels very high (over the range - B12 isn't poisonous).
Serum Free T4 level 17.4 pmol/L (11.0-25.0) 45.7% of the way through the range
Serum TSH level 1.83 mU/L (0.27 – 4.20)
These results are probably fine for people without thyroid disease and who can convert T4 to T3 well. But it is difficult to be certain without a Free T3 result.
Optimising nutrient levels can improve Free T4 and Free T3. See this thread :
This is an article about the link between vitamin D and psoriasis and vitiligo. Dr Coimbra uses vitamin D to treat these and other autoimmune conditions; there are a lot of posts and photos. about this on the internet.
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