I’m a 37 year old man who started having noticeable problems with my thyroid function this time last year. I began to have a serious lack of energy and an overall general feeling of being unwell. Every month or so I’ve been getting my bloods tested. Here are the results:
Every few weeks I go through a period of feeling very unwell and tired where I’m sleeping a lot and need to take a nap during the day. I used to exercise regularly till I lost energy last year and when I’ve attempted to get back into an exercise routine, I just feel physically exhausted and give up. Last year when I began getting tested the doctor suggested putting me on 50 mcg of levothryroxine (not my usual doc) but I preferred to keep getting tested to see if there was any improvement. Since then my regular doctor is back in the practice and he hasn’t commented on my results excect to say they’re ‘improving a bit’, and he just makes me take a blood test every couple of months).
It looks that my thyroid is failing chronically (it could even be auto-immune…but an antibodies test I had was negative) but I want to be 100% sure that all avenues are tried before committing to taking a prescribed medication that I’ll have to take for the rest of my life. My mother has thyroid issues so it is probably genetic.
The only vitamin supplement I’m on is B12 as I have a vegetarian diet. I gave up taking a Maca supplement last year when I heard that it can affect thyroid function.
Can anyone offer any advice regarding what else I should be researching/testing? Has anyone any experience in getting any Ayurveda, Chinese or any other alternative thyroid treatment? I’d like to talk to a health expert who has a more holistic knowledge of the thyroid beyond what Western medicine offers but it’s difficult to find the information.
Any help in this area would be greatly appreciated!
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Fionn32
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Thanks SlowDragon.I had my vit levels tested once last year...some of them weren't very high. I need to have another one done and should probably start taking more supplements.
Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and before eating or drinking anything other than water .
This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)
Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or thyroid antibodies or all relevant vitamins
To be blunt - if a person lacks thyroid hormones, the only suitable replacement is to take hormones.We can ensure that we eat enough calories, that our vitamins are at optimal levels. We can go gluten free, avoid soya, go dairy free as necessary on an individual basis. However if our thyroid is not making enough hormones for our cells to function we need to provide those hormones.
Fionn32 , I was diagnosed 21 years ago, and in that time I've tried a hell of a lot of 'alternative' treatments - usually given by practicioners that only vaguely knew where the thyroid was! And, from my years of reading on here, I've seen many people writing post about holistic/alternative/homeopathic/etc. doctors that they've consulted and the frequently dire outcomes. They don't know any more about thyroid than any other type of doctor, but often have some very weird ideas/theories.
We all hope for miracles - and I'm a firm believer that they do happen - but not where thyroid is concerned. The only way to stay alive is to replace the hormones your body can no-longer make for itself. And, yes, it's for life. But, that's better than the alternative.
Your elevated TSH & low thyroid hormone are likely a result of Hashimotos Autoimmune disease which is the most common form of hypothyroidism. Antibodies can fluctuate and be of two types: TPOAb & TGAb. Doctors don't always test TGAb because it is less common. Some say it is less common because it is tested less!
Missing thyroid hormones can only be replaced by thyroid hormone replacement meds (Levothyroxine, etc) but the progression of thyroid gland destruction may slowed and so thyroid hormones levels preserved for longer if the immune response can be calmed.
Thyroid hormone production and conversion can be encouraged through a healthy life style & certain supplements including those for liver, adrenal & gut health. Yoga/meditation, etc will help your body to manage the stress caused by thyroid function imbalances and many members have found switching to a gluten free diet whilst optimising iron and nutrients to be beneficial in lowering thyroid antibodies and helping meds work more effectively.
If you Hashi then lymphatic drainage massage can be useful in stimulating the flow of lymph in the lymphatic capillaries to reduce painful inflammation in lymph nodes. I have also tried several durations of acupuncture which I felt where beneficial even if only for the calming effect.
The goal of Levothyroxine is to restore euthyroid status and for most that means TSH just above or below 1.0.
Thanks Radd,It's interesting you mention the lymph glands, acupuncture and meditation. Almost 10 years ago I was getting severe headaches, especially around the area behind the eyes. I had a few scans done and they showed that the lympth glands were inflamed. The specialist said it was possible lymphangioma but there wasn't any further investigation. At the time I didn't even know what the thyroid was and I've no idea if the specialist tested my throid levels then (I don't think he did) or if there is even a significant connection between the two (I'm still new to this and trying to wrap my head around it all!). My headaches continued for a couple of years until I tried acupuncture and some meditation, which seemed to really help. The severe headaches gradually went away even though I didn't continue to meditate till a few years later.
Early last year I started practicing meditation again. I did an intense course and tried to continue the practice every day but gradually did it less and stopped completely about a month before I began to have severe fatigue and feeling unwell in June last year. I think getting back into meditation would be beneficial anyway.
The more I think about it, the more I feel I've had a problem with my thyroid for many years, as I've often had unexplained periods of low energy since my mid-20s and it was only last year that it got to the point where I was so low and could barely get out of bed...it was my mother that pointed out I should get my thyroid levels checked because she'd been struggling with the same issue for years.
Maca isn't good for thyroid function but there are other essentials where optimal levels are necessary. You are already supplementing VitB12 but ask your doctor to test Vit D, folate & iron. If you have had low thyroid hormone for quite some time, it could have caused a few gut absorption issues.
I am not familiar with lymphangioma so googled it but still am not sure.
I suggest you get your testosterone levels checked because low levels in men may be linked to hypothyroidism your problem could be hormonal and if you sort that out - maybe with DHEA supplement - it might fix your thyroid, just a thought
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