hi
I am trying to tolerate NDT with not a lot of success. Has anyone ever tried using the sun to regular their cortisol? (Ie. Watch sunrise and go to bed at sunset) instead of shovelling a load of ACE, liquorice root etc etc. in?
Keen to hear from any one
thanks in advance 🙏🏻😊
I have been much healthier since I moved to getting up at 4:00 and going to bed at 21:00. My adrenals are still recovering after going undiagnosed with the hypothyroidism (apparently while the thyroid is coming up short, the adrenals try to compensate).
I also meditate and do yoga, take CBD oil, and try to stay unstressed (as much as that is possible in the current times). Stay well away from mainstream media, and if you like a movie, the old ones from the black and white era are much less likely to 'disturb' your mind.
Diet is also much more important than we realise. It is is important for everybody, but much for so when we are ill. I stay clear of caffeine, alcohol, and synthetic medications as much as possible. I am long-term vegetarian, and moving more toward veganism as a way of minimising fats. And no, all these 'restrictions' are not awful in any way (well the diet does cost a bit more).
Thanks so much for sharing that! Do you watch the sunrise? I’ve read the red light from the sunrise is what increases our cortisol.
Not usually, but I am out on my cycle ride , or walking when the sun comes up.
That sounds lovely. What country are you in? My country is very cloudy a lot of the time so I don’t get to see the sun a lot. Also I love your username 😂
I'm in the UK, so it's not always sunny by a long way. But don't get too obsessed with sunrises. Get as much time in the sun (and fresh air)as you are able to, at any time of the day. Take additional vitamin D if you need it, and focus on your diet. NDT shouldn't be a problem, but often we don't need as much as we may think.
I am UK too! Thanks. I'll just get outside as much as possible 
Welcome to the forum. All I can say is that NDT doesn't suit everyone. If it's not right for you then you might make yourself ill trying to tolerate it.Without any more information about your vitamin levels, thyroid bloods or history of your thyroid troubles it is difficult to offer any advice.
Paul Robinson has a website that deals with his journey with cortisol and t3 which you may find helpful.
Thank you for your reply. Do you have any experience with my query - using sunrise/sunset for adrenal/cortisol regulation?
I have extensive experience using Paul’s advice. His advice made me incredibly unwell and I will not touch any of his advice with a barge pole.
I haven't used his method though I have read what he says. He does state that you must have tested cortisol levels and be shown to be deficient before embarking on his suggestions.
There is research that suggests that it doesn't have to be the dawn that you see to reset your cortisol but that several minutes of outside daylight will help and ideal if this is sunlight . Equally at night keeping lights dim, and using amber light in lamps physically set low in the room may help.
But maybe you've already tried this. You sound as if you have been through the mill with it.
Yes - I actually interacted with him personally in the forum. I went T3 only, and after months of persistent raising & CT3M use with no improvement and progressively worse hypothyroidism (massive weight gain, no period, hair loss, puffy face etc.) I asked him how I could switch back to T4 only (as I don't tolerate T3 and T4 together) he instructed me to stop the 72mcg of T3 I was taking immediately (without a taper) and to begin T4. I went into a state of severe withdrawal and needed to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital with doctors around me completely at a loss about how to help me. It took many high doses of psychiatric medications to get me stable again. To add insult to injury, when I recovered and went back to his forum to let him know how badly the advice had affected me he blocked me from the group. I find both his conduct and his advice to be dangerous & unethical. So that is my extremely unfortunate dealing with him, I will not ever deal with him again and I know I am not the only one who has found his advice to be harmful.
Re. NDT - I am losing weight, skin is softening again, hair not falling out so much, energy is improving, feet are warming up but I have some anxiety and I'm at a loss about whether this is the NDT or perhaps something unrelated like COVID (as I do have a sore throat) I had a cortisol test (as per Paul's instructions) done in the past which showed low-normal, I take a comprehensive, bespoke nutritional mix to cover all and any deficiencies. I have tested negative for Lyme & mold across the board. I'm just not sure what I can do to improve my tolerance of the NDT, so I thought I'd ask about circadian rhythms but it doesn't appear that others have had much experience with it. I go to bed at sunset & use candles at night. I'd love to get up at sunrise but the hypothyroidism makes this a bit of a struggle at the moment - but as you say, I am getting as much sunlight as I can even if it isn't dawn.
Have you found that others have had some initial anxiety with NDT dose raises is normal and generally evens out, or is it something I should pay attention to? I've seen a lot of people say that they have had some discomfort that goes away over time, but I'm not sure what the general consensus on this is. Thanks for reading all of this! Sorry it's a bit rambly, and sorry if I am directing this Q to you and you're not on NDT, I am just asking what your overall understanding is as I think you run this forum? (sorry I am new here and not entirely sure how it works) x
Always happy to be asked. I am on combo levo and lio not on NDT. I can understand how you ended up in a a psychiatric hospital. When I became all but bedridden following my 25mcg daily experiment, I could barely function mentally....and your situation was so much more drastic than mine.
Anxiety and panic attacks were close friends of mine when I was hyperthyroid. Then when I was hypothyroid I thought that it was the levo or overmedication causing them. I survived with citalopram as the sticking plaster.
I now know that it was being undermedicated as a hypo that caused the adrenaline to flow to make up for the dire lack of thyroid hormones.
Being on adequate doses of levo and T3 has helped. I also take some vitamins but that is all. Things are so much better. It did take me 2 years to find a dosing regime I thought suited.
I am mindful of how I waken in the morning and try to have a bedtime shut down routine. But really for me it was a case of getting on the correct dosages and then waiting for the body to re-adapt and heal. I would add now that I am fitter I do spend a lot of time in the garden which also helps.
I would never personally try adaptogens. They can lower or raise cortisol - the problem is you can't predict which one they are going to do so can have an adverse effect.
Hypothyroidism is the most heinous of afflictions. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy, and yet it is so common. I hope I find the right dosing regime soon so I can just get on with my life! Thanks for the chat And I'm so glad you are well, it gives me hope.
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