how to raise energy levels significantly - Thyroid UK

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how to raise energy levels significantly

Danielj1 profile image
42 Replies

the hypo journey over decades has been characterised by a consistent pattern of tiredness and changing patterns of dosing /diet /sleep/yoga have all chipped to various degrees around the edges and helped over time

One thing that only rarely gets discussed is the consistent use of adrenal cocktails - for me this means OJ and salt

I have raised this before and I know for some OJ has high sugar implications - but there is simply nothing else that kicks the body into life each morning that this does - and I include a ton of coffee which I have tried at times

I had gone through a period recently of forgetting to buy the OJ and took a PM about it which nudged me to stick to the religiously which I now do - suddenly I seem to be able get so much more done and a exercise at a much higher level without the same fatigue implications as before

Not for everyone, but for those who can tolerate OJ there is simply no alternative that I above found :)

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Danielj1 profile image
Danielj1
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42 Replies
App1 profile image
App1

what is.OJ?

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toApp1

Orange Juice.

Steni profile image
Steni in reply tohelvella

since when did it need to be abbreviated!

Steni profile image
Steni

also what is a PM ?

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toSteni

A Private Message - also called Chat.

The first section of my Vade Mecum has a long list of abbreviations that are likely to be used here.

helvella's Vade Mecum document is available here:

helvella - Vade Mecum for Thyroid

The term vade mecum means:

1. A referential book such as a handbook or manual.

2. A useful object, constantly carried on one’s person.

Steni profile image
Steni

so orange juice is an adrenal cocktail??

Lalatoot profile image
Lalatoot in reply toSteni

OJ and salt is . Haven't used it myself so can't tell you more. If you search on here or put up a new post with a query about how to use it folks will respond.

Steni profile image
Steni

So you have a a glass of orange juice in the mornings ? That’s it ?

arTistapple profile image
arTistapple

After all the complicated stuff I am seeing on the forum at the moment which feels beyond me, this looks good. How much salt to orange juice anyone?

tattybogle profile image
tattybogle in reply toarTistapple

Can 't remember .. look up recipes for "adrenal cocktail" .. i seem to remember it's supposed to have some cream of Tartar in it too . but don't take my word for it .. the may be another reason why i have just found 3 boxes of cream of tartar ith back of my cupboard .lol

arTistapple profile image
arTistapple in reply totattybogle

Yes thank you Tattybogle. Only the cream of tartar missing. One of your spare boxes? No I see in the recipe I have easily found, it’s an option. Will get some next time I am out. Just checked out quality of orange juice. Another blooming nightmare.

Litatamon profile image
Litatamon in reply totattybogle

" ...may be another reason why i have just found 3 boxes of cream of tartar ith back of my cupboard .lol"

Priceless.

Sneedle profile image
Sneedle in reply toarTistapple

I'm not sure of amounts but I use coconut water orange juice and salt, I find it delicious and it quenches my dry tongue in a way water doesn't.

arTistapple profile image
arTistapple in reply toSneedle

Sounds FAB! Is it really a pinch of salt say? Thank you

Sneedle profile image
Sneedle in reply toarTistapple

I don't know about the medical side - about how much salt, if you have high blood pressure issues for example.I'm someone who benefits a lot from tons of good quality (sea) salt so I'm a bit gung ho. I just love salt!

One of the few useful things my gp has said, was' go for it if you know you feel better'.

But that might not be for everyone.

Start with a small glass and experiment with amounts eg. 50/50 liquids and a pinch of salt.

I buy Vita Coco water. And shop around for large packs as it can be expensive.

But that's because I also drink it on its own and like the taste.

It might not matter in orange juice.

Hope it benefits you!

Danielj1 profile image
Danielj1 in reply toSneedle

healthline.com/nutrition/ar...

Contrary to maybe some fears out there evidence seems to suggest that oranges are low GI and slower blood sugar spikes - certainly my experience …

in reply toDanielj1

Oranges and orange juice are different though.

Annoynomice profile image
Annoynomice

I thought that as Orange Juice has vitamin C in it, it can stop the absorption of thyroid meds and therefore shouldn't be taken close to it. However, this is just my understanding and happy to be proved wrong.

tattybogle profile image
tattybogle in reply toAnnoynomice

Vitamin C is one of the few things that has been shown to actually improve the absorption of Leov thryoxine .

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/246... Effect of vitamin C on the absorption of levothyroxine in patients with hypothyroidism and gastritis

just grabbed that one off google , but there are plenty more mentions of this .

Danielj1 profile image
Danielj1 in reply totattybogle

forefronthealth.com/thyroid...

Danielj1 profile image
Danielj1

drlamcoaching.com/blog/the-...

basically there are a ton of articles out there that explain how a combination of vit C, sodium and potassium can recharge the thyroid improve

T3 and increase energy and health. I ran 10 miles today in the freezing cold for 2 hours without stopping at the age of 58 at the very start of my marathon training - I have not done a competitive race for 10 years due to the damage hypo symptoms cause and with a variety of diet ideas and strong magnesium supplements I finally have sufficient get up and go to have a serious crack at the marathon

If I do a long morning run without salted OJ first the last part of the run is pretty much a

Nightmare of exhaustion :)

All hail Ray Peat!

mstp profile image
mstp

I've been on the Zoe Nutrition Programme since January and seem to have more energy. This is apparently something that a lot of people on it are experiencing.

Bearo profile image
Bearo in reply tomstp

is this the personalised eating plan for what spikes blood sugar or something different?

mstp profile image
mstp in reply toBearo

They test how well your body metabolises sugar and fat after eating the muffins they send. They also work out how well or not your gut bugs are working. Probably is the one you're thinking of.

SarahJane1471 profile image
SarahJane1471

100mls of fresh orange juice , quarter teaspoon of Cream of Tartar (potassium), quarter teaspoon sea salt. Basic adrenal cocktail best taken 10/11 am. I love it.

Danielj1 profile image
Danielj1 in reply toSarahJane1471

I will try adding Tartar then - the biggest physiological change for me when I take this regularly is feeling much warmer as the thyroid is working much better …

Soaping profile image
Soaping

Hello Daniel, I have never heard of adrenal cocktails. I am always tired and having to push myself to do anything after having thyroid removed and going into hypothyroidism. Wonder if it will still work for me? It sounds exciting, I definitely will have to try it. 😃

Danielj1 profile image
Danielj1

I see it very simply that those with hypo burn up the key minerals of potassium sodium and magnesium at much faster rates than those who have functioning thyroids - so I see it as existential to max out on all 3 - I am now up to 500 on magnesium which seems to compliment the potassium in OJ plus sodium from salt

Once you get this doses right - you may well be on this option for life :)

I have learnt though from this thread that I may need to add even more potassium from the tartar option so will buy from supermarket today!

I can see from completing back to back weeks of tough (for me) marathon training that I had. Not been able to put this stress on my body before without this mineral support in place - very exciting times now - the 10 year wait for a marathon has felt so long and had all but given up hope …

CMDK2020 profile image
CMDK2020

Thanks so much for sharing this information Danielj1 :) Thanks too to all the other people who offer help here with knowledge and suggestions. It really is such a huge support. It really is inspiring to hear this. I used to be very active and energetic enjoying lots of sports and activities prior to becoming unwell and developing Hypothyroidism in 2020. I've been trying everything I can to overcome it since despite being told by GPs that it my levels were fine and yet feeling so fatigued always. I am now taking NDT NP Thyroid for the last year which has been very beneficial and enabled me to return to work and get a mortgage to buy a house. However, I'm still not where I used to be energy wise and work mainly takes up all my energy. Mornings are always the most challenging as I never wake up rested despite however many hours I seem to sleep soundly without waking .Your story gives hope that I can improve more in time please God.

Did you or anyone else here buy that program from that website Forefront Health ? Or is it enough to try the Adrenal Cocktail ? Many thanks again 🙏

Danielj1 profile image
Danielj1 in reply toCMDK2020

yes to Q1 and yes to Q2 I do not agree with some of his ideas but you can certainly have a look and make up your own mind

Or I can summarise the key ideas here ..

CMDK2020 profile image
CMDK2020 in reply toDanielj1

Thanks Daniel.. I'll definitely try the Adrenal Cocktail so and see how it goes. Bought the OJ today! It has bits in it but it's freshly squeezed so hopefully will do the trick in the morning 🤞🤞 I'll look into that website again more during the week If you get a chance sometime to summarise the main ideas that would be most appreciated too. Many thanks again 🙏

Danielj1 profile image
Danielj1 in reply toCMDK2020

Hi CMDK, added a liberal dose of cream of tartar plus salted OJ and drank befor heading to gym. To step up the intensity I made my 60 minute hill repeats off a higher treadmill gradient and was really surprised just how much energy I had and it all felt slow and needed to speed up at the end. Crikey if this really does work completing my marathon training in 8 weeks will move from a possible to a probable ….

CMDK2020 profile image
CMDK2020 in reply toDanielj1

Hi Danielj1, thats great sounds like it's really working for you. Best of luck with the training.I tried the OJ with Seasalt and baking powder (1/4 teaspoon of each) yesterday for the first time but unfortunately it seemed to make my energy crash even more...I was tired anyway but it didn't seem to work for me yesterday.

Tried it again today, will see how it goes.. Do you usually take it with coffee and dairy as recommended on Forefront Health website? Or is it enough on it's own?

Many thanks :)

Danielj1 profile image
Danielj1 in reply toDanielj1

added even more cream tartar and got an even better result with the 60 minute hill run today

Perhaps I need to start a campaign to place bottles of cream of tartar in every GP surgery in the land to make the point how cheap it is for the benefits on offer

Danielj1 profile image
Danielj1

Sorry to hear this did not work as hoped for - I do worry that you are not supposed to use baking powder as that will really stuff you up I suspect

Baking powder is bicarbonate soda

You need cream of tartar which contains all the potassium you need

You need to make sure magnesium is also being dosed - I take the drink first thing when. I get up and follow with a strong coffee alongside 500 of magnesium and 300 copper

You may be taking too much salt - I use about 1/8th tea spoon

Good luck !

Regenallotment profile image
RegenallotmentAmbassador

adrenal cocktail made me a bit dizzy/foggy/buzzy this morning… at least I think it was that… had it at 8am noticed the feeling about 8.45 is that normal? (Thyroid hormones at 6.15) 🌱

Danielj1 profile image
Danielj1 in reply toRegenallotment

I take it about 6-7 when I wake up alongside a strong coffee and this always seems to work well

I have never had any form of negative reaction - I have heard it discussed that some may be more sensitive to OJ with the bits inside and so should use the version without the pulp etc

Beyond that the only elements are how much OJ you take plus how much salt and cream of tartar etc and experiment with these (perhaps try half dose of everything ?)

Wish I knew any more but I simply don’t sorry

Regenallotment profile image
RegenallotmentAmbassador in reply toDanielj1

Good advice, I’ll do a bit less CoT and see. Thanks for getting back to m. I definitely lasted through the day better, considering it was end of term and we are all shattered by Friday 👏 🌱

Danielj1 profile image
Danielj1 in reply toRegenallotment

if it encourages you, I have just run a training half marathon of 21km with just 2 weeks of proper training and had so much energy I simply did not want to stop - my heart rate kept really low with very low levels of stress cortisol which means I have been burning off fat well - secret weapon an extra large dose of COT in the smoothie before I set out …crikey I wish I had found this stuff decades ago - good luck with your experimenting !

Danielj1 profile image
Danielj1

I am now under the care and support of a professional nutritionist and he is not happy at all with OJ taken in this way - so have adapted my approach to add the salt and cream of tartar directly into a smoothie with lower levels of fruit than before…

Danielj1 profile image
Danielj1

I am now under the care and support of a professional nutritionist and he is not happy at all with OJ taken in this way - so have adapted my approach to add the salt and cream of tartar directly into a smoothie with lower levels of fruit than before…

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