colds and flu

[Reneey2k]

I’ve been Googling but can’t any answers. Is there a link between catching frequent colds and hashimotos?

[Regenallotment]

hi, I’m auto immune, have small thyroid so most likely Ord’s which seems to get lumped in with Hashi’s.

I had a lot of colds and bugs before diagnosis, I work in a college so a lot of exposure.

Since diagnosis and starting T4, Vit D3+K2, B Complex, Selenium, Haem Iron and Magnesium then eventually a little T3, I haven’t had a bug all winter or Spring, not one. Colleagues have been off loads. Could be a coincidence or could be I’ve grown a superpower with all these vitamins 🌱

[Reneey2k in reply to Regenallotment]

I’ve just started taking these vitamins apart from K2 because I’m getting a cold every month since February. This has never happened before

[mstp in reply to Reneey2k]

If you take D3 it is important to take K2 as well. No doubt someone on here can explain why I tend to say it the wrong way round when I try to explain it.

[TiggerMe in reply to Regenallotment]

This is how I shall picture you from here on.....Wonder woman never went out without her big pants to keep her kidneys warm 😆

😁

[Regenallotment in reply to TiggerMe]

I look marvellous in big pants and a cape 🌱 although I’d need pockets for all my supplements or a Dora the explorer back pack 🤣

[greygoose]

I think the link is with being hypo, rather than with the Hashi's itself.

[Arkenstone]

Hi, Have you tried increasing your D3 to 20,000mgs a week? When I informed my Endo that I was catching colds and flu frequently, he asked me to increase my D3 to 20,000mgs a week. It stopped my propensity for catching colds and flu.

[Reneey2k]

wow. No but I will give it a try

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Reneey2k]

Reeney2k

wow. No but I will give it a try

If this is in response to taking 20,000iu D3 per week then please do not do so unless you have tested Vit D. D3 is fat soluble and any excess is stored and leads to toxicity. Therefore it is important, before starting to supplement with D3, to test our Vit D level and if supplementing is necessary then to take the appropriate dose and ensure D3's important factors are also taken.

You might want to check out a recent post that I wrote about Vit D and supplementing:

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

and you can check out the link to how to work out the dose you need to increase your current level to the recommended level.

If you haven't tested Vit D then the easiest test is a dried blood spot test from an NHS lab which offers this to the general public:

vitamindtest.org.uk/

Once you have your result, which will be in nmol/L, then divide it by 2.5 to give the result in ng/ml then refer to the tables within the Vit D Council's website linked to in my other post that I've linked to.

As for catching so many colds, as well as ensuring you have a good Vit D level, it may be worth boosting your immune system - healthy diet, Vit C, garlic supplements.

[Reneey2k in reply to SeasideSusie]

my last blood test in January said vit d was 50nmol/L. (range 50-200 nmol/L) so was low.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Reneey2k]

Are you supplementing with D3, if so how much? What form - oil based softgel, tablet, capsule, oral spray? And do you take D3's important cofactors - magnesium and Vit K2-MK7?

With a level of 50nmol/L (20ng/ml) it's recommended to be taking 4,000-5,000iu (it's borderline between two tables) until level reaches 125nmol/L (50ng/ml).

[Reneey2k in reply to SeasideSusie]

I wasn’t really. Just taking seven seas cod liver oil which has vit d (10 ug) but I do have these amazon.co.uk/Hux-D3-3200iu-...

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Reneey2k]

The trouble with cod liver oil is that it is high in Vit A, another fat soluble vitamin which in excess leads to toxicity. Supplementing with D3 is the best way.

The Hux D3 you've linked to is very expensive.

30 x 3,200iu capsules is £4.46 = 15p per capsule.

I use Doctor's Best oil based softgels

dolphinfitness.co.uk/en/doc...

180 x 5,000iu softgels is £10.69 = 6p per softgel for 6 months worth of a bigger dose.

If you don't need to take 5,000iu daily you just continue with the same ones but don't take them every day, work out how many per week you need.

Important cofactors:

D3 aids absorption of calcium from food and Vit K2-MK7 directs the calcium to bones and teeth where it is needed and away from arteries and soft tissues where it can be deposited and cause problems such as hardening of the arteries, kidney stones, etc. 90-100mcg K2-MK7 is enough for up to 10,000iu D3.

D3 and K2 are fat soluble so should be taken with the fattiest meal of the day, D3 four hours away from thyroid meds if taking D3 as tablets/capsules/softgels, no necessity if using an oral spray.

For Vit K2-MK7 my suggestions are Vitabay, Vegavero or Vitamaze brands which all contain the correct form of K2-MK7 - the "All Trans" form rather than the "Cis" form. The All Trans form is the bioactive form, a bit like methylfolate is the bioactive form of folic acid.

Vitabay and Vegavero are either tablets or capsules.

Vitabay does do an oil based liquid.

Vitamaze is an oil based liquid.

With the oil based liquids the are xx amount of K2-MK7 per drop so you just take the appropriate amount of drops.

They are all imported German brands, you can find them on Amazon although they do go out of stock from time to time. I get what I can when I need to restock. If the tablet or capsule form is only in 200mcg dose at the time I take those on alternate days.

Another "all trans" one worth considering if the others aren't availaable:

amazon.co.uk/Vitality-Biore...?

Another important cofactor is Magnesium which helps the body convert D3 into it's usable form.

There are many types of magnesium so we have to check to see which one is most suitable for our own needs:

naturalnews.com/046401_magn...

explore.globalhealing.com/t...

and ignore the fact that this is a supplement company, the information is relevant:

swansonvitamins.com/blog/ar...

Magnesium should be taken 4 hours away from thyroid meds and as it tends to be calming it's best taken in the evening. Vit D should also be taken 4 hours away from thyroid meds. Vit K2-MK7 should be taken 2 hours away from thyroid meds. Don't take D3 and K2 at the same time unless both are oil based supplements, they both are fat soluble vitamins which require their own fat to be absorbed otherwise they will compete for the fat.

Don't start all supplements at once. Start with one, give it a week or two and if no adverse reaction then add the next one. Again, wait a week or two and if no adverse reaction add the next one. Continue like this. If you do have any adverse reaction then you will know what caused it.

[Reneey2k in reply to SeasideSusie]

thank you for this. Very helpful. I was taking the cod liver mostly for the omega 3 cause I bought some omega 3 only and was like horse tablets and couldn’t take them.

[Reneey2k in reply to SeasideSusie]

thanks had a read but how do you work out your dose based on your weight? I weigh more then 150lbs 😂

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Reneey2k]

I don't bother with weight, I just go by the levels as you'll get there eventually.

[CoeliacMum1]

Don’t know if going to jinx myself now but quite the opposite for me.

I have Hashimoto’s, coeliac disease and pernicious anaemia struggle with maintaining good levels of iron, folate, Vit D periodically and B12 (ok now I get injections every 3 months). I have started to supplement more although been low for best part of a decade on and off.

My family husband and daughter normally get winter colds, I don’t, my daughter had covid twice, working for the NHS it was inevitable, I guess, she was living at home with us at this time. I didn’t get it although did get covid but very mild a year later when my husband got it…he was worse than me regarding a really bad throat and a cough, although tiredness lingered more with me, I had a 24hr sore throat that was it, thankfully!

[Reneey2k in reply to CoeliacMum1]

I have same conditions as you. I’ve never had so many colds in such a short period in my life

[CoeliacMum1 in reply to Reneey2k]

Is this a new thing or just lately?

I know coeliacs can get spleen problems which cause immune problems.

coeliac.org.uk/information-....

You maybe can read more elsewhere but here’s a link to these related conditions.

I have regular pneumonia injections my GP called me in last year after reading that now advisory to have them more frequently.

I don’t have the annual flu vaccination as I had a serious problem with swine flu vaccine and ironically developed all my autoimmune disorders year or so later all within weeks of each other … possibly a coincidence re autoimmune but 2 years running on same flu vaccine I was on steroids nearly in hospital from having a reaction so whilst the Swine flu is added to the flu vaccine I decline and I had previous flu vaccination with no problems what so ever had them decades.

As a child I had eczema and lots of tonsil related problems and amazingly my GP didn’t like whipping tonsils and anenoids out so I still have them, I do still get lots of tree and mould spore allergies and catarrh can be problematic when they start, and I developed asthma in my mid/late teens… but my asthma is well controlled.

[Reneey2k in reply to CoeliacMum1]

Colds since about february and every month since sometimes twice a month. Again your history mimics mine apart from asthma but I did have my tonsils out and ended up with post nasal drip catarrah problems after that. I had both the flu and pneumonia jabs for the first time this year, oh the irony!

[CoeliacMum1 in reply to Reneey2k]

Might be an idea to mention the link to your GP if this still continues, and it’s not just a blip.. after all we have all squirrelled ourselves away isolating so not getting the usual germs and immunity we would normally… guess we will be susceptible to more.

[Regenallotment in reply to Reneey2k]

I heard a podcast recently that said post nasal drip is commonly Candida … maybe ask about that too? 🌱

[humanbean]

My husband and I have had lots of colds and coughs, and I've had what I thought was flu in the last couple of years. We've also had multiple Covid vaccines, and twice had Covid.

Make of that what you will.

Previous to the pandemic I had very, very few colds and coughs, and I wasn't sure if I'd ever had flu.

[klr31]

Yes, I found so and getting viruses when under medicated or no thyroxine before I was diagnosed. Karen