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Did Your Doctor Say You're Just "Old?"
By Denis Wilson, MD Developer of Wilson's Temperature Syndrome Have you been told your thyroid is a little low, but that it's okay because you are "old" and that's what happens to old people? Well, a low temperature may not affect your life expectancy, but it can have a huge impact on your quality of life. The list of symptoms is long, and it includes: fatigue, intolerance to cold, dry skin, puffy eyes, muscle cramps, weak muscles, constipation, depression, slow thinking, and poor memory. Your doctor may tend to dismiss these symptoms as simply signs of aging, but where does one draw the line? It's abnormal to have these symptoms when you're young, but it's normal when you're old? When does one turn from young to old? 40 years old? 50? 60? Low temperatures can contribute to these symptoms at any age, but they can often be normalized with proper treatment. Here's what I suggest. Take your body temperature. If your body temperature is consistently low—below 98.5 F, but typically lower than 97.8 F—there's a good chance that you have low thyroid hormone function (despite what lab tests say). Second, get your body temperature back to normal through stress-reduction, exercise, healthy nutrition, and herbs. Some people benefit from both adrenal and thyroid support, since both the thyroid and adrenal systems can be taxed by stress. Adaptogenic herbs can support your adrenal gland while it recovers on its own. These herbs, such as Holy Basil, Rhodiola, licorice, Ashwagandha, Eleuthero (Siberian ginseng), Astragalus, and others, have a long and safe history of use for supporting energy and calm focus in the face of stress. Make sure you get enough vitamin D. A good middle-range blood level is about 50 ng/ml. Most people need supplements of several thousand IUs a day to achieve this level. Vitamin D helps to normalize your immune response. Selenium, a trace mineral that protects the thyroid, is important too. For people with established thyroiditis, I find that 400 micrograms is a useful dose. Get nutritional support for good production and T4-T3 conversion, such as selenium and iodine. Use iodized salt, consume seaweed, or take iodine supplements. Older people may have a problem converting T4 to T3, and some may do better taking the active form of T3 instead of Synthroid, especially when it comes to cognitive-related thyroid issues. I believe you don't have to accept lowtemperature symptoms just because a few decades have gone by. There are a lot of things you can do to take charge of your health. So…how old is "old" to you? |
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