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Hi Everyone,
Sorry I didn't send this out when I came home last night but I was
so exhausted and had a really bad headache. We also has storms rumbling
thru here off an on all day yesterday.
The visit with the doctor went well except for my weight gain of 2
pounds UGH!!!! He came in and checked me out. He said his plan was
to do more blood work to check my levels then order an I-131 Body scan.
He said he needed to do this one to check to see if there were anymore
thyroid cancer cells in my system and two, this will help him determon
how much RAI I would be getting.
He asked me if I had been getting fatigued, slugish, or cold. I
told him just a tiny bit but it wasn't until Tuesday afternoon that I
started getting slugish. And I get a bit cold in the mornings. He
asked about my getting sleepy. I do get a bit sleepy during the day
sometimes. He said that was a part of this. He then said that he was
ordering the bloodwork and told me to come back next week.
So I have to go back next Wednesday. Glad it's on June 23rd
because I have an eye doctor appt on the same day, so this means I'll
have to go a lot earlier. Ummmmmmmm and pack a lunch. LOL Because
I'll be down there all day. SHEESH!!! Oh well, at least it'll be one
trip and 1 Co-Pay ;)
Enough about me now how are you all? I hope all is well with you
all.
**Huggles**
Melissa
aka LadyBichon

ROFL!!!
Was sent to me thru the Thyroid cancer site. I thought these were
funny. Wish I had thought of these after my surgery. LOL
**Huggles**
Melissa

Thanks, Bee for this information! I really do appreciate learning more about anemia....

hugs

FeistyWendy

[LINK]
Depression

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Hi all,

just a reminder that anemia, especially iron and the B's (B12, B6, folic acid, & pantothenic acid<<<good for immune system) are very common with thyroid problems...especially for those of us who have had problems with menorrhagia (heavy periods) & who don't absorb our meds and nutrients well...they mention in the article a couple of ways to aid your digestive system in absorbing thte iron that you do take in...and they give a list of foods to look for if you are anemic...Hugs, Bee

http://www.detnews.com/2004/fitness/0406/16/h06-184492.htm

Wednesday, June 16, 2004

Image

David Coates / The Detroit News

Troy-based dietitian Sujata Chaddha Jhaveri, shown here at Martha T. Berry Medical Facility in Mount Clemens, holds a tray of iron-rich foods.

Women need to keep iron in mind

A shortage can leave you dizzy and tired all the time

By Michael H. Hodges / The Detroit News

Image

Ricardo Thomas / The Detroit News

Exercise specialist Danielle Doney, 23, of Detroit can thank her mother for getting her to a doctor when she was a freshman in high school, suffering from fatigue. She was diagnosed with iron-deficiency anemia.

Check for signs of iron deficiency

Iron deficiency can lead to anemia. Symptoms can include:

* Fatigue

* Weakness

* Shortness of breath

* Light headedness

* Paleness

* Irritability

* Brittle nails

* Sore tongue

* Headache

* Paleness

* Increased susceptibility to infection

* Poor appetite

* Pica (unusual cravings for nonfood substances such as dirt or ice)

Too much iron

It is possible to have too much iron in your body.

The buildup of too much iron, frequently because of a genetic predisposition to absorb more iron than needed, can lead to the hemachromatosis, with symptoms such as joint pain, organ damage and fatigue.

To learn more about the condition, go to:

* www.cdc.gov/ hemochromatosis

* ironoverload.org

* irondisorders.org

* iodforum.net

Learn more

* www.nlm.nih.gov /medlineplus/ anemia.html

* kidshealth.org

* familydoctor.org

* 4woman.gov

* mayoclinic.com

Who's at risk

Experts say people most at risk of iron deficiency anemia include:

* Women and girls who menstruate.

* Pregnant women and women who are nursing.

* Infants, children and adolescents who are growing rapidly.

* People who eat no meat or eggs.

* People with peptic ulcer disease or colon cancer, and people who use aspirin long term.

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When Danielle Doney was a freshman in high school, all she wanted to do was sleep.

I was just fatigued all the time, says the 23-year-old exercise specialist, newly arrived in Detroit from the Upper Peninsula.

I could sleep for 10 hours and still be tired. I took naps throughout the day.

The symptoms alarmed Doneys mother, who got her into the doctors office posthaste.

When the blood tests came back, it was discovered Doney suffered from iron-deficiency anemia, a condition alarmingly common with women of menstruation age.

The Mayo Clinic estimates one-fifth of American women and half of pregnant women suffer from insufficient iron.

In poorer countries, the World Health Organization pegs the number of anemic women at 40 to 50 percent.

While men sometimes suffer from iron deficiency, its far less common than among women.

Women are particularly susceptible because of their monthly cycle, when blood loss leaches the body of vital iron. Once past menopause, many women report their iron problems simply disappear.

For those battling the deficiency, life can feel like an endless trudge up steep stairs.

Common symptoms range from the sort of fatigue Doney describes to mental fuzziness, weakness, vertigo, irritability and heartburn.

In extreme cases, says registered dietitian Sujata Chaddha Jhaveri in Troy, it can even lead to dysphagia, a difficulty in swallowing, as well as abdominal pains, anorexia and palpitations.

Prompt attention is essential.

Anytime anybody feels they have the symptoms, Jhaveri says, they should see their doctor.

Iron is essential to creating hemoglobin, the protein pigment in red blood cells that carries oxygen.

If blood isnt properly oxygenated, nothing works up to par. You drag, your body doesnt absorb food efficiently, and your skin lacks the rosiness associated with good health.

Occasional blood tests are recommended for all women because the condition can be sneaky.

Fatigue? asks Julie Nitzkin, a 38-year-old from Farmington Hills. I didnt notice it. But my hemoglobin levels, when tested, were absolutely too low.

Normal hemoglobin, says Nitzkin, a clinical nurse manager in Southfield, ranges from 12 to 16 grams per deciliter of whole blood.

Mine was 10-point something, she says.

Both Nitzkin and Doney went on iron supplements and found their deficits disappeared. In Doneys case, her doctor also prescribed a low dose of the birth-control pill to limit the amount she bled every month.

The results were almost immediate.

Oh, the fatigue definitely got a lot better, she says. But the biggest thing was a general feeling of wellness fewer colds that wouldnt drag on as long, and fewer coughs. After school, I no longer felt like I had to run home to take a nap. Once Doney was in college, she stopped all treatment, and her hemoglobin levels remained normal.

In high school, she says, I was really thin. Im about 6 feet and weighed 125 at the time, and I think the weight gain helped.

For the unlucky, iron-deficiency anemia can be a lifelong, troubling condition.

Patricia Nouhan of Hartland has battled anemia for decades. Only recently, after seeing a doctor who specializes in holistic medicine, does she feel shes getting a handle on it.

It was like it was always 2 in the morning, she says of her persistent fatigue. Youre dragging all the time, and your mind is foggy. When I turned 40, it just got worse and worse.

Her problem was compounded by the fact that her body couldnt absorb the iron supplements she was routinely prescribed.

So Dr. Richard Ng at West Bloomfields Center for Holistic Medicine not only looked at her iron levels, but protein as well.

When somebody has iron-deficient anemia, he says, Im not going to load them up with iron immediately. Im going to check their protein, because iron needs protein to be ushered around the body.

Ng ultimately prescribed iron injections, as well as thyroid and cortisone treatments. Its made a world of difference.

I dont feel sick when Im exhausted anymore, Nouhan says. My lymph nodes in my joints used to ache when I was tired, and I would feel nauseated. I couldnt complete sentences. I couldnt think. Now when Im tired, she adds, Im just tired.

Indeed, researchers at Pennsylvania State University reported this spring that mental sluggishness isnt just in your mind. In a study of 113 women, even those with mild cases of iron deficiency not clinical anemia had trouble completing memory tests and cognitive tasks.

Still, this is no recommendation to storm the pharmacy for iron supplements, unless your doctor tells you to.

Jhaveri emphasizes that your body can absorb only so much iron a day, and that piling on the supplement runs risks of its own.

The average American diet contains about 10 to 20 milligrams of iron daily, she says, and only about 10 percent of that is absorbed.

She adds, The body can only synthesize 5 to 10 milligrams of hemoglobin a day. Overdosing with supplements cannot expedite that process.

Heres how meats, grains and vegetables stack up

Want to avoid iron deficiency anemia? Regularly eating foods rich in iron works for most people.

Keep in mind that your body more easily absorbs heme iron, the type in animal products. To improve your bodys ability to absorb iron from nonheme iron the type from grains and vegetables be sure to eat it with food that has heme iron or with citrus juice or other food with a lot of vitamin C.

Heres a quick look at iron content in some foods:

* Amaranth: (3 1/2 ounces, dry) 8 mg

* Black beans, fava beans, Great Northern beans or lima beans: (3 1/2 ounces, cooked) 2 mg

* Brown rice: (3 1/2 ounces, dry) 2 mg

* Chicken: (3 1/2 ounces, skinned and cooked) 1 mg

* Chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils, navy beans or pinto beans: (3 1/2 ounces, cooked) 3 mg

* Clams: (3 1/2 ounces, cooked) 28 mg

* Dates: (3 1/2 ounces, raw) 1 mg

* Duck: (3 1/2 ounces, skinned and cooked) 3 mg

*Eggs: (2 large) 1 mg

* Extra lean, cured ham: (3 1/2 ounces) 2 mg

* Fennel: (3 1/2 ounces, raw) 3 mg

* Goose: (3 1/2 ounces, skinned and cooked) 3 mg

* Green peas: (3 1/2 ounces raw) 2 mg

* Halibut: (3 1/2 ounces, cooked) 1 mg

* Kale: (3 1/2 ounces, raw) 2 mg

* Leg of lamb: (3 1/2 ounces, cooked) 2 mg

* Peanuts: (3 1/2 ounces, dry roasted) 2 mg

* Pork, top loin: (3 1/2 ounces, cooked) 1 mg

* Prunes: (3 1/2 ounces, raw) 3 mg

* Quinoa, (3 1/2 ounces, dry) 9 mg

* Rainbow trout: (3 1/2 ounces, cooked) 2 mg

* Raisins: (3 1/2 ounces, raw) 2 mg

* Rye: (3 1/2 ounces, dry) 3 mg

* Scallops: (3 1/2 ounces, cooked) 3 mg

* Shrimp: (3 1/2 ounces, cooked) 3 mg

* Sockeye salmon: (3 1/2 ounces, cooked) 1 mg

* Soybeans: 3 1/2 ounces, cooked) 5 mg

* Spinach: (3 1/2 ounces, raw) 3 mg

* Turkey: (3 1/2 ounces, skinned and cooked) 2 mg

* Venison: (3 1/2 ounces, cooked) 5 mg

* White enriched rice: (3 1/2 ounces, dry) 4 mg

* Whole almonds: (3 1/2 ounces, dry roasted) 4 mg

You can reach Michael H. Hodges at (313) 222-6021 or mhodges@....

This guy is a low fat/low calorie type of person who hates low carb plans...seems to confuse low carb with no carb...you can eat plenty of veggies and fruits (more sparingly) and not be extremely high carb...some of these, though will work for anyone...

Hugs, Bee

http://www.nutricise.com/servlet/article/nutrition/29066.html

Cooking Makeovers
By Charles Stuart Platkin

(Nutricise) Although most restaurant owners would rather I didn't tell you this, research has shown that you have a better chance of controlling your weight if you eat at home. But even eating at home can have a negative effect on your waistline, depending on how you cook. Here are a few tips for keeping your kitchen "light."

Stuff It with Vegetables
The next time you throw a burger on the grill, it doesn't have to wreak havoc with your diet -- just a few simple substitutions can save you a lot of calories and fat. To start, use lean ground beef instead of regular, or, for even less fat, try ground turkey. Next, give your burger some extra texture and flavor by mixing the meat with chopped mushrooms, peppers, and onions -- you'll have the same size burger but it will be much lower in calories -- and you'll also be getting the health benefits of all those vegetables.

For variety, experiment with other vegetables, like chopped water chestnuts or sundried (not oil-packed) tomatoes. Vegetables work great as fillers for many other foods as well, such as omelets and sandwiches.

You can also try this when you're making meatloaf. To compensate for the lack of fat in the beef, spray the pan with cooking spray (e.g., Pam) to keep the meat from sticking.

Hamburger with ground beef (6 ounces): 481 calories, 34g fat, 0g carbs, 40g protein
Hamburger with lean beef and vegetables (6 ounces): 364 calories, 21g fat, 14g carbs, 30g protein

Replace Whole Dairy Products
You can replace almost any dairy product (e.g., cheese, milk, or sour cream) called for in a recipe with a low-fat or nonfat version, saving a significant number of calories. For instance, chef Terry Conlan, author of Fresh (Favorite Recipes Press, 2002) and executive chef at the Lake Austin Spa Resort in Austin, Texas, says his single favorite product for cooking is fat-free sweetened condensed milk. "It does everything that whole condensed milk will do for a lot less calories. We use it to make flan, cream pies, roasted tomato bisque, and much more." He also recommends melting reduced-fat or fat-free cream cheese to use in lieu of heavy cream or half-and-half. For example, he makes a quick and easy key lime pie using fat-free sweetened condensed milk with a combination of fat-free and reduced-fat cream cheese.

Pound It Out
One of the tricks I discovered when I owned a restaurant, and later used to help me lose weight, was to use a mallet to pound and tenderize chicken (and other meats), making the portion appear larger. In fact, I have the local supermarket pound out the boneless, skinless chicken breasts I buy so they are paper-thin. This also allows for very rapid cooking using almost no oil.

Use Artificial or High Intensity Sweeteners
The word on the street is that Splenda (sucralose) can be used to replace sugar in almost all cooking, including baking, because it doesn't lose sweetness with high heat. Sucralose is one of the safest sugar substitutes on the market.

Juice It
Using a juicer to make and create sauces is another way to cut hefty calorie costs while cooking at home. Scott Uehlein, executive chef at Canyon Ranch Spa in Tucson, Arizona, finds that many vegetables and fruits can be juiced into a great sauce to replace the creamy, buttery sauces often used to add flavor to foods. His favorite tip is to juice a golden ripe pineapple, which makes a thick, tasty sauce with plenty of froth. The pineapple juice can be used as a sweet and sour dip and can also be brushed on steamed, grilled, baked, or broiled foods during the cooking process. He especially likes it with lobster tails. If you don't own a juicer, food processors and mixers often have juicing attachments available.

Uehlein also suggests juicing then simmering sweet, ripe tomatoes or carrots in a pan until they reduce and thicken, and then simply adding sea salt, lemon, and dill for a great-tasting, low-calorie sauce.

Make It Thick and Tasty
One of my favorite cooking tricks is to use cornstarch as an instant, fat-free thickener for sauces and gravies. "Just mix some cornstarch in cold water and add it to your stir fry. Saute vegetables with nonfat spray, seasoning, and lemon juice; add cornstarch, and then toss with pasta instead of making a cream-based pasta sauce. Or add cornstarch to meat juices to create a thick gravy without the added fat," offers famed healthy cooking expert Cary Neff, author of Conscious Cuisine (Sourcebooks Trade, October 2002) and culinary consultant to Jenny Craig.

Pureed vegetables are another way to thicken sauces and stews. "Just a bit of cooked, pureed potato thickens 'cream' of asparagus soup so that no cream is needed. The same is true with pureed beans in veggie soup," says Jorj Morgan, author of the forthcoming book Fresh Traditions (Cumberland House, August 2004).

Use Condiments, Herbs, and Spices
Whereas a bland "diet" meal can be pretty boring, highly flavored condiments help satisfy the senses. "Use a variety of vinegars such as raspberry, balsamic, and red wine," suggests Melanie R. Polk, MM.Sc., R.D., FADA, and director of nutrition education at the American Institute for Cancer Research. You can also use low-fat vinaigrette dressing for your cooking. "By coating vegetables, chicken, or other foods with a low-fat vinaigrette, you avoid the fattening oils [one tablespoon of oil has 120 calories], with flavorful results," reminds Neff.

You can also experiment with unusual condiments such as liquid smoke. "Liquid smoke is a seasoning made from water and concentrated smoke that mimics the flavor of smoked meats. It can be used to enhance almost anything, but especially split pea soup, braised greens, and baked beans, and it has virtually no calories," says Lawrence J. Cheskin, M.D., professor of medicine and human nutrition at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and author of Recipes for Weight Loss (Rebus, 2003). Buy liquid smoke online at www.colgin.com.

Polk also suggests using fresh herbs. "There's nothing like cutting fresh herbs such as thyme, cilantro, or rosemary from a pot on the patio and adding them to cooked grains, grilled chicken, or fresh green beans." In addition, culinary experts recommend cooking with fat-free, low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth to avoid using oil -- it's a great way to bake, roast, simmer, or saute.

Send in your unusual or unique "calorie-saving cooking tips" to info@.... If your idea is published, you'll receive a $20 check and a FREE copy of the forthcoming book The Automatic Diet (Hudson Street Press/Penguin).

Charles Stuart Platkin is a syndicated health, nutrition, and fitness columnist, author of the best-selling book, Breaking the Pattern (Red Mill Press, 2002), the forthcoming book The Automatic Diet (Hudson Street Press, 2005) and founder of Nutricise.com. Copyright 2004 by Charles Stuart Platkin. Write to info@...
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More stories on Cooking & Nutrition

http://www.nutricise.com/servlet/article/weight/29067.html

Hips, Abs, and Thighs
By Charles Stuart Platkin

(Nutricise) Do you ever wonder if it's actually possible to alter those "problem" areas (e.g., large thighs or buttocks) that you can't seem to get rid of, no matter how hard you think you're trying? Fortunately or unfortunately, much of your "body type" is genetic. But the question remains: Is it possible to overcome this genetic predisposition and change your body shape? Well, I have good and bad news. Yes, these areas can be changed or reduced, but it isn't easy.

Understanding Fat
There are two types of fat: subcutaneous and intraabdominal. Subcutaneous fat is below the skin, and intraabdominal fat (the traditional "apple" shape) is behind the stomach muscles, and around the organs. Most women store their fat subcutaneously, in their breasts, hips, buttocks, and thighs (the traditional "pear" shape), while most men store theirs in the abdomen, lower back, chest, and the nape of the neck.

Intraabdominal fat is considered the most dangerous. "All of the potential health risks, including diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease, are related to the intraabdominal fat," says David Heber, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine and director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition and author of The L.A. Shape Diet.

Can You Get the Perfect Body?
"Theoretically, you can get rid of every 'pocket' of fat, if you want to take it to the extreme and become obsessive about it," says Ed McNeely, Msc., an exercise physiologist at Sports Medicine Specialists in Toronto, Canada, who has worked with more than 30 Olympic medalists.

But you need to keep things in perspective. "Sometimes, no matter what you do, you're not going to get that elite model body. For instance, if you have a wide pelvis, that's not going away," says McNeely. He adds that even Olympic athletes still have pockets of fat they can't lose -- and they're training for thousands of hours each year. "The only time they manage to lose those fat deposits is during an Olympic year," adds McNeely.

Dr. Heber is even less optimistic, saying simply "there is fat you can change and fat you can't." His point is that your genetic blueprint is hard to overcome. "It requires tremendous discipline, and even then you're not going to move mountains," agrees Byron Hoogwerf, M.D., an endocrinologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. In fact, he adds that you can work really hard, train very seriously, and still have slight fatty deposits in some areas.

Losing It
The problem is that most people try to get rid of these fat deposits by restricting calories and increasing the duration of their aerobic exercise. "This is exactly what not to do," says Dan Benardot, Ph.D., R.D., L.D., researcher at the Laboratory for Elite Athlete Performance at Georgia State University in Atlanta. If you start to significantly decrease your calories, whether they're made up of carbs, fat, or protein, your body will begin to protect itself and go into "starvation" mode.

Unfortunately, this is what most popular diets accomplish. "Your body is very efficient, and when you start to restrict calories and increase your energy expenditure (exercise), it will attempt to conserve fuel, meaning even more fat is stored," says Benardot. And where does it store that fat? "Exactly where you don't want it to be stored -- in your hips, abs, thighs, or buttocks. To rid yourself of fat in these areas of the body, you have to think more about energy balance than weight loss -- that's where most people get confused," says Benardot.

Just losing weight doesn't mean you will realize your objective and get rid of those "fat" areas. "In fact, those 'pockets' of fat are always the first to be filled up and the last to leave," says Heber. So, you will end up losing weight in areas where you don't necessarily want to, and the problem areas will remain problems, even though you believe you're exercising and dieting "correctly."

Not only that, but when you go on any quick-fix diet and restrict calories or carbs, "you start to lose lean muscle tissue, which is exactly the opposite of what you want to do," says Granata.

Combine It
Don't lose hope. There are ways to increase your chances of changing your body shape and overcoming your genetic disadvantage. In order to get your body in the best possible shape, experts recommend a combination of weight training, eating balanced meals (without severe caloric restriction), and increasing aerobic intensity, not necessarily duration.

Weight training helps to preserve your muscle tissue, speed up your metabolic rate (so you burn more calories while at rest), and increase the size of your muscles. Keep in mind that you can't spot train -- meaning that you can't focus on one spot (e.g., your thighs) and have the fat burn away just because you exercise intensely in that area. "In order to burn fat, it all must go through the liver to be converted into energy," says Gary Granata, Ph.D., R.D., director of the Applied Physiology Laboratory at the Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans, Louisiana.

However, you can increase the size of the muscle under the fat, which will make the fat look more "toned." "Increasing muscle mass in that specific area means that the fat will be spread over a larger area, and that firms it up. You will look like you've lost fat and appear leaner even though you didn't burn any fat," says McNeely.

Most people don't wait long enough to see the results; they're scared off by the increase in muscle mass (and the larger size of the very body part they're trying to reduce). "We tend to panic and stop training when our muscles start to grow under the fat -- that's a mistake. You need stick with your entire program -- which has to include diet, cardio, and strength training -- for at least four months in order to see real change," recommends McNeely.

In terms of diet, Benardot and Granata recommend eating smaller meals over the course of the day. Eating one meal that is 1800 calories (instead of eating smaller meals throughout the day that total 1800 calories) doesn't have the same effect in fueling your body. "If you eat smaller meals, your body will become more efficient, and thus you stand a greater chance of reaching your goal," says Benardot.

And finally, experts claim that increasing the duration of your aerobic exercise isn't the answer. How many times have you seen someone running or biking or using the stair climber who is in great shape...except for those problem areas? "When you do aerobic exercise at a higher intensity, you burn energy at a higher rate, and you burn more fat than carbohydrates, provided you're fueled properly." And Benardot warns, "Never exercise while hungry. It's counterproductive -- you need to feed the exercise."

Liposuction
Some experts contend that the only way to truly eliminate regional fat is to perform surgery (i.e., liposuction). However, Dr. Hoogwerf cautions that even doing liposuction only removes about four and a half pounds of fat, and many times a person can have as much as 20 pounds or more of excess fat in these areas. Hoogwerf also asserts that, "diet and exercise are critical in removing the most dangerous fat, the visceral fat behind the stomach and around the organs."

Bottom Line
Lastly, when asked if there is a specific exercise, food, or supplement for each body type, all experts agreed -- any such claim is nothing more than a marketing gimmick.

Charles Stuart Platkin is a syndicated health, nutrition, and fitness columnist, author of the best-selling book, Breaking the Pattern (Red Mill Press, 2002), the forthcoming book The Automatic Diet (Hudson Street Press, 2005) and founder of Nutricise.com. Copyright 2004 by Charles Stuart Platkin. Write to info@...
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((HUGS))) hoping you quickly sail right thru this!!!

Hi Friends,
I just wanted to let you know that during the next few weeks I may
not be myself. Due to the upcoming {RAI} RadioActive Iodine treatment
I'll be recieving to take care of any thyroid cells left in my body the
doctor has taken me off my thyroid medicine. I'm now on day 4 without
it. Please read on.
I'm not sure how much different I'll feel this time than I did last
year when I was off the meds for 6 months. Since I still had some
working thyroid tissue left in, I wasn't feeling too bad. This time the
ENTs told me they got all of the thyroid tissue except the tiny piece
attached to my vocal cords which will be removed as soon as I can get
the RAI.
I'm on a journey, one that is hard to understand what I'm going through
if you haven't been there. It was cancer, but it wasn't. I'm sick,
but I'm not. You all have been here for me thru it these past 3 years,
and I'm so greatful. I don't know what I would have done without you.
I'll probably be slightly incapacitated instead of more energetic
for a while physically and emotionally but I'm not sure. I'm hoping
I'll sail right thru this Hypothyroid thing. I'm attempting to locate
some info to share with you all so you will somewhat know about the
treatment.
My main reason for giving you this letter is that there have been a
couple of people ask me what they could do for me. So I decided to type
this up and pass it along to you.
** This is a time of great emotional upheaval for me. Not only have I
been taking in a lot of information lately, but also my
hormones are out of whack. I may even be all over the emotional map,
without being able to control it, or even understanding it.
**Be understanding if I'm not acting like the "old" me.
**Listen quietly when I sound off. There is a lot happening to me and
I need to verbalize without worrying about hurting your feelings.
But don't worry - I don't expect you to have any answers.
**Don't feel guilty because you are well. It's not your fault I have
cancer, and I don't resent you for your good health.
**Don't try to cheer me up when I'm depressed. It's normal to be
depressed when things are going badly or when the road ahead is muddy.
**Don't tell me that now I have the worst behind me. That trivializes
what may be ahead.
**PLEASE OVERLOOK and FORGIVE ME if I do or say something to hurt your
feelings. I love and care for you all deeply and would truely HATE to
do or say anything to hurt your feelings. So if I do PLEASE FORGIVE ME,
it isn't me it's only my being off the meds that is causing it and I
cannot control it.
**When obvious problems are over, don't assume that I'm fine.
I'm still dealing with emotional issues.
As you're reading this, wondering if I'm really worth all this
trouble, let me just say that all of these warnings and requests may
turn out to be unnecessary. I may zip in and out of this hypo hell
without feeling a thing. But this is for just-in-case, and I want to let
you know what's going on.
I have healed from my surgery and still have some of the thyroid
hormones in my system so the next few days shouldn't be much of a
problem. After that, who knows! It could take as long as 5 weeks of
spiraling into hypo hell before my levels will be high enough for me to
recieve the RAI. And it can likely take that long again (or even longer)
on the back up.
If I seem cranky or unappreciative for your efforts, please know
now that that's not the case. If I say something to hurt your feelings
PLEASE don't take it to heart because I'm not at myself. I love you and
appreciate you more than I may ever be able to tell you, but I've had a
lot on my plate lately, my hormones are in upheaval, and I may just be
incapable of letting you know how much I appreciate you and anything
you do for Joe & me. Please let this note make up for all the times I
don't treat you as well as you deserve to be treated.
I'm praying that GOD will give me the strength and courage to go thru
this and I'm praying HE will Bless you all for being here for me.
Thanks in advance
Melissa Mason
P.S. I promise I'll try to keep my Mood Swings to a minimum. ;)

http://www.about.com CTRL + Click to follow link
Thyroid Disease

In the Spotlight | More Topics
[INLINE] from Mary Shomon, your Editor and Guide
[INLINE] In the Spotlight
Hair Loss Worries With Thyroid Disease!
Many people notice rapid hair loss as a symptom of their hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism. At one point, my own hair loss was so bad that if you made a ponytail, all of my hair together was the thickness of a...read more
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Hypothyroid/No Thyroid -- Info Center
9 Support Forums for Thyroid Patients
7 Things You Probably Don't Know About Your Thyroid Condition
Take a look at some important facts about thyroid disease that many of you -- pand your doctors -- might now know. One of these tips could be the key to living well! Read 7 Things You Probably Don't Know...read more
Keeping Up the Good Work
How many times have you started a plan for healthier living, and after a few slip-ups, given up? Or, you're watching your diet, but after going off it a few times, the diet is out the window. Or you have...read more
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Summer gives you a chance to try something new. I'll be trying a body rolling class and I'll update you on that in coming weeks.
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[INLINE] Weight Training 101
If you want to lose fat or change your body, strength training will help you get the job done. Problem is, we get confused about how to lift weights, mostly because it's a confusing subject. I know...brilliant observation! Weight Training 101 explains the basic principles of lifting weights and will teach you how to set up your own program.
- Exercise Guide Paige Waehner
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[INLINE] Yo-Yo Dieting May Weaken Your Immune System
Yo-yo dieting, in which a person repeatedly loses and regains weight, may have a lasting negative impact on immune function, according to new findings by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Conversely, maintaining the same weight over time appears to have a positive effect on the immune system.
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Ok, redoing this...the set up was totally screwed for just cut and paste...and all the extra colors and fonts makes the file huge...nothing comes out the way it looks before you send it...AND I just noticed that someone decided to make it so that my e mail addy did not work [INLINE] ...surely it was a mistake! I can't imagine anyone being so childish as to make it so that I cannot be contacted...hmmm...I mean surely the person who usually tries to control the list, would have to be above reproach [INLINE] ...lol...guess you woulda had to have been there, wouldn't ya [INLINE] ...lol...Hugs, Bee

Thyroid Support Groups- USA Last Update: June 11, 2004

ATP Message Board and Website-Thyroid patient advocacy sites

It does look much better Bee good job.
Bee Fuddled <beefuddled912@...

Ok, redoing this...the set up was totally screwed for just cut and paste...and all the extra colors and fonts makes the file huge...nothing comes out the way it looks before you send it...AND I just noticed that someone decided to make it so that my e mail addy did not work [INLINE] ...surely it was a mistake! I can't imagine anyone being so childish as to make it so that I cannot be contacted...hmmm...I mean surely the person who usually tries to control the list, would have to be above reproach [INLINE] ...lol...guess you woulda had to have been there, wouldn't ya [INLINE] ...lol...Hugs, Bee

Thyroid Support Groups- USA Last Update: June 11, 2004

ATP Message Board and Website-Thyroid patient advocacy sites

Got me on this one. Sure the meds arent causing it and its getting better once they change it?
nancy <fallingraccoon3@...

Hi, my name is nancy e ,i have a hypoactive thyroid, arnold chiari
malformation, and have just now been put on zocor for high cholestrol.
my question is , does any one with my a hypoactive thyroid have a
problem with sweating,heat flashes,
i am 62 years l was on hrt meds until last year,
my pcp doesnt understand what is going on,
i went on hrt meds about 10 years ago, every couple years, the
hot flashes would start up, (or so i thought, this happened 3 times
with my meds being changed each time,
now i dont believe the hrt meds were the problem,
any input would help,
thank you
nancy e

Nancy
Welcome to the group, you a hoosier also? What exactly is a Arnold
Chiari malformation? Asymetricial? You mind giving a little more of
a history, what meds and supplements and symptoms and for how long.
If you are hypo and once on meds the cholesterol will come down on
its own more than likely. Also do you have your labs?
Eric

http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/8525697700573E1885256EA90067CE81?OpenDocument&id=93D9A3BE28E828B585256D72004D8558&c=&count=10

Not All Sugars Are Equal, at Least When it Comes to Weight Gain and Health

PHILADELPHIA, PA -- June 4, 2004 -- Researchers at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, the University of California, Davis and other collaborating colleagues report that drinking beverages containing fructose, a naturally-occurring sugar commonly used to sweeten soft drinks and other beverages, induces a pattern of hormonal responses that may favor the development of obesity.
It is estimated that consumption of fructose has increased by 20-30% over the past three decades, a rate of increase similar to that of obesity, which has risen dramatically over the same time span. Data from the present study suggest a mechanism by which fructose consumption could be one factor contributing to the increased incidence of obesity.
In the study, reported in the June 4 issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 12 normal-weight women ate standardized meals on two days. The meals contained the same number of calories and the same distribution of total carbohydrate, fat and protein. On one day the meals included a beverage sweetened with fructose. On the other day, the same beverage was sweetened with an equal amount of glucose, another naturally-occurring sugar that is used by the body for energy.
Following meals accompanied by the fructose-sweetened beverage, circulating levels of insulin and leptin were decreased compared to when the women ate the same meals accompanied by the glucose-sweetened beverage. Lower levels of insulin and leptin, hormones that convey information to the brain about the body's energy status and fat stores, have been linked in other studies to increased appetite and obesity.
In addition, levels of ghrelin, a hormone thought to trigger appetite that normally declines following a meal, decreased less after meals on the day the women drank the fructose-sweetened beverage. And, the fructose also resulted in a long-lasting increase of triglycerides, fatty molecules in the blood that are indicators of risk for cardiovascular disease.
Together, the hormonal responses observed after drinking beverages sweetened with fructose suggest that prolonged consumption of diets high in energy from fructose could lead to increased caloric intake and contribute to weight gain and obesity. Lead author Karen Teff, PhD, a physiologist at Monell, comments, "Fructose consumption results in a metabolic profile of hormones which would be predicted to increase food intake, thereby contributing to obesity in susceptible populations."
Teff notes that this pattern of hormonal responses is similar to that observed after consuming a high-fat meal, and continues, "Based on our previously published work, this metabolic profile resembles that of fat consumption. Thus, despite the fact that fructose is a sugar, metabolically the responses are similar to those seen following fat ingestion." The elevated levels of plasma triglycerides observed after fructose consumption further suggest that frequent fructose consumption could also contribute to the development of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.
According to co-author Dr. Peter Havel, a research endocrinologist at the University of California, Davis, "Although this short-term experiment provides important new data, additional research is needed to investigate the long-term impact of consuming fructose in humans, particularly its effects on lipid metabolism and on endocrine signals involved in body weight regulation. New studies should also be conducted in subjects who are at increased risk for metabolic diseases such as type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease and who may be more susceptible to the adverse effects of overconsuming fructose".
The study was funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Citation: Teff KL, Elliott SS, Tschoep M, et al. Dietary Fructose Reduces Circulating Insulin and Leptin, Attenuates Postprandial Suppression of Ghrelin and Increases Triglycerides in Women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2004,89(6).
SOURCE: The Monell Chemical Senses Center

Bee, I ran across something that surprised the heck out of me.... if you take Vitamin C and Selenium at the same time, on an empty stomach, the vitamin C will bind with the selenium and make it useless.... if you take them each alone... or with food.. no problems... it has to do with an amino acid something... if taken with food the selenium can hide with the amino acids and escape.. without food the vitamin C binds it...

It's the ONLY thing that I've ever heard that Vitamin C messes up.. for everything else it increases absorption....

Topper (Linda)

On Thu, 10 Jun 2004 14:39:01 -0700 (PDT) Bee Fuddled <beefuddled912@...

< snip

I also did a lot of research and found out that eating a lot of vitamin C rich foods helps your body to absorb the iron from your diet...in fact it helps with all nutrients...

< snip

Hi, my name is nancy e ,i have a hypoactive thyroid, arnold chiari
malformation, and have just now been put on zocor for high cholestrol.
my question is , does any one with my a hypoactive thyroid have a
problem with sweating,heat flashes,
i am 62 years l was on hrt meds until last year,
my pcp doesnt understand what is going on,
i went on hrt meds about 10 years ago, every couple years, the
hot flashes would start up, (or so i thought, this happened 3 times
with my meds being changed each time,
now i dont believe the hrt meds were the problem,
any input would help,
thank you
nancy e

Hmmm...they don't mention hair loss or arm pain, as symptoms...I found out about my anemias when I also was terribbly under-treated for thyroid disease...they tried to convince me that the only thing wrong was the iron deficiency...but the next doctor I switched to, put me on b12 shots and upped my thyroid dose, in addition to the iron rich diet, and heavy duty prescription iron supps...I also did a lot of research and found out that eating a lot of vitamin C rich foods helps your body to absorb the iron from your diet...in fact it helps with all nutrients...

I was diagnosed as anemic as a child, but really got bad with it when I was allowed by doctors, who didn't know how to treat thyroid disease properly, to go way under-dosed on my thyroid meds and I spent about 2 years after a miscarriage having a period for about 2 years...they did D & C's and another procedure that I cannot remember the name of and they would slow things down until I was due for the next period and then all h#ll would break loose again...

When a new doctor immediately started talking about doing a hysterectomy, I called the OB group who had done both of my C-sections and got in to see one of the partners...he tried me on several combos of synthetic hormones and eventually got me straightened out...

It was only years later that I found out that if I had been treated properly for the thyroid disease in the first place, most likely the whole thing would have never happened, including the miscarriage that started it all...I mean, I spent about 2 years, hardly leaving my house and always placing a towel down, any place that I was to sit down, because I never knew when all h^ll was gonna break loose and I was going to flood again...I was tired of ruining clothes and chair cushions...

The worst thing about taking iron supps, though, is that unless you eat almost nothing but fruits and veggies & drink tons of fluids, you have problems with constipation...

Now, my b 12 shots have gone up another 16.00 to 26.00 because the group my soon to be ex-regular-doctor belongs to decided that they need to charge for the nurse to take 2 minutes to give me the shot...I mean I never get a room, so there is no cleaning up afterward...they usually do it in the restroom, breakroom or even one day they did it in the hallway...and my insurance company won't pay one penny of any of it, because they don't pay for vitamins no matter what the diagnosis is, unless I am pregnant...I mean I have pernicious anemia, which is an autoimmune disease and the treatment is b12 shots...so they will pay when I get really sick, if I don't get the treatment that they won't pay for to keep me from getting really sick...just seems so stooopid to me...

Well, the boys have another baseball game in a little while...they are really quite good players, so I love to go and watch! Have a great evening! Hugs, Bee

http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/article.cfm?aid=1729&sid=8

Don't forget anemia
Joseph Gustaitis
Published in the November/December 2003 issue.

Its understandable. When a person with diabetes feels abnormally tired, that person commonly thinks it has something to do with his blood sugar level. And well it might. But thats not the only reason for feeling tired. A major cause of fatigue, and one easily overlooked, is anemia, which is the most common blood disorder in the United States. The symptoms include weakness, fatigue, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, irritability, pale skin, numb or cold hands and feet, and confusion. Sometimes these symptoms are quite mild, which is why people too easily ignore them.

A recent review article published in the Archives of Internal Medicine reported that although a national survey published in 1999 found that about 3.4 million people in the United States say they are anemic, the actual number of people with anemia is vastly higher than that. The highest incidence of anemia occurs among the elderly, women, African-Americans, and the poor. And although some people consider anemia to be little more than an annoyance, the researchers say that it considerably increases the risk of serious disease and even early death. Another report found that when it comes to the elderly, even a mild case of anemia could be the difference between living independently and going to a nursing home. Complicating the whole issue is the apparent low level of information that people have about the disease. A survey recently done in Europe found that although most people had heard of anemia, few knew many details about it and just 24% of them had been given information
about it.

This same European survey also discovered some interesting realities about anemia and diabetes. It found that well over 80% of people with diabetes were regularly tested for such things as eye disease, elevated cholesterol levels, and high blood pressure, but the number who said they thought they had been tested for anemia was a tiny 1%. Yet, the researchers said, people with diabetes need to be much more aware of the possibility of anemia. Thats due to the link between diabetes and kidney problems. People with diabetes are at risk for developing a type of kidney damage known as diabetic nephropathy, which leads to a slow loss of kidney function and a decrease in red blood cell production. Because anemia is characterized by a low number of red blood cells, its a common complication of chronic kidney disease. In fact, just about everyone with kidney disease also has anemia.

Thats why a person who feels any of anemias symptoms should not just chalk it up to age or problems with blood sugar control. Its smart to ask your health-care provider if a test for anemia might be a good idea. (In fact, most blood tests taken during the course of a routine physical exam are actually a battery of tests that include tests for anemia, but your physician may not have told you youd been tested for anemia if your result was normal.) A test done solely for anemia usually involves no more than a finger-prick blood test. At one time, treatment generally meant blood transfusions, but weve come a long way from those days. Today, a variety of treatments is available depending on the cause of the anemia, and they usually involve improved nutrition, iron supplements, or medication.

Hi Everyone,
I'm home and exhausted but wanted to let you all know how it went
today. It went ok. I got there at 3 and was finally called back to see
the doc about 3:45 I think. Anyway I sat in the room waiting on the
doc with what seemed like forever. He came in being really nice and
asking me about my eyes. He said he was sending me to a Neurologyst
because of the way my eyes are doing with the Horner's Syndrome. So I
have to call and make the appt with the Neurologyst. His biggest
concern for now is getting me ready for the Ablation {radiation
treatment}.
He said he didn't understand how I have carried it around so long like
I have. He understood that I didn't have a way there and all or at
times the co Pay. He told me to stop taking my thyroid meds and come
back next week. He plans on checking my levels each week to get me ready
for the treatment. He wants to have me taken care of b4 he leaves the
clinic to go to another state.
Today as I sat waiting for him to come in I prayed and asked GOD to
Please let him be in a better mood and he was. So when he came in
I smiled really big and said " HI HOW ARE YOU TODAY!!!"
We talked for a while about my case. Considering how he was last time I
saw him, I think he was just having a really rotten day last time.
So the plan for now is to not take my thyroid meds and come back in a
week to see him so he can check my levels. I'm nervous about this but
am trying to be positive. :)
I'm sitting here about to fall asleep so I'll type more to yall tomorrow.
Thanks for your prayers.
**Huggles**
Melissa

(((((((Melissa)))))))) I am so glad your Doc visit went well today! Thanks for keeping us updated. Continuing with prayers....

Hugs,

FeistyWendy

I am new to this group and was hoping I could get some advice from
all you knowledgable people.
I have a doc appt this Friday and I am going to try to get my Armour
dosage of 60 mg increased. My lab tests come back "normal" my doc
says,
but I just don't feel "normal".
Tired and fatigued most of the day.
Within the past 6 months I have gained weight and can't get it off.
No
matter how much I exercise or follow a low-carb diet.
Hard to get out of bed.
No motivation.
Get stressed, depressed and easily agitated.
If my doc won't up my meds, do you have any thoughts or suggestions on
what to do or say?
Also, is Armour 60 mg dosage an average or below average dosage?

http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_2949302,00.html

Researchers keep 40-year-old thyroid study alive

By Associated Press
June 9, 2004

SALT LAKE CITY - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is offering $1.5 million for the next phase of a thyroid study involving people who lived downwind from nuclear weapons testing.

Southeastern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona all were hit by radioactive fallout from the above-ground testing in Nevada from 1951 through 1962.

A University of Utah team has kept the program going after the federal government lost interest.

Study manager Mary Bishop Stone said participants are eager to continue the work federal investigators began nearly 40 years ago.

"They tell us they are glad someone is addressing the concern they have had all these years," she said.

For decades, there has been debate over how the more than 900 atomic tests affected downwind residents.

Past studies produced conflicting conclusions as to whether the fallout caused increased numbers of cases of particular types of cancer.

The first phase of the thyroid study began in the 1960s and ended with the federal researchers concluding that fallout had not increased disease among 4,818 people living in Washington County, Utah, and Lincoln County, Nev., with residents of Graham County, Ariz., used as a control group.

In the mid-1980s, University of Utah researchers tracked down 3,122 of the original subjects. They said they discovered exposure to fallout led to a higher-than-usual incidence of thyroid tumors.

To complete its study, the research team wants to conduct in-depth thyroid examinations of about 2,000 of the original study participants.

"Nancy Schimelpfening - About.com Depression Guide" <newsletters@...

Date: Wed, 9 Jun 2004 04:54:08 -0500
From: "Nancy Schimelpfening - About.com Depression Guide"
To: beefuddled912@...
Subject: About Depression: Keeping a Clean House When You Are Depressed

[LINK]
Depression

In the Spotlight | More Topics | Submit a Link

[INLINE] from Nancy Schimelpfening, your Editor and Guide
Have you ever avoided laundry for so long that you had nothing left to wear and then started to recycle clothes from the bottom of the pile as if time had magically made them clean again? You may laugh, but there were times I was so depressed that I actually did this. Housework can be such a burden when you feel like just getting through the day is a chore. That's why I've posted some of the tips I've collected over the years for keeping dirt and clutter under control before you get buried under a pile of dirty laundry.
[INLINE] In the Spotlight

Tips for Keeping a Clean House When You Are Depressed
Depression destroys so much of our motivation and energy that it can become difficult to keep up with day-to-day chores, yet a dirty living environment only serves to make us feel more worthless and discouraged. The following tips can help...read more
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Grief and Loss
Suicide
Personal Experiences
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Treatments
How to Get Free Treatment
The Depression Glossary
One Drug, Two Very Different Results
Two Paxil drug trials came up with very different results. One suggested that Paxil might help depressed teens; the other found it no more effective than a sugar pill. Guess which one got the publicity? This New York Times article...read more
Multi-Tasking Meds
I thought this was an interesting off-label use for paroxetine (Paxil). Thanks to PbS (freyjagirl) from the forum for the link....read more

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Have a Great Article, Site or Post to Share?
Have you seen a great article, website, forum post, or other item that you would like to share with our members? Use this form to submit it to Nancy.

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Hallo allemaal
Ik ben nieuw hier en ben blij dat ik deze site heb gevonden.Ik vind
hier veel erkenning, gelukkig....
Misschien kan iemand mij adviseren over het volgende probleem:ik ben
momenteel bezig met een reintregratieproject,alleen wil het dus echt
niet vlotten.Ik heb16-06-2003 een auto ongeluk gehad.de pijn is te
erg om te werken en thuis loopt het dus ook niet zo als het moet
maar nou verplicht de werkgever mij om toch 2 maal per week te komen
om enkele uurtjes te werken, dit is voor mij te veel inspanning en
krijg hierdoor dus meer pijn, de controlerende arts bemoeit zich er
niet mee in opdracht van de werkgever.WAT NU?????
Ik heb zitten denken aan een second opinion.Ik ben nu zover dat ik eindelijk
kan toegeven dat ik een hoop moet inleveren van mijn leven en nu voel ik
me niet meer begrepen.
Kan iemand mij misschien hierinadvies geven Mijn dank is groot.
Fijne feestdagen en hopelijk tot hoors.
groetjes
Gerrie

Thanks for all the tips. I'll keep you posted. Nick

Hi Nick,

They say to wait 6 - 8 weeks between uppages in dosages...I know that a lot of doctors, though go approximately 1 mcg per lb of body weight as an approximate start out dose...BUT with your history of Afib, your doctor wants to error on the side of caution...

And actually, I don't blame him...

I know from experience that being on too little meds can be awful while you are waiting for your dose to be upped, BUT being upped too quickly can be deadly...or just cause all kinds of problems...

I will suggest, if you are not already doing it...to take your meds sublingually...put it either under your tongue or between your cheek and gum and let it dissolve on its own... this way, it gets to the blood stream instead of having to go through your digestive tract and a lot of the med getting lost because it doesn't get absorbed correctly...

When I started taking my meds this way, I felt as if my dose had been upped within like 3 days because more med was getting into my system faster, instead of going out the other end...

I also take my meds in split doses, I break the pills in 1/2 and take 1/2 my dose in the am and the other 1/2 in the early afternoon, around 1-2 pm...this way I get a more steady dose of meds throughout the day and don't feel so much like I need a nap in the late afternoon...

Also, if you are taking your meds by swallowing your meds, and eating within and hour or 2 of taking them (or even taking vitamins), this can effect the amount of meds that you are absorbing into your system...

there are also certain foods called goitrogens that will affect your thyroid hormone output...so can make your meds not work as well...

What are Goitrogens and How Do they Affect the Thyroid?

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/drugdatabase/f/goitrogen.htm

Until you know exactly how your body is going to react to the thyroid hormone, it is better to take it slow and ease into upping the dose...

Hang in there and feel free to ask all the questions you want... we can't promise to know everything, but we can help to point you in the right direction...Hugs, Bee

rdhnick <ntimkojr@...

I had a thyroidectomy on 5 May 04. On 21 May 04 my Free T4 was 0.6 and my TSH was 20.6. Since I had AFib after the surgery, my endo wants to ease into the T4 substitute, so he started me on 50 mcg of Levoxyl on May 25th; knowing full well that it's too low a dose for
me. I did repeat bloodwork on June 4th with Free T4 at 1.1 and TSH at 34.6. I take it at 5 AM, and feel good until about 4 PM; then I get gritty eyes, my ribs ache some, and I get a bit tired.
He told me to alternate between 50 and 75 mcg during the next days because it's "theoretically too soon to increase the dose" (especially because we don't want to go into AFib again). His guess is that I'll eventually wind up between 88 and 112 mcg of T4 daily when I'm stabilized.
Does anyone have any similar experience(s), and what is a typical time period for increasing the dose of T4? Thanks, Nick

I had a thyroidectomy on 5 May 04. On 21 May 04 my Free T4 was 0.6
and my TSH was 20.6. Since I had AFib after the surgery, my endo
wants to ease into the T4 substitute, so he started me on 50 mcg of
Levoxyl on May 25th; knowing full well that it's too low a dose for
me. I did repeat bloodwork on June 4th with Free T4 at 1.1 and TSH at
34.6. I take it at 5 AM, and feel good until about 4 PM; then I get
gritty eyes, my ribs ache some, and I get a bit tired.
He told me to alternate between 50 and 75 mcg during the next days
because it's "theoretically too soon to increase the dose"
(especially because we don't want to go into AFib again). His guess
is that I'll eventually wind up between 88 and 112 mcg of T4 daily
when I'm stabilized.
Does anyone have any similar experience(s), and what is a typical
time period for increasing the dose of T4? Thanks, Nick

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/living/health/8867696.htm?1c

Posted on Tue, Jun. 08, 2004
[INLINE]
RICHARD HARKNESS: AS PRESCRIBED
[INLINE]

Antioxidants can help neutralize free radicals

[INLINE]

Q: I hear about free radicals and the damage they do to the body, but it escapes me exactly what they are. Could you explain in simple terms, including how antioxidants fight free radicals?

A: Consider this column Free Radicals 101.

A little background in chemistry will help.

Atoms such as carbon, hydrogen and oxygen carry electrons that reside in "shells" surrounding the atom's nucleus.

Most atoms in their normal state fall short of a full allotment of electrons in their outer shell. Atoms seek to fill this shell because that makes them stable.

To gain the needed electrons, atoms can bond with other atoms to form molecules, each atom using the shared electrons as its own. (Water, for example, is a molecule consisting of one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms.)

A free radical is a molecule containing an atom that is short an electron in its outer shell, and this makes it highly reactive. Examples are the hydroxyl radical and the superoxide anion.

These free radicals -- sometimes called reactive oxygen species -- quickly attack other molecules and steal their electrons.

Such plundered molecules are said to be oxidized. Oxidation is the loss of electrons. It's the same process that causes metal to rust.

This is where antioxidants such as vitamin E come in. They neutralize free radicals by donating their electrons to them. In this way, antioxidants spare important molecules from oxidative damage.

Free radicals can do a lot of damage quickly by starting a chain reaction. As free radicals loot electrons from target molecules, the molecules themselves become free radicals, in turn lifting electrons from other molecules.

This domino effect can continue until free radicals happen to meet and neutralize each other by sharing their own electrons.

The damage to cells caused by free radicals is thought to play a role in the development of cancer, heart disease and many other aspects of aging.

Free radicals are produced in the body during normal cell metabolism, from tissue injury and as a result of exposure to tobacco smoke, sunlight, X-rays and other environmental sources.

Ordinarily, the body's natural antioxidants neutralize free radicals. In some cases, though, free radicals ravage out of control and deplete the body's store of antioxidants.

Free radicals also come in handy, so you don't want to completely stamp them out. For example, they're important in making thyroid hormone and in helping white blood cells fend off disease-causing bacteria.

Problems occur when the production of free radicals overwhelms the body's ability to contain them. Balance seems to be the key. It's generally believed that a proper balance between free radicals and antioxidants is essential to good health.

Antioxidants are found in an array of nutrients and foods, including vitamins A, C and E, as well as beta carotene, lutein, selenium, grapeseed, lipoic acid, resveratrol (from red wine), soy isoflavones, CoQ10, garlic and fruits and vegetables.

In a message dated 6/7/2004 9:10:26 AM Eastern Daylight Time, cherimoya@... writes:

Help. I am really worried about this pregnancy and I am having
trouble finding a Doctor at short notice who understands pregnancy,
thyroid and TSH. Everything I have read is making me worried.

I really don't have any advice but wanted to share with you that I have an underactive thyroid and had four kids. Also my best friends sister in law also had two kids while battling an underactive thyroid. Hers seemed to go hyper during pregnancy and they had to lower her meds. Mine just regulated itself while I was prego. I sure hope you find a doctor that understands. Try doing a search online or simply asking around. I will keep you in my prayers.
Melissa