Blog – Page 10 – Wilson's Syndrome

When T4 is not Enough, It May Be in Your Genes

Tags: hypothroidism, levothyroxine, Low body temperature, Synthroid, T3, T4|

Even though it is considered standard treatment, not everyone with hypothyroidism does well on T4 (Synthroid, or levothyroxine) alone. Some people complain that they just don’t feel right on T4, the inactive form of thyroid hormone. They are still tired, or sluggish, or have “brain fog” or other vague symptoms. Or they are gaining weight. Just about every doctor who treats thyroid problems has seen this regularly.

Unfortunately, it is often the patient who has to convince the doctor that T4 alone is not working. And it is often the patient who suggests that T3, the active form of thyroid hormone,

Why TSH Testing is Not Enough and Why you Should Check your Body Temperature

Tags: Low body temperature, T3, T4, thyroid hormone resistance, TSH, TSH testing|

Most doctors, including endocrinologists, rely on a standard thyroid test, TSH, to screen for thyroid problems. This test measures Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH), a pituitary hormone whose function is to stimulate thyroid hormone production by the thyroid gland. When thyroid hormone production goes down, TSH goes up. There is a range of TSH levels that is considered normal. For most doctors, TSH is the only diagnostic test for hypothyroidism that they use and the most sensitive marker of peripheral tissue availability of thyroid hormone. If TSH is within a normal range, most doctors will “rule out” thyroid problems as

Doing Everything Right and Still Not Losing weight? Check your Body Temperature

Tags: dieting, Low body temperature, metabolism, T3, TSH levels, weight loss|

Losing those first few pounds might not be so hard, but too many people quickly find that their weight loss slows or stops, even as they continue to do the very things that helped them lose initially. What’s going on? Chances are their metabolism has slowed down.

Dieting is one of the big reasons people’s metabolisms slows. Extreme dieting is well-known for this, but recent research also shows that even modest weight loss (5-10 % of body weight over the course of a year) can slow metabolism. That makes it harder to continue to lose weight, and sets you up

Do You Really Need to Avoid Thyroid-Thwarting Foods?

Tags: autoimmune disorder, autoimmune thyroid disease, cruciferous vegetables, fiber, gluten, gluten sensitivity, Grave's disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, iodine, iodine deficiency, soy|

It’s true that what you eat can affect your thyroid gland, for better or worse. But some people have long lists of foods they won’t eat, and some people avoid perfectly healthy foods altogether, when they could be eating moderate amounts without an adverse effect on thyroid function. Here’s what you need to know to make better food choices for your thyroid.

Cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale, cauliflower, turnips, bok choy and others) are generally considered super-healthy foods. They help prevent cancer. In fact, they help to prevent thyroid cancer. Concerns about potential effects of cruciferous vegetables on thyroid

What do Migraines, Raynaud’s, Carpal Tunnel and Arrhythmia Have in Common?

Tags: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, heart arrhythmia, Low body temperature, low thyroid hormone function, migraine headaches, nerve damage, Raynaud's Syndrome, T3, TSH|

People with several different types of disorders, such as migraine headaches, Raynaud’s Syndrome, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and heart arrhythmia are likely to have something in common: low thyroid function. Two recent studies suggest why this may be so.

One study found that even a slightly underactive thyroid gland causes endothelial dysfunction. That is, it interferes with the function of cells lining blood vessels. These cells respond to hormonal cues that help blood vessels relax and contract; therefore, they are important for healthy blood pressure and normal blood flow.

Another study found that low thyroid function interferes with the body’s electrophysiology—the functions

Are You Getting Enough of the Sunshine Vitamin to Protect Your Thyroid?

Tags: antithyroid antibodies, autoimmune disorder, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, hypothyroidism, thyroid cancer, vitamin D, vitamin D blood levels|

If you have any kind of thyroid condition, even cancer, you should get your blood level of vitamin D checked promptly, and keep tabs on it over time.

Why? Research links low vitamin-D levels with a number of autoimmune diseases, including the most common autoimmune thyroid disease, Hashimoto’s. Low levels of vitamin D have been associated with antithyroid antibody presence, abnormal thyroid function, increased thyroid volume, increased Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) levels and adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with autoimmune thyroid disease. The lower the vitamin D level, the more severe the symptoms. People who improve their vitamin D status often

What is Adrenal Fatigue and Why is it Such a Controversial Diagnosis?

Tags: adrenal dysfunction, adrenal fatigue, fibromyalgia, low thyroid function|

Adrenal fatigue, or dysfunction, is a condition (group of symptoms) that occur when your adrenal glands are having trouble keeping up with the demands being made on them. Normally, your adrenal glands mobilize your body’s response to stress by secreting hormones that regulate energy production and storage, immune function, heart rate, muscle tone and other processes that enable you to cope. But people’s capacity to handle stress varies tremendously, and chronic stress takes its toll on just about everyone.

Adrenal fatigue is not full-fledged adrenal insufficiency, a serious medical diagnosis that is accepted by mainstream medicine. But it is a

New Year Message from Dr. Wilson!

Happy New Year! Will 2015 be the year you are able to get on an upward spiral of improving health? I sure hope so! 2014 was a great year with many more doctors learning of and embracing recent research that shows that people with normal TSH may still benefit from thyroid support.*

Over the past twenty years, I’ve seen hundreds of physicians enthusiastically embrace the concept and begin restoring wellness to their patients through the simple means of normalizing their patients’ low body temperatures. At a recent conference, a doctor told me that 21 years ago, his wife was finally

A Tricky Way in Which Your Coverage for Essential Medications May be Denied

Tags: Action Alert, Alliance for Natural Health, Compounding Pharmacies, medication, Pharmacy Benefit Managers|

We all know that the American healthcare system is a complex one with a lot of bureaucracy. One such complexity involves how prescription medications are handled. Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) process prescriptions for insurance companies and corporations, using their size to negotiate low prices with drug makers and pharmacies. Essentially, they act as the “middlemen” between the payer and everyone else in the healthcare system.

Recently, a PBM named Express Scripts, adopted a policy to block coverage of approximately 1,000 ingredients used in compounding; they made this decision for no other reason than to cut their expenses. They actually went

Do you Dread Winter? Check your Body Temperature!

Tags: depression, Low body temperature, SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder, T3, TSH, winter blues|

If all you want to do is burrow into your couch and hibernate when winter comes around, check your body temperature. It’s possible that you have low thyroid hormone function.

Low thyroid hormone function causes low metabolism, which leads to low body temperature–consistently below 98.5 F., or 36.94 C, but typically lower than 97.8 F, or 36.56 C.

Low body temperature due to low thyroid hormone activity can cause many of the symptoms you might blame on chilly winds and dark days such as dry skin, cold hands and feet, fatigue, weight gain and carb cravings, leg cramps, poor immunity and