Everyone with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is familiar with the frustration of getting a proper diagnosis and treatment. You also know that at times, you have to take your health into your own hands. That’s why I recommend that anyone with a diagnosis of CFS do one vitally important thing: check your body temperature.
The details on how to do this correctly are on my website, under How are body temperatures measured? If your body temperature is consistently low (below 98.5 F., or 36.94 C. but typically lower than 97.8 F, or 36.56 C) it means that your metabolism is low. That means your body isn’t producing the amount of energy it should.
There’s almost certainly more than one cause of this debilitating disorder, but finding out what’s causing your particular version of it can be an endless trail of expensive diagnostic tests, guessing games and questionable treatments.
Since your metabolism is regulated mostly by thyroid hormones, low body temperature can be due to low thyroid hormone activity in your body. Thyroid hormone activity can be low even if you have normal Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) levels, and even if you are taking Synthroid which is the most common form of replacement thyroid hormone. (The condition is called Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome.)
There is growing evidence that many of the symptoms that make up CFS, such as debilitating fatigue, brain fog, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, unexplained muscle pain–can be caused by low thyroid hormone activity in cells in the body. This can be due to impaired thyroid hormone transport which keeps thyroid from getting into the cells. Defects in receptor sites or receptor sites blocked by environmental toxins, can also cause thyroid hormone resistance. Low thyroid hormone activity can also occur if your body is unable to convert T4, the inactive form of thyroid hormone, to T3, the active form. That can happen for lots of reasons, including nutritional deficiencies and toxic overload. It can also happen in people who are receiving only T4 after surgery to remove the thyroid.
T3 can often be helpful in overcoming and even reversing many of these problems. Taking T3 can often help normalize normal metabolism and body temperature. It can literally clear and reboot thyroid hormone pathways so hormone balance and healing can proceed.
Your doctor can call us at 800.420.5801 to get more information about how to use T3, along with nutritional and herbal support for both thyroid and adrenal problems, also often a problem in CFS, and to discuss your individual case. You can also use our website to find the health care practitioner closest to you who is trained in T3 treatment.
REFERENCES
Garrison RL, Breeding PC. A metabolic basis for fibromyalgia and its related disorders: the possible role of resistance to thyroid hormone. Med Hypotheses. 2003 Aug;61(2):182-9.
Rosato L, Pacini F, Panier Suffat L, et al. Post-thyroidectomy chronic asthenia: self-deception or disease? Endocrine. 2014 Jul 18.
Tjørve E, Tjørve KM, Olsen JO, et al. On commonness and rarity of thyroid hormone resistance: a discussion based on mechanisms of reduced sensitivity in peripheral tissues. Med Hypotheses. 2007;69(4):913-21.
I am one of your success stories. I rebooted my thyroid using the t3 system that you teach and my temperature has been very consistent every since and that’s been 3 or 4 years ago.I still have a fair amount of pain but I am overall a whole different person. I lost 75 pounds and have much more energy and feel like I’m getting younger. I am 60 years Young in March. Thank you for your tireless work!!
Wow. That’s so wonderful to hear and It’s great of you to take the time after all these years and remember to come back and share your success with others. We greatly appreciate your thoughtfulness and support :)
Thank you Sherri, for sharing your success story. I’ve been chasing this rabbit for years and am now hoping my GP will go along with the treatment. If not, the search will continue…:-) Thank you, Dr. Wilson, for the work you’ve put into this. The ND I’m working with heard you at a seminar she attended and asked me to check temps….definitely eye-opening.
Dear Dr Wilson
Do you treat patients? I would like someone who has had hundreds of patients rather than a few.
Once you decide on a doctor how many visits are there to monitor treatment?
Dr. Wilson does not currently see patients and is dedicated to teaching other physicians how to use his protocols.
We recommend using the search tool to find a practitioner in your area. You can call the practitioner (or their office) in advance and ask questions to determine their experience level and the treatments that they utilize. Good Luck – we hope you find a great doctor!
Dear Dr Wilson,
I too have been dealing with fatigue ranging from extreme to mild, depression, and crazy weight gain for 12 years, since being overdosed with prednisone for ulcerative colitis. My average body temperature is 36 C – sometimes at low as 35..2 in the mornings! I can’t tell you how excited I was when I found this site! I have a wonderful GP and although he doesn’t know much about WT3 therapy, he had heard of it and we are giving it a try. I have just embarked on my journey and I am on my fifth day. There is only a small change as yet and my range seems a bit extreme – from 35.7 C to 36.9 C. I have been taking DHEA 15mg (which doesn’t seem to help much) and natural progesterone cream (I am pre-menopausal) which really does help with my moods. I plan to dump the DHEA, but was wondering if I should cut back on the progesterone cream too, as I understand hormones interact with each other. OR, should I be patient and wait until I have finished the first cycle?
Hi Susan! Though I can’t give medical advice over the internet, I’d be happy to discuss your case for free with your doctor. He can make the arrangements by calling 800 420 5801. Best!