One of the most common causes of fluid retention (if not the most common) is low body temperature. Low body temperature is the common denominator between thyroid and fluid retention. Low thyroid function can lead to low temperatures and low temperatures can cause fluid retention or bloating, tight rings, swollen ankles, and puffy face and eyes.

When low temperatures are normalized symptoms of fluid retention often disappear.

Doctors have known for a long time that thyroid and fluid retention can be related. That’s why when patients come in complaining of fluid retention, fatigue, depression, easy weight gain and other complaints, doctors often order thyroid blood tests.

Unfortunately, most doctors don’t know that people can still have reversible low temperatures causing debilitating symptoms even when all their thyroid blood tests come back normal. This condition is known as Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome and was first described in 1990.

Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome tends to come on or worsen after periods of severe social, emotional, or physical stress, such as divorce or childbirth. Typically, patients are going along fine and then they go through some major stress, and are never the same (see some of the possible symptoms in the symptom list to the right).

The fluid retention of Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome can also contribute to headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, high blood pressure, and other problems.

Some people can improve their temperatures on their own with healthy diet, exercise, stress reduction, and rest. Others may need the special thyroid (T3) treatment linked below. (Training for Physicians HERE)

Success Story:

I have been taking the T3 for Wilson’s Syndrome for about 20 days. My body temperature was between 95.5 and 97 before treatment. Now it is 98.2 – 98.6. I feel 200% better. Fluid retention is almost gone. Before treatment I took 2 different blood pressure medications and a fluid pill and my blood pressure always ran 150/90 – 165/110. Now it runs between 114/76 – 135/89. I have also stopped taking one of the medications and cut the diuretic in half. I have doctored for my blood pressure for several years (10) with several doctors including a cardiologist. None of these “medical professionals” helped me. I was so glad when I found the Wilson’s site on the Internet.

I would whole-heartedly encourage anyone who has been to several doctors and not had successful treatment to try Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome. Also I drive 3 hours and 15 minutes one way for treatment and it is well worth it.
June B.

The metabolism can slow down during stress as a coping mechanism and it is supposed to return to normal but sometimes it doesn’t. It’s not known for sure how low temperatures cause fluid retention. However, it is known that almost all the processes in the human body are catalyzed by enzymes and that when temperatures drop so can enzyme function. It may be that when the temperatures drop the muscle cells in the walls of the blood vessels relax, making the blood vessels more leaky, contributing to fluid retention. When temperatures are corrected, improved vascular muscle tone might account for the correction of the fluid retention.

Looking at people with Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome is a little like looking at people through a camera that is out of focus because their features do not look as crisp or as well-defined because of the bloating. Remarkably, normalizing their temperatures can be like focusing the camera, bringing their features back into crisp focus (when they lose the fluid retention).

The body temperature is probably the most important reading doctors rarely check!

And since many doctors don’t know about Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome, people often have to be proactive about informing them.

Success Story:

After convincing my endo to try me just on T3 the change in my physical well being was obvious to see.
This year, however, my symptoms returned even though the lab tests said my levels were okay, but my temperature was low again (96). I convinced my GP to let me try an increase knowing the indicators of too much—- the uptake by my body of the extra T3 was more or less immediate and over 2 weeks the fluid retention and carpal tunnel syndrome went, my metabolism has normalized, and the fatigue went.
Best wishes, Georgette

Practitioners are often quite responsive to learning more about Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome. In fact, most of the practitioners that are treating it heard about it from their patients.

Success Story:

I am a massage therapist who specializes in lymphatic drainage. I first heard about your treatment from a new patient who suffers from “idiopatic primary lymphedema” (unexplained fluid retention) but has had a diagnosis of Wilson’s Thyroid Syndrome. She asked me if I knew about it, I said no. She promptly planted your books on my desk and “Well you are going to learn.” After studying your website and about half way through your book, I am starting to believe that most of the idiopathic edemas that I see are really myxedemas associated with your syndrome. It is interesting to note that she is mid way through her 1st cycle of t3, her temps have hit normal twice today and the edema has reduced by roughly 1/2. I have seen this type of result with other thyroid problems. So I am convinced I am on to something here.

Wayne

Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome is not the only possible cause of fluid retention, but it’s a very common and very important cause to consider. There are at least two temperature abnormalities that can lead to fluid retention. One is low temperatures and the other is unsteady temperatures. That is significant because the T3 therapy discussed above can often normalize a person’s temperature, however, it can sometimes make the temperature unsteady during treatment. In other words, sometimes patients’ fluid retention doesn’t improve very much until the treatment is over. During treatment patients can see their temperatures increasing, and usually their fluid retention improves, but sometimes it doesn’t improve until they’re off treatment.

Some people are able to get their temperatures up with the prescription T3 medicine protocol (WT3 protocol). You can check our list to see if there is a doctor near you. Or you can use the information on this website (such as our free eBook and free eManual and Guide and CD) to work with your own doctor.

If you have fluid retention, headaches, bloating, carpal tunnel syndrome, or joint and muscle aches you owe it to yourself to start checking your body temperatures by clicking here: How to measure body temperatures. You can track your temperatures on our free temperature log which you can print.

You can also use the tabs at the top of this page to learn more.

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