Apparently, from what I'm reading now, iodine deficiency is more common than you might think. It is also incredibly easy to test for basic iodine deficiency at home. Now, this test is not very precise, so if it indicates a serious deficiency, you may want to talk to your doctor about getting what is known as an "iodine loading" test done. But, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, no?

So, you'll need a bottle of tincture of iodine (2%), the standard orange antiseptic liquid from grandma's medicine cabinet (You may need to ask at the pharmacy. My local store doesn't stock it in the first aid/band-aid aisle). Swab a silver-dollar sized circle on the inside of your arm, and watch it for the next 24 hours. If you are not iodine deficient, the circle should keep a strong orange color for the whole 24 hours. If it fades before then, you could use iodine supplementation.

HOW to go about getting that iodine in your diet is where things start to get tricky.

mivox's blog | 32 comments | read more | quote

Well, here's what I'm going to be taking starting later this week (when my old vitamin packs run out):

Morning:

• Thyromine (thyroid/adrenal glandular with supportive herbs and amino acids)
• TwinLab Women's Ultra Daily Multivitamin (has a lot of herbal ingredients on top of a very complete multi-vit ... including selenium and 100% iodine) [added: I read the back of the bottle, and realized the values on the label were for a dose of FOUR capsules. So I'm taking two, which is still more than 100% of most things.]
• NOW B-50 (I'm debating whether I need this ... The TwinLab multi covers the same nutrients as the B-50. But I figure that just means it's the equivalent of taking a B-100, right?)
• Schiff "Guided Mineral" Cal-Mag-Zinc (chelated, plus Vit. D for proper absorption) [added: You're supposed to take two of these as well. Eep!]
• Your Life 500mg Vit. C with Rose Hips (because, hey, I had Vit. C sitting around in the medicine cabinet, and AFAIK you can't OD on C!) After realising I had to take more than one of the other two vitamins, I decided I didn't need any extra C. ;-)
• birth control pill

Mid afternoon: 30mg Armour
Late afternoon: 30mg Armour
Bedtime: 45mg Armour

mivox's blog | 9 comments | read more | quote

I ordered a 6 month supply of Thyromine (their "buy 4 get 2 free" deal), and expected to have to use it for at least a couple weeks before I could really say if it was helping at all, but much to my surprise the effects were almost immediate. I've tried various vitamins and other "thyroid support" supplements, and none of them has made as noticable a difference as Thyromine has. It's a rather spendy product (which is why I opted for the 6 month supply ... the discount was very persuasive. ;-), but so far I think it's quite worth it.

The three "active" ingredients are l-tyrosine (an amino acid), bovine thyroid powder and bovine adrenal powder. In addition, there are four herbal/nutritional ingredients: Guglipid, which I have seen in many thyroid supplements; Nori, a seaweed rich in iodine and trace minerals; Piper longum (long pepper) extract, which they say helps increase thyroid hormone production; Ginger extract, which is often recommended as a systemic herbal "tonic" and digestive aid.

mivox's blog | 11 comments | read more | quote

Well, I've been on the higher dose of Armour for a bit now, and there's no sign of my morning drowsiness going away. So, prompted by a comment from "Newbie" in another post, I'm going to try a little experiment. Thus far, I have taken half my Armour dose at 9am and the other half at 9pm, figuring that schedule would give the most stable T3 levels throughout the day. And I have yet to come close to the morning "get up and go" I had on levothyroxin. Which is a bummer. I feel better mentally, but I haven't gotten out of bed before 9am in weeks, and it's just not working.

mivox's blog | 12 comments | read more | quote

Just a quick overview here, because everything I read seems to have a slightly different take on the issue, and I am a bit paranoid about making sure I'm posting good information. But there are indeed some nutrients that are very important to to thyroid function, and some supplements that seem like a good idea for almost any hypothyroid patient to take. As always, take my advice with a grain of salt, do your own research, and if in doubt, ask a doctor...

mivox's blog | 6 comments | read more | quote

So... I read about coconut oil on Dr. Mercola's natural health website, and I've seen lots of ads popping up on this site about coconut oil and thyroid health. Since I couldn't find any information that suggested there might be any kind of risk associated with using coconut oil, and there are so many purported benefits, I figured it was worth a try. I went to my local natural food store and found some expeller-pressed, vacuum distilled organic coconut oil from Omega Nutrition. Considering most suggestions are to use it in place of butter and/or olive oil, the 32 oz. container I bought should last me a while.

Now, mind you, I've only been using it for a week. I'm also not a doctor. And what I'm about to say is NOT "qualified medical advice" or anything like that. But I also believe I am not suggesting anything that could possibly hurt anyone, so... take it for what it's worth. I am SOLD on this coconut oil thing. Totally sold.

mivox's blog | 2 comments | read more | quote