thinking about the thyroid again

I was googling about b-complex and thyroid and came across this article. While it has a little quackery bits in it, the nutritional stuff and thyroid function stuff seems reasonable enough to be true (IME that can be the case, good info with weird supplement pitching online). I'm going to compare to some books I have but just in case you are interested:

http://www.oxymega.com/thyroid_gland.html

knowing that some of the foods I eat, including kale, broccoli and peaches might be working against my thyroid, and that the thyroid helps the body to rest and settle itself ( something I've been having a problem with) and think clearly, I'm feeling like yes, perhaps there might be more to what I can do.

Thyroid Information

Some of the links I've found helpful in understanding thyroid health, and its relationship to fertilty and reproduction.

American Thyroid Association

Thyroid Tests -- Normal Ranges and Interpretation

EndocrineWeb: Thyroid Gland Diseases

Thyroid Problems in Women

Physician Interview: Richard Shames, M.D., on Treating Thyroid Dysfunction, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & Fibromyalgia

Maternal Thyroid Function During Pregnancy

Postpartum Thyroiditis

Thyroid Power
I've got the book and I found it interesting.

Also I know that some women have noted better results than Synthroid when they have taken Armour Thyroid as it contains T4 and T3 and not just TSH.

More about cortisol (hypercortisol)

I opened up my reproductive endocrinology textbook this morning and found some info about cortisol. Evidently your body will produce excess cortisol in a variety of situations (addison's disease, cushing disease, anorexia/bulimia, tumors, etc.) but stress will increase it's production most certainly.

Low blood sugar will also cause an increase in cortisol production and it is related to blood sugar levels that you will have the night sweats, it has to do with some metabolic thing that happens overnight with the blood sugar.

Facts You Should Know About Night Sweats...

Here's another thing, excess cortisol will interfere with your thyroid hormones but your TSH and T4 will show up normal. It's the T3 and anti-T3(?) that will e low, and those aren't tested unless you have a full thyroid panel done, normally they only test for TSH and T4. Other signs of this pathology include low blood pressure -- how very interesting that I have that and it runs in my family. I'm also really sensitive to stress, one of my responses is to lose my appetite and thirst -- which only makes this cycle worse as it adds to the stress.

Thyroid and Anti-Thyroid Drugs

One test for adrenal function is a 24 hour test where you collect all your urine and they are able to see how your body is handling its sugar. My partner had this test a couple years ago and it showed he was hypoglycemic.

I did find mention of surgery increasing cortisol production in the body and it can be related to amenorrhea as well.

There was a liver component as well where one of these hormones (I also looked up prolactin but I don't think it was that one) in excess interferes with liver function. Potentially one might assume that this might result in one other possible cause for excess estrogen in the body -- oh yes, I've got that too -- and estrogen excess is linked to fibroids. (also too much cortisol will impair immune functioning, which might be why so many women seem to notice fibroids occuring after periods of extreme stress such as divorces and deaths in the family).

And I remembered one more thing, with this type of pattern of excess cortisol interfering with T3 and the blood sugar issues, they noted (in the case of anorexic/bulimic women) that fertility decreased during the Fall and Winter months. It had something to do with the affect of adding increased melatonin into the mix, melatonin production evidently increases as the amount of daylight decreases. How weird it all is.

In all that I've read though, the best ways to reduce your bodies cortisol production is by resting, taking regular exercise, cutting back on sugar and salt (craving these are one indicator of adrenal exhaustion), reducing stress, and eating small, regular meals. Parsley might be a help (of all things) as it is a adrenal tonic. Also rhodiola rosea which is an adaptogenic herb.

This page has more info about dietary things to do:

Adrenal Glands Revival

I'm feeling okay. My thyroid feels very active, earlier today I had to pee and was thirsty at the same time and I'm a little extra emotional/irrational.

I walked down to where my partner is working yesterday and tried calling him but he didn't answer and didn't call back and I decided he was having an affair and at the same time I knew that was a totally crazy thing to think. He was at a client meeting in another city. It's just the wacky hormones.

I also have been hot while sleeping, also peeing a bit more and I have moments of pelvic twinges and bloating that comes and goes. If I push myself too long without a rest in the early evening I get hot flushes that are very odd. My acupuncturist said it is due to yin deficiency. I'm taking care to lay down and relax.

Patient sharing info online and my mother's thyroid treatment when I was conceived

I know that doctors and the medical community are afraid of the information sharing that patients do online but I think it actually is to the benefit of the patient. Being able to meet other women in similar situations, and some not so similar, helps me keep things in perspective and not feel so alone. I like being able to ask tough questions of the doctors, I want the best medicine possible for myself.

I did meet a couple of women at a party recently who had fibroids during pregancy. One had no symptoms, the other one said that taking birth control pills afterwards (which she had never been on before) "melted" the fibroids away.

Here's a question my mother threw out to me last night. She was diagnosed as hypothyroid when she was trying to conceive back in the late 60s. They put her on thyroid medication, she said it was bovine source, and it was at really high doses. What might the affects of very high doses of thyroid hormone/s be on a developing fetus? I have only had the TSH test done with normal range results. Anyone care to speculate on whether this might have influenced some hormonal wackiness in me?