As most of you know I've had a thyroid problem where my body is attacking my thyroid resulting in nodules, problems with energy etc. I also have a chronic low energy level, and 5 years ago when we moved to Kamloops I hit bottom.

My brain was so fogged, and my memory so bad, I couldn't remember my own address or phone number for over 2 years. I couldn't remember what was on a page I just read, I couldn't remember the title of a star trek episode I had just taped, LONG ENOUGH FOR ME TO TURN FROM THE TV SCREEN where the title had JUST BEEN ON, to label the back of the video tape. That BAD.

My energy was so low, that if I did more than 5 minutes worth of housework, I could hardly move. I did it in commercial breaks, and only what was absolutely necessary for the basics.

If I went to church, I couldn't do anything else outside the home, barring a once every two week grocery trip. If I did, I got migraines from exhaustion and was on the couch for days, recovering sometimes crying from sheer exhaustion. I still can't do evenings out without paying for several days of tiredness.

My allergies got worse, I popped a new bad food allergy to all legumes from soy to peanuts and green peas and beans. If I used shampoo and conditioner my scalp would get weeping itchy watery blisters.

I got arthritis and it got so bad that just before things began to turn around (when I quit the legumes) I couldn't always vacuum due to the pain, nor was I able to get up and move around much.

OK so I am a lot better now and here is what I"ve done to help my own situation, it may help you, certainly you can pick and choose likely strategies.

I found thru trial and error that I feel better on a lower carb (NOT NO CARB) diet. I lose weight easier and due to problems with hypoglycemia (which also contributes to brain fog and exhaustion) I just find it controls my symptoms better.

South Beach maintenance phase pretty much sums it up if you need a detailed road map. You want to keep the natural sources of foods, and a lot of veggies in any eating plan.

I found that avoiding starches and making sure I include a high quality dense protein source with each meal or snack really helps the hypoglycemia reactions but it also seems to really give me more energy.

I also found that including as many servings of veggies as humanly possible really makes a big difference to energy. Fruits not so much so. I double and triple the serving sizes of veggies for the evening meal, and try to eat at least 2 at lunch.

By including a lot of deep coloured veggies, I take advantage of the most nutrient packed stuff.

Avoiding pesticides and chemicals is important but I can't afford to buy organic. SO I do wash and peel my veggies and fruits carefully to reduce the load on my body for dealing with these poisons.

Cut out sugar altogether. Sugar destroys energy, leaving you exhausted and depleted. It even steals vitamins from your body, and minerals to digest and metabolize it. AND it reduces your immune response up to 60 % for 6 hours after eating even a tsp of sugar.

Another form of sugar is processed foods, and processed flour items.

Potatoes are another thing that forms sugar right away in your body. High glycemic foods. Cut them out. I don't eat potatoes at all anymore. I don't eat much wheat and I don't eat sugar or honey normally. Once in a while I do, everybody does, that I just adjust for, realizing I'm making a choice, to have an energy crash that day later on along with potential hypoglycemia.

Watch out for baked beans, they have a truckload of sugar with the protein and can cause exhaustion after eating. Regular cooked beans with salsa for example won't do that sugar shock thing. Ramen noodles, Kraft dinner, and most canned soups are also very high in starches and low in protein and cause me to feel tired after eating them.

WATER!!!!! Enough water is vital. You don't have to drown yourself, I think 8 glasses of water on top of 2 cups of coffee and 3 cups of tea and a bowl of soup or two thru the day is way more than needed, and excess is hard on your body too, but you do need water, plain, and liquids should be around 8 glasses a day all totalled if you are healthy with healthy kidneys.

I find that drinking a glass of warm or lukewarm water (easier to get it down for me, use whatever temp works for you) in the morning before I drink my coffee rehydrates my system, and gets me going. I have a cup of hot water instead of tea or coffee later.

I still drink coffee (it helps my asthma). However, for some people cutting out coffee helps improve their energy. Coffee does make the insulin response stronger, so hypoglycemic reactions are more likely, and you do pay for the energy it gives by lack of energy later with some people. However this is individual, and if you do cut it out, cut back slowly to avoid the headache problem with cutting it cold turkey. Then see if you like how you feel after a week without it.

The worst asthma attacks of my life have happened when I"ve stopped coffee. For asthmatics it reduces frequency and severity of attacks up to 30%. For me, it's even more so. Coffee has a theophylline like substance in it, and theophylline was one of the older asthma drugs.
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I do find they really do help. Here is my regimen:

3 salmon oil 1 gm each, I increased this this week to reflect some further reading I've done from my former 2 grams a day or 2 capsules.

2 natural Vit E 400 IU ea, 800 IU total.

6 evening primrose oil 500 mg, I increased this this week to reflect some further reading I've done from my former 500 mg grams a day or 1 capsules

1 good multivite,

2 calcium magnesium tabs,

1 MSM tab (should take more)

2 Co Enzyme Q 10 (this one is KEY)

and I take an extra magnesium supp in the form of Epsom Salts, 1/4 tsp straight at bedtime with chaser of water.

Magnesium is often lacking in people with chronic fatigue syndromes or other related syndromes such as fibromyalgia. If you are having a racing or irregular heart beat first go to the dr, and get it checked, but at the same time, try taking a 1/4 tsp of epsom salts with a meal, morning and evening.

Just don't go higher than 1/4 tsp or it will give you the runs.

This can help you sleep better as well. It helps your immune system work better, calms irregular fluttery heart beats and can help your general energy level.

HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON SUPPLEMENTS: buy them at Costco or discount supermarkets, or discount drugstores. I do. the only one I pay more for is Costco's natural form Vit E, not their synthetic, and even then Costco is WAY cheaper than the health food store or even my discount drug store chain and my discount grocery store. Jamieson is a good brand, I've used their multi's for years, and their Calcium Magnesium supplements. Otherwise I buy Costco's Kirkland brand. Walmart sells Jamieson and some good house brand stuff.

ARE YOU ABSORBING YOUR CALCIUM MAGNESIUM????
Pay attention to buying absorbable forms of calcium and magnesium though. Oxides then carbonates are the LEAST absorbed, often passing right thru you without being digested-- a TOTAL waste of money. (calcium oxide, calcium carbonate, magnesium oxide) LOL I just checked out Costco's commonest calcium magnesium, it is made of Calcium carbonate and magnesium oxide. You will be lucky if you absorb ANY OF THAT!

Pay attention to buying the citrate forms of calcium and magnesium or what is called the Krebs cycle forms. This is essentially buying chelated style minerals at a bargooon price! Chelating is simply what happens when your body attaches a protein to the mineral so it can pass thru the intestinal wall easier. Chelated minerals are absorbed best of all because they are in a sense "predigested". Citrates are easily broken down and reattached to proteins in the stomach and intestine so they are pre chelated but pretty much the same in terms of bio availability, or ease of your body absorbing them.

So buy citrates, sulphates, or Krebs cycle forms of calcium and magnesium and if you didn't understand what I was talking about, just stick with the Jamieson brand and you will be ok.

What ratio of Calcium to Magnesium should I take????
Well it works best if you are taking equal amounts, but most supplements including Jamieson, only do 2 to 1 Cal to Mag. Your body absorbs the calcium best if you add extra magnesium, which is why I recommend Epsom salts, the kind sold for laxative purposes. that is a sulphate of magnesium, which is another absorbable form of magnesium. DON't take more than 1/4 tsp at a time though or you will get the runs.

Here comes an explanation of why each supplement helps energy and immune system:

Salmon Oil gives the essential W3 Fatty acids. It is cleaned up by the manufacturer so you don't have to worry about heavy metal contamination. W3 Fatty acids in Salmon oil are one step ahead biologically than flax oil but if you are a vegetarian, use flax. If not, sidestep a particular metabolic problem in a lot of people and just go straight for the salmon oil. There is an enzyme defect in a lot of people of Irish, Scottish English, North American Coastal Indian, German and Scandinavian people where they don't convert the W3 fatty acids in flax oil into the next biochemical form which is salmon oil.

Having enough of this W3 essential fatty acid means your metabolic rate is improved, which means more energy. It also means your liver works better to process and destroy poisons that you take in, thru normal modern life, like perfumes, pesticides, heavy metals and so forth. It does some key things in your brain too, which help with the "fog" often associated with thryoid (and also with the problems that ADD ADHD kids have btw). It helps clean up bad cholesterol, and reduce heart attack, stroke and cancer risk factors.

VIT E in a natural form (the synthetic is a mirror image molecule, so think about how a key works, and think about using a mirror image key??? doesn't work does it) is best. I don't waste my money on the synthetic. Studies that say Vit E doesnt' work, are using synthetic forms due to a bias on the part of research chemists where they insist that the synthetic does the same job in the body. It doesnt' and the studies that show good stuff from Vit E starting iwth the Shute Bros, in the 40's were using natural forms.

Vit E preserves (it's a super antioxident) the W3 and W6 essential fatty acids, so they don't go rancid within your body (trust me on this one, I'm referrring to oxidation for the chemists amongst us) and it assists your body in using and preserving a lot of different vitamins and little chemical reactions in your body. So your W3 and W6 fatty acids improve your energy and immune systems Also assists in reducing risk of cancer, heart attack and stroke.

Why is Evening Primrose Oil and Salmon Oil specifically recommended??? and in those particular quantities????

Because anyone with Thyroid problems, on estrogen replacement, struggling with chronic auto immune problems, or chronic fatigue is often lacking in a key enzyme that converts ordinary W6 essential fatty acids into the GLA form that EPO (evening prim oil) has lots of. That same enzyme is needed to convert the flax oil form of W 3 essential fatty acid into the salmon oil form.

End results if you overload your supply of that enzyme with flax oil not salmon oil, and eat too much of the W6 fatty acids in ordinary canola oil (common now as "healthy" oils, margerines, mayo etc)?

Your body converts the excess into arachdonic acid which supports the inflammation cycle and can lead to all kinds of further trouble because a secondary prostaglandin is formed instead of the one you want that CALMS INFLAMMATION.

Another peice of the puzzle came when I read this little bit:

"Evening primrose oil provides a pure dose of gamma linoleic acid (GLA), which has few sources in nature. But it's important to know how the GLA in evening primrose oil works so that you can decide whether you need it or whether lifestyle changes alone might be enough to help you. So here is the tale of the brambly thicket in the Hormone Jungle known as "prostaglandins," hormone-like chemicals that have very short lives and very large local effects.

To make prostaglandins, you need essential fatty acids--"essential" because our bodies don't make them so we have to eat them.

There are two kinds of essential fatty acids that are important here--omega 6 fatty acids and omega 3 fatty acids. We need both kinds to be healthy.

A lot has been written lately about omega 3 fatty acids, which come from fish, but omega 6's are even more important. The essential fatty acid in the omega 6 family is linoleic acid (LA). After we eat LA, an enzyme (delta 6 desaturase, for you biochemistry groupies) shows up and changes LA into a new form, GLA.

That evolves into DGLA, which hovers in indecision, sniffing the bloodstream for omega 3 fatty acids. If it finds omega 3's, it becomes our hero, prostaglandin 1. If DGLA finds no omega 3's, it becomes arachidonic acid (AA), which becomes the villain--prostaglandin 2, which clots the blood, creates inflammation, makes stress reactions worse, and plays a role in causing endometriosis.(Margery talking here, didja get that? re read till it makes sense, this is REALLY IMPORTANT)

So, prostaglandin 1 is good because it prevents inflammation, stops cells from multiplying (as in endometriosis and cancer), and blocks prostaglandin 2 production. It also prevents blood clots, lowers cholesterol, reduces blood pressure, fixes defective T-lymphocyte immune cells (important for cancer , allergies, and infections), and maintains salt and water balance, nerve conduction, and gastrointestinal function.

Doctors have thought this was interesting as biochemistry but irrelevant for patients because an average American eats 10 times more LA than needed. We couldn't possibly be deficient.

However, there are three big ways things can go wrong.

The DGLA may decide to become AA because it can't find any omega 3 fatty acids in the bloodstream. Prostaglandin 1 constantly breaks down so it has to be replaced all the time. (We can't replace prostaglandin 1 directly at this time because it breaks down so fast, though there is an experimental synthetic version). The worst problem though is that the enzyme may not show up or it may be unable to do its job. Some people are born with limited ability to make the enzyme, some people don't give it the right kinds of fat to use, and some have a wide range of medical conditions that block it. There are two areas in our control.

Too much of the wrong stuff

Too much saturated fat substitutes for the LA so the enzyme cant do its thing. Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats (also called trans-fatty acids) seem to have LA, but their structure has been twisted so that they'll last longer on the grocery store shelf. However, with the structure twisted, the enzyme can't work, so nothing happens. Rancid oils also don't work, so they're no good either. The best fats to eat are cold-pressed, refrigerated oils available from health food stores or extra virgin olive oil, which has good LA. Drinking less alcohol is a good idea too.

Not enough of the right stuff

The enzyme doesn't show up to do its thing if there aren't enough of the right nutrients: magnesium, zinc, selenium, and B vitamins, in particular. Since estrogen replacement blocks these same nutrients, the enzyme can't do its job. So, changing your diet and adding nutrients might be enough for your body to make its own GLA. Even if it's not, these are important changes to make.

Evening primrose oil comes to the rescue because it by-passes all the things that can go wrong with the enzyme by providing already made GLA."

I was doing some further reading last night and came across that little gem.

HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW.

You need SALMON OIL not flax oil if you struggle with low thyroid or any estrogen replacement, struggling with chronic auto immune problems, or chronic fatigue

YOU NEED VIT E with that Salmon Oil. It helps keep it in the safe form inside your body, and the best Vit E for that is the d alpha tocopherol which is the so called natural form, NOT the d l alpha tocopherol which is the cheaper synthetic form. It is a mirror image molecule and doesn't work the same at all.

AND YOU NEED EVENING PRIMROSE OIL with its high GLA content to work as an anti inflammatory, and help heal the thyroid.

Other important dietary needs to make sure that these oils heal you are:
Magnesium (remember I mentioned epsom salts above?)
calcium (remember equal amounts calcium to magnesium and in forms you can absorb or you just eliminate most of them unused)
zinc,
selenium,
and B vitamins
Vit C

all but the Magnesium and the calcium should be in good amounts in the multi I mentioned.

saturated and hydrogenated fats and Trans fats also interfere with the proper metabolism of essential fatty acids, so you need to reduce those drastically for this to work well.


That article I was reading said this and I quote:
Recommended dose

The recommendations if you're trying this therapy are to take

150-250 mg of GLA daily, or take 3 g or so of evening primrose oil with 7% to 9% GLA (depends how the label describes it) (margery talking here, I will be upping my usual 500 mg dose to 3 grams a day try this out)

Plus

400 IU of vitamin E to prevent the GLA from oxidizing into something bad (margery here, I take 800 IU daily because when you have inflammatory disease-- auto immune problems, your body makes tons and tons of free radicals, and vit E and Vit C are the antioxidents that put the fires out so to speak and quiet down the free radicals, which if you don't do anything, tend to form chain reactions in the body, not unlike a forest fire burning out of control.)

Plus

At least 1 g of fish oil for every gram of EPO to prevent the bad arachidonic acid from forming. (margery here, I will be upping my dose of salmon oil to 3 grams a day for now)

Don't take flax seed oil in this case. The flax seed oil needs that same delta-6-desaturase enzyme to convert to the useful omega 6 fatty acids.

It's important to remember that evening primrose oil is not curative; it reduces symptoms and prevents further complications. It also take 4 to 6 months to build up enough levels in the tissues to work well. And don't forget to cut out those saturated and hydrogenated fats and get enough magnesium, zinc, B vitamins, calcium, and vitamin C."

End of quote. This was a small part of the article written by Trish Morse January 30, 2001 and her sources are impeccable. I got it off the hystersisters web site, and her summary lines up with Udo Erasmus's work, and others.

I use a rotation of proteins because I (like many people with thyroid and allergy problems) tend to make new allergies quickly and easily.

First off lets explain the reason behind the 4 day rotation diet in allergic people. Your system has a 4 day response to any protein it encounters. In normal people this doesn't trigger a hyper immune response but in allergic people or people with thyroid problems, it does.

By allowing 4 day intervals, you give the body time to relax. The chemicals it uses to flag a new allergy calm back down. Those chemicals also play a part in making you feel tired and exhausted.

This won't work on severe food allergies, but it does help calm mild ones down. For example I have a mild egg and milk allergy, but a strong legume one. I can rotate eggs and milk, but I can't get away with it with the legumes.

You don't want your body to "meet" the same protein again for another 3 days.

so it looks like this:
Legumes day one (eat legumes for proteins, drink soy milk, eat beans)
Beef day two: (drink milk, eat cheese or yogurt, beef)
Chicken day three: (eggs, chicken allowed, avoid the stuff above, take calcium supps to make up for no dairy)
Fish day four: (allow fish and seafood, avoid the stuff above, take calcium supps to make up for no dairy)

Repeat cycle.

If you have a chicken or egg allergy, substitute lamb or pork for the chicken day. I have a really big problem allergy with all legumes, so I sub lamb or pork for the legumes.

Sometimes you can stretch this a bit. I do a dairy meal day with eggs and milk as the primary proteins but generally if you do react to eggs, you are likely reacting to chicken as well, and ditto the connection between dairy and cows.

Some 75 to 80% of people allergic to cows milk are also allergic to goats milk. which means that you can try it and see, but if you react to the goat's milk, it isn't worth the expense.

Quick and dirty (LOL this is a programmers term) trick to finding out what you are allergic to.

What do you crave and eat at least every day, or several times a week? (that will point to something known as the allergic addiction cycle)

and

What do you hate, and feel sick with? That points to the rest of the allergies.

Usually your answers to those 2 questions will give you almost as accurate a reading as getting an expensive ELISA test done.

This is such an important key to regaining health.

2 parts:
Avoiding negative people and situations or dejunking your personal life essentially

and

Maintaining a positive focus, keeping up and making new positive friendships, laughter etc

Suggestions?
Stay positive by ditching any shows, news programs, people or social situations including relatives and former friends if they cause stress or distress. No sad endings in books, no depressing world coming to an end soon magazines, websites etc.

Look on the bright side, make sure to get out and see some positive friends and relatives or social situations, watch funny movies, read books with happy endings.

This doesn't mean avoiding a drama show that you enjoy watching, but maybe a documentary that leaves you sad and wrung out about the plight of the homeless. Do what you can to help the homeless or anyone else, but then allow yourself a healthy space and distance from the problems by not dwelling on them.

These reduce stress but I want to talk about them separately. REST and SLEEP shouldn't be confused.

People assume they are getting enough sleep, and therefore, are "rested" when they aren't even close to meeting sleep needs, and even if they are, they are also not paying attention to down time or resting time while awake during the day.

exercise is another key to balancing rest/sleep in the daily cycle to maintain energy.

Preferably outdoors in the natural light, and fresh air.

People whose bodies break down, often get there because of bad boundaries, doing too much to please others, or guilt sets in and drives them beyond normal limits.

Resetting the limits is important.

Learning to say no is very hard, but so necessary. One book that really helped me was Boundaries, by Dr's Cloud and Townsend.

One of the biggest de stressors in my life was cleaning up my schedule by learning to say no, and putting limits on people that drain me.

kind of goes along with the boundaries thing.

Having room in the above 3 areas mean less stress.

Like Boundaries, people who develop chronic illness often lived right up to the limits without thinking about the need for margins of error.

It's as if you ran your finances off into the ditch using credit cards, and did the same with time and energy in your life too.

You need room, margins, space for the unexpected so it doesn't stress you out.

The book Margins by Dr Richard Swenson really helped me there.

Use a filter on your furnace and wash or vacuum it once a month.

Electronic ones get a lot of what bugs allergic people and you simply wash it off on a regular basis. Use a mini hepa filter running in the bedroom of the allergic person to further clean the air and give them respite from the pollens.

Dustmites-- interesting fact is that 90% of the dust mites in your home, live in the carpets, only 10% are spread around thru the furniture and drapes. SO for maximum benefit, fix a big part of the problem by removing the carpets.

And remembering that all people spend a full 1/3 of their time in bed asleep or trying to sleep, deal with the bedroom carpet (and bedding) first.

And for the rest of your easy benefit, deal with the bed, the mattress and the bedding. The doctor panel said what I've been saying for years, WASH IN HOT WATER at least once a week, to kill dustmites on the sheets etc.

Use dustmite proof pillow and mattress protectors and follow the directions. I've not had the money for that but I encased our kids mattresses in vinyl and used 2 mattress pads on top for comfort (so they don't sweat) and washed those pads religiously once a month. Our mattress gets vacuumed, flipped and the mattress pads washed in hot once a month.

Dustmites build up in pillows and stuffed toys--and go from zero to asthma in 6 weeks, so I FREEZE the dustmites to death, or cook them and here is how. Once a month, use your freezer (OK all the pillows won't go in at once, rotate them thru the weeks) or in winter, hang them and the duvets or non washable wool blankets out on the line on a freezing, dry day.

Once they are frozen for 12 hours or so, bring them back in, run thru a cool dryer with a running shoe (clean) to beat the now dead particles out of the pillow etc.

Alternately in the heat of summer, hang the stuff out on the line to cook. (dustmites are easy to kill in heat, direct sunlight, and below freezing point temperatures).

IF YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO POLLENS avoid doing this in high pollen count days. Use your freezer instead.

Pollens: Don't use your outdoor clothesline, either use an indoor one, or use the dryer.

Wash your nasal cavity out with a solution of boiled, cooled water mixed with a tiny pinch of salt and tiny pinch baking soda. Rinse several times with this, expelling it into the sink. This will help allergies, sinus infections, congestion and related troubles. It's a bit hard to learn but well worth it. I find it's helped me tremendously.

Essentially, washing your nose out once or twice a day, and applying a thin film of vaseline with a Qtip, will keep you from contacting and reacting to pollens to a great degree.

Use a filter on your furnace and wash or vacuum it once a month. Electronic ones get a lot of what bugs allergic people and you simply wash it off on a regular basis.

Use a mini hepa filter running in the bedroom of the allergic person to further clean the air and give them respite from the pollens.

I've also had good results from using homeopathic pollen remedies that are individually made up for the pollens in the local area.

Molds and Mildew can be killed by bleach, tea tree oil and keeping things bone dry. Sunlight and moving air help too.

Don't let laundry sit around getting all damp and mildewy and growing mold. Use HOT WATER WASHES and bleach if you do find it got a bit musty. Dry quickly in the dryer, don't let a damp load sit long in between washing and drying.

Keep the humidity down in the house. Use the bathroom fans to rid the steam after showers, wipe down the shower walls after use, and hand dry damp towelling. Use a shower squeegee, open a window if you can, use the towel to dry off the corners and spray the walls and shower with a product designed to kill mold and mildew.

Wipe down windowsills and other places water collects (and that black fuzzy stuff is mold and or mildew!) and keep it dry. Wipe it down with straight bleach, or my favourite now, a dab of tea tree oil.

THE KITCHEN DISH CLOTH needs changing once a day or oftener. Quite apart from the germy aspect, sponges and dishcloths that lie around longer than 24 hours, will grow a lot of mold and other garbage that produce some nasty chemicals that your body may react to.

Sponges are the worst. They grow molds and mildews almost right away in their holes deep inside, away from bleach or the hot water in the dishwasher (which is often recommended, but doesn't effectively kill) so the surface stuff is killed, leaving the inner germs to re infect and re colonize the outside surface which contacts you, the counters, the dishes etc. TOSS SPONGES.

The dead dish cloths if they are rinsed and hung to dry will stay relatively mold and mildew free while waiting for the laundry BUT THEY NEED CHANGING at LEAST EVERY 24 HOURS-- preferably sooner if they contact meat juice etc. Just buy a dozen, they don't take up room in the wash hardly at all, and run them thru every time you do the laundry.

Animal dander generally you know your problem animals, and either get rid of them or reduce exposure. When your health is compromised you dont' have the ability to tolerate much extra.

Fragrances are another big problem. Avoid using room scents, perfumed products, air fresheners and air the house out frequently to get rid of any odours that cause problems. Avoid stores with scented candles and strong odours, and try to sit at the back in church for quick getaways from heavy perfumes.

For people with good health, it's hard to understand why a fragrance would harm someone else but it does. It is a common allergic trigger that sets off a whole cascade of chemical reactions in an allergic person's body. Many people who didn't have allergies before develop chronic fatigue or thyroid problems, do have them now.

Chemical sensitivities-- one of the biggest is cigarette smoke. 80% of the cases of childhood asthma under 5 years of age COME FROM SMOKING IN THE HOME. The parent who smokes in another room, or in the basement may not be blowing it directly in the child's face but the allergens are blowing thru the whole house. The child can't avoid it, and the easiest way to deal with it is ideally to quit, but if not, then smoke outside, away from any drafts and open doors or windows that would take it back inside.

Don't use heavy scented cleaners. Use baking soda, vinegar, and other environmentally clean, cleaning products that don't upset your system.

I was reacting to toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner for a long time, so I learnt to use bar soap, soda and vinegar. I am ok now, so I am back to using the toothpaste, etc but it's worth trying at least till you develop a bit of physical reserve again.

EDITED TO ADD: Rotate your shampoo and conditioner, never use the same ones day in day out. Try to rotate between 2 or better yet 3. I still do this even though I react less and can tolerate shampoo and conditioner. It helps when your body doesnt' "meet" the same stuff every day. That is how new sensitivities form.

Just like with food, rotating hand creams, hair stuff etc means your body has a chance to tolerate stuff better.

To RECAP:
Use a good furnace filter to trap dustmite particles, pollens, molds and mildew spores. Clean it once a month. Use a second portable unit in the bedroom of susceptible persons.

Wash bedding and other items in HOT and rinse in cold to kill dust mites, mold and mildews.

Get rid of the carpets.

Freeze pillows, blankets, duvets and run thru the dryer after to kill dust mites and knock their particles out of the item.

Keep that bathroom DRY and the Laundry DRY

Wipe down mold and mildew prone surfaces such as windowsills and the bath tub or shower walls with bleach or tea tree oil on a regular basis.

DON'T use heavy perfumes or air fresheners or heavy cleaning chemicals.

DO air out the house regularly.

First is the role of carnitine in energy production

and second the role of soya, almonds, kale in the attacking of the thyroid gland

which touches on two important points which can affect whether or not you are able to be a vegetarian, and whether or not you may have trouble with such a diet.

The problem with Carnitine in SOME BUT NOT ALL PEOPLE:
Carnitine, is a non essential amino acid which is involved in energy production within the body. You can live without it. BUT big but here! BUT some people have higher than normal needs for it.

Carnitine is only found in meat. Wherein lies the difficulty.

MANY people live without it just fine on vegetarian diets ranging from the ordinary vegetarian that eats dairy and eggs, to the vegan who restricts all but plant foods.

HOWEVER there are people, and I am one of them, who feel better and whose energy levels are higher when eating at least some meat proteins in the diet.

OK some people also lack iron, and the iron in meat is more easily absorbed, already being in the heme form of it, but you can get enough iron out of a vegetarian diet if you pay attention to that. I'm not referring to anemia here. I'm talking about carnitine.

There is a distinct probability, that we vary in our needs, just as in everything, and that people with a built in need for higher amounts of carnitine in the diet, have bodies that rely on it for energy conversion.

IF and ONLY IF you are having difficulty with energy level, you may wish to consider adding meat back in and see if it doens't result in an improvement.

If it doesnt' make a difference, you are likely not troubled by the carnitine problem, so carry on with vegetarian food, and look into other factors for your energy problems.

IF IT DOES HELP THOUGH, and it's not because you were anemic, then consider making meat part of your diet again if you can handle that.

I found this out as a side effect of going off all soy and legumes due to finding an allergy to them. I was unable to continue eating a largely vegetarian diet and found my energy level going back up. the allergic symptoms I had were arthritis, but not energy level (although allergic fatigue is a common problem) so I was surprised till I did a little research and found the carnitine energy connection.

OK ON TO THE PROBLEM OF KALE SOY and ALMONDS attacking the thyroid gland. I found this out after several years of eating lots of these foods, and suddenly having a swollen thyroid. When I read about the thryoid, I found an interesting if scary bit of news.

There are some factors in all 3 foods which seem to sensitize the body against it's own Thyroid gland, and turn on some process whereby the body starts attacking the thyroid gland. People who have lots of these 3 foods in their diet, any or all of them, tend to have a much higher rate of the kind of thyroid problems where the body attacks itself. My kind.

I had no idea that these 3 foods, which I was eating to help bring my health back were actually harming me.

When I found this out, I'd just cut soy out of my diet to deal with the allergy. I still eat almonds but I've cut kale out as well and I don't overdo almonds.

so you don't buckle under the load. This has to do with accepting your limitations and setting up little work arounds.

Housework still needs doing

Bills need paying

Laundry happens

Food needs shopping, preparing and serving

Those are the basics, to keep from falling into a hole, which needs even more energy to dig back out from. So keeping up in these areas needs special care.You may also have a job to go to, on top of that.

I have several threads here which may be of help, which I will link to shortly.

Here is one, I titled tongue in cheek as The Lady of the Manor prefers simpler cleaning methods so she can garden instead! at http://www.homesteadgarden.com/forums/showthread.php?t=770

Here is how I learnt to cook on days when I had a touch more energy so there was stuff in the freezer for days when I had none left. OAMC, the easy way, no burnout, just good home cooking in the freezer http://www.homesteadgarden.com/forums/showthread.php?t=756

and how I shop so I can save money Grocery shopping for the simplified OAMC system, and how to do an easy pantry http://www.homesteadgarden.com/forums/showthread.php?t=760

In other words learning to let go of stuff you can't change, and letting God look after it. I don't mean to offend anyone who doesn't believe in God, you will have to figure out how to do this your own way. All I can tell you is what works for me.

this is my final tip, and the one that makes everything work. Letting go, letting God take over, and doing what you can, doing what He shows you is necessary to deal with.

that's how it all began for me, when I cried out in prayer, God nothing I do is working, everything I've tried from an alternate med stance is failing, and making things worse, what is the matter???

my answer began as I sat and listened in prayer, and I believe it was God gently showing me to begin with my own advice to others about food allergy, I had attempted to become vegetarian, so legumes were in my diet DAILY.

I cut them, and my arthritis disappeared, some of the energy came back.

Next my thyroid swelled up, and I had to face problems with that.

I had to deal with some problems that bad boundaries had put me into. Overload, negative people. More and more problems God spotlit and helped me solve.

It's been a long haul, and it still isn't 100% gone. I am not all there yet. I still struggle, I am not at all "normal" but I'm a lot better than I used to be.

This is a process of trial and error, of praying and looking for answers, and it's what worked for me.

Will it help you? Maybe. Maybe not. But it's a place to start from and maybe you can use some of the things I've used and find help.

Whatever you do, remember this didn't happen overnight and it sure doesn't get better overnight! This took years for me to feel better and I'm still not fully healed or cured however you want to term it.

Blessings, I hope this is a help
Love
Margery

LOL I'm never done a "book post" when I say I am, there is always something more.

Something I should have said first off was GO TO YOUR DR and get it checked,

But many of us with thryroid problems go, and LO and BEHOLD the tests are NORMAL WHEN WE FEEL THE PITS!!!! How can this be????

are we hypochondriacs, or weirdos from another planet (to quote Calvin and Hobbes)

well no and probably no to those 2 questions. (but you people from planet x you KNOW who you are!!!!!!!!)

ahem, back to the subject at hand.

WHEN YOUR THYROID TESTS COME BACK NORMAL and they usually do because THRYOID TESTS ARE VERY UNRELIABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! with many false readings. YOU NEED A GAME PLAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Family drs are REALLY PRONE to going by the test result and saying things like, OH but your tests are normal. Your next response needs to be

Please may I see an endocrinologist who specializes in thyroid problems???? and your doc will probably say, Oh I don't think you really need that with normal results

So you say "BUT I FEEL LOUSY ALL THE TIME AND I NEED TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS AND I"VE HEARD FROM FRIENDS THAT THRYOID TESTS CAN BE VERY MISLEADING.

ok got that?

Get to an endocrinologist, and try to go to one who specializes in thryoid complaints and if at first even that one won't listen

KEEP saying

I understand my tests are normal, but WHY AM I FEELING THIS BAD?????

Force them to look past the tests and see you as a person with a problem that needs solving.

Test results that say you are normal haven't solved the problem you came in with, and that is that you are tired!

Mary Shomon who moderates the thyroid section in about dot com is a very good resource.

Her link for good dr's is http://thyroid.about.com/cs/doctors/a/topdocs.htm

and about the soy connection to thyroid disease: http://thyroid.about.com/cs/soyinfo/a/soy.htm

Goitrogenic foods (ones that promote thyroid problems) such as soy, cabbage family etc
http://thyroid.about.com/cs/drugdatabase/f/goitrogen.htm

Looks like almonds are in the clear now. Thank goodness.

Why low carb diets work for thyroid patients http://thyroid.about.com/cs/dietweightloss/a/zonediet.htm

about normal test results and still feeling icky:http://thyroid.about.com/cs/hypothyroidism/a/notwell.htm

The 10 top sites for Thyroid info, Mary gives her opinions and the links http://thyroid.about.com/cs/basicinformation/a/keysites.htm

Now for those of you with chronic fatigue or fibro, there are specialists in that dept too, ditto Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, MS, and other auto immune problems that leave you plastered on the floor, barely breathing without the energy to get up and live with the disorder, let alone manage the basics.

Finding out I had a thyroid problem, even though there is no clear cut answer or solution, has at least helped me remember I do have a physical reason to keep my schedule clear, not over book when I feel good, to say no, to keep good limits, to have good margins and stick to my supplements.

And that is why I can cope even though, it hasn't gone away, and it's still a part of my life.

the top 5 supplements for thryoid support according to Mary shomon is at http://thyroid.about.com/cs/shames/a/supplements.htm I disagree with her about recommending special vitamin manufacturers. I include the link to see the dosages, but be wary of any link that tells you that you can only get really healthy using their particular blend of vitamins, and that all others are substandard.

Does Your Doctor Know About the New TSH Lab Standards? http://thyroid.about.com/cs/testsforthyroid/a/labs2003.htm

The Thyroid/Fibromyalgia Connection http://thyroid.about.com/cs/fibromyalgiacfs/a/fibrothyroid.htm

and LOOKING ON THE BRIGHT SIDE LOL HERE IS NEWS YOU WILL LOVE
Underactive Thyroid May Reduce Breast Cancer Risk http://thyroid.about.com/cs/hypothyroidism/a/breastcanhypo.htm

and here is Carnitine again --this time helping prevent muscle pain after exercise and helping develop good muscle tone "people had significantly less post-workout pain and tenderness and less post-exercise muscle damage with L-Carnitine supplementation than with placebo. In one study, 75 percent of participants saw a 20 percent improved ability to exert energy within the 25-minutes after exercising. "
http://thyroid.about.com/library/weightloss/blcarnitine.htm

and another Soy and the thyroid article http://thyroid.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thyroi d-info.com%2Farticles%2Fsoydangers.htm

and Dr Doerge on Soy and it's thyroid killing effects http://thyroid.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thyroi d-info.com%2Farticles%2Fsoydoerge.htm

and a personal testimony from another person like me who got very ill on soy, while trying to improve health by replacing meats with soy proteins http://allergies.about.com/library/uc/uc-soy-1.htm

Clinical Chemists Issue Revised Thyroid Testing Guidelines-- more about the new guidelines and how the old guides were leading to too many thyroid problems going undiagnosed because the old normal values were too wide.
http://thyroid.about.com/cs/newsinfo/l/blguidelines.htm

Why selenium should be in your multi vitamin at 200 mcg per day levels http://thyroid.about.com/cs/newsinfo/l/blselenium.htm-- the multi I use from Jamieson is pretty good on selenium last I looked but it's worth checking because this one and chromium have direct connections to energy and both should be present in good amounts in your multi vitamin supplement.

A finger-stick test is now available for celiac disease, the gluten intolerance condition that can trigger certain autoimmune diseases, including thyroid conditions. http://thyroid.about.com/library/news/blceliactest.htm

20 Secrets of Successful Thyroid Patients http://thyroid.about.com/cs/basics_starthere/a/20secrets.htm

Top 3 Books for Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue http://thyroid.about.com/cs/fibromyalgia/tp/cfsfms.htm Look them up at the library or get your library to bring them in.

Top 5 Thyroid-Related Books for Patients
http://thyroid.about.com/cs/basicinformation/tp/books.htm Look them up at the library or get your library to bring them in.

Endometriosis: Common, Overlooked Condition Linked to Thyroid Disease http://thyroid.about.com/library/news/blendomet.htm Oh shoot, I'm living proof!!!!!!!! ARGGGGHHHH!!!!!

HMMM more yet

Here is an interview with Udo Erasmus Fats That Heal: Fats That Kill / Dr. Udo Erasmus on Thyroid Disease, Weight Loss, and the Optimal Diet for Thyroid Patients http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/udoerasmus.htm

and Udo's site with a really good primer on good fats and how to use them:http://www.udoerasmus.com/FAQ.htm one caution, Udo sells his oil blend, so be aware. Also Udo warns about CLA, not GLA forms of W6 fatty acids and he is worried about salmon oil and contamination, but the latest stuff on that says that it's been tested and found free of mercury, heavy metals, and PCB's so his concern has been laid to rest but it's still there on the site.

Hashimoto's vs. Hypothyroidism: What's the Difference? http://thyroid.about.com/cs/hypothyroidism/a/hashivshypo.htm

something that worries me is hashimotos encephalopathy, and as far as I'm concerned preventing it is one of the prime reasons to get diagnosed and treated properly if you think you may even POSSIBLY have hashimoto's thryoiditis. http://thyroid.about.com/cs/hashimotos/a/encephalopathy.htm

Don't take Calcium at the same time as your thyroid medications --Calcium Supplements and Thyroid Hormone Replacement -- What You Need to Know http://thyroid.about.com/cs/vitaminsupplement/a/calcium.htm simply addresses the fact that some drugs shouldn't be taken at the same meal or same time as calcium. Ask your pharmasist for more advice.

Arthritis and Joint Pain with Thyroid and Autoimmune Disease http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/brownstein.htm

Candida (Yeast) and the Thyroid and Fibromyalgia
Information from holistic practitioner Dr. Michael McNett about the connection between candida (yeast) and hypothyroidism http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/candidayeast.htm

a good laugh here: You Might Be Hypothyroid If... A Humorous Look at One Woman's Misundersood Thyroid Condition http://thyroid.about.com/library/weekly/aa040701a.htm
DON'T MISS the end paragragh!!!!!!!!

Survey: What Are The Worst Symptoms of Thyroid Disease?
if you've ever wondered if others have similar symptoms http://thyroid.about.com/cs/symptomsproblems/a/survey.htm

Mitral Valve Prolapse and Thyroid Disease http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/mitral-valve-prolapse.htm

and deep inside this article http://thyroid.about.com/cs/expertinterviews/a/sinatra_2.htm on heart problems and thyroid patients, you will see mitral valve disease mentioned, and this doctor's recommendation is

"Some patients with thyroid problems also suffer from Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP). I asked Dr. Sinatra if he had any special tips.

First, Dr. Sinatra recommends that any woman with MVP be taking supplemental CoQ10. In addition, "What I like for MVP is magnesium...400-800 mg. a day. You can eradicate about 70% of the symptoms with MVP. "

which I (margery) found interesting because I notice that my fluttery beats and problems subside when I take my magnesium in the form of epsom salts 1/4 tsp at bedtime and extra calcium mag tabs in the morning and again at night if I'm feeling particulary icky that day.

remember knowledge is power. The more you know, the better equipped you are, the more likely you are to be treated properly. You are your own advocate.

Italics are quotes from Mary Shomons descriptions of these articles.

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/basics_starthere/a/pitfalls.htm Avoiding Common Thyroid Pitfalls "Easy to diagnose, easy to treat..." That's the simple -- but erronesus -- mantra you'll hear about thyroid disease from many physicians. This assumption leads many patients - and doctors - to get sidetracked by common pitfalls. Here's a guide on how to avoid them.

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/hashimotos/a/7questions.htm
Seven Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Hypothyroidism
When hypothyroidism sets in after RAI or thyroidectomy, or you're diagnosed due to Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, here are the seven critical questions you need to ask your doctor, and info on how to apply the results to your health.

Hair Loss Solutions For Thyroid Patients http://thyroid.about.com/cs/hairloss/a/hairloss.htm and an excerpt from the article quotes an endocrinologist who recommends Evening Primrose Oil to reverse the hair loss.

Another dr further on, "Dr. Hugh Rushton, a professor at Portsmouth University, also found that 90 percent of women with thinning hair were deficient in iron and the amino acid lysine. Lysine is the most difficult amino acid to get enough of via diet. Lysine helps transport iron, which is the most important element in the body and essential for many metabolic processes. When lysine and iron levels are low, the body probably switches some hair follicles off to increase levels elsewhere. Meat, fish and eggs are the only food sources of lysine. There are also supplements that contain lysine. "

increasing the evening primrose oil seems to be making a difference in increased energy and a better immune system.

I am in week 2 of a very heavy for me schedule and still doing ok in spite of feeling like I'm fighting off a cold. I was out at a ladies retreat for the weekend, and came home to a weeks worth of company. That normally can't happen but either God's giving me special grace which has been known to happen,

or God's grace was to point me in the direction of increasing my EPO levels. :hurray:

OK there are some things in life YOU CAN'T CHANGE! such as whether or not you can afford vitamin supplements at all if it comes down to eating or vitamins, choose EATING!

When you are unable to quit work, that is a given.

Some of us are under stress due to searing heart rending losses or a change that we can't control.

Some things you can modify, some things you can do right away, others never!

Don't sweat what you can't change.

Everyone's list of helpful stuff will vary depending on their circumstances. It's like the alcoholic's anon prayer that goes

God give me the grace to change the things I can, to accept the things I can't and the wisdom to know the difference. Amen.

I was thinking about this while waking up. This whole pile of things that I've come to, came about over 5 years and is continually changing when better stuff comes along.

Will you be able to get better if you don't do ALL of my stuff?

YES!

All you need is to pick and choose stuff that works for you, do that, and see what you can modify or even ignore with the rest!

GET away from the perfectionist thought that it's all or nothing!

An example. I was worried about the stress I was under 5 years ago, and recognized that if I didn't do some stuff fast, I was in severe risk for developing cancer or other catastrophic illness. My stress level was off the Selye chart it was so bad.

So I went vegetarian, and organic.

You know what happened to the vegetarian thing. The soy attacked my thyroid, and my joints, and I had to quit all legumes or suffer the arthritis and make my thyroid go kablooie! Bye bye vegetarian diet!

Pretty soon I found that if I stayed totally organic, I couldn't afford to eat veggies and fruit so I looked at it, and decided that 90% of the benefit came from eating more produce, and chasing after the organic part wasn't working for me. Rather than stop eating fruit and veggies

I started washing and peeling to get rid of the pesticide residues as much as possible. I relied on a multi vit with microminerals to make up the difference. And my budget survived, and so did I.

In fact I improved because I was eating more fruits and veggies!

I was paying attention to fats and oils, and avoiding trans fats but found I couldn't afford to continue with butter, so I switched to something at HALF the price, which was BECEL margerine which doesn't have trans fats. Now notice that I didn't go all the way into margerine, the cheap kind with the hard fats and trans fats. I compromised but kept the main goal in sight.

I was doing my own grain grinding and making my own bread then I found the yeast was bugging me as was the bran so I tried white flour for the few things I still bake, bought sliced whole wheat bread for the family, quit eating bread and found my bowels improved and I felt better with less asthma and my heartburn went away.

All these things are trial and error, and by keeping the goal in sight, I've been able to flex and find alternatives that worked within our budget.

One last example, I have a friend who sells expensive vitamins (multi level market) and she does know a lot. Right when my health dissolved I asked her for help-- her knowledge about what to take. She refused saying if I was serious, I'd have to figure out what mattered most, and make the expensive vitamins a priority.

She didn't give me knowledge of how or why so I could find alternatives within my budget!

Her vitamins were so far out of our budget that I might as well have rolled over and died if taking them was going to save my life.

I obviously didn't roll over and die, nor did I buy her stuff. I began to read and experiment (no easy task when your short term memory is nearly shot!) and came to my cheapy Costco vitamins.

The reason I shared so much information above, is because I want you all to understand why it works, so you can go adapt these tips and techniques to your own situation.

Find what works for YOU!!!

LOVE AND HUGS
Margery