[Harpy]

in reply to: Newbie to Site – Graves 3.5 Years #1064808

Hi Cynthia
As Kimberly has said any supplements you take or any changes you make in your lifestyle should be done fully in conjunction with your doctor/endo and we presented our plan to our endo before we started anything and she couldn’t see any reason not to and was happy to work with us on a longer term basis.
There have been a variety of studies using Carnitine for a variety of reasons starting the main trials were done in Italy by Salvatore Benvenga, if you do a google with his name + Carnitine + Thyroid you should get plenty of hits The link below is study Published in the Journal of Clinical Endochrinology & Metabolism
http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/conten … ;86/8/3579
I as i do not now all your symptoms and am not a medical practitioner I can not advise you on what you should do.
I suggest you set aside a good deal of time to research, just Google various combinations of Thyroid (Hyper), Carnitine etc. and you should get plenty of reading, I did spend entire days doing this, make sure you play devils advocate and track down side-effects, drug interactions etc. If possible ask someone else with a critical eye to look over your findings.
Generally reccomended dose is 1-4g/day anything over that should be in a supervised study.
My partner has been on a minimum dose 1g/day of Acetyl L Carnitine for 6months, she started to notice some improvement in about 4-6 weeks we think, it’s very hard to guage because it’s action is slow. I suppose this is because, being part of the normal metabolic process, it is only adding a little more to the bodies own sources and the body is only doing what it normally does.
Do not consider using the cheaper powders body builders use re risks of contamination, this area of use is what I believe gave carnitine a bad rap with the association to steroids.
Only use pharmaceautical grade, to ensure dosage & purity.
Also check out the Wiki. page it has a bit of a rundown of where Carnitine fits into the body metabolism.
Do your research, prepare your proposal, talk to your Doctor, be prepared that they may not know anything about it, re busy life, unfortunately I think a lot of them get stuck dealing with day to day issues and don’t see much of new developements until the drug rep turns up to take them out to lunch.
Carnitine is not a substitute for ATD’s, just a body support.
Anything you do to help your body heal (Diet, Nutrition, Lifestyle) wil increase the effect of any medication or supplements you may take.

[Harpy]

in reply to: I think it’s back :( #1064859

My partner checks her Heart rate & Temp first thing upon waking every morning, I keep a log and chart these parameters.
Body temp is a difficult indicator because it changes for women with their cycles so is a good longer term indicator, the 2nd or 3rd of Mensus is considered the true temp to compare from cycle to cycle.
The resting heart rate is excellent as an indicator of changing symptoms as it may show an increasing trend well before you feel any outward symptoms as the heart rate is one of the first things to respond to changes in thyroid hormone levels. Knowing your heart rate has been increasing for the last week may allow you to be more proactive in your management of the condition, and I would encourage everyone with a thyroid condition to keep a log of resting heart rate along with other symptoms they may feel.
I know that all this monitoring adds up, but it pays off in the long run to keep a tight reign on it as its always harder to get the balance back when it goes out a long way and may help you to reduce the rollercoaster ride, to a nice undulating country drive. It also gives you more knowledge about what your body is doing and knowledge is power.
The heart rate varies with gender, age, fitness level etc. and within the individual it also has a daily cycle being the lowest at about 4am and highest in the early evening (ignoring exercise times as it naturally goes up then), but it is consistant within the individual.
Best time is first thing in the morning, note it will change a bit if you wake earlier or later, so if you can be consistant that will give the most accurate result, don’t know if you can post charts here, but I can send our record as an example if anyone is interested. When you wake, before moving too much, just find a pulse and check the beats per minute, it can be subject to feedback if you think about it, so the the first week or so may be all over the place as you get into a routine, we’ve found it may vary around/up to 5bpm from day to day, but it is the trend you look for so charts are good as you can visually see any trends.

[Harpy]

in reply to: Newbie to Site – Graves 3.5 Years #1064803

Thanks for reply
Good to see an active forum, I tried another one and posts were weeks apart.
We are located in Australia.
I can’t see your reply ATM but to respond
Yes she has been on the antithyroid medication right through the period, she has been trying a variety of things as a support to the conventional treatment protocol and I agree fully that you should keep your doctor informed of all the supplements that you may be taking.
I also understand that there is some opinion out there that suggests there is likely some genetic disposition, but we are all genetically predisposed to something, and I think that knowledge/opinion ties the issue off neatly and unfortunately defers the real question of what causes/triggers it.
There is also a growing body of thought that environmental toxins of modern life accentuate the genetic predisposition by further weakening the immune system along with the reduction of nutrition in foods (in cross breeding they are selected for transport, storage and appearance)and then as you say a stressful event or illness may well be the "straw that broke the camels back.
An improvement in Nutrition & reduction Stress & Environmental toxins may not prevent/heal everyone predisposed genetically to this condition, but it can’t hurt and I believe it would help a lot of people avoid the hypothyroid condition.
I don’t know if anyone here has discussed the issues of Soy, there is concern that raw Soy products may be a significant health concern, I’ve read that it should preferably consumed in the fermented bean curd state if consumed at all. There are a number of issues, but the one I would like to point out is the prescence of Phytoestrogens which basically mimic oestrogen and may take up its receptors in the body thus causing hormone imbalances. I couldn’t believe how much Soy is put into foods as a cheap filler, it was in virtually every comercially produced bread, tinned products, snack foods.
Re the Asian Health link, historically most soy consumed in asian countries has been in fermented form and the US is the largest per capita consumer of soy, I think closely followed by Australia and other developed countries.
Sorry if I am ranting/preaching a bit, just got to get it out and share it.

[Harpy]

in reply to: muscle weakness and fatique calcium???? #1064813

I’m just new to this site, posted full story earlier.
My partner has found Acetyl L Carnitine to be beneficial, as I mentioned it in my previous post i would just like to say to all out there I have no financial or other interest in this product outside of my partners health. Please do your own research there has been a number of double blind placebo studies done along with other documented information.
She had muscle fatigue issues and we believe the Carnitine has helped this significantly.
Carnitine is a non essential amino acid, which means it is not necesarily required in the diet as a healthy body can make it from the AA’s lysine and metathione (spelling???). It is main function is to deliver fatty acids to the mitochondria to produce energy for the body.
The issue is that the Hyperthyroid state as well as age & Anti thyroid drugs deplete the bodys natural Carnitine stores and this is one of the reasons for the fatigue issue, so supplementation is appropriate for Hyperthyroid people. One of it’s other effects is on the buffering of the cellular uptake of thyroid hormones it does not reduce blood hormone levels it just reduces the impact on the body particularly the heart, which has the highest concentration of Carnitine in the entire body. This is why it is so beneficial in helping protect against the danger of "Thyroid Storm".
Anti thyroid drugs or other measures are still required to get thyroid hormone levels down to normal levels.
One of the biggest issues with the Hyperthyroid condition is that it depletes the bodies nutrient stores hence nutrition & appropriate supplements are first priority after getting control of the hormone levels, then implement lifestyle changes to reduce stress.
My partner has been taking a variety of Vitamins & Nutrients to try and get her body back to a healthy state.

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