To further strenthen the immune system, consider reviewing this information I recently posted abour thyroid.

My LLMD says you need a good working thyroid to fight all infections. (By the way, fungus is a sign of a sick body and/or taking ABX.)

I want you to get all the way well-----not half-way.

I sound like a broken record re: thyroid, but I just know how much it helps people who need it. You'll live longer if it's treated.

Also, as you know, Lyme screws up the hormones throughout your body.

Treating the thyroid correctly is quite complicated. It's not as black and white as the thyroid lab results appear to be. Traditional docs believe the lab reports.

They will not treat you according to symptoms. (same thing as the LD problem)

When the new synthetic thyroid hormones hit the market, the Barnes Temperature Test was removed from the Physicians Desk Reference.

The late Dr. Barnes prescribed Armour Thyroid which contains both T3 & T4.

My entire family with LD takes Armour Thyroid prescribed by our LLMD.

Below is the extent of my knowledge about thyroid. I just point folks to how they might get help.

I hope you have time to review it.

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Here's some background info about low thyroid:

Many Lymenetters have their own thyroid stories----all different.

Not all, but some Lyme patients have low thyroid function due to LD.

OTHER REASONS can cause this condition, too.

Diagnosis & treatment of low thyroid can be complicated just like LD.

Side effect:
Treating low thyroid can take the struggle out of life for some! It gets the toxins out of the cells and oxygen in.

Here's the deal: Your TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) thyroid lab test can be normal, but your body may NOT be absorbing thyroid hormone.

Symptoms speak louder than a piece of paper. Inconclusive lab tests can possibly give the false illusion that everything's normal. Can't think of anything more frustrating.

Thyroid tests can be ``normal,'' but if you have low ``early morning'' body temperature, it can be an obvious sign you need treatment.

Here's the shocker: According to the late Dr. Barnes, if your early morning temp is below 97.8, by even a fraction of a degree, you probably have low thyroid even in the face of a "normal" thyroid test.

The late Broda Barnes, M.D. devoted his entire life to treating patients with low thyroid.

He linked low ''early morning'' body temperature to low thyroid function.

The ``Broda Barnes, M.D. Basal Body Home Temperature Test'' was first published in the Physicians Desk Reference, but later removed when the new synthetic thyroid meds hit the market.

Case histories are discussed extensively in his classic book, ``Hypothyroidism: The Unsuspected Illness.''

The Broda Barnes, MD Foundation still exists today to get the word out. The home test is listed at the bottom of my reply.

Just FYI:
Did you know the official range for TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) on thyroid tests has been changed?

The new official range for TSH is 3 as of 2002. (It used to be 10 - so get your lab work & check it over; old labs may not have modified their TSH values)

Depending on whose research you believe:

Men feel better with a TSH of 1.
Women usually feel better with a TSH of 2.

Perhaps Armour Thyroid (it contains both T3 & T4) or, whatever your Doctor prescribes might help.

The TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) test alone is simply not enough testing.

If your LLMD doesn't have time, ask your Primary Care Doc for TSH, T3, T4, TSO tests. (TSO is thyroid antibody test ---- to test for Hashimoto's thyroiditis).

Here's the catch:
The thyroid lab tests will always have to be run & you will probably have to find a "special" doctor to prescribe the natural form of RX Armour Thyroid or necessary treatment.

RX Armour Thyroid will cost like $10 a month----very cheap. Thyroid revs the metabolism to get the toxins out & the oxygen in the cells. It impacts every organ function & helps fight infection, if you need it.

Three Ways to Find a Thyroid Doctor:

Got insurance? Request that your PCP run a test for thyroid function to include: TSH, T3, T4, TSO. (...,if needed, write the 4 test names on a post-it note & take with you to the Doctor.)

Get a copy of the test results & take to a thyroid friendly physician.

Go to: www.thyroid-info.com
to find a thyroid physician in your state. Patients even rate the doctors here. This is a great site.

The 2nd site to locate a thyroid Doc is: www.armourthyroid.com

Physicians who are members of ACAM (American Academy for Advancement of Medicine) will usually prescribe the necessary thyroid RX.

Go to www.acam.org
And click on ``Public.''

Traditional doctors will rarely treat "sub-clinical" hypothyroidism with a normal thyroid blood test. Ask at your own risk??

I don't claim to understand the science behind hypothyroidism, but I can point you in the right direction for help.

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TEST DIRECTIONS

``Broda Barnes, M.D. Basal Body Temperature Home Test"

Place thermometer at bedside when you go to bed. When you wake up in the morning, place the thermometer under the arm for 10 minutes----- if it's an old mercury kind. Do this for 2 days in a row depending on Doctor's instructions.

Do not talk, move, or get out of bed before finishing the temp.

These are only the basic instructions.

Each physician is different as to how many morning temperatures they require. Some say 5 days in a row at the same time of the morning.

I believe the original test was for l0 days in a row. The Doc will usually add the temperatures together just to get an average temp.

SYMPTOMS

Here are some low thyroid symptoms taken from the book by Stephen Langer, M.D.,
"Solved The Riddle of Weight Loss.''

Symptoms can be very mild or extreme in severity.

(Remember, you don't have to have every symptom to have hypothyroidism----maybe just a slight headache at the end of the day; difficulty getting up in the morning; recurrent infections and weight gain)

Fatigue

Feeling cold, particularly the hands & feet

Weight gain or inability to lose weight,
despite constant attempts at dieting

Lethargy

Dry, coarse skin

Swelling eyelids

Coarse hair

Pale skin

Enlarged heart

Faulty memory

Constipation

Hair Loss

Labored, difficult breathing

Swelling of the feet

Hoarseness

Nervousness

Depression

Menstrual problems in females

Low libido

Impotence

Heart palpitation

Emotional instability

Brittle nails

Muscle weakness, pain

Pain in joints

Poor concentration & memory

Anemia

Atherosclerosis

High cholesterol levels

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Headache is a huge under the radar symptom which I've learned from my own family. We all have LD & all take Armour Thyroid.

I realize the "home temperature test" may sound hokey, but many LLMDs use it and most all nutritionists use it.

Hope this helps. I hope you get lots of responses to help you.

Best Wishes,
Jan

It took quite a while to get to this point, trying one dose after another, so I'm not eager to get back on the trial and error bus. Plus getting stuck constantly to check the levels.

Maybe this is the best it is going to get and I should be satisfied with where I am now.

But the doc who got me started on this never said what he was shooting for in the test results and the doc I am going to now doesn't seem to have any interest in the subject.

Not anxious to try a non-Lyme thyroid doctor. Doubt he/she would understand what was going on. And I would get in another irritating conversation with a duck.