Supplement Support for Your Thyroid and For You As A Whole
Thought I'd call this out and not bury it in the "what it takes" thread. A number of us have the thyroid issues, and a number of others I know are struggling with symptoms that are making them feel "off." Even if your fatigue, mood, weight gain turns out to be not related to thyroid, I think we all might benefit for supplementing our diets with the vitamins and trace minerals that support healthy thyroid function. The following list was given to me by my brilliant hormone specialist GYN, and it matches closes what is recommended in the book The Thyroid Solution. (Tracy told me about that book, and I am forever grateful.) You do not want to go down this thyroid road, if you can help it.
I'm going to go out on a limb here with two statements:
1. I would advise someone like Kitima who traced issues back to VitD and B12 deficiencies to keep an eye on thyroid function as the years go by. That goes for others of you in your 40s who are trying to figure out what exactly is "off." I swear these other issues show themselves, systems start getting thrown off, then years later thyroid issues show up. (Takes guts telling a surgeon what to do, doesn't it? 
) But all that kind of weird stuff happened to me too over the past few years--VitD, and iron for me. Obviously, not everyone will have thyroid troubles, but the number of women who do is astounding, and the number of cases undiagnosed (I bet) is huge. There is a whole school of thought that contends that elderly women would greatly benefit from a little thyroid boost even if their levels are normal. I can't disagree.
2. I know there is only little research on the link between thyroid and intense endurance athletics, but I have to think all this stress through the years is very likely to have an effect on our delicate glandular system. Remember, thyroid hormone effects every cell in every organ of your body.
Here is the supplement list and recommended doses. Make sure you are getting enough in your daily multi, and if you are not, consider adding more:
Vit C--750-1000mgs
Vit E--150-200 IUs
Vit D--1,000 IUs summer; 2,000 IUs winter
Beta-carotenes and mixed carotenoids--2,000-4,000 IUs of Vitamin A activity
Selenium--200-600 mcgs (very important)
Zinc--15-20 mgs (very important)
Thiamine (B1)--1.0-1.5 milligrams
Riboflavin (B2)--1.5 milligrams
Niacin (B3)--15-20 milligrams
Vitamin (B6)--50-100 milligrams
Folic acid--400-800 mcgs
B 12--1-2 mcgs
Omega 3 Oil--~ 1,000 mg per day. I use "high concentrate" by Metagenics--EPA-DHA. You only have to take one tsp of that stuff.
Tyrosine 500-1000 mg (an amino acid found in most proteins; a precursor of several hormones)
CoQ 10--100-200 mg
Make sure you get magnesium with your calcium, I forget this recommended amount
I also take Quercertin 600 mgs--makes me feel better and mentally more on the ball (recommended in the Thyroid Solution. Supposed to help performance too--ask Lance. )
This list is meant for healthy individuals to support their thyroid, and for those of us who are finally functioning in the normal range. Hey, it might make you feel better overall with a little more zip! We have to take care of each other, and keep on keepin' on!
Comments
Don't forget your Omega 3s.
My investigation into "I shouldn't be this tired!" (Nemo heard the rant at ToC) came up with 2 vitamin deficiencies, D and B12. As the Sunscreen Nazi, I am offended by the Vit D deficiency.
What I learned about this work-up is that I ignored and made excuses for my fatigue, weight gain, mental blah for a long time. Just figured it was my job, my training, getting old, had lots to think about. It wasn't until I became semi-retired and had really no more excuses to feel to crappy that I started looking. I wish I had looked sooner. So don't give into those excuses peeps!
She did recommend I be supported by the vitamins and amino acids I posted. She wasn't militant about it, but thinks it's a good idea to pay attention. She's is militant about Omegas, Vit D and the Bs.
As someone that gets nauseated by the vast majority of MVI on the market, I have taken chewable adult MVI with some success. But be sure you look and compare the amounts. Most will be deficient in something that you want and you will need to supplement separately.
I just read a Reader's Digest article that said we don't need MVI, but I don't think in a large research study you can tease out the few folks that might be helped and the aggregate of what is mostly beneficial. I think we have efficient systems. We pee out excess B vitamins. Also the article noted that Vitamin C was beneficial to marathoners to prevent cold symptoms. Well long course triathlon and the intense and varied EN training are equal to that. So I think we would benefit too.
Right there with you Michele. Actually, I've never been able to find a chewable adult MVI and so I've taken Flintstones Vitamins instead (insert EN 3.0 smiley hiding behind a wall here). IIRC I also supplemented with Iron and a few other separately. I really need some time to do this research again and get myself back on track.
Thanks again!
Hi Paul,
Butt in any time!
Tell your wife I feel for her. Getting to this diagnosis was horrible. I had never felt so terrible. I'm on Synthroid and Cytomel, and feel much better.
I was not advised about going yeast free, but perhaps the auto-immune element necessitates that? Maybe it would help her, and make it easier mentally if she began following something like the Paleo diet for Athletes or Primal Blueprint? I'm been doing Paelo for a week (yeah, I know--a whole week
)), but I am liking it. Gives me a focus to clean up my eating entirely. There are NO grains. All complex carbs come from fruit and veggies--except before a workout, and for recovery. Fitting in no yeast into a larger conext, and overall plan might help her mentally. Just throwing it out here. Here is a site I found with recipes that look good. There are some "baked goods" using almond flour. Sometimes you just need the muffin, ya know? http://www.paleoplan.com/recipes/
Werd!!!!
To echo the importance of selenium: I have managed to go from totally hypo to borderline normal on just selenium alone, so take this along with my regular medication. I also find I get bad if I don't take vitamins regularly.
Does anyone else suffer with dry mouth issues? I'm finding this a big issue at the moment. As I think I'm dehydrated then spend the whole day with clear urine yet I'm still thirsty. I have to visit the bathroom so much, it's frustrating.
Hi Charlotte!
No dry mouth, but there is a med I am taking for my eye post surgery that in a non-opthamalic use is for dry mouth. It's called Pilocarpine. I know NOTHING about it, but saw that application for it in google searches.
I manage my hormones too, b/c of the low P/high E issue you mention. Feel fine now. Getting a handle on that will help your well-being. Glad you're on it.
I am SO bad about the vitamins at timea, and I TOTALLY agree that it makes a HUGE difference in how I feel. Been redoubling my efforts the past few weeks, and will continue. Thanks for the boot in the pants.
I did not know about the list of supplements that lend a hand I got diagnosed last year with a thyroid problem and it was tough to describe to my GP, "I get tired when I run... around mile 8" just doesn't seem to carry the ump-ff that I thought it should.
That is absolutely it to a T. And it always was mile 8 for me too. The thing that people don't talk about much re hypo is how blue/depressed/down it can make you feel. In my heart of hearts I knew I was not clinically depressed, and I would have faced it if I had been. I KNEW in my soul it was something physical, but what? When I was blue walking my beloved dog on a beautiful spring day, I came home and called the doc. Something was WAAAAY off, and it was not good. 7 pounds in 7 weeks should have also been a tip off.
I am not a doc by any means, but I will go to the mat knowing that thyroid is under-diagnosed big time. Especially hypo, b/c it could be so many other things. If it wasn't for my wonderful gyn, I'm sure I would still be told it was "my age," told to slow down, and to go on an anti-depressant. Getting diagnosed changed my life.
Just watch the heart palps on the thyroid meds. If you get them, deal with it.
B12 comes in two forms - cyanocobalamin and methylcobalamin. The methyl form is the "active" form that our bodies use for energy - the cyano form is actually somewhat difficult to absorb and convert into the active form. Basically, if anyone has tried supplementing with B12 and hasn't noticed a difference, it's worth checking the label to see which form you're taking. My wife takes the methyl form... she also pointed out that the American Academy of Clinical Endocrinologists revised the "normal" range for TSH back in 2004, but not all labs have caught up with the new "normal" numbers.
Hi John!
Thanks for posting that! Very valuable. That little tweak can make all the difference. I will definitely be checking.
The whole thyroid testing thing is most certainly out of date almost everywhere. Also, most docs just test the TSH and not the free T3. My TSH was "low," but normal. My free T3, however, was in the toilet. If the doc would not have gone deeper and done the free T3 test, I would have been still walking around a mess. One has to sometimes fight for the free T3 test, but I would be a pit bull about it now that I know better.
This did turn out to be a good thread and that makes me happy.
The funny thing is, every time I went somewhere really hot, all my symptoms went away and I felt amazing; on no medication or any supps. I should have the results of my latest bloods on Monday
Ladies--
I'd like to suggest another important supplement---tumeric. Its a natural anti-inflammatory, and with what we demand of our bodies during our endurnace training, we no doubt have inflammation.
Using it as a spice in our cooking is helful as well!!
Thx
Hi Dana--How much is recommended for a therapeutic effect? Daily? After hard workouts? Interesting....
Hi Linda--
I take 2 capsules 2x per day. That equates to about 660 mg daily. This was what was recommended for me by my ARNP (she specializes in Functional Medicine).
Hope this helps
Dana