If I Don’t Try It, I Will Never Know

A friend of Littlun was recently diagnosed with Vitamin D deficiency. His level was a mere 2 points above mine when mine was discovered (his was 9, mine was 7). We share the same GP and she told him that Vitamin D deficiency can cause insomnia. Hmmm…..I didn’t remember seeing that in the mountains of info I have read, and if that were the case, I would be sleeping better than I am. So I went off to re-visit the research and see for myself.

And you know how it is, you stumble across other things as you trawl the interwebs. This was no exception. Something caught my eye and off I went. Many hours of reading over several days ensued, and I am about to embark on an additional supplement regime.

You see, for about 20 years now, my thyroid levels have been low. Or to be more precise they are at the very bottom of the normal range, on the cusp. Even my biomedical scientist friend who does these tests every day for a living admits that these levels are arbitrary, and work on the majority of people. So, what is normal for most people is going to be low/high for a certain percent of the population.

The symptoms of low vitamin D are almost identical to the symptoms of FM. And there is a lot of cross-over of the symptoms of low thyroid, with Chronic fatigue being a major star in all of them.

And in the course of my reading, one big thought stood out in my mind – I have had food allergies from birth. Major ones. I have never eaten fish, or nuts due to the severity of my allergies, so it makes sense that I would be deficient in nutrients that are found in these foods.

What I am about to try is somewhat contraversial, it seems, but the evidence is there that as a population we are deficient in iodine. Numbers of low thyroid function are far more common than they used to be.

And don’t ever forget that the Recommended Daily Amounts of nutrients like vitamins and minerals are the MINIMUM needed to fend off deficiency. My vitamin D levels, and the fact it took 3 years to finally enter the normal band demonstrates that my RDA is hugely different to the recommended one. My blood tests have shown that unless I take a minimum of 3000 iu (international units) a day of vitamin d, my levels fall rapidly. This is far higher than the RDA.

So – adding all this up – allergies that have prevented me from getting certain nutrients, low thyroid levels, and my symptoms of FM and chronic fatigue, what I was reading made sense to me.

So, I have taken the plunge and bought the recommended supplements. Iodine, Selenium and Vitamin C.

I already take a high strength multi-vit/mineral, and I have felt better for taking it. I also feel lots better for taking the Co-enzyme Q10 and D-Ribose. I am under no illusions that any of these add-ins are a quick fix, especially when you are talking about ‘re-stocking’ an entire body at cellular level. And this last one could take a long time. But if I don’t try it, I will never know.

Basically, the body needs iodine in every cell – not just for the thyroid. It also needs a certain level of selenium. Iodine is mostly found in fish, and selenium is mostly found in nuts. neither of which I have ever been able to eat.

Iodised salt – the benefits of the added iodine are tiny. Microscopic. Plus – we are bombarded on many levels by toxins that are not beneficial, but that will be taken up by the body in the absence of iodine. Bromine/bromide is one of these. Bromide is used to make bread – although it was banned in the UK in 1990 as it was found to be toxic. But bromide was only used after the ‘scare’ that the iodine that was used was toxic. FFS!!

Bromide is also used in flame retardants that are used on matresses, clothing,car interiors, and in plastics that we come into contact with every day, and leech from the plastics into whatever is contained in them, which often we will then consume.

In the absence of sufficient nutrients that block or eliminate these toxins, we are fighting a losing battle.

So, the scary part of this is the detox. As my levels of iodine increase, the bromide will be flushed out. There is a ‘protocol’ for easing this, which is natural salt – celtic sea salt, or himalayan rock salt. I have opted for the himalayan. I am not looking forward to having to drink a quarter teaspoon of salt dissolved in water, but I am looking forward to the potential detox even less. I also have my milk thistle tincture to hand.

However, if this will boost my thyroid to within healthier bounds, it may well improve my symptoms of low energy, chronic fatigue and aches and pains. The first thing most people report is a reduction in brain fog and increased energy.

So, because it is somewhat contraversial, I am expecting some people to think me slightly mad. However, the GPs do not know everything. They know very little about nutritional therapy, and I am a strong believer in helping yourself, because the gods know that the multitude of medications that I have tried have done nothing, or made things worse for me. I have little faith in medications for FM.

But, as I say, if I don’t try, I will never know.

Wish me luck

xx