Humour me. Do the thyroid test.

[Bryan]

It makes little difference to me what Dr Atkins says lol

Is that because Dr. Atkins held the Barnes test is such low regard? Does that seem like the proper attitude to have? He disagreed with you about thyroid issues, so to hell with him?

 

[Hoppi]

As far as I understand it, Americans get plenty of iodine for their thyroid from bread and multivitamins. Only 3rd world countries tend to have real thyroid problems in a massive scale.

This isn't to say it doesn't happen to Americans, but its incredibly rare. I am only pipping this in as I once thought I might have a thyroid problem, and it may have been the cause of my hairloss. So I began searching Iodine supplements to help bring it back up to speed. At least until I realized that my multivitamin I have been taking well over a year already contained the daily recommended dose of 100mg Iodine.

Also, I remember a test for Iodine levels. Put a 2 inch diameter circle of Iodine Tincture on your forearm or thigh. If it disappears within an hour, you are Iodine deficient. If it is still there 4 hours or longer, you're fine. Iodine Tincture can be bought from your local pharmacy for around a $1.

It's not just iodine deficiency though, I think the idea is that higher doses of iodine and selenium actually in some way improve things like hypothyroidism or resistance to thyroid hormones.. I don't understand why yet.

Also I mean, regardless of most people getting their RDA of iodine, that doesn't mean that people won't have hypothyroidism, that just means they won't get stuff like goitre. I dunno I mean, I'm seeing my doctor on tuesday about it. If it wasn't for the very low temperature and skin change at the same time as my hair loss kicked in I would be much quicker to say simple hormonal imbalance or possibly inflammation, but it's just very suspicious to me.

I'll see how it goes anyway

It makes little difference to me what Dr Atkins says lol

Is that because Dr. Atkins held the Barnes test is such low regard? Does that seem like the proper attitude to have? He disagreed with you about thyroid issues, so to hell with him?

lol no I just meant like.. that's ONE doctor, and a doctor I don't have the world of appreciation for anyway. And it still means little if nothing for whether I or people have thyroid issues, it just makes a point about likely outcomes of the test. From what I've read by most the test is considered quite highly.

 

[Bryan]

Is that because Dr. Atkins held the Barnes test is such low regard? Does that seem like the proper attitude to have? He disagreed with you about thyroid issues, so to hell with him?

lol no I just meant like.. that's ONE doctor, and a doctor I don't have the world of appreciation for anyway. And it still means little if nothing for whether I or people have thyroid issues, it just makes a point about likely outcomes of the test. From what I've read by most the test is considered quite highly.

You say you're going to your doctor on Tuesday, to check your thyroid. Can you ask him for his own opinion of the Broda Barnes thyroid test, and report here what he says? Please be as specific as possible; ask him if he believes Dr. Barnes' recommendations for interpreting those SPECIFIC temperature measurements, the specific acceptable temperature ranges, etc. Get his reaction to what Dr. Atkins said about that test!

 

[Hoppi]

You say you're going to your doctor on Tuesday, to check your thyroid. Can you ask him for his own opinion of the Broda Barnes thyroid test, and report here what he says? Please be as specific as possible; ask him if he believes Dr. Barnes' recommendations for interpreting those SPECIFIC temperature measurements, the specific acceptable temperature ranges, etc. Get his reaction to what Dr. Atkins said about that test!

aw but look Bryan to be fair I don't really care about the Barnes test that much. Hell, I don't really care that much about much of .. like, everything! lol

All I care about is restoring my hair back to it's former glory, and preserving (or maybe even improving!) my health while I'm at it! And preferably making my skin normal again...

Aaaaand helping others with male pattern hair loss!

Ok so I care about a fair few things but.. you see my point! All that matters is health, not specifics of certain tests!

I mean, I'm sure he'll share his opinion of it anyway as it's going to be something I'll bring up, so we'll see eh?

 

[Bryan]

Ok so I care about a fair few things but.. you see my point! All that matters is health, not specifics of certain tests!

Then why did you start an entire thread named "Humour me. Do the thyroid test."?

 

[wesleyBelgium]

well i think if you believe in this test, that you need to ask your doctor his opinion also about this test...

also : there is no magical way to keep superhealthy AND keep all your hair
there are many superhealthy people that have hairloss
if you have double androgenic receptors on top of you head , then you will have hairloss... even if you can balance your hormones , sinds you are a male and males make hormones , and the receptors on top take up this hormones and the hairfollikel gets damaged by this...
people with no hairloss or superslow have little to no receptors on top , so its genetics.... balancing your hormones only will not stop it
and lowering your dht will slow it only down for many years , but still if the large amount of receptors are on top of your head they will uptake hormones

to conclude : there is no magical cure....
your best way is : meds...

 

[Hoppi]

lol so many wacky assumptions guys!

We are assuming that everyone on here has perfect, baseline hormonal profiles with no thyroid issues. We are also assuming that everyone's follicles have the same levels of sensitivity! And I think we can say with good confidence that neither of those are true!

I mean come on, people with metabolic syndrome, stress, etc, they all lose hair, you can't tell me that's genetic.........

I understand the whole finasteride craze, but I think it's a little excessive to focus on genetics to quite this extent!

 

[wesleyBelgium]

i think that using asc-j9 on top to break down the receptors is better then to alter your hormones inside with all kinds of supplements

but it goes also systematic and give sides, not to bad sides, but still there are sides , seems to me that every working stuff give some kind of sides

but i respect your vision to avoid meds and go alternative ways....
time will tell if you have succes, it also depends on how much hairloss that you have, i'm pritty sure that if you use your supplements on a fast balding male that he just will keep balding , it would not stop , maybe on persons that have a little bit hairloss but it goes slow , there maybe you can slow it even more down, but for the young males that go bald verry fast i would not get there hopes 2 much up....

so time will tell if your regime works on you , if you have slow hairloss, maybe it works, but if your male pattern baldness is agressive it will not work
so keep us updated....

it is genetic also , i know people that have no receptors on top , still there hair as thick as it was when there where 12 years.... norwood 0 , live verry unhealthy , smoke ,drink , skip sleep , eat fat fastfood , even use a lot of anabolic steriods , use drugs , and never lose any bit of hair....

 

[Hoppi]

Oh yes of course I agree, I mean some people are genetically susceptible, and some aren't

However there does seem to be quite a range of levels of sensitivity. I lost no hair in my mid to late teens for example, or my early 20s. I am only losing hair now that I am 24. That is why I am suspecting things like hypothyroidism, increased inflammation, or possibly even low testosterone / high estrogen (as anxiety and bad diet both drop T, and this is something that I would only now feel as I'm a tiny bit older).

Obviously it's never cool to admit it could be low T / high E, but sometimes it's not about what you WANT to admit, it's about what you feel is the most likely!

For younger people balding, yes it is more tricky. Unless their SHBG is astoundingly low or their T/E/DHT balance is way off for some reason, all you can really do is lower DHT and inflammation systemically and topically and see what happens. Well, there are other things to check for like thyroid conditions and stuff, but still, it would be harder to do.

And although I understand your point about it being better to do these things topically than an internal regimen, the main reason I am taking what I'm taking and doing what I'm doing is because I have reason to believe that I wasn't treating my body right with stress and bad diet. I am not working to correct this, and not to attempt to manipulate my hormonal balance, merely to make it what it really SHOULD be to be healthy

Pretty much my entire internal regimen is potent, but balanced and beneficial for the body

Curcumin and resveratrol is actually patented as a hair loss treatment in Italy, and Sensoril battles stress AND raises T levels, which can then be capped by the lignans to ensure they don't get too high!!

 

[moxsom]

lol so many wacky assumptions guys!

We are assuming that everyone on here has perfect, baseline hormonal profiles with no thyroid issues. We are also assuming that everyone's follicles have the same levels of sensitivity! And I think we can say with good confidence that neither of those are true!

I mean come on, people with metabolic syndrome, stress, etc, they all lose hair, you can't tell me that's genetic.........

I understand the whole finasteride craze, but I think it's a little excessive to focus on genetics to quite this extent!

Maybe its because Hyptothyroidism and metabolic syndrome is quite rare, while regular old Androgenic Alopecia is very common?

 

[Hoppi]

lol so many wacky assumptions guys!

We are assuming that everyone on here has perfect, baseline hormonal profiles with no thyroid issues. We are also assuming that everyone's follicles have the same levels of sensitivity! And I think we can say with good confidence that neither of those are true!

I mean come on, people with metabolic syndrome, stress, etc, they all lose hair, you can't tell me that's genetic.........

I understand the whole finasteride craze, but I think it's a little excessive to focus on genetics to quite this extent!

Maybe its because Hyptothyroidism and metabolic syndrome is quite rare, while regular old Androgenic Alopecia is very common?

No no, DIAGNOSED hypothyroidism is rare. The point is that your thyroid balance could be off without it coming up in tests or you noticing.

Thing is it's not just the activity of the thyroid as such, it's also your body's like.. sensitivity to the thyroid hormones, just like insulin sensitivity. I mean, linked to hair loss or not, the concept seems to hold water, especially when I and some others I've spoken to have had some other symptoms commonly connected with hypothyroidism.

 

[dougfunny]

Usually people that suffer hair loss as the result of a medical condition like hypothyroidism lose their hair in a non symmetrical fashion.. ie not male pattern baldness.

 

[Hoppi]

Usually people that suffer hair loss as the result of a medical condition like hypothyroidism lose their hair in a non symmetrical fashion.. ie not male pattern baldness.

I believe the theory is that it causes inflammation and upsets hormones, making your scalp more vulnerable to male pattern baldness.

 

[mykal_P]

just some info, since i was diagnosed years back as having hypothyroidism by my Doctor and pretty bad according to her. I finally got the meds and have been on for two and a half months now.Is my hair rushing back in, no, but maybe it will show something in a few months time. My goal is to try the treatment below
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b223/mstrshake/melora-first.jpg

 

[Hoppi]

I am still lighting up like an absolute beacon for hypothyroidism. My skin is lighter, drier, even my scalp is lighter I think and I have dandruff for the first time since I was like 15! (although this one could have been triggered by too much Nizoral)

My friend even pointed out my skin looked a little "off-colour" and I looked in the mirror and it was a little yellowish, which is a sign of hypothyroid as well. My temperature is consistently low. Even my dad has quite dry, pale skin, which marks easily.

On my TSH blood test I was 16, which is within the accepted range of 9-19, but sounds a little high to me and also it's a matter of determining if this is an underactive thyroid, or increased resistance to thyroid hormones.

It's weird that I have been progressively having to apply more and more moisturiser to my body over the last few years, like it's just been getting drier and drier.

Weird. WEIRD.

I mean, I always assumed if I did have hypothyroid it started in about July/August of last year, as that's when my skin changed and probably when my hair started falling out. However, I think there is a good chance it started long before then, but has just either gotten worse or just had more time to accumulate symptoms.

It might even be genetic if my dad has it.

Crap. I mean I'm ECSTATIC if this is it, as I mean fair enough I'll have to treat it somehow but then YES! no more hair loss, no more weird skin, just back to good old normal me!

Oh I hope so! *crosses fingers tight!*

 

[Bryan]

So, Hoppi: did you get those answers about the Barnes test when you went to see your doctor on Tuesday?

 

[dougfunny]

First off you should get your facts straight. A normal TSH is 0.5 - 4.0, not 9-19.

Next, there is absolutely no reason to believe that your thyroid is responsible for your hair loss. Like I said I actually have had a hypoactive thyroid for years and after treating it my hair continues to fall out.

It did make my hair healthier and gave it a better texture, but it did not stop the loss.

 

[Brains Expel Hair]

Here in the states a TSH value of 16 would be obscenely high for anyone but a newborn. What units is that in?

That yellowness in your skin isn't technically just part of a disruptive thyroid; that's excessive bilirubin. High bilirubin values indicate the need for immediate testing of serious liver complications. This isn't necessarily the case but is one of the many causes of high bilirubin.

The chemical itself is actually a potent antioxidant and so it's elevated presence in the body indicates your system recognizes the need for repair.

 

[hairrific]

Usually people that suffer hair loss as the result of a medical condition like hypothyroidism lose their hair in a non symmetrical fashion.. ie not male pattern baldness.

I believe the theory is that it causes inflammation and upsets hormones, making your scalp more vulnerable to male pattern baldness.

My god that's back ***-words Hoppi. So you ignored the part about non symmetrical loss and you say the theory is that hypothyroidism makes your scalp more prone to male pattern baldness. Just great. You don't see the significance of non symmetrical hair loss in relation to your theory?

 

[Hoppi]

Here in the states a TSH value of 16 would be obscenely high for anyone but a newborn. What units is that in?

That yellowness in your skin isn't technically just part of a disruptive thyroid; that's excessive bilirubin. High bilirubin values indicate the need for immediate testing of serious liver complications. This isn't necessarily the case but is one of the many causes of high bilirubin.

The chemical itself is actually a potent antioxidant and so it's elevated presence in the body indicates your system recognizes the need for repair.

Apparently the yellow thing can also be a sign of the body failing to convert enough beta-carotene to vitamin A, caused by hypothyroid. So you're literally getting COLOURED yellow! xD

I think the chance of me having a serious liver condition is minimal, but I guess I can't really rule anything out, however my skin isn't crazily yellow, mostly just pale and "thin". Something is definitely wrong but I just don't know what. My basal temperature is pretty low which is more a sign of hypothyroid than anything liver related.

and yes I think my doctor messed up a little on my thyroid thing - shows how competent doctors are doesn't it xD

I mean I really don't think I misheard her, I'm pretty sure she said "your TSH is 16 which is perfectly fine, the accepted range is 9-19" (or words to that effect). Clearly what she ACTUALLY meant was my T4 is 16!

Now that's actually quite high, which is of course less indicative of hypothyroid. But man SOMETHING is causing my body to mess up lol, so I'm going to keep researching, and she too said my body temp was a bit low so my thyroid balance is still my top suspicion!


And hairrific I know he said that, but people also told me that stress and a gluten allergy couldn't cause or worsen male pattern baldness. They have told me all kinds of stuff I have later disproven or heard things that have disproven them! So I don't really believe much I am told anymore unless the source is absolutely golden!

Anything that messes up your bodily hormones can have a knock-on effect on your sex hormones, which will effect the likelihood of male pattern baldness. I'm not sure about the thyroid and inflammation

I also wouldn't be amazed if an underactive thyroid lowered fertility slightly as it does seem to effect pretty much everything, and that would almost definitely have an impact on male pattern baldness.