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Thyroid (Expert Forum)
Low body temp, is it thyroid?
Answered by
Mark Lupo, M.D. - Thyroid Nodules, Thyroid Cancer, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, Thyroid Ultrasound
Thyroid & Endocrine Center of Florida
Sarasota - FL
Questions in the Thyroid forum are answered by Dr. Mark Lupo. Topics covered include goiter, graves disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, hyperthyroid, hypothyroid, thyroid cancers, thyroiditis, and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH).
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Low body temp, is it thyroid?
by dinker, Nov 12, 2005 12:00AM
I have been on 3 grains armour thyroid for about 20 years. I have other health issues, ie. asthma, avn. In the six months my hair has changed from healthy to dry and brittle. And in the last month my nails have made the same change plus I feel tired all the time. I was having digestion problems but those have been resolved for at least three months. I see a naturopath as well as a medical doctor. The naturopath suggested I take my temp and wanted me to research Wilson's Syndrome, a bit controversial from what I have read.
My temp for the last three days ranges from 95.3 to 97.5, my normal temp for many years has been around 97.5. I take it about six times a day and it goes up and down throughout the day. I recently had a thryod profile and they called to say it was "normal". This is the doc that has treated me for several years so I just assumed it was unchanged, but with the things going on the last month I now wonder.
So the question is, can the low temp be an indication of low thyroid? I have had a hormone test done which shows the cortisol levels are out of whack. Could that also be a cause of low body temp? And the extreme fatigue is also an issue I wonder about. I am also having a lot of joint and muscle pain, but I do have avn in hips and knees and have already had both shoulders replaced due to the avn, due to high dose steroids for asthma. Joint and muscle pain could be caused by those, though it all got worse about the time the other symptoms started.
Anyone have an opinion on the Wilson's Syndrome treatment or has anyone been on it?
My temp for the last three days ranges from 95.3 to 97.5, my normal temp for many years has been around 97.5. I take it about six times a day and it goes up and down throughout the day. I recently had a thryod profile and they called to say it was "normal". This is the doc that has treated me for several years so I just assumed it was unchanged, but with the things going on the last month I now wonder.
So the question is, can the low temp be an indication of low thyroid? I have had a hormone test done which shows the cortisol levels are out of whack. Could that also be a cause of low body temp? And the extreme fatigue is also an issue I wonder about. I am also having a lot of joint and muscle pain, but I do have avn in hips and knees and have already had both shoulders replaced due to the avn, due to high dose steroids for asthma. Joint and muscle pain could be caused by those, though it all got worse about the time the other symptoms started.
Anyone have an opinion on the Wilson's Syndrome treatment or has anyone been on it?
Doctor's Answer
by Mark Lupo, M.D., Nov 12, 2005 12:00AM
, Nov 12, 2005 12:00AM
Wilson's syndrome has been identified by the American Thyroid Association to be a sham. I would not recommend going that route.
TSH target is around 1 -- "normal" can mean a level from 0.4 to 5.5 -- too broad in my mind.
Low body temp may be hypothyroid - but is in no way specific to hypothyroidism. "Cortisol out of whack" -- if it's low that could cause the problem -- the history of steroids for asthma may suggest your own normal cortisol feedback system may be impaired. Ask you doc to consider an ACTH stim test if low cortisol is a concern.
TSH target is around 1 -- "normal" can mean a level from 0.4 to 5.5 -- too broad in my mind.
Low body temp may be hypothyroid - but is in no way specific to hypothyroidism. "Cortisol out of whack" -- if it's low that could cause the problem -- the history of steroids for asthma may suggest your own normal cortisol feedback system may be impaired. Ask you doc to consider an ACTH stim test if low cortisol is a concern.
My temp definitely jumps around. I did a saliva hormone test from Sabre Science Labs three months ago and the cortisol levels were definitely out of whack. I am doing another test today after being on their hormone cream for three months. I was doing much better until two weeks ago, still trying to figure out what happened. Joint pain started again and gets worse almost daily along with extreme fatigue. I am going to check out the drrind.com site when I finish this post. Thanks again to all of you. Sometimes one can feel so overwhelmed and it really helps to hear from others with the same issues who really know how you are feeling. Have a great day!!
All of my symptoms had improved over the last few months when I started going to the naturopath and started on some supplements including digestive enzymes. I was being treated for acid reflux after a round of prednisone in February got that started. I was getting sicker and sicker and was down to eating bread and chicken noodle soup and still had reflux. The enzymes did the trick and I now can eat anything. Though I am on a very healthy diet to try to get healthier.
I also started on the hormone cream from Sable Sciences and everything was steadily improving. For some reason about two weeks ago all the joint pain started again and over the last month the fatigue had crept back up and is now a major problem. Along with dry brittle hair and brittle nails, which is just an outward sign of something wrong on the inside.
I went to the Dr. Rind site and I pretty much fit into the adrenal and thyroid column. I am going to get a copy of the thyroid test results and post them and see if ya'll have an opinion on those. I know very little about what the numbers mean but I think I remember seeing something somewhere that exlplains them.
It is sad when you pay a doctor and you have to go to the internet to get help!! At least we have that now and are not totally at their mercy. Though there are some really good and caring docs out there, they are hard to find. And living in a rural area does not lend itself to many choices.
There are some very knowledgeable folks on the natural thyroid hormones group on yahoo - knowledgeable because they have suffered through adrenal dysfunction