coconut oil good for thyroid?

[MelonManiac]

I just found an article that says coconut oil is good to help the thyroid function ... Has anyone else heard of this? I have been suspecting that I have an under- active thyroid, but am a bit scared to go get it tested, partially because I will feel silly if my tests come back negative ...

For more than a year I have thought I was suffering from depression (which I am) but now I am considering that I am hypothyroid, in which one of the symptoms IS depression :eek: ... I don't know what doctor to go to anymore the psychiatrist or my physician to get blood work for my thyroid ... I just want to find out what is wrong with me but I don't want to come off as a "hypochondriac" like my sister ... She goes and gets tested for anything and everything but I really try to avoid tests and stuff if they aren't necessary ... We share the same physician so he might think she rubbed off on me if I tell him I think I have a thyroid problem :(

Anyway, considering using coconut oil in my diet everyday and seeing if it makes me feel any different ..

[tisha]

I used to use coconut oil a lot in cooking and baking before I started doing more raw. I have read about it helping the thyroid, too. I don't know about that. I think maybe coconut oil along with a raw diet will help the thyroid. Raw seems to be the key. I love coconut oil, though. I use it on my skin every day.

[OneBite@aTime]

I have hypothyroid....if you think you may have....I suggest you get tested. It takes only a few min. and a small amount of blood. I wouldn't worry about what the doctors office "may think".

[MelonManiac]

OneBite@aTime- Are you on medication for your thyroid? I have been researching them in case my tests do come back hypothyroid so then I can understand all my options and what to talk about with my doctor ... I hear that the medication with T3 and T4 hormones is better than the ones with just T4?

[EZ rider]

I wonder if eating fresh raw young coconuts would be good for the thyroid ?

[egirlinvestments]

http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/coconut_oil.html

Very informative page regarding coconut oil!

You put da' lime in da' coconut and drink it all up!

Going bananas over coconut oil, ;-) Kat

[freerangegal]

According to this page: http://products.mercola.com/coconut-oil/

research has demonstrated that, due to its metabolic effect, coconut oil increases the activity of the thyroid

[DebB]

There's a simple test you can do at home before going in. You can take your temperatures. Basal = first thing in the morning and axillary = under your arm, in your armpit.

You can buy a nice digital thermometer (although my MD says the old mercury thermometers are the most accurate, but they do not sell those any longer in the US apparently).

Have the thermometer right by your bedside and in the morning before you even lift your head from the pillow, take your temp. and record it.

Each doctor is probably a bit different in the range they like to see, so that would be something you could research or just trust your doctor.

I just bought Vick's brand thermometer @ Walmart for just under $10 and it gives a digital reading in 8 seconds.

[walnutty]

There's a simple test you can do at home before going in. You can take your temperatures. Basal = first thing in the morning and axillary = under your arm, in your armpit.

You can buy a nice digital thermometer (although my MD says the old mercury thermometers are the most accurate, but they do not sell those any longer in the US apparently).

Have the thermometer right by your bedside and in the morning before you even lift your head from the pillow, take your temp. and record it.

Each doctor is probably a bit different in the range they like to see, so that would be something you could research or just trust your doctor.

I just bought Vick's brand thermometer @ Walmart for just under $10 and it gives a digital reading in 8 seconds.


DebB,

I have known about this "test" for 30 years and for 30 years I have had an extremely low body temperature. But it wasn't until 10 years ago when my blood work showed that I had hypothyroidism that a doctor would treat me.

AND for 10 years I have taken all different kinds of thyroid medication (including armour thyroid, synthroid, etc.) and YET I still have an extremely low body temperature although my blood work states that the medication I take puts me in the "normal" range.

It is so frustrating!!!

I have an impossible time losing weight, even 100% raw and killing myself at the gym (25+ hours a week).

WHAT SHOULD I DO??? WHAT CAN I DO???

[DebB]

DebB,

I have known about this "test" for 30 years and for 30 years I have had an extremely low body temperature. But it wasn't until 10 years ago when my blood work showed that I had hypothyroidism that a doctor would treat me.

AND for 10 years I have taken all different kinds of thyroid medication (including armour thyroid, synthroid, etc.) and YET I still have an extremely low body temperature although my blood work states that the medication I take puts me in the "normal" range.

It is so frustrating!!!

I have an impossible time losing weight, even 100% raw and killing myself at the gym (25+ hours a week).

WHAT SHOULD I DO??? WHAT CAN I DO???

I understand your FRUSTRATION walnutty!! That's my story too. I've had my thyroid killed (twice - sigh), so ofcourse now I'm hypo.

I have a difficult time at best to maintain my weight, let alone lose any weight. It's really been tough since getting my thyroid ablated.

I see a holistic MD - and he has me on 3 thyroid meds. 2 of them are compounded - I'll just put the info here incase it might help.

I went onto the compounds a couple years ago when Armour became unavailable.

First compound (THYROID USP (PORCINE) ULTRA BIFIDUS DF 180MG)
T3 27 MCG
T4 114 MCG
1 capsule daily

Second compound (TRUODO-L-THYRONINE SR 2.5 MCG CAPSULE)
He said this was not from pork, but made in a lab, bio-identical to our T3
T3 2.5 MCG
1 capsule 4 times daily. (Because T3 leaves the body quickly)

LEVOTHYROXIN 50 MCG
1 tablet daily

You always want to take your thyroid meds on an empty stomach and then nothing to eat for 30 minutes after.

Now - is the above perfect? Do I have perfect numbers? No, it's always a work in progress and has been for years. But for me, with the ablated thyroid - this may be as good as it gets and I'm okay with that.

These are the labs my doctor orders and he says what other doctors look at/order are worthless to him:

Reverse T3
T4 TOTAL
TSH, 3rd GEN.
T3 TOTAL

It wasn't until I found this particular MD did I at least make headway with my thyroid. I feel it's because he's holistic.

I just checked & my doctor isn't listed here, I guess he's not a member, but it might yield some options: http://www.holisticmedicine.org/AF_MemberDirectory.asp?version=1

[Mary Kay]

Walnutty,

Like DebB, many have to constantly tweak their meds and figure out what works for them. I would also add to what DebB says to get a Free T4 and a Free T3 test. Your body converts T4 into T3 (well, if it's working properly)in a 10:1 ratio, and by seeing what levels you have that are "FRee" (available-floating around, ready for you to use) you can establish whether or not your body is making the conversion properly.

I USED to be slightly hypo with a gen'l TSH reading of just around 7. And being Miss "Natural" wanted to only use natural meds, so I started out with Armour Thyroid. Cytomel is also another option. The thing with thesse two is that they have a T4:T3 ratio of about 4:1. Now, if your T3 is low compared to your T4, then this may be a good option for you. Mine was not, but again, I wanted to be natural. My doc allowed me to choose what I wanted. So then, subsequently, each time I was tested, my T3 was higher and higher, and I kept adding straight T4 in combo with the Armour, until eventually, I was solely on T4. My body was NOT having trouble making the conversion, so straight T4 was good for me.

Then after trying many natural remedies, I came upon curing it without even trying. I did a couple raw juice fasts. And felt rather nervous in the middle of one so went and tested, and became slightly hyper thyroid, which is often common during a fast. But even after the fast, it stayed normal.

Nowadays I am eating more seaweed combos too. Try adding more seaweed. But do a blood test then eat seaweed 3 or 5X a week, then go back and test your thyroid in eight weeks.

Walnutty, you may also not be losing weight because you may be having food sensitivities and /or may also have candida. Some would also believe that you may be too acidic and need to become more pH alkaline. You You can test this with pH paper strips. I like the Enzymedica brand the best.

I hope this all makes sense!

HTH,

Mary Kay

[walnutty]

The thing is my blood work is "normal" so my doctor won't do anything for me. I have terrible medical insurance and I can't afford to go to a naturapath or any alternative treatment.

I ask my doctor why my low body temperature has NOT been corrected with thyroid meds and she states she doesn't know and she's not the first.

By low, I mean, extremely low...like 93-94 degrees upon waking. I have even been to the doctor or urgent care very ill and had only a 96.5 temp.

I am so frustrated because it's not just the low temp that bothers me it's the difficulty I have losing weight. It's nearly impossible!!!

[Mary Kay]

How frustrating for you! Years ago, when I used to hang out on the thyroid forums, I remember LOTS of people who tested normally, but were not! Many ended up doing T3 --I believe ? Remember, this was years ago....Anyway, this is fairly common, I do remember them saying many felt better on the T3. and then there are other reasons, which escape me in the cobwebs of my brain.

Could be autoimmune, - against your thyroid. One thing that may help too, is, just in case --- don't do any gluten.

You'd prob be best to go to some of the thyroid forums. The best one used to be by Mary Shomon. I remember it was on about.com. Last I knew, they were getting real "commercial." Don't let that turn you off. She's really great. Or used to be, anyway.

HTH,

Mary Kay

[walnutty]

Well, when I am 100% raw, I don't do any gluten (my raw percentage depends on my finances as I am very low income). When I am not 100% raw, I try to avoid gluten as I am on the Autism Spectrum and gluten makes my sensory issues worse.

[SunshineMN]

You might want to check out Wilson's Syndrome (http://www.wilsonssyndrome.com/). I wish I had any extra money I could check into this more. My body temp is always lower than normal too. I had my doc check it some time ago and he said there was nothing wrong. Frankly I really don't know what to do about it. Some people think Wilson is a quack but he's got a lot of testimonials...

Being very low income sucks. Every month is a struggle between paying bills and trying to eat somewhat healthy. *sigh*

[Juicing Juli]

Hey Walnutty;
I too suffer with low body temps...but my doc says to adjust my meds (armour) daily. You know your

thyroi

The thing is my blood work is "normal" so my doctor won't do anything for me. I have terrible medical insurance and I can't afford to go to a naturapath or any alternative treatment.

I ask my doctor why my low body temperature has NOT been corrected with thyroid meds and she states she doesn't know and she's not the first.

By low, I mean, extremely low...like 93-94 degrees upon waking. I have even been to the doctor or urgent care very ill and had only a 96.5 temp.

I am so frustrated because it's not just the low temp that bothers me it's the difficulty I have losing weight. It's nearly impossible!!!

[Juicing Juli]

technical difficulties here. anyway, I know what it's like to struggle with weight due to the thyroid. Hey, have you ever checked out http://stopthethyroidmadness.com? This explains a lot that doctors don't. Also, do you do seaweed at all? This helps the thyroid, the iodine. Most people with thyroid problems are deficient in iodine. I usually am down on the scale the day after eating seaweed. You'd think I'd be eating it everyday, right?
Hope this helps.
Juli


Hey Walnutty;
I too suffer with low body temps...but my doc says to adjust my meds (armour) daily. You know your

thyroi

[DebB]

Hi JJuli ~ How are you supposed to adjust your Armour? It's a pill. Can you cut it in half or such? Have you thought about going ahead on your own then and slowly raising your Armour doseage?

I'm actually surprised to hear she prescribed you Armour! Most main stream docs go with synthroid or generic sythroid.

I'm currently taking 1/4 teaspoon organic granulated kelp. My MD had me on Lugol's Iodine - but my naturopath said our body does not absorb and utilize that, and recommends the kelp. So I'm trying that.

Stop the Thyroid Madness is also on Facebook now too :)

[Mary Kay]

DebB, How were you taking the Lugol's?

OMG, I had TOTALLY forgotten about Lugol's. I have fibrocystic breasts and rubbing Lugol's on your vagina! is supposed to actually noticeably reduce them within 30 minutes....

Thanks for reminding me! I need to order some...

Thank you, thank you, thank you....

Mary Kay

[DebB]

DebB, How were you taking the Lugol's?

OMG, I had TOTALLY forgotten about Lugol's. I have fibrocystic breasts and rubbing Lugol's on your vagina! is supposed to actually noticeably reduce them within 30 minutes....

Thanks for reminding me! I need to order some...

Thank you, thank you, thank you....

Mary Kay

Really! That would be amazing Mary Kay, to have that help you in that way :) Okay - the Lugol's was a prescription from my MD and there were just a few drugstores that actually carry it that could fill my Rx. I'm not sure if that's what you were asking? I was taking 2-3 drops in water daily.

Have you ever done that before? I ask, because my MD actually had me painting it on a toe that was acting strangely, it didn't have any fungal issues. But anyway - it actually burned my toe and after a few days I had to stop (and I'm not a pansy). He had me painting it on full strength (well, as it comes in the Rx bottle). So - makes me wonder about diluting it before rubbing it on such a sensitive area? Just a thought ~ wouldn't want you to hurt your va-jay-jay as Oprah says! ;)