Brittle nails + callused feet

[ilovethesea]

Are these hypothyroidism symptoms or something else?

I noticed these symptoms started coming on much worse since I found Ray Peat, even though this whole time I was addressing low thyroid with thyroid supplement, and my temperatures came up quite a lot. My nails look like this http://img.webmd.com/dtmcms/live/webmd/ ... ernail.jpg and my feet look like this (minus the hairy toes lol) http://static.wikidoc.org/6/65/Callus03.jpg

I get minimum 100-120g protein daily, about 15,000 IU of vitamin A daily from foods (I take 1 tbsp raw liver everyday). I tried higher doses of vitamin D over the past month, maybe 20,000 IU every few days.

I don't understand why I can't seem to get any improvement. Do I have some kind of nutrient deficiency??

 

[tara]

I have calloused feet like that too, including the hairy toes. :) Is that not normal? I thought the callouses were just a result of friction on the skin, eg from shoes rubbing. Sometimes I get much thicker callouses and cracked heels though, and I wonder if that is a hypo symptom, or just that I'm rough on my feet.


My nails are not like the picture though - I've read about brittle nails as hypothyroid symptom, but mine are soft (except for the fungus foot). Are you eating lots of gelatine or glycine?

 

[SQu]

I have weak crumbling nails with beau's lines and nothing has helped. I think being hypo I don't digest well so nutrition is not all getting through. And pushing the metabolism, the gap widens temporarily.

My feet got very dry and cracked. Very deep cracks. Months of gentle rubbing and creams helped a fraction. But recently I got heel balm with urea after listening to the January KMUD. After a few days of use including socks at night I used a pumice (gently) and afterwards they were transformed. I don't have before pics but they've gone from terrible to almost perfect. Truly one of my peating success stories. I'm also taking urea orally and I think my feet are less puffy now.

While buying the cream I noticed how many products there are for diabetics' feet. I take it as a good sign that I've reversed some minor foot damage if extremities suffer badly from systemic energy problems.

 

[gummybear]

Get some glycine

 

[ilovethesea]

Thanks! I currently take about 3 tbsp of the Great Lakes green can daily. I tolerate it well (not like the red can) so I could try increasing this...

Or is pure glycine powder better than Great Lakes?

Which urea balm and supplement do you use Sue?

 

[SQu]

I just looked for the highest urea content in the heel balm section and got that. I ordered urea from the pharmacy and drink a tb in a glass of water and fruit juice (need to cover the slightly bitter taste) 3 times a day. It's very cheap. And it's helping.

 

[ilovethesea]

Oh ok. The only urea creams at my drugstore all have petrolatum in them and I'm trying to avoid that since Ray said the body never metabolizes it. I'll try to find a more pure one online.

It turns out I don't actually tolerate the green can very well. Or at least not more than 1 tbsp. The runny nose has started up again, the same as the red can gave me. Given that I better not waste more $$$ on glycine...

I'm starting to wonder if I have some resistant bacteria that's not letting me absorb nutrients properly, hence the weak nails (and all my allergies). Boosting thyroid is not doing anything for me.

Maybe I need to go on antibiotics or do that raw garlic protocol.