Hypothyroidism And Skin Problems.

I recently discovered Ray Peat and I'm reading everything I can, but I still have tons of questions so I need a little help with my situation.

In my teens I was on a low protein diet, chicken and fish being the main sources, salad 2 times a day and a dish of vegetables for lunch and dinner most times. I was quite sedentary, doing anaerobic exercise a few times a week and having lots of stress because of skin problems and family troubles. I think my body was trying to tell me something was wrong because I had and still have extreme sugar and salts carvings. If there was something sweet or salty to eat in the house (chocolate, chips, cookies, yogur...or even honey and sugar directly from the jar) it was gone before the day.

Im 22 now, 5'10, 126lbs/57kg, extremely skinny. And I've had every skin problem in existence since my early teens: rosacea, dermatitis seborreica, perioral dermatitis, back acne, blefaritis, ocular rosacea, blefaritis, sties. Other problems: Raynauds, cold sensitivity, constipation, shortness of breath, psychological issues... I wasted a lot of time and money on doctors. The only thing that helped was Doxycicline, it fixed most of my skin problems until I stopped taking it.

After reading some Peat and with my history hypothyroidism was very fitting. I had blood tests from when I was 16 with "normal" results (TSH 2.5, free T4: 1.08). Should I try to get updated results?
I noted my heart rate at different times and it ranges between 40 and 50 BPM, is that bad?
(I cant measure my temps yet but I plan on doing it).

So, given the information, what would you do in my place? I'm trying to eat a lot more calories. My diet is something like:
-organic beef and milk, tuna
-potatoes and some vegetables ocasionally
- 1 o 2 carrots daily
- OJ, chicharrones, cheese, chocolate and ice cream for the carvings
- liver and oysters ( are canned oyserts ok?) every week

Its too soon to tell, but I noticed a faster transit time (kinda inevitable eating more) and that itself should be helpful for the skin I guess.

Do you recommend any supplements? (I'm taking b12 and methylfolate for the MTHFR mutation, B-complex and magnesium).

Anything I should change? Anything I should read to educate myself more on peating?

freixinet said:

Im 22 now, 5'10, 126lbs/57kg, extremely skinny. And I've had every skin problem in existence since my early teens: rosacea, dermatitis seborreica, perioral dermatitis, back acne, blefaritis, ocular rosacea, blefaritis, sties. Other problems: Raynauds, cold sensitivity, constipation, shortness of breath, psychological issues... .
After reading some Peat and with my history hypothyroidism was very fitting. I had blood tests from when I was 16 with "normal" results (TSH 2.5, free T4: 1.08). Should I try to get updated results?
I noted my heart rate at different times and it ranges between 40 and 50 BPM....

Click to expand...

Short answers to start...

Absolutely get thyroid function blood tests done, promptly-it has been years since the last testing. Be persistent if some doctor tries to insist that only overweight people have low thyroid function.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4100&p=49494&hilit=+total#p49494

Find a friend or relative knowledgeable about heart rate measurement and have them double check your pulse. A heart rate in the 40's is very slow, and should be checked out by a medical provider promptly, unless this has been done already. It's probably best to rapidly start tracking the temps daily for short term, even with a cheap digital thermometer.

Go through a list symptoms-there are probably even more than were mentioned. Here's some links from a google search, but find any easy list you like:

http://nahypothyroidism.org/wp-content/ ... cklist.pdf

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/hypothyroid ... cklist.htm

http://hypothyroidmom.com/300-hypothyro ... es-really/

Skin issues and reduce immunity/tendency toward infection are frequent in low thyroid states. The clues listed suggest there has been high adrenaline compensating for low thyroid function. Is there cold intolerance (chilled to bone in winter, for instance) in addition to the Raynaud's? Does blood pressure also run low sometimes (maybe not in this case, with slow heart rate)? WADR, as disturbing as skin issues may be, it sounds like resiliency is generally reduced. Is thinking/memory/attention as sharp as you'd like? That is, are things foggy?

If you are female, you might also inventory symptoms of estrogen excess (disturbed or absent periods, perimenstrual/menstrual difficulties, fibrocystic breast/ovaries, more...)

For nourishment, include salt, fruit, gelatin, a few eggs a week if there has been recent avoidance of cholesterol, maybe some coconut oil if there has been much PUFA intake in the past.

Get things checked out promptly. The hope is that a young adult would be thriving. In the short term, be generous with clothing, hats, warm baths, warm bedding, bedtime warm rubber water bottle etc. to keep the general body temperature adequate.

Thanks for the reply, I'm a male btw

Yep, cold intolerance, mainly extremities. Thinking and memory are fine, attention not so much.

What clues suggest adrenaline? I think you are on point. I forgot to mention I have night terrors, very rare on adults:

“Blood sugar falls at night, and the body relies on the glucose stored in the liver as glycogen for energy, and hypothyroid people store very little sugar. As a result, adrenalin and cortisol begin to rise almost as soon as a

person goes to bed, and in hypothyroid people, they rise very high, with the adrenalin usually peaking around 1 or 2 A.M., and the cortisol peaking around dawn; the high cortisol raises blood sugar as morning approaches,

and allows adrenalin to decline. Some people wake up during the adrenalin peak with a pounding heart[...]"

"I have talked to several people who get mild neurological symptoms around 2 to 4 AM, and since the symptoms are like those caused by hyperventilation, I think nocturnal low blood sugar and high adrenaline might produce relative hyperventilation and poor oxygenation, possibly with lactic acidemia. A sizable part of the population responds to intravenous lactic acid with a panic attack, and I think these people are hypothyroid; if glycogen stores are low, lactic acid exacerbates the energy problem, and by displacing carbon dioxide could trigger hyperventilation. When a panic attack is induced by stress, it is probably because the stress is causing the production of lactic acid. Both sugar and carbon dioxide help to prevent panic attacks, according to some recent studies."

Should I drink carbonated water?

About doctors, I dont think its worth the effort. Low pulse rate is usually considered a good sign, and skin problems wont get me a blood test, only creams (my GP actually told me rosacea is a skin type and I should deal with it. Same GP, after complaining about constipation, said I had a large colon so it was all good)
Well, I have a lot of free time now so I may try anyway.

I have the feeling I'm on the right track, but I've had it a lot of times before so I'm a bit sceptic . My skin seems slightly less inflammated and my digestion is better, cant complain atm.

I'll keep you updated

freixinet said:

...What clues suggest adrenaline? ...I have night terrors, very rare on adults...

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When the generative metabolic process declines (hypothyroidism is a good representative), more urgent processes compensate. Any of the emergency responses (adrenalin, cortisol, estrogen, histamine, serotonin, etc.) can come to the forefront. Often many compensations arise together, though some are more prominent.

Frequent high adrenalin tends to vasoconstrict the vessels (cold hands & feet, nose & ears), impair digestion and elimination, lower blood pressure, reduce blood sugar (fatigue, inattention, sleep disturbance), alter mineral (salt, potassium, calcium, magnesium) metabolism. Those with high adrenalin compensation tend to be slim, sometimes very skinny.

The medical stereotype of hypothyroidism is a sluggish, overweight person. In the low thyroid/high adrenalin situation, the thin, wiry presentation is more common. With respect, the undernourished lifestyle of fashion models and zealous vegans seems to promote this state. I think that relative shunting of circulation away from the digestive system is one reason for thinness.

(NOTE-please AVOID reading this as an endorsement of the "adrenal fatigue" conjecture. My experience aligns with Dr. Peat's view. Boosting the supportive functions is the priority more than increasing adrenal action.)

If the pulse is regularly in the 40's, a responsible physician should evaluate it. I hope there are alternatives to a consistently dismissive physician. While exhaustive exercise produces "sinus bradycardia" in some athletes that is regarded as "normal", there are hazardous possibilities, even more when heart rate is below the 50's.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradycardia

http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/lactate.shtml
"Incidental stresses, such as strenuous exercise combined with fasting (e.g., running or working before eating breakfast) not only directly trigger the production of lactate and ammonia, they also are likely to increase the absorption of bacterial endotoxin from the intestine."

Since popular culture upholds thinness and weight reduction is a problem for so many, there is misunderstanding about slim people. I know many people who were dangerously thin for years or decades, whose weight moved promptly and visibly toward optimal with improved thyroid function.

Restorative sleep is important for relief of many difficulties. There are several threads on the forum about this. Late evening snack or snack at middle of night waking (something with fruit, sugar, salt, etc.) will tend to relieve adrenaline surges. A pinch of baking soda in orange juice is one good potion if OJ is easily digested.

For skin issues I usually think there's some sort of issue with vitamin A and zinc status. Maybe some B vitamins are low as well.

I've been fortunate enough to really never have any skin issues, even during puberty. Although I did have some contact dermatitis about a year ago when I was still eating wheat/gluten. (the back of my head would break out bad after "buzzing" my hair) Luckily that's been nipped in the bud with strict removal of wheat/gluten and really all other grains; not that I really ate any others much if at all.

One other thing I would consider is the status of your sex life. It probably isn't health to indulge in, and I would reckon most people don't want to hear that. Sex burns up you zinc stores, it literally depletes you. (among other vit/minerals/hormones) Sex also raises prolactin. So that's something to consider. Google "sex acne" and see what other people think. It's something I feel everyone should consider. :2cents

Thx aguilaroja, what you say makes a lot of sense.

marcar72 said:

One other thing I would consider is the status of your sex life. It probably isn't health to indulge in, and I would reckon most people don't want to hear that. Sex burns up you zinc stores, it literally depletes you. (among other vit/minerals/hormones) Sex also raises prolactin. So that's something to consider. Google "sex acne" and see what other people think. It's something I feel everyone should consider. :2cents

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Haha, not my problem unfortunately, although I used to be a hardcore masturbator, guess that contributed to my problems.

It's been more than a month of Peating and things are getting better. No more shortness of breath, much improved digestion, increased pulse. My sleep is still not good and today was a slightly cold day and my hands got cold, so I think there's a lot to improve.

I got a very limited test from my GP:

TSH 2.32 microUI/mL (0.3-5.6) (for reference, free T4 was 1.14 ng/dL, 6 years ago)
72 mg/dL fasting glucose (75-110)
172mg/dL Cholesterol (140-239)

Blood sugar may play a huge role in my problems. Glucose is out of range, and I indeed have hypoglycemia symptoms if I go 4h without eating, I get tired very fast while I used to be very athletic (I don't know if that could be related), bad dreams caused by adrenaline trying to compensate for low blood sugar...
I've always had very strong sugar carvings but the bad rep of sugars and carbs in general played against me.

What is the best approach to regain a healthy blood sugar regulation?

I'm thinking of getting some thyroid and following an empiric approach.

freixinet said:

It's been more than a month of Peating and things are getting better. No more shortness of breath, much improved digestion, increased pulse. My sleep is still not good and today was a slightly cold day and my hands got cold, so I think there's a lot to improve.

I got a very limited test from my GP:

TSH 2.32 microUI/mL (0.3-5.6) (for reference, free T4 was 1.14 ng/dL, 6 years ago)
72 mg/dL fasting glucose (75-110)
172mg/dL Cholesterol (140-239)

Blood sugar may play a huge role in my problems. Glucose is out of range, and I indeed have hypoglycemia symptoms if I go 4h without eating, I get tired very fast while I used to be very athletic (I don't know if that could be related), bad dreams caused by adrenaline trying to compensate for low blood sugar...
I've always had very strong sugar carvings but the bad rep of sugars and carbs in general played against me.

What is the best approach to regain a healthy blood sugar regulation?

I'm thinking of getting some thyroid and following an empiric approach.

Click to expand...

I think a detail description of your daily intake in the form of cronometer.com chart
can be helpful here. Are you eating salty and sugary food before bed?
That can help with sleep and keeping blood sugar steady through out the night.
RP recommends a cup of milk with 2-3 tbs of sugar before bed for sleep problem.
If you are lactose intolerant then you can use cheese and fruit juice or home made
jello before bed. Gelatine is very helpful in inducing good sleep.

You are missing some of the main peaty foods. Muscle meats from beef, chicken
or fish are anti-thyroid and high in phosphorus. You will need to add some gelatine
and calcium with muscle meat to balance out the protein and phosphorus.
RP recommends egg shell or oyster shell powder.

It looks like you are lacking sugar in the diet, especially fructose.
I do not know how much OJ you are drinking. Lot of people have
problem with pectin and acidity of OJ. If orange is not sweet and ripe
it can cause problem and it largely depends on the gut bacteria composition.
You can experiment with other juices to see if you feel better.
Good quality apple juice can help with maintaining blood sugar
due to it's high fructose content. Commercial apple juice is pectin free.
Some of the forum members are using Martinelli apple juice.

Gut irritation is a major cause to skin problem. It also lowers metabolism
and causes insomnia. You can experiment with avoiding foods you find problematic.
Avoiding PUFA is the most important part of RP's recommendation.
Higher carbohydrate intake mainly in the form of sugar ( fructose,
lactose, sucrose etc) can improve metabolism.

If your diet is good then you may not need thyroid supplements.
Your TSH is above healthy level and RP thinks one should have it below 1.
I would try food to fix thyroid before trying supplement.
You need to be able to store sugar in liver and tissues before you can
start thyroid supplement. Hypothyroid people usually have high total
cholesterol and your cholesterol is at the lower end of normal.
RP thinks one needs to have at least 160, preferably 200 before
starting thyroid supplement. Fructose and lactose are very good at
refilling liver glycogen and starch does a very poor job.
Red light therapy, 1-2 minutes of bag breathing 2-3 times a day
can improve health quickly. Lean and young people can quickly
turn things around as they do not have large storage of PUFA.

B vitamins can help with liver function and B1 particularly
helps with blood sugar problem. I would avoid starch for few days
to see if it makes any difference in blood sugar. RP strongly
recommends weekly 3-6 oz of liver for it's vitamin A, copper and
B vitamins. Lack of Vitamin A and excess estrogen play big role in skin issue.
You can read RP's recent two articles on sugar to better understand
role of fructose in managing blood sugar and other health issues.

Would anyone happen to know a good oyster shell powder source that ships to overseas? Many thanks Rivka

@Rivka
I have not used osyter shell powder. I have seen in stores.
I am allergic to egg and i think i do not absorb calcium carbonate properly.
In addition to calcium from milk and cheese, i use about 1 grams of slaked lime
(calcium hydroxide, 550 mg of calcium) in vinegar or lemon juice.
You can make your own hominy and traditional tortillas using slaked lime.
Shells of shrimp, lobsters are also good source of calcium carbonate.
RP thinks calcium carbonate is the best form of calcium supplement,
He is ok with some calcium citrate. He never talked about calcium
acetate ( vinegar+ slaked lime). Calcium citrate and acetate are
easily digested than calcium carbonate,which depends on person's digestive power.

Rivka said:

Would anyone happen to know a good oyster shell powder source that ships to overseas? Many thanks Rivka

Click to expand...

I don't know how to assess quality, but I have bought and been using for months oyster shell powder from purebulk.com, shipped out of the US to me in another country. Postage was expensive, but I got quite lot, and some other things at the same time, to make the postage worth it.

tara said:

Rivka said:

Would anyone happen to know a good oyster shell powder source that ships to overseas? Many thanks Rivka

Click to expand...

I don't know how to assess quality, but I have bought and been using for months oyster shell powder from purebulk.com, shipped out of the US to me in another country. Postage was expensive, but I got quite lot, and some other things at the same time, to make the postage worth it.

Click to expand...

But does it work? When minerals are in a certain form, maybe absorption is affected.

jyb said:

tara said:

Rivka said:

Would anyone happen to know a good oyster shell powder source that ships to overseas? Many thanks Rivka

Click to expand...

I don't know how to assess quality, but I have bought and been using for months oyster shell powder from purebulk.com, shipped out of the US to me in another country. Postage was expensive, but I got quite lot, and some other things at the same time, to make the postage worth it.

Click to expand...

But does it work? When minerals are in a certain form, maybe absorption is affected.

Click to expand...

I usually eat 1/2-1 tsp/day on the theory that it will put my calcium intake more or less into a reasonable range. The only clear indicator I have that it is doing something is that my UpH went up a little, from a bit too acid to just slightly acid. I wanted this effect. If I was too alkaline to begin with, I might have chosen a different form, under the influence of RBTI. (I should check this again - haven't done it for a while.) I think I had a calcium deficient diet for a long time, so I figure I probably need to replenish. I sometimes switch out half of it for calcium gluconate.
I can't tell clearly that it has specific effects on my symptoms. I think it may be one of several factors in slightly improving my chronic hyperventilation, possibly via the effect on pH.

About 2 months of Peating, this is where I am:
- Digestion its better than ever.
- Skin: no bad breakouts like I used to have, but I still have all the problems. Slight improvement.
- My pulse is 60 BPM most of the time, sometimes higher, 80 max.
- My temps are low until noon (6pm+), specially hands. Cant compare because it was summer when I started Peating.

As you can see things are improving, but quite slowly. Lack of motivation and libido are very low, so testosterone may be an issue.

I'm going to get proper blood work done privately, to check testosterone and thyroid status. Something like that would be ok? What would you add or remove?

TSH
Total T4
Total T3
PTH

Glucose
Total cholesterol
Albumin

Prolactin
Testosterone serum
Testosterone free
SHBG
Progesterone
Cortisol
Estradiol

Here are the results of the test I ordered:

TSH 2.05 µUI/ml 0,2 - 4,5 µU/ml
Total T3 1,43 ng/ml 0.8 - 2.0 ng/ml
Total T4 7,54 µg/dl 4,5 - 12,5 µg/dl
Free T3 4,26 pg/ml 1,45 - 4,40 pg/ml
Cholesterol 154 mg/dl <240 mg/dl
Glucose 93 mg/dl <110 mg/dl
Testosterone 6,47 ng/ml 2,84 - 9,5 ng/ml

My fasting glucose jumped from 72 to 93, I guess thats good.
Cholesterol from 172 to 154. So the increased sugar intake doesn't seem to help at all. Any idea?

Maybe the drop in cholesterol means you are converting more of it to needed hormones. Are you eating eggs as a source of cholesterol?
What and how much are you eating overall?
Not from Peat, but a young man recovering from severe undereating may need to focus on getting at least 3500 cals every day to rebuild organs etc that have been damaged by semistarvation, and bring metabolism and hormones up to full functioning. There's a post related to this here: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=4028.