Q & A archive—Obesity

Question: I have followed a diet that excludes refined carbs, severely limits saturated carbs, eat no sugar except that found in fruits (which I limit to once a day.) I recently found that my normally low cholesterol has risen to 265 with 181 in LDL’s and 84 in HDL’s. 5/04 thyroid showed signs of slowing down (my TSH was 26.51 and the free flowing thyroxine was .52; in 1/04 these were normal. I have been on thyroid medication since 4/89. I am obese and suffering from depression, fatigue, and muscle pain. I realize losing weight will help. What else can I do to help the situation I am in?

Answer: Several important parts of the puzzle are missing. To give you the most intelligent answer I would need to know your sex, age, weight, exercise habits, bowels habits and what kind of thyroid you are taking and what strength. If you are female (which would be my guess,) I would need to know if you are still having menstrual periods and their nature.

But without that information I will give you some information that may help. My first comment would be to stop worrying about your total cholesterol since your good cholesterol (HDL) is very high at 84. This makes your heart attack ratio less than the average at 3.14 (cholesterol divided by HDL). If you are over 70 yrs., cholesterol has very little significance anyway. If under that your ratio at 3.14 is still very good. Your TSH indicates that you are not getting nearly enough thyroid. Lack of thyroid can cause almost all of the symptoms that you listed. Also, if you are taking Synthroid or Levothroid, you are only getting the T4 fraction of the thyroid hormone which has to be converted by the liver to the T3 fraction to be effective and some people do not convert it well. If you were my patient and under my supervision I would give you the old fashioned Armour dessicated thyroid which has both the T4 and the T3 fractions in it. I have used this type of thyroid more effectively for over 50 years. Bowel habits must be regular and complete on a daily basis or you reabsorb and recirculate the metabolic toxins and estrogens.

I would suggest that you read my answers to other questions about thyroid in the Q&A section of this website.

Depending on your age, you may also need some Natural Progesterone hormone. A qualified doctor who specializes in Nutritional and Holistic Therapy can guide you on the path to recovering your health and I would advise it. Good luck.

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