Some lab results in....I got some work to do...

matter2003 · Post by **matter2003** » Tue Mar 27, 2012 10:37 pm

OK, due to New York State law, I am having to go through a heck of a time getting these lab tests done. I went to Quest Diagnostics, and the lab they use is not NYS certified for hormone testing, so they cannot do it. I had to get another prescription from my doctor and find a lab that was NYS certified, and in-network with my insurance, which I did, so next Wednesday I will be going to get these tests done. Testosterone, Estradiol and DHEA-S fall under this problem.

I did however, get results back from my Thyroid blood test and AM Cortisol test. Neither make me feel real good.

My TSH to free T4 ratio was 2.64 with a range of 0.4-4.50. While that sounds OK, some research revealed that findings now show that the normal range should be reduced to 0.4-2.5 because recent studies have shown those above that level have an underactive thyroid and are more likely to go onto develop hypothyroidism than those with a lower level. This actually does not really surprise me too much because hypothyroidism runs on my Mother's side of the family.

My grandmother had a goiter, my aunt had a goiter and my mother would have developed a goiter if she was not placed on thyroid medication before that happened. A goiter occurs when the thyroid attempts to produce more thyroid hormone by becoming larger since it is not able to do so at its present size. Left untreated, it will continue to grow as it is unable to produce the necessary hormone. I do have iodine drops, but am hesitant to start using them as I don't want to shut down my body's production altogether, although iodine deficiency is becoming more common as iodized salt is becoming less common...

The second test result I got today from the doctor, when I picked up the copy of my prescription, which was saliva AM cortisol. There was no need to interpret this, as it was clearly spelled out in words..."High". Test was done around 9am, and for tests done between 8am-10am, reference levels was .04-.56, while mine was .59...obviously this is an issue. I was pretty sure this was an issue since the majority of the fat I have left is centered around my lower abdomen, although it is shrinking on a near daily basis, and is really not that much. However, to be fair, I am running a cut on a slight caloric deficit(about 250 calories a day), so it is possible my body is a little more stressed than normal due to that.
Going to start taking Vitamin C 1,000 mg 3 times a day...once before training, once after training, and once before going to bed. Also going to start meditation/muscle relaxation techniques again. I was doing this quite often for a while and for whatever reason just stopped a couple months ago. Holy Basil should help as well here...

All in all, test results are not too encouraging, as my body seems pretty out of whack right now...

austinb37 · Post by **austinb37** » Tue Mar 27, 2012 11:24 pm

Keep up the hard work. It sounds like you have a good plan of attack.

I'm not sure if you are still doing any intermittent fasting, but I do know that fasting can elevate blood cortisol levels. One of cortisol’s effects is that it raises blood sugar. So If you have blood sugar regulation issues fasting can actually make them worse.

Just another thing to think about...

bigpelo · Post by **bigpelo** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 8:29 am

Hey Matter, have a look at this blog, they talk about thyroid function:

https://defensenutrition.com/blog/2012/0 ... bborn-fat/

Iodine salt might NOT be a good solution.

About cortisol, I wouldn't worry too much. IF do increase cortisol while not eating. The problem with cortisol is if it gets high for the whole day and for days on. Symptoms would be fat gaining and/or muscle shrinking. You are still losing some fat

Futhermore, IF is well know for detoxification properties. To detoxify, your body need to be in a catabolic mode thus having slightly higher cortisol for a SHORT period of time. (Being catabolic doesn't necessarly mean wasting muscle and being anabolic doesn't equal muscle growth either... catabolic can mean fat lost and anabolism can mean fat gain!)

matter2003 · Post by **matter2003** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 6:35 pm

bigpelo wrote:Hey Matter, have a look at this blog, they talk about thyroid function:

https://defensenutrition.com/blog/2012/0 ... bborn-fat/

Iodine salt might NOT be a good solution.

About cortisol, I wouldn't worry too much. IF do increase cortisol while not eating. The problem with cortisol is if it gets high for the whole day and for days on. Symptoms would be fat gaining and/or muscle shrinking. You are still losing some fat Futhermore, IF is well know for detoxification properties. To detoxify, your body need to be in a catabolic mode thus having slightly higher cortisol for a SHORT period of time. (Being catabolic doesn't necessarly mean wasting muscle and being anabolic doesn't equal muscle growth either... catabolic can mean fat lost and anabolism can mean fat gain!)

Thanks for the article...after talking with Rob, I ordered Pure T2 from Taurus Nutrition...even worse than I thought after reading that...the other article I read said that anything over 2.5 was high, now this says really it should be 1.5...not all that surprised...probably explains why I get so tired around 10pm every night no matter how much I sleep...