My Mom continues to be one of the greatest forces for good in my life, and this has certainly proved true in the health arena. As I mentioned below, she helped me locate Mary Shomon's doctor in McLean, VA, which isn't toooo far from Columbia. One has to navigate the infamous Washington beltway to get there, but even with the beltway traffic it was worth it to find a good doctor who speaks my language and whom I can trust to restore my energy level and...well-being!
Dr. Adrienne Clamp at Well Being - Being Well has been wonderful. My first appointment was 2 hours long, and much of that was spent with her, explaining my health history in a variety of areas and getting her feedback.
I retook the saliva test, and went to Labcorps to have blood drawn for an array of indicators, including iron, B vitamins, vitamin D, cortisol, thyroid antibodies, etc. As it turns out, my thyroid supplement needs a little tweaking because my T4 is low, and I was low in vitamin D, iron, and selenium. I do have Hashimoto's or thyroid antibodies, meaning my immune system is producing cells that could attack my thyroid, as I understand it. However, my number is relatively low and Dr. Clamp didn't seem worried. Furthermore, it seems that everyone who is hypothyroid has thyroid antibodies. One of my friends has brought her numbers down through a gluten-free diet, but I pray to God I don't have to do that! (I tried it for a week and it's hard!)
Also, my saliva test revealed that my adrenal glands are no longer depressed...they're stressed. [Wry smile] My cortisol levels are slightly elevated, but at least this means my adrenals are back to normal and functioning properly, just overly so. Why am I so stressed I ask myself? Dr. Clamp and I agreed that I'm a busy mom and that's why. "Well I do get uptight about every little thing that happens," I said to my husband that night at dinner. He laughed at this self-revelation.
Dr. Clamp put me on 5,000 IU/day of vitamin D, more selenium, an adaptogen (herbs that help your body deal with stress) mix, and iron with "liver fractions" for absorbability. She also tweaked my thyroid prescription to receive only T3 in compounded form and T4 in synthetic form, I believe. And I only take it once in the morning vs. twice a day, which is so much nicer. Gone is the 3:00 pm alarm on my phone! I was most sluggish in the morning, and the T4 I was formerly taking was slow release, which you really don't need anyway since T4 stays in your system for days. Now I get a T4 "shot in the arm" first thing in the morning and that should help. I just started on it today, so we'll see how the next few weeks go.
I think I'm starting to feel better after four days on the supplements, but time will tell. You can be sure I'll keep you posted!
