cold hands and feet with iodine -- endocrine disruption?
Hello all!
While I’ve monitored this forum for some time, I’ve only recently joined to participate in the
Iodine conversation.
Currently I’m interested in remediating a symptom of a systemic imbalance: cold hands and feet.
For the past ~6 months, I’ve been participating in orthoiodiosupplementation. Prior to starting, I had been taking several general health supplements. When I started
Iodine supplementation, I used all of the recommended cofactors, and still do.
This was part of a broader diet/lifestyle revision. Before, I had been eating the standard American diet, but since I’ve gone high-healthy-fats Paleo: lots of coconut and MCT oil; lots of Kerrygold grass-fed butter; daily grass-fed beef; wild caught (typically Sockeye) salmon several times a week; occasional hydrolyzed collagen and grass-fed whey; lots of vegetables (mainly broccoli and spinach, but also asparagus and sweet potatoes); snacking on dark chocolate (at least 85% cacao). About half of my vegetables I eat raw, the other half I steam—especially the oxalic or goitrogenic ones, like kale.
I’ve eliminated all sources of: gluten, fluorides & bromides, refined sugars. I cultivate/vet my diet to be as fresh as possible and as low as possible in mold/mycotoxins.
My current daily supplementation regimen is:
- Fat-solubles: 10,000IU Vitamin D3; 15,000IU Vitamin A (as retinyl palmitate); 1g Vitamin K complex (Life Extension); 600mg Krill oil & 1.5g Fish oil (~900mg combined EPA and DHA); 200-400 IU Vitamin E (Gamma E Complex by Now Foods); 100mg Ubiquinol CoQ10 (cycled as 2 months on, 1 month off); 1 scoop of Lecithin granules
- Water-solubles: Pure Encapsulations B-Complex Plus; 200mg Riboflavin & 500mg Niacin (taken with iodine, and once-a-day); >5000mcg Methyl-B12; >1600mcg Methylfolate; 100mg Vitamin B6 (as P-5-P); ~3g Vitamin C (as ascorbic acid)
- Minerals/metalloids: ½ teaspoon of Himalayan pink salt dissolved in warm water in the morning & salt sprinkled into all the water I drink during the day; ¼ teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate baking soda in water during the day, ½ teaspoon of potassium bicarbonate in water at night; 800-1000mg Magnesium (as magnesium glycinate); 200-400mg potassium gluconate; 250-500mg Calcium Citrate (taken at dinner if at all); between 1/8-1/4 teaspoon of borax dissolved in water; 3x 5 drops of nascent
Iodine (Detoxadine by GHC; it’s almost empty, and I intend to replace it with LL Magnetic Clay Nascent Iodine), 2x ~120mg of homemade
SSKI (my homemade solution is about ~30mg iodine/drop, where true
SSKI is ~50mg/drop); 1 tablet of 12.5mg Iodoral; 400-600mcg Selenium as (L-selenomethionine)
- Herbs: 80,000 STU Cayenne (based off of a recommendation by Newport to increase circulation); 120mg Ginko biloba; 1g Milk Thistle
-Probiotics: 2x caps of S. Boulardii (Jarrow); 2x caps of Nature’s Way Primadophilus Bifidus. Each probiotic I cycle 2 months on, 1 month off. I’ve been considering adding/substituting the Jarrow Allergen-Free probiotic complex.
And still, after all of this for at least 6 months, I have cold hands and feet. I even took 240,000 SPUs of Serrapeptase for a month without it helping.
However, other hypothyroid symptoms that I’d had—such as carotene buildup on my toenails and feet, or widespread psoriasis—are significantly diminished. And since starting this comprehensive diet/nutritional program, I feel much better day-to-day.
I’m inclined to believe that my cold hands and feet are just symptomatic of a larger endocrine system depression. I also suffer from other minor conditions: I can sleep for 8+ hours, but not wake up refreshed; I suffer from bouts of down concentration and minor fatigue; the occasional fibromyalgic sensitivity on my arms; skin on my cheeks feels dry and flakes slightly, and the skin on my hands is dryer than clothed skin; I still feel cold skin/extremities if the temperature is under ~69F, and my fingers stay cold to the touch at temperatures up to the late 70s.
Additionally, I have dry flaky scalp that I suspect is scalp psoriasis. I have a mildly white tongue with some raised taste buds, but since going on my diet I’ve had no problems with oral thrush or oral ulcers as I once did.
Trapper, Grizz, Ginagirl, Vulcanel, Newport, etc…: What is my next step?
My inclination is to believe that I should investigate a glandulars complex—something with at least thyroid and adrenal cortex. However, I’m not sure I’ve given it enough time—I know Ginagirl once mentioned that it took her at least a year to get up to the normal body temperature. I’ve also considered using gold leaf (which I understand to be—correct me if I’m wrong—is the consumption of flakes of gold foil). I’ve considered the possibility that I might have some mercury toxicity, but I have yet to have a mineral hair test done. At that, I haven’t yet had my free T3 and free T4 levels taken, either.
If glandulars are my next step, what’s the proper procedure for taking them? I would prefer not to have to take them for the rest of my life (but I understand that if my endocrine system is sufficiently damaged that I won’t have a choice). I’d also prefer to avoid using Armour thyroid initially, as I don’t have a GP who would be aware of it/prescribe it to me.
Thanks very much for reading! I will document all of my progress and post it as developments appear. I appreciate having this forum and everyone’s experiences. It’s helped me better understand both my body and better health.