t3

Here is the last installment of Mallet's Thyroid Function Explained from MuscleSci.

Here is a list of supplements and recommendations I have compiled for your thyroid post cycle therapy.

SUPPLEMENT AND NUTRIENT SUPPORT FOR THE THYROID

Several nutrients are critical for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland. In order for the thyroid gland to produce the hormone thyroxine, it needs the trace elements iodine and selenium, and the amino acid Tyrosine. Without sufficient supply of the nutrients in the diet, thyroid function is diminished. A typical regimn of dietary supplements I recommend in support of thyroid function are listed below.

BLADDERWRACK (fucus vesiculosus)

Bladderwrack, or fucus, consists of the marine plant fucus vesiculosus. Marine algae have been used in Europe and Asia as medicinal agents for thousands of years. Bladderwrack is a rich source of iodine and is traditionally used for weight loss and hypothyroidism. Bladderwrack is thought to stimulate the thyroid gland, thus increasing basal metabolism. Bladderwrack also contains potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, and other minerals.

RECOMMENDED DOSE. 300-600 mgs, standardized to contain not more than 150mcg of iodine daily, one to three times a day.

COLEUS (coleus forskolii)

Coleus has been extensively researched in India over the last twenty years as a medicinal agent useful for thyroid support and for conditions such as high blood pressure, asthma, and weight loss, among others.

Coleus is also thought to activate the enzyme adenylate cyclase. In doing so, it increases the level of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) within cells ( cAMP, as you may recall, is important in the activation of several biochemical pathways). This catalyst is formed when neurotransmitters bind to the cell membrane and stimulate the formation of adenylate cyclase. Specific hormonal messengers bind to receptor cites to create the release of cAMP. Therefore, while Coleus is involved in hormonal regulation, it doesn't increase hormone levels. Instead it helps improve the effeciency of binding to target receptor cites. The stimulation of cAMP has an impact on the body chemistry in several ways. It stimulates thyroid function, increases insulin secretion, inhibits histamine release (involved in allergic reactions), and increases the burning of fats as fuels. Coleus is claimed to inhibit platelet activating factor (PAF)--that si, the formation of blood clots--by possibly directly binding to PAF receptor cites.

RECOMMENDED DOSE. 250mgs of a 1 percent extract of coleus, twice a day. CAUTION: people with ulcers or who are taking blood pressure medication and anticoagulant medications should check with your healthcare professional before taking Coleus.

CORDYCEPS (cordyceps sinesis)

Cordyceps Is important for people with improperly functioning thyroid glands because people with low thyroid function have reduced oxygen utilization and increased oxidative stress. Cordyceps acts as an antioxidant, improves oxygen utilization by 15%, improves stamina, and reduces fatigue--all critical issues for people with poor thyroid regulation.

RECOMMENDED DOSE. 525mgs of cordyceps, standardized to contain .14 to .18 percent adenosine and 5 percent mannitol, two to three times a day.

ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS (EFA's)

Low thyroid function leads to poor conversion and utilization of essential fatty acids (EFA's). Without quality sources of dietary fat, particularily the Omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linoleic acid (ALA) and the Omeaga-6 fatty acid gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), the body is unable to regulate hormonal influence over certain cells. EFA's are the building blocks of eicosanoids, a group of "super hormones" that act as hormonal gatekeepers of the cells. EFA defficiencies and overproduction of inflammatory prostaglandins are associated with a variety of illnesses, including slowed metabolism and increased storage of body fat.

RECOMMENDED DOSE. The best sources of GLA are borage and evening primrose oils. Sources of Omega-3 fatty acids are cold water fish ( salmon, mackerel, tuna trout, haddock), flaxseeds and flax oil. Although both EFA's are essential to our health, the ratio of omega-3 to Omega-6 oils in our diet should be 1:3. Udo's oil contains 3,6, and 9 fatty acids.

GUGGUL (commiphora mukul)

Guggul has been described in Indian medical literature as an agent for treating obesity and other eating disorders. Guggul was marketed as a lipid lowering agent in 1980, Guggul has been reported to stimulate thyroid function, which may lead to blood lipid lowering and weight loss, as well as improved thyroid function in hypothyroidism.

RECOMMENDED DOSE. 500mgs, three times a day, standardized to contain 5 percent gugglesterones. CAUTION: people taking prescription medications for cardiovascular disease such as calcium channel blockers or beta blockers, as well as those with hyperthyroidism, should check with there physician before taking Guggul.

IODINE.

If you can't get your hands on the bladderwrack, then sources of iodine include sea vegatables (nori, hijiki, wakame, kombu, and kelp), sea salt, and all seafood and saltwater fish. Iodized salt is another source, but contains to much aluminum, Iodized sea salt, however supplies iodine without unwanted aluminum.

RECOMMENDED DOSE. 225-1000mcg of iodine daily

L-TYROSINE

Without sufficient available tyrosine, the adrenal glands have a sluggish or inadequate response to stress: heart rate, blood pressure, airway, and metabolism are diminished. And when the tyrosine pool is drained to make stress hormones, there is less available to make adequate levels of thyroid hormones. Tyrosine supplements have been used as nutritional or adjunctive support for the treatment of depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, and weight gain, all of which are associated with hypothyroidism.

RECOMMENDED DOSE. 250-750mg of L-Tyrosine daily. Most body builders and athletes eat plenty of amino acids throughout the day, so supplementing with tyrosine isn't as important unless your under significant stress your body temp is low, and you have other symptoms of low thyroid effeciency.

THYROID BOVINE (BEEF) GLANDULAR

Thyroid glandular is a bovine-derived thyroid substance that may boost the human thyroid system when the gland is not functioning optimally. Glandular supplements are carefully processed animal gland tissue; thyroid glandulars contain extremely low levels of thyroid hormone. It is theorized that glandular tissues contain proteins that help the thyroid gland to rebuild itself. This has been very effective with people who have subclinical hypothyroid function...it has also been used in place of thyroid meds with great success.

RECOMMENDED DOSE. T-100X...Is a good source of not only thyroid glandular, but also contains: Thyroid glandular ( thyroxine free) 100mg...Adrenal gladular 50mg...pituitary glandular 15mg...spleen glandular 5mg...thymus glandular 5mg...and It also contains bladderwrack 15mg...along with a few supportive herbs. Made by "Advanced Orthomolecular Research" (AOR) check out their website for more info " www.aor.ca". So as you can see T-100X is good for more than just thyroid support, it's quite effective at stimulating your total immune system...this baby is a must!!!

DOSE. 1 tab (630mg) twice a day for post cycle or if you already have a low Resting Temp.

TRACE MINERALS

Chromium depletion may influence thyroid function. Chromium is a necessary mineral for the conversion of carbohydrates to energy, and helps maintain a stable blood sugar level. It is also an essential component to enzyme function that supports the conversion of T4 to t3. So chromium can indirectly impact your basal metabolic rate and how you are going to burn fat, use nutrients, and generate energy. Selenium has also been linked to subclinical hypothyroid symptoms. Selenium is found in selenoproteins, many of which have known roles in the prevention of cellular oxidative damage and thyroid hormone regulation. Selenium is an essential component of the enzyme iodothyronine deiodinase, the enzyme that converts thyroxine (T4) to the active triiodothyronine (T3). As with Zinc, selenium supplementation has been reported to improve thyroid function and regulate symptoms of hypothyroidism. Other nutrients important for optimum thyroid function include zinc and copper. These trace minerals are also required for the synthesis of iodothyronine deioinase. Studies have concluded that that zinc supplementation can restore normal thyroid function among people with low serum zinc, and signs of subclinical hypothyroidism. Zinc is required for the activity of more than 200 different enzymes in the body. Supplementing with extra zinc requires the addition of copper to maintain healthy zinc to copper ratio. Since the two elements antagonize one another, supplementing with one can kead to a deficciency of the other.

RECOMMENDED DOSE 200mcg of chromium daily as part of a multivitamin/mineral supplement; 200mcg of selenium daily; anf 15 parts zinc to 1 part copper, or approx 20-50 mg of zinc to 2 mg of copper.

A FINAL NOTE ON THYROID FUNCTION

Many physician now recognize the problems with thyroid regulation. In fact, the window for acceptable TSH levels has just recently been changed by the American Society of Endocrinologists so that millions more people may get diagnosed with hypothyroidism and get the help they need. Hopefully the use of T3 and t4 as drug therapy will become more popular, and in addition, the various influencers of thyroid metabolism such as stress and nutrient abnormalities will begin to become more recognized in the coming decade. Healthy thyroid function is crucial to graceful and vital aging. So whether you try Armour thyroid, nutritional approaches, get compounded thyroid therapy, or use traditional drugs, keep one thing in mind: If there's no relief of low-thyroid symptoms, you are probably still missing a piece of the metabolic puzzle.

MY RECOMMENDED LIST OF SUPPLEMENTS

With all that said you can pick from the list provided above to determine your needs, or what's available to you...this is what I do with great success, I mean my temp is usually bang on every morning, the only time my temp drops or raises, is when I want it too!

Coleus forskolii (acti-cyclase) 250mg twice daily when taking T3, 3 times daily when i'm not.

T-100X. 630mg twice daily for post cycle (As mentioned above this is the glandular form) This ones a must!!!

Life extension mix (powder) This baby is pricey but contains everything you need to sustain life. But for thyroid purposes : 200mcg selenium: 200mcg chromium: 75mcg iodine: 35mg zinc: 2mg copper

Udo's oil contains omega 3,6, and 9 fatty acids...I use 2 tablespoons in my protein drinks, 2 tablespoons per can of tuna in place of mayo. I cook with it, you can even poor it on popcorn in place of butter...I say this because my GF is a popcorn freak.

Backing off on training is a plus when doing long thyroid cycles. If your training 5 days a week, then try 4 days a week for the first 2 weeks when coming off T3, remember your adrenals will rob you of tyrosine to make cortisol. And since training and rest are 2 big factors of stress, lets give your body the extra edge for regulating your thyroid function with as little hinderance as possible. Try to make sure you get adequate rest when coming of thyroids also, this will help with the return of normal thyroid function as well.

Those are excellent posts Lifts.

I'll second that, good info liftsiron.

Duchaine, the magic number for me seems to be 75mcg/day.

Rick

Posted by: natron

I'll second that, good info liftsiron.

Duchaine, the magic number for me seems to be 75mcg/day.

Rick

Damn bro, the more of your posts that I read the more similarities between us I see. I also top out and cruise at 75mcgs.

Posted by: Naughty Nurse

Those are excellent posts Lifts.

Excellent, but they don't answer my question.

natron, I'm not looking for the magic number.
I'm trying to understand how long will the body take to reduce THS production when we supplement T3.

Duchaine, I'm afraid you will not find that answer without having testing done. My estimation would be not too long, but it is just that, an ESTIMATION.

Just in case this helps, my wifey has a to have her thyroid partially removed due to a benign tumor. When undergoing supplemental t-3, thryiod stimulating hormone reduced after 10 days, although, this was when the testing was done. So it could've actually been sooner. So from my personal experiences, my estimation would be 1-10 days.
Of course this is under different circumstances as well.

liftsiron, I guess it's a good thing we are both part of the CEM moderators. Seriously though, you've made a great contribution since I've arrived here, keep up the good work!

Rick

Re: t3

Posted by: duchaine

consider a guy using 50mcg of T3/daily.
how long will his body take before cutting T3 production, making supplementation useless?

every answer will be appreciated.
thanks

DUCH

At 50mcgs of T3 ed your still getting approx double the amount that you would normally produce, therefore as long as you take the T3 you should be getting supra effects regardless of your own thyroids output. Each individual reacts to hormones on an individual level so it's impossible to say exactly how long and at what amount your own thyroid function will deminish and to what amount. 50mcgs of T3 no doubt will shut you down but recovery should also be quite quick, especially if you follow mallets suggestions.

I think nandi get the answer..I don't know why he dosn't give an answer...
just kidding!

Re: Re: t3

Posted by: liftsiron

At 50mcgs of T3 ed your still getting approx double the amount that you would normally produce, therefore as long as you take the T3 you should be getting supra effects regardless of your own thyroids output. Each individual reacts to hormones on an individual level so it's impossible to say exactly how long and at what amount your own thyroid function will deminish and to what amount. 50mcgs of T3 no doubt will shut you down but recovery should also be quite quick, especially if you follow mallets suggestions.

Yes,that was my guess also - you will most likely stay at supra-levels at that dosage regardless of endo output.

Nandi knows for sure as he has put up lots of studies on this before (too lazy to do a search right now).

I think our produces at least 100mcg of T3.
I figure this number because people suffering hypothyroidism get 100mcg/daily of it.

I've read the study you mention omni. I don't remember exactly, but the study indicated that the thyroid resumes its normal function very quickly, it was something like a week or ten days.

I've also taken T3 for long peroids with no problems. 6 months or so.

There is a wide range in what's considered normal for thyroid hormone production. According to Goodman & Gilman, the standard pharmacology text, normal T4 production is between 70 and 90 micrograms, while normal T3 production is between 15 and 30 micrograms per day.

Taking 50 micrograms a day of T3 approximately doubles your plasma T3 levels and lowers TSH to undetectable levels almost immediately. Interestingly, your body has a significant amount of T4 stored in the thyroid and peripheral tissue, so even though TSH goes to near zero, T4 levels remain surprisingly high for some time, over a month or two, until that storedT4 is exhausted.

A lot of useful information in this regard can be found here:

See especially fig. 3 that shows what I'm talking about with T4, and also how quick recovery is.

This paper is interesting as well:

You can seein fig 2 that after a couple of days on supplementation, T4 levels have stabilized at a value that represents TSH being negligible and the T4 is what is leaking out of storage back into the plasma. Had they continued the study longer, eventually that T4 would have been depleted.

Duchaine, I think a fairly common replacement dose of T4 is 100 mcg per day for people suffering from hypothyroidism, but again the range is quite variable. My wife takes 100 mcg per day, that's one little yellow Synthroid. That keeps her TSH at about 1.5.

She still does T3 cycles though for cutting, around 50mcg per day. She doesn't have to worry about suppression because she is hypothyroid already.

Posted by: duchaine

I think our produces at least 100mcg of T3.
I figure this number because people suffering hypothyroidism get 100mcg/daily of it.

T4 not T3

nandi, tell me if I had a good understanding.

If I use 50mcg T3/daily, I can experiment a mild hypothyroidism.
after a few days of T3, my body stops to produce it.
THS is suppressed into a few days.
t4 stay high for about 1month.

so, if I want to supplement some T3, I figure the best option is having 1month T3 cycle. after 1 month I should cut my T3 dosage to 25mcg and ramping down every 4/5 days up to 0.5mcg to rise TSH.

Posted by: liftsiron

Problems occur in those who combine both t4 and [/B]

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only t4 can cause problems? what kind of problems?