Well, I saw my doc again yesterday, and guess what?! I'm not going to need any fancy meds to fix me up!
Turns out my thyroid numbers were a little wonky, like he suspected. But not because my thyroid wasn't doing its job.
My vitamin D level was low, which was messing with other things. (My T4free was high and my T3free was low, if you have any idea what that means.) Doc said it was a conversion problem related to the vitamin D deficiency.
So, I'm popping some pills for a while. But it's not permanent, and only the vitamin D is a prescription.
I remember hearing Dr. Oz talk about vitamin D on Oprah a while back. And he's not the only one. I figured I was okay, since I've spent more time in the sun during my last year of gardening than I did the previous five.
But after 8 years of pregnancy and breastfeeding, I'm not caught up yet. I burn really easily, so I'm usually covered or using sunscreen.
And I found this fascinating (from The Miracle of Vitamin D):
"The ultraviolet wavelength that stimulates our bodies to produce vitamin D is UV-B. It is sometimes called the "burning ray" because it is the primary cause of sunburn (erythema)...That means it's really difficult to get enough vitamin D from 30 minutes of watering my vegetables while wearing longsleeves and/or sunscreen.
The reason it is difficult to get adequate vitamin D from sunlight is that while UV-A is present throughout the day, the amount of UV-B present has to do with the angle of the sun's rays. Thus, UV-B is present only during midday hours at higher latitudes, and only with significant intensity in temperate or tropical latitudes. Only 5 percent of the UV-B light range goes through glass and it does not penetrate clouds, smog or fog.
Sun exposure at higher latitudes before 10 am or after 2 pm will cause burning from UV-A before it will supply adequate vitamin D from UV-B."
I also don't eat much on this list except the eggs and butter. Though I'm happy to see pork fat on there... Now if only our organic CSA would start offering grass-fed bacon!
When I'm finished with my prescription, I may try the dreaded cod liver oil. In the meantime, I'm following doctor's orders. (I know, that's so unlike me.)
I hear you on the vit D. I do not eat much on that list either! So glad to find a Christian unschool blog.
ReplyDelete*grin*
ReplyDeleteFeels good to have some "answers" doesn't it?
VitD is the bane of all us pale people in the world! We fry before we top off on it. I do drink VitD fortified milk to keep myself going, Centrum, and some of the few other things on there. But who knew my deep and abiding love of bacon would have an excuse!
ReplyDeleteCod Liver Oil...::shudder::
Wow! This sounds promising. I have a friend who is VERY into the Weston Price diet. All that fat goes so against what has been considered healthy these days. I do have some cod liver oil in my kitchen that I keep "forgetting" about. I wonder if I should try to remember it?
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