Can't Get Out Of A Hypometabolic State

[ATP]

Our family mutation is lack of the enzyme P450c11B that converts 11-Deoxycortisol to Cortisol. The result is very high blood salt levels leading to extremely high blood pressure, as well as dark skin patches, and high androgens. It doesn't seem to be your problem.
However, your symptoms (fatigue, unable to tolerate stress, hypothyroid symptoms, etc) seem to match with low cortisol, even though your blood work doesn't.
Familial glucorticoid deficiency involves a mutation of the ACTH receptor, located on chromosome 18p11, but only accounts for 20% of cases. The other genes are unknown (according to my article).
Congenital adrenal hyperplasia also comes in many forms. "Recent evidence points to a milder form with onset in adult life presenting with mild adrenal insufficiency and partial hypogonatropic hypogonadism. ...homozygous and heterozygous mutations have been described in the SF-1 gene that produce primary adrenal failure..."
Congenital lipoid adrenal hyperplasia is a rare form of adrenal steroidogenic defect...The disease results from mutations in the gene that encodes the steroidogenic acute regupatory protein (StAR) on chromosome 8p11, which regulates cholesterol uptake into the mitochondria in readiness for conversion to pregnenolone... Steroidogenesis is reduced to about 15% of normal... [this includes androgen steroidogenesis]
3B-HSD deficiency is a rare form of congenital adrenal hyperplasia. The nonclassic form is an attenuated enzyme defect with no major developmental abnormalities....Two genes encoding 3B-HSD have been localized to chromosome 1p13.1. These genes are HSD3B1 and HSD3B2.
A defect in 17a-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase will result in diminished production of cortisol and sex steroids. The enzyme defect affects steroid synthesis in both the adrenals and the gonads. Because of high corticosterone (B) levels, patients with P450c17 abnormalities do not manifest adrenal crises and therefore go undiagnosed, often until evaluated for abnormal pubertal development. At puberty, gonadotropins increase to very high concentrations, the low sex steroid production failing to provide adequate regulatory feedback. Phenotypically, such subjects may be similar to individuals with androgen insensitivity syndrome.
Plasma levels of corticosterone and 18-hydroxy-DOC and an elevated ratio of 18-hydroxycorticosterone to aldosterone are diagnostic of 17a deficiency, whereas low androgens to estrogens indicates the addition of 17,20-lyase deficiency. In long-standing untreated cases, refractory hypertension of considerable severity can develop.

That is all very interesting! I will definitely look into that. I appreciate all that information.

 

[ATP]

One thing I realized after hacking away at this for a couple years is that good health does not actually justify striving for health. You have to have a reason for the health, a reason to live. I had to shift my focus from just health to what I want to do in life and use my health knowledge to accentuate that. I have a great job and am writing a book as well which never would have happen if I just kept hacking away at health because what happen to you happen to me as well. At some point you know an overwhelming amount and have experimented extensively. That is the point where I started really looking around for what I felt had value independent of my health. What hill do you want to die on?

That does make a lot of sense to me right now, after trying almost everything there is and definitely have put into practice the majority of information on this forum and nothing has improved. Maybe unless that existential void is filled or at least starting to get filled, then no amount of nutrients and hormones can help.

 

[ATP]

I have tried it a few times but I lose too much weight.

However that seems to be what you want to achieve...

Maybe it is best for people with slow metabolism.

Louise Koch = Fruity Lou has lots of youtube interviews / testimonials of people recovering from illness from a low fat, low protein, fruit rich, raw vegan diet.

You could say I am doing 2000 Calories of 80 :10 : 10 but supplementing it with 1500 Calories of cheese, seafood, chicken, root vegetables, coffee and chocolate!!

This is subject to further change and experimentation.

That would be a nice problem to have, maybe the only fruit diet is the way to go for extremely slow metabolisms, at least in the short term.

 

[ATP]

Did you do anything specific to lower reverse T3?

I don't know the exact reason why it went down but I guess it is a culmination of everything I've done to reduce external stress and obviously reducing my calories has somehow reduced rt3 without negatively changing my other thyroid hormones. I don't think it is ideal long term to have this diet.

 

[ATP]

Idealabs Tyronene or TyroMIX will probably work better than anything else you have used for your hypothyroid condition. With your learned helplessness (don't worry, man, we are all dealing with it or have in the past) you may struggle staying with one of them long enough to figure out what works for you but good thyroid function is at the heart of life. Read all posts regarding those products and start working one for yourself.

You might also benefit from daily B12 injections of hydroxocobalamin for 2 weeks. If you don't note any change from that you can stop. If you notice something positive you can continue shots but more spaced apart as your body needs.

I am not telling you what to do, just what I would do and what I have done that worked. Good luck.

Edit: Needless to say...if you are working to improve your metabolism, as you said at the start, be ready to incorporate much of what all the above kind folk have pointed out. You will crash and burn when you spark your metabolism if you don't then support it with plenty of the right foods.

I completely agree that thyroid function is vital to good health, I have experimented with different thyroid medications for a while now. Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.

 

[postman]

I used to be a lot like you, still am to a large extent but at least I feel like I'm getting a little bit better every day instead of stagnating like when I was following rays advice and taking all the supplements. Or even worse yet, consistently getting worse like I was on SAD. Nowadays I eat more in line with what Aajonus Vonderplanitz recommended. Now every bite of food makes me stronger, too bad a lot of the food isn't very palatable... I think he's wrong on some stuff but he's definately right about raw food and food quality, things which Ray pay zero attention to.

 

[Xisca]

how do you unblock the vagus nerve?

I am on phone not computer... Just want to say now that it can be more physical than only emotional/mental. I think I made a topic about it before. I also posted about explaining the freeze response as covering the fight and flight response. The vagus nerve does it and it innerves organs.
You unblock by letting go the blocked activation. Without help refreezing is too common. That is why I found TENS to be of hope. The vagus nerve is a big chief of our body orchestra!

 

[Xisca]

he's definately right about raw food and food quality, things which Ray pay zero attention to.

I agree about quality but think RP pays atención to it more than it seems. I think he finds solutions that are good also for people on a budget.
I eat also more raw than most say here, when I can because of guts.
Our bodies have some wisdom!

 

[sugarisgreat]

I don't know the exact reason why it went down but I guess it is a culmination of everything I've done to reduce external stress and obviously reducing my calories has somehow reduced rt3 without negatively changing m'y other thyroid hormones. I don't think it is ideal long term to have this diet.

I have struggled with rT3 and hypo metabolism. T3 and T4 did not work for me until I started taking replacement cortisol. I can't post the link, but Dr H Lindner's website, hormonerestoration dot com, has the best description I've ever found of cortisol and how it works, and why it is never diagnosed.
Do your labs show low salt and high potassium, low neutrophils, low fasting glucose? Those would support a diagnosis of low cortisol. Have you tried using hydrocortisone 1% cream (the standard OTC stuff)? If it raises your temps and pulse, that would be evidence that you need cortisol. Or you could order prednisone or cortef (if you can get it) from Mexico. A week of prednisone would probably tell you a lot, and not be dangerous.
My family has two genetic mutations that cause low cortisol. Mine is pituitary. But other members lack an enzyme that converts the precoursers into cortisol. So Cortef (bioidentical) works for them but cortisone acetate, which must be converted, does not. You may have one of many genetic conditions that limit cortisol production. At least that it what your information seems like to me.
PS I have also maintained weight on 900 calories per day, had the exercise-induced fatigue (cold and utterly crushed for 2 days), and muscle pain.

Hi-Do you think there is anything wrong with using the 1% cream instead of taking cortef?
I read your post a few days ago-I too have similar symptoms to what you describe in yourself and the original poster.
I bought the cream at the dollar store and it is the only thing that made my temperature rise from 98.1 to 98.6 ever ( I have tried everything over many years).
Thank you for this information.

 

[wintagal]

Hi-Do you think there is anything wrong with using the 1% cream instead of taking cortef?
I read your post a few days ago-I too have similar symptoms to what you describe in yourself and the original poster.
I bought the cream at the dollar store and it is the only thing that made my temperature rise from 98.1 to 98.6 ever ( I have tried everything over many years).
Thank you for this information.

That is great! The cream does add cortisol to your system (absorbed through the skin). Since cortisol is lowest at night and highest in the morning, try to follow that pattern. Don't use the same spot - it will thin the skin over time. Rotate different spots. All the HC creams are 1% so the only difference is the other ingredients. Over time your adrenals may recover, and you may find you only need the cream when you are stressed, tired, hungry, or your temps start to go down.
Cortef is stronger. With all the forms of cortisol (cortef, hc cream, prednisone, etc) it's important to only use the minimum needed. Excess cortisol is damaging to many body systems, and will raise blood pressure, blood glucose, etc.

 

[sugarisgreat]

That is great! The cream does add cortisol to your system (absorbed through the skin). Since cortisol is lowest at night and highest in the morning, try to follow that pattern. Don't use the same spot - it will thin the skin over time. Rotate different spots. All the HC creams are 1% so the only difference is the other ingredients. Over time your adrenals may recover, and you may find you only need the cream when you are stressed, tired, hungry, or your temps start to go down.
Cortef is stronger. With all the forms of cortisol (cortef, hc cream, prednisone, etc) it's important to only use the minimum needed. Excess cortisol is damaging to many body systems, and will raise blood pressure, blood glucose, etc.

Thank you for your time and help!

 

[Elchapchapchapo]

Just curious if you ever had your prolactin level checked? Prolactin can cause fatigue and also make you feel like complete ***t