On Jan 15, 2005, at 3:23 am, William wrote:
> But what causes low thyroid?
> Maybe you are eating/drinking/breathing something that blocks
> assimilation?
> I had a zinc deficiency for years, although I ate plenty of meat.
> Taking
> zinc pills cured all of the *syptoms*.

William,

I would sell my soul to know the cause of my hypothyroidism.  I went
with a milk intolerance for a long time, which caused chronic fatigue
so perhaps
(a) the milk caused auto-immune damage
(b) the stress on my body caused damage to my adrenal and thyroid glands
or (c) something else (perhaps wheat) caused auto-immune damage to the
gland.

Zinc is required for immune function.  Perhaps an immune reaction to
the milk depleted my zinc levels?  My prostate size seems to have
correlated to the development of my chronic fatigue.  Or perhaps I am
just sensitive to phytates or something and my body does a poor job of
holding on to zinc.

What dose of zinc did you take William?  I read somewhere that up to
160mg daily can be required to correct deficiency.  I've ordered some
20mg zinc / 1.25mg copper tablets.  I was planning to take 100mg daily
for a few weeks and see if there's any improvement.  I will know if it
works when my sense of smell returns!  I also still have some acne, but
that can be a symptom of both thyroid damage and zinc deficiency.

>> I had hoped that a year of eating paleo would return my body to normal
>> but this hasn't happened yet.  For all the good things it's done, it
>> seems some damage is here to stay.  I find that a bit depressing.
>
> Same with me. However there are signs of change for the better,
> although
> slow.
> The obvious symptoms of zinc deficiency disappeared in a short time
> (months) after I learned to eat paleo. The damage from taking zinc
> without
> copper is still with me.

When you say this- do you mean paleo cured your zinc deficiency, or you
started taking zinc supplements at the same time?  Do you think there
is any hope for my thyroid and adrenal glands?  I am only 22, and
although I stay relatively fit and active, sometimes I feel like I'm
swimming against the tide.  I remember the change in me when I was
about 10- when the milk started to wear me away.  I'd love to feel as
alive as I did when I was 8 or 9; in fact, even *half* as good would be
an improvement.

Ashley