Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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Recently in my quest to determine the status of my adrenal function and just overall health status, I learned about using body temperature recordings as a free and convenient means to make this determination. There are a few websites advocating this method, but the most detailed I could find is this: http://www.drrind.com/therapies/metabolic-temperature-graph#directions

All you do is record your body temperature 3 times per day, 3 hours apart, starting 3 hours after you wake up, using a standard digital thermometer that you can buy for a few bucks at any drug store. The recommended location for the recording is under the tongue, since it is the most accurate. According to Dr. Rind from the above website, if taken every day for several weeks, this information is an accurate reflection of one's general metabolic functioning and is diagnostic for several of the most common and disabling metabolic disorders like adrenal fatigue, hypothyroidism, Type 2 diabetes, etc. I have done the recordings daily for about 10 days now, and they indicate that I have hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue, both of which I have suspected having for some time.

Does anyone here have any experience with this diagnostic method, and even if you haven't, what is your opinion on it? I think it provides some useful information, although I think it is best if a doctor or other health practitioner who has expertise in this area interprets the recordings. Maybe some of you can do the recordings and report back the results just to test the validity of it.

flag	asked Nov 4 2011 at 3:36 Jon 1,293●3●14

Good question, for adrenal fatigue you can look for the blood pressure test in different body positions. – tempomat Nov 4 2011 at 10:10

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If you cant use your uncoupling proteins then your surface temps are innaccurate. If you are LS then body temps work well. Most people checking them for disease have Leptin problems so they are not very accurate but do tell you about trends. So I like them for trending. It tells you more about thyroid and leptin than your adrenals. – The Quilt Nov 4 2011 at 16:18

Curious, what pattern do you show in your 10-day chart that lead you to conclude that hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue are invovled? – Namby Pamby Nov 4 2011 at 22:09

According to Dr. Rind, body temps significantly below 98.6 degrees F every day chronically is indicative of hypothyroidism, while body temps that fluctuate significantly throughout the day for several weeks (controlling for activities that might cause them to fluctuate) is indicative of adrenal fatigue. Since I started taking my temps every day, they have been both low and highly variable, which suggests (but does not prove) that I have hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue, which makes sense to me, as I have many of the symptoms of the former and almost all of the symptoms of the latter. – Jon Nov 5 2011 at 0:58

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There is a similar post over here paleohacks.com/questions/74883/… (for those that have not already seen it). More info & links on the body temp subject – daz Nov 5 2011 at 4:54

daz · Accepted Answer · 2011-11-04 23:45:17Z UTC

Personally, I think there is some merit to it. Back in March, i tracked my temps for a month between 1 & 5 times per day (when i remembered to take it). But i also took my basal temp as well, as recommended by Broda Barns (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broda_Otto_Barnes). Broda Barns recommended taking your armpit temp, but i used oral temp instead, which was easier & quicker & just as pertinent imo.

Anyway, the results indicated that i had both adrenal issues (temps all over the shop) & hypothyroidism (low average temps, rarely above 98F in my case). This lead me to take saliva tests for Testosterone, Estradiol (E2), DHEA-S, & Cortisol x 4. Cortisol showed AM was good, but the rest; noon, afternoon & evening were all too high/excessive.

So i needed to work on fixing my adrenals/reducing my chronic high levels of cortisol.

I have slowly (over months) raised my basal (morning) oral temp up from around 96.5F to around the 97.5F mark on average. & feel better for it, i hate feeling cold.

EDIT: Ray Peat ( http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/hypothyroidism.shtml ) mentions; "In a normal person, both temperature and pulse rate rise after breakfast, but in very hypothyroid people either, or both, might fall."

I'm not sure about this one, my own experience was inconclusive? I would be interested in feedback/findings from anyone measuring temp before & after breakfast. As Jon mentions, make sure you wait at least 20mins post eating/drinking so you don't get a false reading.

cliff · Answer 2 · 2011-11-04 11:45:04Z UTC

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broda barnes said the only accurate way to measure thyroid function is body temperature.

answered Nov 4 2011 at 11:45

cliff
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Kate · Answer 3 · 2011-11-04 12:16:12Z UTC

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I think there is some merit to it as well. I definitely think it would indicate whether or not your overall body temp is low. Not so sure about the adrenal fatigue "spread". It seems to me oral body temp fluctuates a lot during the day depending on movement, exercise, hot or cold foods, etc.

answered Nov 4 2011 at 12:16

Kate
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	I agree, which is why Dr. Rind says on his website to wait at least 20 minutes after any strenuous physical activity or eating before taking your temps. If you control for these factors, oral body temp should not fluctuate much if at all in a healthy individual. It makes sense to me that if your body can't regulate its temperature properly, you probably have a malfunctioning thyroid and/or adrenals and/or other organs, although like Dr. Kruse mentioned, leptin may be dysregulated also. – Jon Nov 4 2011 at 18:43
	Ray Peat (raypeat.com/articles/articles/…) mentions; "In a normal person, both temperature and pulse rate rise after breakfast, but in very hypothyroid people either, or both, might fall." I'm not sure about this one, my own experience went both ways? I would be interested in feedback/findings from anyone measuring temp before & after breakfast. As Jon mentions above, make sure you wait at least 20mins post eating/drinking so you don't get a false reading. – daz Nov 4 2011 at 22:36
	I have tried the Rind temp measuring protocol. However, my exercise, movement, eating schedule is so varied it is hard to keep within the parameters he advises. I do notice temp is DOWN after brushing my teeth, and UP afer 18 holes of golf carrying my bag. That being said, I have tried some "adrenal fatigue" protocols, and results have been remarkably positive. – Kate Nov 5 2011 at 0:41
	I am just curious what protocols you are referring to, and how you are defining results - improvement in symptoms, body temps, or other tests like salivary cortisol/DHEA. I agree that it can be very hard to follow Dr. Rind's protocol depending on one's lifestyle, but adherence doesn't have to be perfect to collect enough information to guide your treatment, and Dr. Rind even says as much on his website. 2 readings per day instead of 3 is better than 0. – Jon Nov 5 2011 at 1:05

Is body temperature an accurate indicator of metabolic function/dysfunction?

3 Answers