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After 2.5 years of telling my doctor that something wasn't right and being told I was "fine", I've found a new doc. He seems good, quite multidisciplinary, but he's never heard of Paleo (they're a bit behind the curve on that here in Germany) and he's concerned about my preliminary panel results without seeing a possible treatment plan in them.

My homeopath is generally happy with ourprogress but says I still have some acidosis, dysbiosis, and that my endocrine problems stem from the hypothalamus. Both men say I need to drink more water.

33 year old caucasian female, 1 year paleo (some safe starches now that the weather is cooling off), gluten and lactose intolerant, suspected endocrine disruption (certainly stress, possibly infection).

Primary complaint: hairloss and heart palpitations, postural presyncope. Hoping to concieve in the immediate future

FASTED bloodwork:

  • Glucose 97 mg/dl
  • uric acid 4.8 mg/dl
  • iron 113 µg/dl
  • Ferritin 136 µg/l
  • GFR(CKD-EPI) 83 ml/min/1.73qm
  • Vit D 52 mnol/l

Total cholesterol 341 mg/dl

  • Triglycerides 91 mg/dl
  • HDL 62
  • LDL 270

Thyroid panel

  • Free T3 2.7 pg.ml
  • Free T4 1.4 ng/dl
  • TSH (basal) 2.76 mlU/l
  • TPO 15 U/ml (note: this is referred to as Thyreoperioxidase-AAK in the lab report)
  • TSH receptor AKK (TRAK) negative

What say you, PaleoHacks? What the heck is wrong with me? Is my cholesterol profile okay? Is this a body that could optimally grow a person? (Or what else should I know before I can say that?)

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2 Answers

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From a midwife's perspective, I would say that now is not an optimal time for you to conceive. Regardless of your blood-work, you have some pretty substantial physical complaints. Pregnancy is a huge stressor on the body, so going into it when you're feeling less than healthy is never something I would recommend.

You don't say much about your specific diet. "Paleo" doesn't really say much, as there are many different ways of eating that can be The hair loss would make me think that your protein intake may be sub-optimal, and the heart palpitations may reflect a number of issues, including things like magnesium deficiency, adrenal issues, etc. I think that, before you decide to conceive, you need to make sure that you're in a place where you're healthy, strong, and your nutrition is well suited to your body. Pregnancy is enough of a strain if you -are- healthy... it's hard on both mother and baby when mom's dealing with health issues of her own.

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Agreed. Speaking as a pregnancy coach: The healthier (emotionally & physically) my clients are going into pregnancy, the easier their pregnancies and births are. In addition to Magnesium, Zinc is also deficient for many women. – Dragonfly Nov 30 2011 at 16:32
Thank you both; I agree with your perspective. To clarify: my main stressor is being an immigrant, and the only way to change that is to either move (huge new stressor) or wait. I'm taking a large dose of mag citrate, a prenatal and cod liver oil. I can look into zinc. In our household of 2 adults and one small child, we consume 36 to 40 eggs a week and eat flesh daily including organ meats once a week and fish twice a week. I'm hyperaware of the risks of ill-advised pregnancy. I'm wondering if the hair loss is now residual and the cause remedied, but not sure if the labs can tell me that. – LaurenM Nov 30 2011 at 16:43
1 
 Lauren~ Sorry I didn't see it before. Your D level is very low. When converted, it is only ~ 21 ng/ml. You really want to get it up to 50-80 ng/ml (125-200 nmol/l) Here's a link to a blog post & the Vitamin D Council newsletter on the topic:sondrarose.blogspot.com/2011/08/… – Dragonfly Nov 30 2011 at 17:42
Getting your D up will probably help a lot with your symptoms. As a hormone pre-cursor is it absolutely essential. You need an oil-based D3 supplement, unless you can find some tanning beds. – Dragonfly Nov 30 2011 at 17:45
I've been meaning to upgrade to Green Pastures FCLO; this is the kick in the pants to do it! I've been considering tanning beds anyway but hesitating due to cost. Perhaps the "cost" needs to be more broadly considered? Thanks again for your perspective. I had to ask to have the VitD tested, and my score fits the recommended range (13-118) nicely - another example of calling average normal? – LaurenM Nov 30 2011 at 20:00
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Can anyone comment on the cholesterol numbers? The numbers are so far outside of the indicated range that I'm freaked out, and I'm reading through threads here as fast as I can to get an idea of alternative interpretations.

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