Low body temp?

[Twilight_Princess]

Just curious, having low body temperature between 95.8 - 96.8 lately - could this be a sign of thyroid disorder? I don't ever remember my body temperature being this low.

[Thypatient]

Low body tempature can be one symptom of hypothyroidism.  But it's only that and not a concrete sign.  Therefore, it can't be used as a diagnotic tool.  That it was and sometimes still is has been the problem.

Also, by no means, in itself, is low body temperature indicative of a problem with T3.  As someone who had the thryoid removed and subsequently gets monitored for issues with T3; never has the subject of low body temperature been broached.

stella5349:  "We know the story on Dr. Wilson."  ~ There are many who do not.  Too many, if you ask me.  I am continuously amazed by that and highly recommend they find out.

For an overview of thyroid disease, I recommend the websites and readings from the American Thyroid Association and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.  ...Lest that sound too ethnocentric, there's always the British Thyroid Association.

[AR-10]

I agree with you on everything you said Stella, except that everyone does not know about Dr. Wilson.

If someone wants to follow his protocol, that is their decision, if they can find a doctor who agrees.

I think that if a new member is guided to his site, that person should be warned that he has been shunned by the medical community.

Your advice to ask for thyroid tests is good advice.
Body temperature can be an indicator. But it is not always an acurate indicator. Proper testing should be done.

And people should be warned about doctors who have been disciplined for questionable practices. Maybe we need a entry in the health pages listing such doctors.

[stella5349]

You can find many sources on body temp linking it to hypothyroidism and the other symptoms you are facing.

Since you suspect your thyroid being a problem - it would be best to google search "hypothyroidism check list" and pull one of those up. It has many things listed on that - you could use to see if anything else matches up with your bodies situation.

This way you can take the list to your doctor and then move forward on getting some labs - that would be the next step. Labs and symptoms can be looked at - and your doctor can decided if thyroid meds may be right for you. There is a wide range when it comes to lab work - so make sure - if you go that route to stop back and tell us how it went.

Instead of debating over Dr. Wilson who had suspected basal temp being linked to hypothyroidism, which it is - let focus on getting this member some information on how to find out if she could be showing signs  and guide her to her doctor , so she can be tested accordingly.

We know the story on Dr. Wilson.

A good test to look at for your doctor to see if you are showing signs of thyroid problems would be to ask for a TSH - Free T3 and a Free T4.

You should find some information here in our Health Pages too to help you get some answers. If you can't find the Health Pages - let me know.

Hope you feel better soon.

[AR-10]

Dr. Dennis Wilson has lost his licence to practice medicine becuase of the damage he caused with his "Wilson's Syndrome".

It does not exist.

You can talk about body temperature all day long, and with good reason, but following Dr. Wilson's advice is a big mistake.

[edra]

Low temperatures are a sign that your body doesn't have/can't make enough T3 to keep your temp at 98.6F.  Although most endos and GPs poo-poo this as a diagnostic tool, I think they're dead wrong.

I've been fighting illness for 17 years and just now discovered what my low temp may mean.  E. Denis Wilson MD believes the syndrome is a famine-survival mechanism in which stress causes the body to shift T4-T3 production to T4-RT3 production to lower body temp.  Unfortunately the body can get stuck in this state, and the lowered temp causes non-optimal function of enzymes in the body, and symptoms that go along with that.

Wilson has a treatment protocol for this.  Suggest you check out this  site:

http://www.wilsonstemperaturesyndrome.com

[Twilight_Princess]

Gosh I do have tiredness, fatigue and shortness of breath. I thought maybe this was a part of menopause - I had a total hysterectomy Feb. 08. so who knows what is happening to me now.

I was having a problem with an irregular heartbeat, but it's almost completely stopped now. I just don't understand this low body temp thing going on with me now. Strange how something told me to start taking my temperature and I did and I am glad I did. My normal temp is usually 97.5, somewhere around there.