@LucH said in Your top daily supplement? If you had to pick just 1:

@Mossy said in Your top daily supplement? If you had to pick just 1:

I do have a vitamin D deficiency, which is why I tend to be determined to make supplementing with it work.

Hi,
When Vit D is deficient, magnesium should be tightly kept round 380 - 450 mg.

Interaction of magnesium with the status of vitamin D.
“Magnesium supplementation increased the 25(OH)D3 concentration when baseline 25(OH)D concentrations were close to 30 ng/mL, but decreased it when baseline 25(OH)D was higher (from ∼30 to 50 ng/mL). Magnesium treatment significantly affected 24,25(OH)2D3 concentration when baseline 25(OH)D concentration was 50 ng/mL but not 30 ng/mL.
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that optimal magnesium status may be important for optimizing 25(OH)D status.” (6-7))
More info (In French, translator needed, but with links in English)
Le niveau de vitamine D plafonne (Vitamin D level plateaus)
http://mirzoune-ciboulette.forumactif.org/t1598-le-niveau-de-vitamine-d-plafonne#19020
Here is one reason why your D3 supplementation isn't working.

Excerpt of the post on my forum (translated)
Magnesium status influences the assimilation of vitamin D3
Key ideas
Magnesium is an essential cofactor for the synthesis and activation of vitamin D, but taking large doses of vitamin D can induce a Mg deficiency.
Some people plateau in the assimilation of active vitamin D3. We will try to understand why.
• We already knew that there was a synergy between fat-soluble vitamins but their assimilation is interconnected, and interference from the level of low-grade inflammation impacts the level of active vitamin D3.
• We have a feedback mechanism modulating the absorption of Mg, vitamin D and calcium, in order to maintain homeostasis.
• For example, magnesium would control the possible toxicity of excess vitamin D3.
• Research establishes that the Ca/Mg ratio ≈ 2:1 is optimal. However, an increased intake of unused calcium, for example following a lack of K2, can lead to an increase in urinary excretion of magnesium.
• Poor electrolyte balance can lead to autoregulation via inactivation: conversion of the active form of vitamin D to calcitriol.
Indeed, calcitriol induces the expression of 24-hydroxylase (CYP24A1) which converts 25(OH)D3 and 1,25(OH)2D3 into inactive metabolites.

Hello, thank you for this. I don't doubt that I'm magnesium deficient, and I do attempt to stay replete, but supplements are very hit and miss for me. Since starting with D3 again, I'm using magnesium oil (magnesium chloride) topically, though I'm not certain of the dose. You seem to think that the dose needs to be in that exact range. Apart from supplementing, it would be tough to know that I'm keeping it in that range. Regardless, I am attempting to get some.

What about acerola powder, which is vitamin C derived from cherries? Though, it's usually much more costly and the dose is larger to get an equivalent dose to synthetic.

@Jennifer said in Your top daily supplement? If you had to pick just 1:

@Mossy said in Your top daily supplement? If you had to pick just 1:

@Jennifer said in Your top daily supplement? If you had to pick just 1:

@Mossy said in Your top daily supplement? If you had to pick just 1:

@Jennifer said in Your top daily supplement? If you had to pick just 1:

@Mossy, I have a doctor treating my thyroid but if she refused to, I would feel confident ordering from a Mexican pharmacy. I feel my best when my TSH is <0.1, but doctors always pull me off my med when it gets that low and I’m expecting my current doctor to do the same. I’ve spoken with her about it and she’s willing to treat my symptoms, but only to a point. If my TSH gets below range, she’ll most likely reduce my dose so I’ll have to supplement the Armour with TyroMax and stop taking the latter a month before I get new labs.

Ok, good to know. You've reminded me that Labs would still be good to have when self-treating, so if/when I start thyroid I will have to order those myself. I may start vitamin D3 first, then go to thyroid based on how that makes me feel, with pro-thyroid being the goal.

Yes, I find labs are important to keep track of my cholesterol level—Ray told me if it’s too low, thyroid can trigger stress hormones—but temp, pulse, achilles tendon reflex, urine output and symptoms have been better diagnostics for my thyroid function than blood values. With that said, my doctor won’t prescribe me medication without a thyroid panel, and I feel my best when my TSH is suppressed. I think that’s a good idea to start with D3. I do wish I had trusted my intuition and got on thyroid before exhausting every other thyroid optimizing avenue, but there was a learning curve even with NDT and for some people, D3 and diet are enough to turn the hypothyroid tide.

I appreciate your thoroughness and additional information. The fact that Ray said those markers are even better than blood values gives me quite a bit of confidence to go with those, at least for starters. I realize I won't know my cholesterol without a blood test, but if a stress response is triggered that would be obvious. I do remember you mentioning that you did feel best with a low TSH, "...as low as .008", so I have no problem attempting the same. Ok, so it sounds like you felt you wasted time and energy when you should've just gone to thyroid. If I wasn't so sensitive to supplements I probably would do that. I took 10,000 IU of D3 the night before last, with calcium acetate (calcium carbonate in vinegar) an hour prior to it (in an attempt to mitigate negative effects from the D3) and it has me a little wired, which turns into wired and tired at times, but not as bad as I can be on most supplements. Depending on how I feel by tomorrow, I will either continue with this current D3 (not certain about the calcium), possibly try the lichen-derived D3 (though the potency, being considerably less, wouldn't allow me to use 10,000 IU doses cost-effectively), or jump in with the thyroid—but it's that learning curve you and everyone else speaks of that I will have to be ready to deal with. It sounds like thyroid is better for you than D3, but that maybe thyroid is more involved and creates more of a dependency. Or am I misinterpreting?

Oh, Ray didn’t tell me that. I find them to be more reliable. Regarding vitamin D3–do you have a deficiency and if not, could you have taken too much? 10,000 IUs is quite a large dose. I usually take 2,000 IUs in the spring and summer and 5,000 IUs in the fall and winter. Thyroid is definitely better for me than D3 but is more involved, yes. I know it’s said that vitamin D is more like a hormone or pro-hormone but for me, it’s nothing like taking actual hormones. The latter is far more potent, IME.

I do have a vitamin D deficiency, which is why I tend to be determined to make supplementing with it work. My thought was to load up at first and then taper down to a lower dose. Here is a quote from Peat about a dose that high that has given me the confidence to try it. (This is someone else asking him the question, not me.) :

Q: “Was tested low in vitamin D. Would supplementing 8,000 units a day be too much?”

“If you figure that being in a bathing suit in the sun for 20 or 30 minutes enough to just start turning pink, that can make 10,000 or 15,000 units. So 5,000 or 10,000 units is never gonna be harmful. I've never heard of 10,000 a day being harmful.” - Ray Peat

You're lucky you've had such success with thyroid. If this experiment with vitamin D3 doesn't work out, I'll probably go to thyroid next.

@tubert said in Topical Vitamin K2 for regrowth:

Re: Topical Solutions on scalp for hair regrowth

I was just wondering, as I was looking all over the web for people trying out vit K2 topically for hair regrowth and I couldn't really find any trials or even anecdotes. If vit K2 can decalcify, the scalp through the oral route (I assume it is quite slow of a process) why is topical use not recommended? The only thing I could find was that some few people have used it to get rid of dark circles under the eyes. Obviously not really calcium deposits, but quite astounding nevertheless.
Has anyone here ever experimented with it on the scalp?

I know hearsay and bad information tends to spread easily, but there are many conversations on the original RayPeatForum that talk about vitamin K2 causing hair loss; though, I believe this is from taking it internally, not topically.

@Serotoninskeptic said in Your top daily supplement? If you had to pick just 1:

@Mossy Yes labs are always good to know but they aernt the best indicator of thyroid health. I usually get 1-2 a year. Checking your temperature and pulse could be a better measurement.

Ok, that seconds what Jennifer was saying. Then I won't spend the money on labs at first.

@Jennifer said in Your top daily supplement? If you had to pick just 1:

@Mossy said in Your top daily supplement? If you had to pick just 1:

@Jennifer said in Your top daily supplement? If you had to pick just 1:

@Mossy, I have a doctor treating my thyroid but if she refused to, I would feel confident ordering from a Mexican pharmacy. I feel my best when my TSH is <0.1, but doctors always pull me off my med when it gets that low and I’m expecting my current doctor to do the same. I’ve spoken with her about it and she’s willing to treat my symptoms, but only to a point. If my TSH gets below range, she’ll most likely reduce my dose so I’ll have to supplement the Armour with TyroMax and stop taking the latter a month before I get new labs.

Ok, good to know. You've reminded me that Labs would still be good to have when self-treating, so if/when I start thyroid I will have to order those myself. I may start vitamin D3 first, then go to thyroid based on how that makes me feel, with pro-thyroid being the goal.

Yes, I find labs are important to keep track of my cholesterol level—Ray told me if it’s too low, thyroid can trigger stress hormones—but temp, pulse, achilles tendon reflex, urine output and symptoms have been better diagnostics for my thyroid function than blood values. With that said, my doctor won’t prescribe me medication without a thyroid panel, and I feel my best when my TSH is suppressed. I think that’s a good idea to start with D3. I do wish I had trusted my intuition and got on thyroid before exhausting every other thyroid optimizing avenue, but there was a learning curve even with NDT and for some people, D3 and diet are enough to turn the hypothyroid tide.

I appreciate your thoroughness and additional information. The fact that Ray said those markers are even better than blood values gives me quite a bit of confidence to go with those, at least for starters. I realize I won't know my cholesterol without a blood test, but if a stress response is triggered that would be obvious. I do remember you mentioning that you did feel best with a low TSH, "...as low as .008", so I have no problem attempting the same. Ok, so it sounds like you felt you wasted time and energy when you should've just gone to thyroid. If I wasn't so sensitive to supplements I probably would do that. I took 10,000 IU of D3 the night before last, with calcium acetate (calcium carbonate in vinegar) an hour prior to it (in an attempt to mitigate negative effects from the D3) and it has me a little wired, which turns into wired and tired at times, but not as bad as I can be on most supplements. Depending on how I feel by tomorrow, I will either continue with this current D3 (not certain about the calcium), possibly try the lichen-derived D3 (though the potency, being considerably less, wouldn't allow me to use 10,000 IU doses cost-effectively), or jump in with the thyroid—but it's that learning curve you and everyone else speaks of that I will have to be ready to deal with. It sounds like thyroid is better for you than D3, but that maybe thyroid is more involved and creates more of a dependency. Or am I misinterpreting?

@Jennifer said in Your top daily supplement? If you had to pick just 1:

@Mossy, I have a doctor treating my thyroid but if she refused to, I would feel confident ordering from a Mexican pharmacy. I feel my best when my TSH is <0.1, but doctors always pull me off my med when it gets that low and I’m expecting my current doctor to do the same. I’ve spoken with her about it and she’s willing to treat my symptoms, but only to a point. If my TSH gets below range, she’ll most likely reduce my dose so I’ll have to supplement the Armour with TyroMax and stop taking the latter a month before I get new labs.

Ok, good to know. You've reminded me that Labs would still be good to have when self-treating, so if/when I start thyroid I will have to order those myself. I may start vitamin D3 first, then go to thyroid based on how that makes me feel, with pro-thyroid being the goal.

@Jennifer said in Your top daily supplement? If you had to pick just 1:

@Mossy said in Your top daily supplement? If you had to pick just 1:

@Sugarnotsnow said in Your top daily supplement? If you had to pick just 1:

@Mossy said in Your top daily supplement? If you had to pick just 1:

@Sugarnotsnow said in Your top daily supplement? If you had to pick just 1:

@Jennifer Agree with Jennifer on this one. Thyroid was so essential in my journey to metabolic health. Thyroid and vitamin D are the two supplements i continue to take.

You and Jennifer both have had success with thyroid. I've read so many comments of how challenging it is to get it right. If time allows, do you mind if I ask which brand you take and how you take it, and what improvements you see on it? Many take it intending to wean off of it once health has improved. Is that your goal as well, or do you intent to continue with it long-term? Of all the Peatisms, thyroid is the one thing I have not tried yet due to a majority of bad experiences others have had. Maybe your story could prove otherwise.

I take haidut's thyroid "tyromix." When taking it I would not take more than 2 drops at once. more than 9mcg t3 in one sitting will cause a stress reaction. So i take it one drop at a time spread out throughout the day. I take it with meals. For example 6 mcg t4 3 mcg t3 with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Then two doses before bed. I total 5 drops throughout the day. When I first started I was needing up to 12 drops a day to maintain high temps. I have slowly weaned off but I dont plan to come off entirely.

Thank you for the detail. It's interesting that you take Tyromix and @Jennifer prefers Tyromax. Maybe I will have to try both.

I prefered TyroMix initially but after a while, it stopped working for me. Ray said that thyroid hormone is unstable in alcohol so I initially thought maybe it had lost its potency over time. All I know for sure is, my T4 never came back below range until supplementing with TyroMix and when I switched back to TyroMax, my T4 came right back in range and my hypo symptoms vanished. With that said, Armour works better for me than TyroMax—I need half the amount.

Ok, now that is interesting, that you only need 1/2 as much with Armour. I do like the idea of supporting Haidut, but cost wise Armour is looking attractive. Do you mind sharing if you're self treating with the thyroid or do you have a doctor and a prescription? I ask in an effort to learn how confident you and others are buying from the Mexican pharmacies online, which I assume is how people get thyroid without prescription. I understand if you don't want to share some things.

@Sugarnotsnow said in Your top daily supplement? If you had to pick just 1:

@Mossy Ive never tried tyromax or any form of NDT. I only have experience with synthetic but it worked well for me so I see no reqson to change

It's hard to argue with success. I can't blame you for not changing. Per a previous comment from Jennifer, the ratio for T4:T3, is 2:1 for Tyromix, and 4:1 for Tyromax. When I have the courage I'll try each. I just don't feel like dealing with the tachycardia, which seems inevitable for me — until I get the dose right.

@Jennifer said in Your top daily supplement? If you had to pick just 1:

@Mossy, here’s a link to the lichen-based D3:

https://greenpeach.com/products/liquid-vitamin-d3-400iu

Or if you prefer to order it through Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Liquid-Vegan-Organic-Vitamin-1600/dp/B0D8QCQVPG/ref=sr_1_4_sspa

I appreciate that. Thank you.