HERE'S a thyroid-adrenal connection for you....

It's my favorite non-essential amino acid.  It's one of the two building-blocks of thyroid hormones.  It's an important precursor to catecholamines too, i find.  It's tyrosine.

Tyrosine is created in the body from phenylalanine, with iron as a part of the catalysis, and oxygen.  If something is missing -- voila, hypothyroidism and STRESS in capital letters.  It makes me want to take the "iron-overload" alarmists by the throat and shake.  HARD.

I've been supplementing with tyrosine for months now, and i'm very pleased with how it has improved my native thyroid production.  I had no idea it was important in stress-management, too, through its role in norepinephrine and dopamine production; it alleviates depletion of brain catecholamines when administered to animals (including humans) who are subsequently exposed to stresses of various kinds.

Of course, i like best those trials which are decently designed and controlled, and use PEOPLE, who (for the most part) differ from mice.  ;-)  In one, the subjects were kept up all day and night, and given some mood and performance tests, in which tyrosine beat placebo for both kinds of "decline."  In another, tyrosine beat placebo again when tried on cadets undergoing combat training, and lowered blood-pressure as well.  Yet another showed that tyrosine buffered subjects from the mood and memory decreases in people stressed with cold exposure.

Hmmmm, cold exposure....  Maybe if i up my tyrosine supplementation, i can actually try (and perhaps benefit from) CT?

Well, CT or no CT, i DO plan to increase my daily dose.  Who knows what all will improve -- i'll keep you posted.

funny, now "adrenal exhaustion/burnout" IS real....

A couple of years ago when i was first reading up on how to improve my hypothyroidism, i came upon a website that spoke of how "adrenal fatigue" complicates it.  I'd never heard of such a thing before, but perusing the chart it sure hit home.

You see, i don't HAVE some of the classic symptoms of hypothyroidism (mine are those most closely associated with nutrient deficiencies).  I should have a slow heartbeat and low blood pressure and poor appetite, but in fact, it's historically been the opposite.  I used to be strung WAY too tight.  Yep, i seemed to be exhibiting the "combination" problem.

So i tried a cheap-and-dirty remedy -- i started using tincture of licorice a couple of times a day, and concentrated on relaxation and stress-avoidance.  It helped a LOT.  I haven't felt the same kind of exhaustion i used to, in a long time.  And when i was doing all that reading, "authorities" were pouring scorn on the whole idea that mere stress could result in depleted adrenal function....

As usual, when i was reading about what nutrients might bolster adrenal function, there was a lot of common factors with thyroid function -- vitamins A, C, E, quality proteins, magnesium and zinc....  No wonder that my adrenal function seems repaired, as my recent supplementation covers the bases pretty darned well.  Note to self:  start adding nutritional yeast to soups and things -- i already have a big bag of it in the freezer, because i used to use it regularly.

Oh, i also need to add, i had never "done" VLC when the "adrenal complication" made its presence known.  When i began developing it, i hadn't even done LCHF.  To blame burnout on LC is just plain nonsense, though i can see how it might exacerbate the problem.

Well, i obviously need to read up more on the situation ... now that it actually EXISTS!  ;-)