Basal Body Temperature Tracking – Part One – Thyroid

by Heads Up Health | Sep 17, 2017 | Self Tracking

Tracking basal body temperature can be a useful tool that can help you to uncover hypothyroid and even hyperthyroid patterns, just by taking your temperature at the same time every morning for five consecutive days.

Heads Up Health makes it easy to track, trend and compare your basal body temperature readings alongside all your other health metrics. Start your free 30-day trial using the button below. Or, read on to learn more about basal body temperature and how to track it.

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Basal Body Temperature

When tracking basal body temperature, we want to track your resting temperature which is a reflection of your metabolic activity with minimal influence from outside factors like digestion, exercise, stress, etc.  After you’ve been asleep for several hours, the body has ideally settled into its resting metabolic pattern, so we have a way to compare your temperature with as little interference as possible.

Thyroid Symptoms

Most everyone knows someone with a thyroid condition.  Maybe you even suspect that you have a thyroid condition, but haven’t made an appointment with your doctor yet or your labs have all come back normal.   If you suspect that you may have a thyroid condition, these are some of the symptoms that you may be experiencing.

Hypothyroid Symptoms (more common)

• low body temperature-feeling cold in a warm room, or having cold hands and feet consistently.
• apathy or depression
• lack of motivation
• fatigue
• constipation
• inability to lose weight or weight gain
• frequent colds
• swelling in ankles
• lack of libido
• hair loss
• insomnia and more.

Hyperthyroid Symptoms (less common)

• increased heart rate
• anxiety
• insomnia
• frequent and loose bowel movements
• sweating
• unintended weight loss and more.

Hypothyroidism is so prevalent that its become a thing we just expect to have happen to us at some point, and we often accept that these symptoms are just a consequence of getting older.  Symptoms are messengers from our body, alerting us to a system that is out of balance.  The thyroid influences almost every cell in the body, so when it’s not supported, the symptoms can present in other areas of our bodies.  Using the basal body temperature readings developed by Dr. Barnes can help you to hone in on a potential thyroid condition and allow you to seek the help you need to support your thyroid.

The basal body temperature test can be used whether or not you’ve had a thyroid test recently.  Thyroid hormones are made in the thyroid, but most of the active (energy) thyroid hormone T3 is converted from the inactive (storage) T4 form in other parts of the body, which means that thyroid function is about more than just the TSH hormone levels in the blood.  Other sites of conversion include the gut (20%), liver (40%) and peripheral tissues (20%). A compromise in the liver or gut can cause a decrease in the conversion of the inactive thyroid hormones to the active thyroid hormones. Another factor to consider is vitamin and mineral deficiencies as the thyroid uses iodine, selenium, zinc, magnesium, the amino acid Tyrosine, as well as vitamins A, C, D, B2, B3, B12 and healthy fats to function optimally.

Because your gut health is a major site of thyroid conversion, Tracking your Bristol Stool Chart can be another piece to the puzzle when trying to figure out a thyroid pattern. Thyroid dysfunction can alter bowel movement patterns as well, which can clue us in to the possibility of a thyroid issue.

The body can compensate for quite a while on reduced resources before the blood will show a significant change to be diagnosed with a thyroid disorder.  Tracking your basal body temperature for 5 days can give you a better understanding of a trend for either hypo or hyper thyroid patterns, so you can further explore paces where the breakdown may be happening.  Hypothyroid is much more common than hyperthyroid, but either can occur. For more info on what labs are important to ask for when you talk to your doc, check out Amy Berger’s article on Thyroid testing here.  Though she talks about it in the context of a low carb diet, the testing info will apply to anyone who thinks they may need a thyroid panel worked up.

HOW to take your Basal Body Temperature for tracking.

Prepare the night before you want to start tracking you basal body temperature.  You’ll need a thermometer (glass is preferred as it’s more accurate than digital for this purpose-avoid mercury and opt for a Geratherm glass thermometer which you can find here), your phone/device for timing and documenting your results.

*Note – if you sleep with a heated blanket, or multiple heavy blankets, you’ll want to remove them for the nights that you’ll be collecting your data, to get an accurate reflection of your body temp.

1. Shake down your thermometer so that it’s ready for morning.  Place all supplies by the bed where you can reach them with minimal effort in the morning.
2. When you awaken, you will take your thermometer and place it in your armpit for minimum of 5 min (glass will need at least 4 min for accuracy), first thing in the morning.  Try to move minimally so as to not rev up your body temp.  After 5-10 min, record your temperature and go about your day as normal.
3. Repeat this process for 5 consecutive days.
4. Ladies, you will want to avoid starting or collecting data on day 19-22 of your menstrual cycle as there are fluctuations due to other hormones as well as related to ovulation, which we will talk about in a subsequent basal temperature tracking article.

How to interpret your readings.

Dr. Barnes found that a normal resting body temp should be between 97.8-98.2 degrees Fahrenheit.  If it is consistently lower, then there is a trend toward a hypothyroid (decreased function) pattern.  If consistently above 98.2, then this indicates a trend for more of a hyperthyroid (increased function) presentation.  If results are mixed, both high and low, this is often more indicative of a primary adrenal stress pattern, as the adrenals and thyroid are closely linked, which would allow for the variation in body temperature.

What to do with your results

If you find that your temperatures indicate the possibility of thyroid or adrenal stress, take your readings in your Heads Up Health app to your functional health doctor/provider so you can further investigate where the breakdown could be and support for healing.

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Disclaimer-  The content in this post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this post.

Tracking the Feldman Protocol with Heads Up

by Heads Up Health | Sep 16, 2017 | Self Tracking

The Feldman protocol…picture this scenario….

You’ve been following a low carb or ketogenic diet. You’ve lost weight, your acid reflux is gone, your blood pressure’s normal for the first time in years, your blood sugar’s better, you’ve been able to ditch some of your type 2 diabetes meds, you have more energy, and your joints no longer feel like you need to spray them with WD-40. You feel like a new person! Your doctor is thrilled with all this … until your cholesterol results come back. (more…)

Bristol Stool Chart – What Your Poop is Telling You…

by Dave Korsunsky | Jul 25, 2017 | Self Tracking

Heads Up Health allows you to track the Bristol Stool Chart to help you identify problematic foods, supplements, digestive health and other lifestyle stressors. While it may seem foreign or unusual to examine what comes out of your body, it’s pretty important for improving or maintaining your health. The amount of time your food travels through your body can give you clues as to whether or not the fuel you’re putting into it is best serving you and if you’re able to digest and assimilate it well. (more…)

Breast Cancer Screening

by Dave Korsunsky | May 29, 2017 | Self Tracking

Breast cancer occurs when the normal cells in the breast start growing rapidly and spreading locally.  If left untreated, these cells can travel to other parts of the body and continue to grow.  Besides skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer and it is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in US women (lung cancer is the first). Preventing breast cancer is not possible in most cases, but thanks to a few simple breast cancer screening tests, we can detect breast cancer in its initial stages, when treatment is more successful.

How do we Screen for Breast Cancer?

You may hear about other ways to screen for breast cancer, but for average-risk women, screening mammography is the gold standard of care.

Mammography:

Breast cancer screening – National Cancer Institute – Bill Branson (photo)

A mammogram is an X-ray image of the breast that allows us to detect cancer at early stages, often when it is still too small to notice by touch.  Currently, this is the most widely used and accepted screening method.  While the other imaging techniques below may offer additional information, they should only be reserved for special circumstances and not for general screening purposes.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI):

MRIs use magnetic waves instead of X-rays to image the breast tissue.  MRI detects breast cancers better than the mammogram, but because of its tendency to also over-diagnose cancer in healthy breast tissue, it leads to unnecessary, more invasive testing in people who do not need it.  For this reason, a mammogram is still the gold-standard screening tool.

Ultrasonography (US):

Ultrasounds use real-time sound waves to visualize the breast tissue and are also not recommended for general screening.  It can be useful as a follow-up to an abnormal mammogram, or in women with dense breast tissue.

Breast Self-Awareness:

Women should also be aware of their normal breast tissue.  If they notice any changes that are unusual or concerning, they should discuss them with their doctor.

Evidence shows that women who have regular screening mammograms are less likely to die from breast cancer than those who do not.

When does the breast cancer screening Begin?

Recommendations can vary slightly depending on the source you read, so it is always a good idea to talk to your doctor about your risk factors and determine the best option for you.

As a general rule:

Breast cancer screening – National Cancer Institute – Rhoda Baer (Photographer)

• Average-risk women should start screening at age 40. For most women, this means scheduling your first mammogram at this time.

• Some low-risk women may have the option to delay mammograms for several years until the age of 45 or 50.

• All women by age 50 should have had at least one mammogram, regardless of risk.

• Screenings should continue every 1-2 years until at least the age of 74.

If cost is an issue, the CDC has resources to provide low-cost woman’s health services including mammograms.  Check out their website to see if you qualify.

What does my Test Result Mean?

An abnormal mammogram result does NOT mean you have breast cancer.  In fact, most women who are recalled for additional testing after an abnormal mammogram are found they do not have cancer.  No screening test is perfect, and the mammogram is no different.

In most of these cases, we perform a diagnostic mammogram where additional images are taken of the breasts focusing on the area(s) of concern.

“On average, 10% of women will be recalled from each screening examination for further testing, and only 5 of the 100 women recalled will have cancer.”

A normal mammogram result also does not guarantee that you are cancer-free.  Studies estimate that mammograms can miss early cancers in up to 20% of cases.  

That is a scary thought, but it sheds some light on why it is important to continue scheduling your mammogram every year even if yours have all been normal.  Each subsequent mammogram decreases the likelihood of missing early cancer exponentially — The odds drop to 4% after the second mammogram, and are just 1% after the third.

If you have been putting off that mammogram this year, now is a good time to call and schedule it.

What’s Next?

• Learn more about breast cancer and breast cancer screening.

• Know your risk factors by taking the NIH Breast Cancer Risk Assessment.

• Over the age of 40? Then it is time to talk to your doctor about breast cancer screening.

• Already had your yearly mammogram?  Head over to the Insights Page to check that off your To-Do list!