[Daniel]

Hey ,

The likely hood may vary per age group, but thyroid problems can happen at any age! 

[Daniel]

Hey ,

Like Bernadette mentioned anemia, hypothyroidism and poor circulation can lead to feeling cold.

In addition, if you’re looking for clues you could look for patterns of complaints. For example when your daughter has a slow thyroid, you could look for other symptoms like hair loss, thinning of the eyebrows, constipation, slow movements, concentration problems, dry skin or poor wound healing. It’s not necessary to check all the boxes.

Anemia could also cause people to feel cold. The cold would be more in the hands & feet. Other symptoms that group together with anemia are pale/yellow skin, shortness of breath, rapid heart rate, headaches, dizziness and fainting, and concentration problems.

Emotional insecurity/anxiety can also cause feelings of coldness. 

Other reasons why children feel cold can be dietary. I don’t know if your daughter is a big eater. A calorie deficiency can also cause people to feel cold.

A pale tongue however fits more with anemia. When you like to test blood to be sure, make sure that your doctor also checks vitamin B12, folate, iron and ferritin as well.

[Daniel]

 I was looking at the cortisone and cortisol breakdown metabolites. The cortisol metabolites are at the low end of range while the cortisone metabolites are higher.

Do you have your thyroid results available? And possible other tests that’s were done 3-4 months ago?

And are there other medications and supplements you are taking or have been taking the last 6 months?

[Daniel]

Hey ,

The cuff can be adjustable in width but after a certain point, the length of the cuff must also become smaller with smaller arms. This is why I do recommend different cuffs for smaller arms sizes.

There can be many reasons for stomach pain including dehydration. Since you have been giving her more liquids, it could also be simply that. But it’s hard for me to estimate. If symptoms reappear I would also advise you to ask her to put her hands on the area she is feeling the pain.

Kids feel things faster in their stomachs. Sometimes this is because they don’t understand anatomy well. In small kids, the organs are also smaller and located closer to each other which makes them feel as if it is their stomach.

I would however like to see what type of anemia is at play and address that. 

[Daniel]

Hey ,

Have you looked into the library under monthly courses? There is a lot of documentation available.

This video explains the possible root causes of low cortisol.

Your DUTCH test also shows that you deactivate cortisol to cortisone. This can have different reasons, but I would first watch this video which explains what can contribute to having more cortisone. You might want to pay attention to the part where Bernadette explains:
 
• what inhibits the cortisone to cortisol 
• what increases cortisol to cortisone

In addition, I would like to ask you if you experience other symptoms as well. For example, do you experience symptoms that could be related to insulin resistance like frequent urination, increased hunger, feeling hangry, headaches, memory issues, blurred vision or strong cravings for sweets?

Although a slow thyroid doesn’t explicitly show up in your DUTCH test, your skin symptoms (and weight gain as well) could be related to your thyroid health. Do you experience other symptoms related to a slow thyroid? For example, do you feel cold, constipation, slow movements and thoughts, irregular periods,  tingling sensations or hair loss?

I’m also seeing elevations in melatonin. This could be caused due to dietary reasons. Did you by any chance eaten bananas, pineapple, citrus fruit, tart sour cherries, walnuts, corn, rice, or peanuts in the 2 days before taking the DUTCH test?

[Daniel]

Hey ,

I assume you mean high levels without injections or supplements? Are there any other symptoms present?

You might first want to check ‘hidden’ supplemental forms. Some products have vitamin B12 added. Protein bars and other sport products can contain an amount of vitamin B12. Energy drinks can also be a hidden B12 source. Keep in mind that when there are no current supplements or injections taken, earlier supplementation/injections can still affect serum B12 levels.

If you have ruled out nutritional causes, I prefer myself to rule out other big causes first.

Sometimes kidneys due to damage can’t secret the vitamin B12 for example. Vitamin B12 is also stored in the liver. Damage to the liver can spill vitamin B12 into the blood raising serum levels. Checking kidney and liver function would be on my list. I would also check white blood cells.

I don’t know if any complaints are present. With kidney problems symptoms like swollen ankles, feet and hands might present. Kidney and liver problems can also present in other symptoms like fatigue, shortness of breath, headaches, itchy skin. With liver problems a pale stool or a dark colored urine could also present.

If there are no symptoms present, I would still do the check-up to rule out any issues.

Perhaps you could share the number of the high levels that we are talking about.

Depending on the cause it might mean nothing at all (high serum levels aren’t always a problem, but it also depends on the values). If kidney and liver problems might be the underlying problem, the next step would be finding out what is causing these problems.

For example, high blood sugars can cause damage to the kidneys as well as high blood pressure. A fatty liver and drinking alcohol can cause damage to the liver. So can an undiagnosed hepatitis infection. 

Some medications can also cause liver and kidney damage. This can include regular use of over-the-counter medications like some NSAIDs (acetaminophen/tylenol, ibuprofen, etc)

I have zoomed in on the liver and kidney issues here just to illustrate that correcting naturally depends on the root cause. 

Remember: It could also be just a hidden food source!

[Daniel]

Hey ,

I can imagine you feel worried. Before I dive into giving some tips about what might cause low blood pressure, a common mistake with measuring blood pressure with kids is that the cuff size is too big for their arms. Usually for small arms, you will need different cuffs. Did you check that?

I recently wrote a tip that dives deeper into how to measure blood pressure correctly. Did you by any chance see it? You can find it here.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the normal range for blood pressure for kids is different. For younger kids, it’s usually lower. Smaller kids can have lower blood pressure as well. These numbers without symptoms would not be a concern.

However, she does have some symptoms and if her blood volume is low, this can cause low blood pressure. Low blood volume can be caused by heavy blood loss during her period. Being dehydrated can also decrease blood volume, so the focus on hydration is a good one.

Other things that might be at play are hormonal changes. When estrogen and progesterone start to increase in women at that age, the body starts to change. But instead of a gradual increase in hormones, the rise is more bumpy and the body needs to adjust. This can take a few years and is normal.

If the dizziness and headache come just before her period, the dizziness might have a hormonal component. Did you notice if this is the case?

Anaemia can also cause dizziness and headaches. It would be good to know what type of anaemia is at play. If you feel like sharing her labs, Bernadette or I will take a look at them! Measurements that are helpful are a Red Blood Cell (RBC) Count, hemoglobin, MCV, MCH, MCHC, folate, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, iron and ferritin. All labs help, but these values will give us more insight and would help give you more personalized advice!

In order for the body to make red blood cells, the body also needs the right nutrients. Make sure she has enough vitamin D, vitamin B12, zinc and vitamin A.

Is she on a plant-based diet? If she is getting periods, her need for iron will increase as well. The enzymes in the stomach that free up iron need vitamin C to function as well. You could help iron absorption by adding vitamin C rich foods or using a vitamin C supplement.

I hope this helps!

[Daniel]

What a fun topic! A question that I occasionally ask myself as well

[Daniel]

Hey @S_alm,

Does your supplement warn for this effect? Or is there another information source you have found? Perhaps you could share this with us, so we can take a look at this!

Usually having low levels of glutathion isn’t beneficial for acne. Glutathione for example helps prevents the damage done by free radicals and in some research, it shows that it can help reduce scars from acne.

If acne is a concern to you, I recommend you to read this handout.

Besides supplements, you can help the body produce glutathione with nutrients needed for its production. Here are nutrients that help:
• Sulfur containing nutrients like leeks, garlic, and onion, as well as cruciferous veggies (like cauliflower and kale).
• Vitamin C – Glutathione and Vitamin C work well together by replenishing and recycling one another.
• Selenium – This mineral can be found in Brazil nuts. Only a few per day can help you with the right dosage.
• Vitamin B6 – is needed to produce glutathione as well.
• NAC is a supplement that can increase glutathione in the body as well. It contains the amino acid cysteine which is one of the 3 amino acids glutathione is made out of.
• Proteins – as I mentioned above, glutathione is made of amino acids (not only cysteine but also glycine and glutamic acid).

Other things that will help improve glutathione production are a low-stress lifestyle, getting good quality sleep and exercise.

Other foods that have been shown to increase glutathione are found in this study. You can find them on page 6.  It’s a whole list, but spinach, potatoes, squash and okra do well, just like pork and beef!

[Daniel]

Hey @Szilvia  ,

I’m sorry to hear that! With mumps, the saliva glands swell (sometimes not all at once) and you would like to reduce foods that increase saliva production. Acid foods have a tendency to do that so try to avoid acid foods and acidic drinks like tomatoes, citrus fruits (including the juices), plums, grapes, grapefruits, blueberries, pineapples and peaches. Foods that are hard to chew are also foods you would like to avoid. Soup & mashed foods are better options.

Hydration is also very important with mumps. Make sure she drinks plenty of liquids!

Nutrients that help the immune system are vitamins A, D and B12. The mineral zinc is also important. With young kids, I prefer food-based options usually. Here are some options:

Although most of the vitamin D we make we can get from the sun, some food sources like salmon and eggs do contain vitamin D as well.

Vitamin A you can find for example in orange vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots and butternut squash. Also, spinach, bell peppers and broccoli are great sources of vitamin A.

Zinc can be found in beef, lamb, poultry, eggs, legumes, cashew and almond nuts and pumpkin seeds.

Vitamin b12 can be found in animal sources like fish, beef, poultry and eggs. Beef and poultry might be hard to swallow, but scrambled eggs for example are much easier to chew.

A hot or warm pack can help reduce swelling in infected areas.

Although I have no experience myself with these types of remedies, I know a lot of people like to apply certain pastes to infected areas. Anecdotal, dry ginger paste seems to bring some relief as well as paste from aloe vera. There is no research done yet on these remedies to back that up though.

I hope these tips can help!

[Daniel]

Hey ,

SIFO and SIBO share many symptoms and it is very well possible. We know for example when you use antibiotics fungus can start to overgrow since bacteria in the gut die off. Mold can contribute, but also immune dysfunction.

It is also possible to have SIBO and SIFO. Candida species have also been found in the majority of SIFO patients (here is an article if you are interested). We have a handout right here and you will probably recognize a lot of the recommendations we have made in the past.

The good news is that, in order to treat SIBO and SIFO (or even dysbiosis) there are many similar recommendations. A lot of the supplements you could use with SIBO can also be used with SIFO. Think of supplements like oregano, thyme, caprylic acid, uva-ursi, berberine, pau
d’arco, garlic, undecyclenic acid and combination supplements as well.

With SIFO you would like to avoid sugar and fast digestible carbohydrates as well. Fermented foods and foods containing yeast/fungi would be best to avoid in this case as well.

[Daniel]

Hey ,

You are right! Wrist based machines are usually less accurate then arm based machines.

Dysfunctional adrenals can for sure influence BP. Aldosterone, a hormone that regulates salt and water in the body, is a mineralocorticoid made in the adrenal glands. A mineralocorticoid is a class of corticosteroids, just like cortisol is. 

Therefore following improving adrenal function can impact blood pressure for sure!

[Daniel]

Hey ,

Kids can suffice with lower dosages of melatonin, but it does help to know how old your kids are. I like to start with low dosages as well (0.5-1mg) since high dosages can lead to other problems, like headaches, nausea, drowsiness, daytime sleepiness and agitation.

I’m based in The Netherlands, so I’m not so sure if we see the same brands when I go to iHerb. From the brands available in my iHerb webstore I like Life Extensions. Usually I like Thorne, although their dosages in this case (3 and 5 mg) are kinda high for kids who never used melatonin. I would first like to know how they have reacted to lower dosages.

[Daniel]

Hey ,

Fish liver oil supplements, such as cod liver oil, contain EPA and DHA, and they probably also contain vitamins A and D. The amounts can vary from product to product.

I can’t tell from this website if it is a fish liver oil product, however, it doesn’t contain vitamin A!

[Daniel]

Hey @,

It’s very good you are measuring her blood pressure regularly. You might notice when measuring blood pressure, that the first measurements are often higher than when you measure a second and a third time. There are 2 main reasons for this:
 
1. The state of mind of the person who is measured can play an important role. Tension can easily impact blood pressure.
2. Sometimes the person who gets measured wasn’t at complete rest yet.

When elevations are measured, I often measure a few times in a row and the last measurement is often the most representative of the blood pressure at rest. In her case, since she probably is concerned, it would be worthwhile to check her blood pressure a few times in a row to rule out if this hides low blood pressure.

Do you know if the blood pressure of 135/76 at the doctor’s place was measured only once? Where I come from (The Netherlands) they often wouldn’t remeasure if blood pressure was slightly elevated like this.

Mid Pregnancy Drop
I’m mentioning this, because, in the first 22 weeks, blood pressure often goes down (like I mentioned in my earlier response). This is called the mid-pregnancy drop, which can cause dizziness and fainting.

Things to rule out
If complaints are getting worse I would advise measuring proteins in the urine by the treating physician. I would also like to check her kidney function (eGFR, creatinine and BUN). Likely this has already been done. If so, the results could help us find more clues to what is at play!

Other things I would like to measure are her electrolytes and for sure I would like to have a complete differential of the white blood cells. My guess is that this has already been done. Again, sharing the results can help us help you.

I think measuring her iron is a good idea. To that list, I would add a full red blood cell differential as well including hemoglobin and MCV. In line with that, I would also like to know her B12, B6 and folate levels.

Some clues you can also find in her lifestyle. What do you know about her diet? Does she eat a lot of salt or processed foods? Does she eat a lot of fruits & vegetables? Is she vegan? And if so, what kind of vegan is she? If her diet is low on processed foods how do you assess her salt intake? Does she sweat a lot?