Hi,

I hope someone can give me some insight. I've been at least 90% raw for 26 days (since new years) and now that it's gotten cold in NYC, I'm experiencing a drop in my body temperature and cold fingers and toes.

My normal body temp has always been around 94/95 degrees and the doctors said that it was not unusual to be a few degrees under 98.6. However, lately, I seem to be warm about my main body, but having really cold fingers and toes. This is even after the house is nice and warm upon my return from work. I've even taken a warm bath only to get cold fingers and toes an hour or so later.

Could something be missing from my diet.

I always have fresh squeezed orange juice for breakfast...about 16 oz.

For lunch I have a romaine salad, with tomatoes, and red or yellow peppers, and a light dressing.

Dinner is usually a banana, strawberry, orange smoothie, another salad, or fresh orange, apple, pineapple, carrot juice.

The non-raw items I eat are hummus and organic blue corn chips, carmel corn flavor rice cakes, and the occaisonal veggie sandwich on potatoe bread....(I know, I know, but with the cold, the 'comfort' food eases my transition)

Let me know if you have any suggestions or ideas. I'm open to hearing criticism as well.....I just need to get a clue as to what is happening.

Thanks!
Seajaee

A couple of questions:

1) The foods you listed, are they Organic?
2) How much sleep do you get?
3) Do you have a lot of stress?
4) Any tramatic experiences in the last 6 months?


There's always a possibility that it could be
your Thyroid underfunctioning and or
Adrenal Fatigue...
Most people in rawfoods don't realize that too much
of certain foods can cause the Thyroid to react/act up.
Strawberries, brocoli (I know, how is this possible
with such good food?) is one of them especially if not organic.

I'd have the Doctor run some tests:
TSH - Thyroid Stimulating Hormone
Free T3
Free T4
Cortisol (this is related to the Adrenal Gland and
it to can cause your cold hand/feet symptoms also).

Low temperature is a classical symptom of low thyroid but it's so prevalent that most MDs don't pay any attention to it. The classic book on this is Hypothyroidism: The Unsuspected Illness by Broda Barnes:

[tinyurl.com]

You can read more here on Dr. Wilson's site:

[www.wilsonssyndrome.com]

I had that condition all my life nothing helped. I did the protocol on Wilson's site for about a year. My temps went up, but almost never hit 98.6 and my temp jumped all over the place. Plus, it drove my hormones haywire--I felt like I was getting my period all the time, even up to a year after being off the medicine. It sure didn't work like it was supposed to.

I also went raw for up to two years at a time. I had great benefits from that but it didn't touch the low temperature/low energy.

What fixed it for me was zeolite (natural cellular defense). It gets rid of metal toxicity and it has made a huge huge huge difference for me. I have more energy and my temp gets up to 98.6 for the first time in my life. Also, I'm tolerating the Iowa winter better than I ever have. And the sore breasts etc. that Wilson's gave me are gone.

There are a lot of places that sell it, it's multi-level. I think they sell it on this site, too.

I experienced feeling very cold my first winter of being all raw. It didn't happen as much when I was still transitioning. My body temperature went down from 98.6 to 96-97. This is a common experience for new 100% raw foodists.

By my 2nd winter, this feeling of coldness went away. There was nothing to do, nothing to be done, except keep myself warm. I wore extra warm clothing, invested in some thermal underwear, and kept my apartment really warm.

There is nothing missing from your diet. Everyone on the SAD diet, at 98.6 is experiencing a low grade fever. Now that your body isn't having to digest and remove all the toxins from cooked foods, it doesn't need to keep your body temperature elevated like it used to. All I can say is that I got used to it. And nowadays, I can withstand more cold than a lot of cooked food eaters I know. I've don't have any problem jumping into the cold northern california pacific ocean waters stark naked in the middle of winter.

Hi Seajaee,

I completely emphasize with you. I went raw in May -- and then Winter hit - and I live in Northern Alberta - In Canada.... Needless to say I have frozen on several occasions.

Things that help:

Drinking warm water, eating everything at room temperature - nothing straight from the fridge. Wearing layers and warmer clothes, exercising regularly, and spicy foods (jalapeneos, cayenne, etc).

I have read that when you first go raw you may feel the cold more - especially for those of us in cold climates - but after a couple years you are less bothered by extreme temperatures both of hot and cold.

It also doesn't help to feel warm when you lose a lot of weight - there have been times where I've had to slow down the weight loss via fasting and juicing, and eat more nuts, fats, dehydrated items, and just more in general. When it's minus 40 the last thing my body wants is to lose more weight... and eating more and more fats helps to stay warm on those days.

greenie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> You can read more here on Dr. Wilson's site:
>
> [www.wilsonssyndrome.com]
>

There is no such accepted syndrome.

[www.thyroid.org]

"Dr." Wilson" lost his license in 1990 with some accompanying
scandal and shame. He does have an MD degree, though.

Arugula,

I'm not surprised he lost his license. But low temp is a much more reliable sign of low thyroid than blood tests. I'm sure it's no more widely accepted than the raw diet, however.

Thanks to everyone for their replies so far. I feel better. I don't have a thyroid problem. I've been checked for that before due to some other issues. Maybe I should request that it be checked again.

Also, maybe I should eat more bananas and add some raw nuts and dried fruit for some extra fat and calories.....? Anyone think this is a good idea?

By the way, my boyfriend (SAD diet, with some raw from me) is fine. He doesn't feel cold at all.....so I know the house is warm enough.

I guess I'll just stick it out.....


Seajaee
{In thermals and sweats at the computer! (smile)}

i've been freezing too and i have been on this raw food thing since the new yr also.freezing fingers and feet...but i have also been dropping alot of weight...so maybe this has something to do with it.my thyroid is fine though.i had it tested not that long ago.i drink warm teas and take hot baths and bundle up and i filled this big sock with rice and i put it in the microwave to take to bed with me and put on my feet.it feels heavenly.taylor

i'm curious as to whether the suggestions have to do with health or just aleviating discomfort. I've found that daily strenuous exercise helps but often I still get cold/numbness in my fingers, especially when eating refrigerated fruit like grapefruit (ouch). so I guess what i'm asking is, if one can withstand it, is it better for the body to bundle up anyway or is it more of a comfort thing?

Have a hot cup of peppermint tea, and schedule a thyroid function test with your doc, for peace of mind.

Something else I'd like to mention is that Saliva and
Urine tests are way more reliable than blood tests.
You see, my TSH, T4, T3, Free T3, Free T4, Reverse T3
were all just fantastic on the blood check, but
I still had symptoms. So I did the Saliva test and
my Thyroid was low. TSH should range between .3 to 3.0 mcg/dl.
If the TSH is higher than 3.0 mcg/dl then you have an underfunctioning
thyroid or the correct term Hypothyroid. It the TSH is
below .3 mcg/dl then it's called Hyperthyroidism.

My blood TSH was .966 mcg/dl (perfect) but was Saliva
was 3.744 mcg/dl (not perfect, high). I had these tests
done just 3 days apart, so no spreading out of the
test times. Just 3 days apart.

Also, as I said before it could be Adrenal Fatigue which
cold feet/hands is a symptom.
You have your Cortisol checked for this.
Again, Saliva or Urine is so much more accurate than
blood. I'm not smart and no Doctor by any stretch
but I understand the concept behind comparing blood
with Saliva. Forgive me for the poor explanation for
this. I'll explain it simply, Blood (been around awhile
and stays the same)
Saliva (constantly changing).
I'm telling you do you own research and you'll
see what my brief, very brief interpretation means.


Why Vegan?
Because I have the most love and admiration for all animals of the earth!!!
a rawvegan hopeful, rawdev4life!!!

Seajaee,

If you don't have any other symptoms of low thyroid (fatigue, low immune function, etc.), I wouldn't worry about it. I tend to go off on a tangent on that subject because I did have it for so long and because of all my reading on the subject. So when I hear 'low temperature' I have a knee jerk reaction that says 'low thyroid'. Your metabolism will slow a little with less food, and certainly with cold food. I agree with the others here who recommend you eat the foods at room temps and drink hot drinks. (Ginger tea is good). And bundle up.

Rawdev,
There have been reams - or possibly rooms<g>-- of research, writings, musings, supposings about thyroid and hormonal diagnosis and treatment. If you check out Mary Shoman's site (just Google her name), you'll find a mish mash of people who don't test positive for anything but have symptoms, who have tried all sorts of combinations of meds with good, bad, or no results, who have modified diet, exercise, etc. etc. etc. ad infinitum and ad nauseum. In other words, there doesn't seem to be a consistent effective diagnosis or treatment. If you read the message boards on that site you'll see what I mean.

The only place I read a cogent explanation of what might actually cause low thyroid was on the Wilson Thyroid Syndrome site. Made a lot of sense and I tried it but it didn't work for me. Even years of raw didn't help. What has been helping is the NCD product, which leads me to believe my problem was caused by metal toxicity that for some reason my body couldn't get rid of even through all the fasting and raw-ing I've done.

So that's my story and I'm sticking to it ;-)

Yes Greenie,

I agree with you and Bryan, Taylor and RawSun. I have found that taking a hot shower warms me up and drinking warm tea helps as well. I doubt its my throid and I am dropping weight as well. I'm not sure how much I weigh, but I'm getting into clothes I haven't worn in years and my regular clothes are pretty loose.


In the meantime, I'll just close my eyes and dream that I'm on the beach drinking coconut water!

Seajaee

Greenie I agree with what your saying but if it was me I'd check. In fact I'd do what you said use a $4-5 dollar thermometer and if you temperatures are off/lower that 98.7/6 then I'd highly recommend a Saliva test over a Blood test.

rawdev,

If your temps are low and you have symptoms, something's wrong. I agree with that.

I just can't understand the purpose of all those tests. With hormonal problems even those who go the medical route have 15 different opinions about how to diagnose. They recognize those tests are unreliable.

However, for argument's sake, let's for one moment assume the tests are reliable - what do they actually tell you? They give you a bunch of numbers that mean a diagnosis: something's wrong, a specific something. They can tell you how much it's wrong and in what direction from the norm. The norm they're using is an average of what is considered healthy population. This population smokes, drinks, eats meat, and is far from ideally healthy. So bingo! they've told you your numbers are outside of this norm.

Ok, you've got a number and a diagnosis. But what does that tell you? Not a whole lot. For one thing, it doesn't tell you why your thyroid, adrenals, etc. are out of whack. It doesn't give you any idea how to fix the problem. Unless you call taking synthroid or other supplements the rest of your life a fix.

I think medical tests and monitoring make sense if you're really ill, with cancer or some other ailments. I would not likely use the conventional medical cures, but the tests and monitoring make sense. I can't see that they make sense with low-grade hormonal problems because the medical profession is not even close to knowing enough about that to even reliably diagnose it let alone fix it.

Here is an article by Dr Graham about newbies feeling cold.

---------------------
New raw fooder asks:
“Why am I always so cold now?”

by Dr. Douglas Graham
<foodnsport@aol.com>

Cold is a relative term. We live in a world where the thermostat is set for the comfort of those eating the Standard Westernized Diet. Their body temperature averages 98.6 oF. Raw fooders average closer to 93 oF. Take your temperature first thing in the morning and see for yourself.

This huge disparity often leaves you cold for the first year or two of raw, until you have adapted to the new body temperature. I no longer suffer the cold, though I remember when I did.

If you would like not to suffer this cold feeling, eat foods or combinations that are difficult to digest. Of course, your health will suffer in countless other ways, but you too can suffer from the fever that most cooked fooders experience all of the time and no longer feel cold. (According to medical experts, 99 oF is a fever and 98.6 oF is normal. These two numbers are too close for comfort. Personally, I believe that anything over 98 oF is fever.)

For this winter, I suggest that you simply plan on wearing an extra layer or two compared to what you would think of as normal. You are living in a world dominated by cooked eaters, and must accommodate yourself to the temperatures that they find normal, for the most part. As your health and vitality build, you will find yourself becoming ever more temperature-tolerant.

Since before I can remember my body temperature has always been naturally low. I have always been thin and my fingers and toes are the first to get cold even if the rest of my body was comfortable. If my tempurature is 98.6 it means I have a fever. My normal is around 97. Oddly enough, when I sleep my body is like a portable oven from head to toe! Not that I overheat, just everything evens out all over.

dear seajaee-i started this diet in jan. of this yr. i have been on a diet since oct. of 2006.i have so far lost 65 pounds and i have been so cold. it is winter.and i thought the weight loss was why i was cold but i think it is this way of eating.my feet and hands are frozen.i take hot baths and i do drink a hot drink i made up.it is hot water-brewers yeast,tabaso sauce,apple cider vinegar and ginger and garlic.i drink this in the nite when i am cold. i put my fingers around the mug and hold it. i made a sock and filled it with rice and i put this in the microwave and warm it up and tuck it on my feet when i go to bed. i try to eat no cold food from the fridge.i get next to my human torch...the hubby.he is always hot.so that gets me warm in the nite. good luck on staying warm...soon it will be spring and summer and the sun will be out.hgus taylor

Bryan, im afraid we'll need pics of that ; )


<I've don't have any problem jumping into the cold northern california pacific ocean waters stark naked in the middle of winter.>

A simple thing I would try that's in relation to the diet.
Try eating or adding Dulse or Kelp into your diet, you won't notice a difference in hours or days but if you do feel warmer eventually by eating/including these seaweeds (they contain natural occurring Iodine) into your food eating.

Then I'd say your Thyroid was suppressed/under functioning. +++

Hey, if you don't believe in lab tests then give this a try!!!


Why Vegan?
Because I have the most love and admiration for all animals of the earth!!!
a rawvegan hopeful, rawdev4life!!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/14/2007 06:47PM by rawdev.