Dietary Deficiencies and Consequences--Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)

Food manufacturers routinely add vitamin B1, also known as thiamine, to enrich breakfast cereals and breads.  But what happens when Kraft and Nabisco and Kellogg's aren't working for us anymore?

Due to the fortification of foods, cases of nutritional thiamine deficiency in the United States are extremely rare.  However, it remains common in parts of Africa and outbreaks occur in refugee camps.  While thiamine deficiency has been described in historical records for thousands of years, it only became common in the late nineteenth century with the increased processing of grains, particularly rice in the eastern hemisphere and wheat in the western hemisphere.  As researchers observed increasing incidences of disease in populations that consumed more white rice and white flour, governments mandated the addition of essential vitamins back into these foods that processing had stripped away. 

Mild to moderate thiamine deficiency is marked by malaise, weight loss, irritability, and confusion.  Risk factors for thiamine deficiency in a functioning society include dialysis, bariatric surgery, diabetes, large numbers of diuretics, and alcoholism.

But what happens when our society is no longer functioning?  What are the risk factors?  How quickly will thiamine deficiency and beriberi (Sinhalese phrase meaning “I can’t, I can’t”), return when our society collapses?

Ten days.  The human body doesn't store thiamine.  Symptoms of mild to moderate deficiency may occur in just ten days.

Diagnosis of beriberi in a collapsed society without access to laboratory blood tests is going to be based on symptoms and improvement with good nutrition, specifically whole grain bread, because conventional treatment with thiamine administered intravenously also won't likely be an option.

Unfortunately for caretakers, beriberi is expressed in different forms, which could make diagnosis difficult.  Common symptoms include impaired reflexes, droopy eyelids, lack of coordination, and difficulty walking.

Wet beriberi affects the cardiovascular system and is marked by an increased heart rate, shortness of breath, and swelling of the legs due to vasodilation.

Dry beriberi affects the nervous system and is exhibited by confusion, numbness in the limbs, trouble moving the feet, and pain.

Gastrointestinal beriberi causes abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and lactic acidosis.

Infantile beriberi occurs primarily in infants two to six months in age whose mothers are deficient in thiamine as well.  It may present in either the wet or dry forms, and in addition to an increased heart rate, edema, and vomiting, the infant may also have diarrhea and pale skin.  Shortness of breath and convulsions are noted in the terminal stages.

There are also some genetic conditions that make thiamine absorption from food difficult, but they're beyond the scope of this post and the ability to treat post-collapse.

So how to we ensure that we are getting enough thiamine in our diet on a daily basis?  Building up a generous supply of supplemental vitamins is one way, but when that supply is exhausted, what next?  What foods are high in thiamine?  

• Whole grains, especially brown rice (which doesn't have a long shelf-life)

• Beef, pork, fish, liver, eggs, dairy (food from animal sources is only a good source of thiamine if their diet has adequate thiamine)

• Legumes

• Vegetables such as acorn squash, asparagus, spinach, beet greens, and Brussels sprouts

As I attempt to finish writing this post, my husband is asking me about where to find Christmas wrap and tape and bows and playing Christmas music.  (I write posts about a month before they appear online.  It gives me time to make revisions and lets me take a break if I need to.) My daughter's trying to keep the one remaining kitten from the litter from hiding behind the piano, or anywhere else, before someone shows up to claim him.  My son is studying for his last final.  I love my life.  I don't want things to change.  I'm sure it's the same for you.

Links to related posts:
Dietary Deficiency and Consequences--Vitamin A
                                                                Vitamin B2
                                                                Vitamin B3
                                                                Vitamin B5, B6, B7
                                                                Vitamin B9
                                                                Vitamin B12
                                                                Vitamin C  
                                                                Vitamin D
                                                                Calcium  
                                                                Iodine  
                                                                Iron
                                                                Magnesium
                                                                Potassium  
                                                                Zinc

© 2019, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com   

Hypothyroidism Options in TEOTWAWKI

Disclaimer.  I am not a licensed health practitioner.  This is just another post on knowledge and understanding you might wish to acquire in advance of a disaster in case no higher care is available.  As long as our society is functioning, you should leave anything more substantial than applying a Band-Aid to the professionals.  No medication, including those available over the counter, should be taken without consulting a physician.  Information shared here is for educational and entertainment purposes only.  It is not medical advice nor a substitute for licensed medical care. 

Hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid, occurs when the thyroid gland does not produce adequate thyroid hormone for the body.  Worldwide, insufficient iodine in the diet is the most common cause of hypothyroidism.  The addition of iodine to salt is why we do not see more cases of hypothyroidism in the industrialized world.  And this is why it is absolutely critical to store iodized salt for our families.  You can read more on that here.

The signs or symptoms of hypothyroidism most commonly observed include:

• fatigue, 
• intolerance to cold, 
• dry skin,
• constipation, 
• weight gain, and 
• hair loss.  

Less common symptoms include:

• hoarseness, 
• depression, 
• menstrual irregularity, 
• forgetfulness, 
• fluid retention, and 
• poor growth (in children).

(Extremely brief and rudimentary biology lesson for understanding hypothyroidism:  thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is produced by the pituitary gland.  This is what is measured in a blood test to assess thyroid hormone--thyroxine--levels.  TSH tells the thyroid to produce something called T4.  T4 must be converted into T3 to be used by the body.)

The missing or insufficiently produced hormone is called thyroxine.  When the thyroid doesn't produce enough T4, physicians routinely prescribe a synthetic.  The vast majority of hypothyroidism is treated with a synthetic replacement like levothyroxine (Synthroid), which ranks in the top five for most commonly prescribed drugs in the US.  It comes in wide variety of dosages and it is absolutely critical to have the exact right dosage for each patient.

Simple enough.  Except when it isn't.  And this is because the body has to convert T4 into T3, and unfortunately, this critical process can be affected by a whole host of factors, like:

• low-calorie diets,
• antacids,
• prescription medications (sucralfate, simethicone, antidepressants),
• mineral deficiency (zinc, copper, selenium, calcium),
• iron tablets,
• chronic stress (TEOTWAWKI, anyone?),
• herbal medicine (ashwagandha, lemon balm, rosemary),
• soybeans,
• cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower),
• pine nuts,
• walnuts,
• fiber, and
• a whole lot more.

That's a whole lot of stuff that can affect the T3 and T4 levels.  What's a person to do?  The best advice is to take thyroid medications on an empty stomach, and at least 1-2 hours before or 1 hour after any medications or mineral supplements to avoid or reduce interactions.

Then there are the effects that Synthroid and its generic equivalents have on other medications.  Like insulin and type-2 diabetes medications.  Synthroid can diminish the efficacy of diabetes medications.  (Type-1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, and hypothyroidism can be as well.  The two often go hand-in-hand.)  On the other hand, Synthroid potentiates warfarin, so that if the warfarin dose is not reduced, serious bleeding may occur.

Getting the right dose of Synthroid is essential; unfortunately, that is going to be very difficult to do post-collapse.  It will require careful monitoring of signs from a physician.  Getting the right dose is not something that occurs overnight, or even within a week or a month.  While there is not so much risk if the dose is too low, there is significant risk if the dose is too high.  Hyperthyroidism is no good, either.

As many of us often contemplate a time when DIY everything is going to be the norm, we wonder what was done before synthetic drugs were available.  In the case of hypothyroidism, before synthetics were available, desiccated and powdered extracts from pig and cow thyroids were used.  Armour Thyroid, derived from cows and pigs, is still on the market today.  There are nutraceuticals--plants compounded into tablets and used as medicine--for treating hypothyroidism, but most physicians shy away from them.  And there are natural supplements like Thyromine.  How well any of these options will work on any given patient depends on too many variables to be able to make any general statements.

If you have hypothyroidism, according to Dr. Koelker, author of Armageddon Medicine, discuss with your doctor whether treatment is mandatory for you.  For a significant number, treatment is not actually required.  If it is required, stock up on your medications.  Synthroid is very cheap from All Day Chemist.  If you get the tablets that are double your required dosage, you can then use a pill splitter to halve your cost.

The best recommendations for dealing with hypothyroidism post-collapse are to get not only Dr. Koelker's book Armageddon Medicine, but also her hypothyroid self-study and preparation course.  I have several grid-down medicine books and have attended courses.  No one covers hypothyroidism anywhere near as well as she does. 

UPDATE 21 February 2022:  Some patients cannot take the generic equivalent of Synthroid.  An article at the following address covers this issue and suggests a few options for patients in this situation.  https://www.restartmed.com/synthroid-vs-levothyroxine/

Caution:  Untreated hypothyroidism in a pregnant woman may result in birth defects in the baby.


Disclaimer:  I receive no benefit or any compensation whatsoever from Dr. Koelker or any company or product mentioned in this post.

Links to related posts:
Salt
Armageddon Medicine review

 For more information:
Armageddon Medicine, Dr. Cynthia Koelker, pp 388-401.
Hypothyroid self-study and preparation course
https://www.motherearthliving.com/health-and-wellness/herb-drug-mix-hypothyroidism-herbs-and-drugs
https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2017/02/13/food-and-drug-interactions-are-important-levothyroxine-and-fiber/
https://www.sharecare.com/health/thyroid-supplement/synthroid-interact-medications-foods
https://www.livestrong.com/article/423936-synthroid-interactions-with-vitamins/

"FDA Acts to Ensure Thyroid Drugs Don't Lose Potency Before Expiration Date," US Food and Drug Administration, 3 October 2007, https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/fda-acts-ensure-thyroid-drugs-dont-lose-potency-expiration-date (accessed 10 November 2020).

© 2019, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com   

29 january 2023