Body temperature
The normal healthy body has an average daily temperature of 37 degrees Centigrade (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit). This is obtained by taking three oral temperature readings (under the tongue) and then obtaining an average (by adding the three temperatures together and dividing the total by three). It is best to take your temperatures 3 hours, 6 hours and 9 hours after waking. For example, if you wake at 6am, then take readings at 9am, noon and 3pm (readings before 8am and after 5pm will be naturally lower and thus should not be included in the average).Whether you are living in Antarctica or the Kalahari desert, your temperature will be the 37 degrees if you are healthy. However, when your metabolism is in trouble your temperatures will vary. They could be:
- fluctuating/variable (indicating adrenal system problems) or
- low (indicating thyroid system problems) or,
- low and fluctuating (indicating thyroid and adrenal system problems).
Tracking your average daily temperatures gives you vital information about your metabolism. The thyroid and the adrenals are your temperatures regulators. They regulate your temperature by controlling your metabolism. When your metabolism increases, heat is release from the cells and this drives up your temperature. The thyroid is responsible for lifting your temperatures while your adrenals are responsible for maintaining the stability of temperature. When your metabolism slows, less heat is generated and your temperatures go lower.
The thyroid is analogous to the accelerator of a car that increases the energy(metabolism) by boosting the engine function, while the adrenals are like the gears that allow the body to cope with the increase in temperature by shifting up and down into new gears, depending in the circumstances. In other words, your adrenals allow you to cope with the stress of unpredictable terrain making you flexible and adaptable depending on the situation.
If your adrenals are in trouble, your temperatures will fluctuate widely. Some days they will be up and other days they will be down. Even within the same day there will be wide variation. This fluctuation is not good for the body and stresses the enzymes that are acutely temperature-sensitive. It is vital to support your adrenals first to allow stability to return to the metabolic system. Once this has been achieved, you can increase your thyroid function if your temperatures are low, and thereby increase your body temperature (there are several ways in which to do this).
This is not always as straight-forward for mercury-poisoned people, due to the direct affect of metals on the hypothalamus thermostat, which controls the thyroid, as noted by Andy Cutler. However, often adrenal and thyroid support will help to lift and regulate the temperature, while oral chelation works to remove the offending metal source.
To start the temperature recoding process:
- The Digital Temperature Graph. This is a convenient excel file where you can log your temperatures and it will create a daily chart for you automatically. It is a great way to store your information.
- Order a mercury-free Geratherm thermometer (USA source & South African source)
- And download the Metabolic temperature graph and recording page. This graph can be printed out and used in order to create easy temperature graphs. Go to Dr Rind’s metabolic temperature page for an in depth explanation of what to do.
How to measure temperatures – by Dr Rind, see full details see www.drrind.com/tempgraph
Temperatures are measured orally. Make sure the thermometer is placed deep under the tongue.
Take three temperatures approximately three hours apart, starting approximately three hours after waking up. For example, if one wakes up at 6 AM, measure temperatures around 9am, 12 Noon, and 3pm.
Avoid taking temperatures after activity or eating and drinking for at least 20 minutes. Even climbing a flight of stairs can raise one’s temperature for short period of time. Taking one’s temperature several times in a row will yield temperatures that rise each time. This is usually due to the muscular activity of the tongue and mouth. So, take only one reading”