Often, the problem lies in all three areas; but if you get the body to work right, mood often improves and appetite often sharpens to trigger desires for the specific nutrients that one needs. (At least if one stays away from non-nutritional flavorings, fake foods, and sweeteners; all of which can interfere with the wisdom of the body and upset its sense of inner balance -- which people don't care about till they are in trouble.) The mind may drag the body a short distance; but it is the body which carries the mind for a lifetime. Fix the body, and the mind will follow.

Here are some things others have tried. You may wish to consider them. Tell us about your experiences and attempts on the chat page. (at end)

• Some people can learn to turn on the inner warmth via meditation and/or visualization, and thus break the cycle; it is a temporary respite which, when practiced, can lead to longer term improvement for some...
• Exercise will generate considerable internal heat. For some, exercising three or more times a week will break the cold cycle; but not for all.
• Nutrition helps many, Molybdenum, Choline, Alpha Lipoic Acid and Coenzyme Q 10 have help some; but again, not all.
• Molybdenum has been particularly useful for those who feel cold all the time. (But many feel rooms are hot when it is they who are cold.)
• Supplemental Iodine or Dulse soup has cured some forms of low body temperature. But again, not all.
• Low copper levels or broken copper enzyme paths, which can cause high copper levels, may be associated with some forms of low body temperature. The low levels are easier to remedy than the high.
• Adequate, sometimes prolonged, sleep helps some; but again, not all. It is important that body temperature not drop too far during the night, or the benefits of sleep are greatly diminished, even extinguished.
• Exposure to bright lights in the morning helps "wake the mind" and then the body for some; but not all. Those whom it helps are often said to have "Seasonal Adjustive Disorder", aka "SAD".
• Avoidance of bright lights, and computer displays with light backgrounds in the evening helps the mind get ready for night. Bright light delays the melatonin cycles which regulate sleep.
• A very hot bath upon rising in the morning, one that prompts the body to sweat a bit, has helped some by teaching the body to run at a higher temperature. As have warm showers before bed if temperature drops too low at night.
• There are cyclical thyroid supplementation programs available that break the mind-body part of the cycle for many people. When this works, the disorder is often called Wilson's Temperature Syndrome (WTS). Some are cured in weeks or months; others can take many cycles before the body "catches on". Some are able to use other techniques besides hormones to cycle their body temperature till the body learns to run better.
• Some, those with some kinds of thyroid disorders, may need continuous thyroid supplementation. Others may do well with potassium iodide supplements (KKSI). But again, not all.
• Some of this may be related to porphyria, a rare blood disorder, which can cause anemia, and thus deprive the body of enough oxygen for normal robust operation. There are many other causes of anemia, some far more common than porphyria.
• Long term after-effects of Carbon Monoxide poisoning can also cause low body temperature. See www.MCSRR.org for more information. These efffects can persist for Years. I got them escaping a forest fire in 2008.

• Microfilliary worms and parasites are cited by some as causing low body temperature. Some of these people find that raising body temperature via other means kills the worms and lets the body maintain a higher, more normal temperature. For others, killing the worms comes first.
• Old sayings speak of adding root vegetables like rutabagas and carrots with their potent anti-fungals to the diet.
• Other sayings speak of adding legumes such as string beans to the diet.
• Folk lore from other parts of the world mentions adding spices like ginger root and red hot peppers to the diet. Hot peppers will make this author warmer, and the memory of how that felt was used in biofeedback training using a simple digital thermometer. More below.

And if your mind isn't sparkling, FIND OUT WHY! It's your life, how do you want to live it? DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

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• 97 - 95 / 36.1 - 35.0: Brain Fog: Coordination declines, mental horizon shrinks.
• 95 - 93 / 35.0 - 33.9: Medical Hypothermia: Stumbles, mumbles, grumbles set in, heart problems?
• 92 - 86 / 33.3 - 30.0: Medical Emergency! Amnesia, stupor, weak pulse. Fibrulation?
• 86 - 82 / 30.0 - 27.8: Stupor, coma, heart problems, death possible.
• 82 - 75 / 27.8 - 23.9: Death probable; but not certain.

A body will only shiver when body temperature is below the "thermostat set point" of that body. A low set point will give a false appearance of higher tolerance to cold, as well as an increased intolerance to heat.

Observations

General:

• Body temperature below 98.2, (36.8C) may cause various maladies due to a slowing of enzymatic processes. (Effects, below.)
• Feeling cold is not the same as being cold.
• Simply putting on warmer clothing, though sometimes helpful, is not enough. (See Raise, below)
• Some forms may be hereditary, other forms from stress, oppression, enforced inactivity, etc.
• See Wilson's Syndrome, Symptoms.
• Measurements need to be done with some care. See Measure, below.
• Some forms may be cured without drugs or thyroid supplements.
• See also Broda Barnes and Lawrence Galton, "Hypothyroidism, the Unsuspected Illness", Printed in 1976, ISBN 0-690-01029-X for an earlier reference.

A Subjective Temperature Scale

• Serious damage, death likely if sustained. 107+ degrees.
• Protein denaturation and other damage. Approx 105+ degrees. (40.5 C)
• Feverish stupor 103+ (39.4 C) temperature range.
• Feverish mental decline begins, probable 99.0, (37.2C) clinical fever.
• Feverish activity. Mania.
• Some enzymes "too loose" for efficient reaction kinetics.
• Breadth of activity! Too many things, too many ideas at once.
• High End of Normal Range
• Activity, Involvement, Community, Buoyant Optimism and Energy!
• Activity for the sake of enjoyment. Optimism. Probable 98.6 (varies with subject.)
• Activity for the sake of activity.
• Minor allergies may begin to show themselves
• Thought wins over emotion and activity. Diplomacy.
• Depth of thought, Lucidity, Eloquence! (vs action.)
• Willingness to think deeply, at length. Insight, a growing trace of genius.
• Low End of Normal Range, approx 98.2 F (36.77 C) though some say 97.6 is their peak mental performance
• Some enzymes become "too tight" for efficient reaction kinetics; mild allergies and chemical sensitivities begin to be noticed on occasion.
• Probable 98.0, (36.66 C,) varies considerably with subject.
• Allergies, especially chemical allergies, slowly grow more pronounced.
• Feeling that "engaging" in thought or activity changes/lifts the body
• Eloquence in expression begins to decline, mental horizons favor depth, not breadth.
• Vulcan logic begins a slow walk to center stage. Subhedonia.
• Initiation of new activities begins to drop sharply.
• Slightly glazed to the outside world.
• Things begin to accumulate in corners and small piles.
• Immune system slows and falters. Allergies and colds more common.
• Persistence, dogged tenaciousness in pursuit of a purpose, a train of thought. (Oft mistaken for Genius.)
• Vulcan logic begins a slow, and increasingly faltering meander away from center stage.
• The sink sporadically fills, clean utensils become scarce despite the dishwasher.
• Mental horizons begin to shrink. (Oft mistaken for Expert.)
• Anhedonia, the interest in pleasure begins to evaporate.
• Chemical Sensitivities become increasingly serious problems as enzymatic pathways slow and clog.
• Procrastination of deeper thought for better times of day.
• Cycles reveal themselves. Several naps, the daily norm.
• Mental agility soon reveals it's slow and gradual decline to others.
• The desk, the workbench, the coffee table all begin to congeal as piles grow.
• Tenaciousness of opinion begins to win out over thought or logic.
• Anti-hedonia, avoidance of pleasure, and sometimes excitement.
• Stepping over things. The mess becomes "Convenience at hand".
• Change becomes the mind's enemy; yet past genius oft remains potent ammunition in argument.
• Drifting quietly, irrationally clinging to old ways, old memories, old angers.
• Argument and anger for the heat of adrenaline. Bindging on sweets for energy.
• Grasping for control of life.
• "The Engine Sputters".
• Temperature spikes and falls with excitement, anger.
• On/Off behavior patterns, black and white views of the world.
• Possible 96.0 - 95.0 (35.5 - 35.0 C) temperature range; varies with time, nutrition, sleep.
• Urgent Medical Condition: HYPOTHERMIA
• Erratic behaviors come to the fore.
• Collisions with walls, objects create multiple black and blue marks on the arms.
• Defensive postures, stark views of the world.
• Depression and foreboding gain hold. Hopelessness. Adrift.
• Passive acceptance to stark apathy.
• Medical Emergency 92 F, 33.3 C
• Possible risk of death during further nocturnal temperature drops.
• Heart problems, Severe confusion, Amnesia, Stupor
• Death: "heart failure", "natural causes", "unknown causes".

Other cognitive and behavioral effects may be related to the manifestation of allergies and low body temperature. Long term physiological consequences are listed on Dr. Cathcart's Wilson's Syndrome page.

Melatonin, Serotonin, and Moods

Low Serotonin levels are commonly found in depression, hence the prescription of SSRI's in depression. Many of these SSRI's are also cytochrome P450 consumers, and can put some at risk for porphyria, which is common in people with multiple chemical sensitivities, and becomes worse as enzymatic processes slow due to low body temperature / chronic hypothermia.

Low body temperature is also often found in depression.

Low Melatonin levels are often found in those who have difficulty in sleeping, or who have sleep irregularities. Melatonin is suppressed by exposure to light, and may be delayed by nocturnal exposure bright lights, including light TV and CRT backgrounds.

Paradoxically, while L-Tryptophan and Melatonin appear to induce sleep via body temperature reduction, there is some evidence that the proper cyclical production of Melatonin and Serotonin may boost daytime body temperature. (Some say melatonin takes a few days to get use to. Take only before bedtime. Effective dosage varies markedly from person to person.)

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Thermo - Regulation

Sources of Metabolic Heat

Mitochondria (Metabolic energy, see CFIDS/CFS)

Muscles

Brown Fat

Organs

Primary Controls

Thyroid [Refs]

Insulin -- hypoglycemia

Adrenalin

Serotonin / Melatonin [ Refs, Sleep ]

Muscular Tension / Theta - Alpha - Beta brain waves

Gross motor activity

Limiting Factors

Fuel -- Food

• Carbohydrates vs slower burning fuels (oils)
• Fructose, not well regulated by Insulin (Fast but short energy. Worst sugar for cardiovascular systems.)

Oxygen

• Breathing -- rate and depth
• Circulation (+serotonin +niacin +nitroglycerine)
• Carbon Monoxide leaks -- furnace, water heater, etc.

Heat Loss Factors

Clothing

• Hat (head is major loss)
• Shoes and socks (contact)
• Limbs (cold limbs raise adrenalin -- tension, may also raise cortisols and other stress indicators, diminishing short term memory and mental function.) Use jackets, not vests.
• Body core

Ambient Temperature

Drafts and air circulation

Contact -- what you are sitting on

Surface vs deep circulation

Sweat (Many victims do not sweat.)

Lung Function

• Breathing rate
• Breathing depth
• Evaporation in lungs (wet/dry breath)

Food (hot tea vs cold ice cream)

Excretion

Core Temperature Raised By:

• Molybdenum has helped some feeling warmer. (Metabolic catalyst)
• Coenzyme Q-10 (Mitochondria support)
• Antioxidants (See CFIDS/CFS)
• Adequate amounts of sleep. Melatonin may help, both with the sleep, and with the pineal gland that controls body cycles.
• Adequate amounts of water and mineral salts (not just sodium chloride) as found in leafy green vegetables.
• Yogic Breathing -- four equally timed cycles:
  • Inhale fully: first with belly, then rib cage
  • Hold breath
  • Exhale: first with belly then with rib cage
  • Hold lungs empty
  Some reliable sources report that several ten minute sessions per day restore body temperature to 98.6. After some time (weeks) their candida, etc. was cured. Again, may not work for all; but it costs nothing to try.
• Being with optimistic people, people whom you know and care about you.
• Aerobic Talking, buoyant, optimistic subjects, mind engaged.
  Yakko-Therapy(tm), coming soon to a whoops page near you!
• Sustained Laughter, best if about something good you did or lived through as it builds confidence.
  See also:
  • Dr. Fun, Bernie DeKoven and his Me/We ideas.
  • Jest for the Health of it.
  • Cyberstory, uplifting stories on the net.
• Aerobic Singing, but often the mind is not as fully engaged as in talking. Note how professional OPERA singers (E. G. Placebo Domingo,) work their entire bodies into resonance to produce their incredible voices. (Forget rock stars! They are on an adrenalin high and crash when it runs out.) Note the gesturing opera singers use to create the inner effects.
• Physical activity, ten to fifteen minutes each day. Does not have to be sweat provoking, just moving. A good walk every evening after dinner use to be fairly common in parts of the country.
• Alpha Lipoic Acid / Thioctic Acid has helped some raise body temperature. Comment made about using L-Lysine if cold sores appear, and adding molybdenum, niacin, Co Q-10, and choline
• Red peppers, chili peppers, jallapinios and other hot foods can raise body temperature in many individuals. Some old wives tales relate to this as a cure for some chronic ailments.
• Salycilates, anti-cholenergics, etc. Ref: Toxidromes
• Wearing a hat may raise head, and thus brain, temperature...
• Cyclical thyroid supplementation protocol (cytomel)
• Repetitive sounds or blinking lights having a beat in the 6 to 9 beats per second range have helped some... It is the beat frequency that does it. You can build your own from Radio Shack parts. (Ref their 555 timer IC projects book.)
• Drumming, or imagining oneself drumming, with a beat in the 6 to 9 beats per second range. Raising the beat frequency as one goes may help.
• Some forms of Faith Healing. (Duration questionable.)
• Spring festivals and feasts of most religions.
• Thyroid Extracts, such as Armour Thyroid and Cytomel.
• Salt and Vitamin C to combat microfilliary worms lymephotos.com has helped some.
  See also Dangers of Glandular Extract Based Therapies
• Truly Bizarre Methods: Curious note on eating rat and dog meat in China. (Ref. Wall Street Journal May 31, 1991, by way of alt.folklore.urban.) (Note: fever and heat may also be a symptom of some kinds of allergy/intolerance...)

Comments? Techniques? Chat or Mail them to Webmaster@mall-net.com

Core Temperature Lowered By:

• Hypoglycemia and "low fuel" levels
• Reduced calorie diets (Thus "Longevity" diet may not work.)
• Tension and Fear, esp. without obvious methods of resolution.
• Inadequate protein, tyrosine, phenylalanine in the diet.
• Carbon Monoxide, 5-20ppm, way below alarm levels
• Oppressive environments
• Abusive or disrespectful people
• Some forms of chemical exposure
• Soda pop and artificial sweetener "addict"
• Beta blockers, Carbon Monoxide, Hypnotic drugs, Cholinergic drugs, sedatives, tranquilizers, many cardiovascular drugs, and ethanol can all lower body temperature. Ref: Toxidromes and US Office Consumer Affairs
• Sleep disorders / lack of sleep can lower body temperature. Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome, and out of sync body temp. cycles.
• Too much light in the evening, either from watching TV late or late netting with a white screen, can push Melatonin cycles off, resulting in too little Melatonin when you get to bed, and too much in the morning. this in turn affects body temperature cycles.
• Candida Albecans and other yeasts produce hormone analogues which can suppress body temperature.
• Almost all of Dr. Cathcart's EI/MCS and Candida patients have been found to have low body temperature.
• Parasites [article]
• Anemia
• Thyroid problems, T3/T4 conversion problems, either in the thyroid gland, or in the cells themselves.
  See also Dangers of Glandular Extract Based Therapies
• Mitochondria related problems, including Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Porphyria.

Comments? Causes? Chat or mail them to Webmaster@mall-net.com

Effects of Low Core Body Temperature

• Some suggest efficiency/rate losses are 10 to 20% per degree F in enzymatic processes, including liver based detoxification pathways. Cytochrome P-450
• Comments have been regarding cognitive and mood changes, (above) sometimes marked, as temperature changes cross thresholds as narrow as 0.2 degrees.
• Not all enzymatic processes have the same optimal temperature...
• Raising body temperature has reduced allergy / MCS problems, often cutting major symptom intensity in half, and eliminating minor allergy problems. Ref: Dr. Cathcart.
• Porphyria, in that it can reduce heme production, may reduce body temperature in some cases. Since Cytochrome P-450 is involved in heme synthesis and may be redirected to handle detoxification, there may be some feedback interaction involving body temperature.
• Reduced immune function, risk for parasites and microfilliary worms.

Measurement

• Body temperature measurements should be made 3, 6, and 9 hours after rising using a GLASS thermometer, then averaged. Ref: Dr. Wilson, "Wilson's Syndrome". (I measure it hourly for a few days.)
  See Thermometers and Techniques
• Body temperature seems to vary with time and activity. It is not supposed to be steady!
• There is a day/night temperature cycle, with temperature rising notably as one is awakening. (Hence the difficulties in judging ovulation by the body temperature method.)
• There are reports, both scientific and anecdotal, of shorter term temperature cycling.
• Some report as much as half a degree, even a full degree of variation between repeated high temperatures and repeated low temperatures on a three to six minute cycle.
• Glass thermometers deliver an averaged temperature
• Electronic thermometers deliver a maximum temperature.
  See Thermometers and Techniques
• Maximum and Average temperature is likely to be different between glass and electronic thermometers EVEN IF both thermometers show identical temperatures in a calibration setup. (E. G. very slowly warmed water bath.)
• Electronic in-ear IR (Infra Red) thermometers appear, in this writer's experience, to be difficult to get consistent temperatures from. Angle of insertion will vary, considerably varying the resulting readings. Readings did not correspond to oral temperatures, being at times over a degree higher, or over two degrees lower, than simultaneous oral measurements. Consecutive measurements taken immediately following each other have varied as much as three degrees. Thus in-ear IR thermometers appear unworkable for this purpose.
• Cycles can be measured by using an electronic thermometer, and turning it off and on between readings without removing it from the mouth. That way, the physical sensor will remain at body temperature, but the maximum reading will be reset to the present body temperature when the thermometer is turned on.
• Take readings every half minute: Read the electronic thermometer without moving it in the mouth, turn it off and on to reset the maximum, then read it again. (You may need to have another person take the readings.) Repeat till you get two clear and distinct peaks separated by a low. This gives you the peak, low, and cycle time for your Foods Feelings and Faculties Diary.
• Some suggest that head (oral) temperature may vary from core body temperature. Wearing a hat might help if this is the case.
• Particularly intersting are the reports of temperature differences between the sides of the head resulting in mood changes.

This author has had some success learning to raise body temperature by remembering the feeling of hot foods like red peppers. This is a form of biofeedback training anyone can try with an ordinary digital thermometer. Whether the temperature remains high for long is another matter; but it was a start at regaining control so warm social matters could be handled with warmth, and cool headed matters with the best analytical coolness. (This author, a systems analyst, favors self training to improve your ability to shift mental gears as needed. If that fail, then try the Wilson's cytomel approach.)

Comments? Observations? Chat or mail them to Webmaster@mall-net.com

Questions:

• Are Attention Deficit Disorder patients prone to abnormal high or low temperature?
• Are Hyperactive children prone to abnormal high temperature?
• The Fahrenheit scale was supposed to have 100 as normal body temperature. Has body temperature fallen since the 1700's?
• It is said that mountain folks metabolize fat in preference to carbohydrates due to lower oxygen availability. How does this affect body temperature?
• How does body temperature relate to average physical activity?
• Do different body types and different character types have statistically significant differences in body temperature profiles?
• Does race or education play a role? (Active vs thoughtful)
• One in ten to one in seven are said to be strong leader types, does body temperature play a role?

If you would like to add _short_ observations to this list or links to other Wilson's / Hypothermia pages, contact Webmaster@mall-net.com, with "COLDBODY" in the subject line.

Longer discussions can be posted to the ColdBody Chat page. Yes, you get your own chat page! If two of you happen to be on at the same time, you can chat, or leave notes for others to look over and comment upon at their convenience.

Physicians:

• Dr. Cathcart, Los Altos, California (Deceased)
• Dr. Townsend, Woodstock, Ga. 770-516-7374
• Dr. Prosch in Birmingham. AL, 205-823-6180.
• Dr. Deckle, Sleep Disorder Center, AL, 205-599-1020.
• Dr. Shawn Murray, Roswell, GA. 770-552-4882
• Dr. Terri Plundo, D.O., Holland, Ohio 419-861-5700
  Wilson Syndrome support group meetings start Feb, 2000.

What about your doctor? Were you treated well? Has your condition improved? Enter her or his name and phone number on the Cold Body Doctor Page. Tell us why you like him or her. And tell her or him about this page!

For general Cold Body chat about treatments and conditions, see MCS Chat Page.

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