Measuring Your Temperature

It's important to measure your temperature

Simply put, to have Wilson's Syndrome (sometimes called Wilson's Low Temperature Syndrome) you must have a temperature below normal. Don't assume you know whether your temperature tends to be normal or below average. Measure it. A lot of people are surprised when they find out it's lower than they thought.

To measure your temperature in a way that will compare with our guidelines you must:

• Measure it first thing in the morning while you're still in bed and inactive
• Use a liquid metal thermometer
• Place it under your tongue for 3 minutes
• Average your temperatures for three days

Measure it first thing in the morning before getting out of bed

Everyone's body temperature rises and falls about 1 degree every day. To eliminate this variable, our guidelines are based on body temperatures taken at a specific time, first thing in the morning.

One caveat: this won't work if you use an electric blanket and you keep it quite warm. Not a little warm, but WARM. We suggest you turn it down to an average warm for the days you're measuring your temperature; otherwise, your body temperature will be too high to compare accurately.

Menstrual cycles also affect body temperature. If you're ovulating, wait a few days. And do not test on days 1 through 4 of your period.

Use a liquid thermometer

Electronic thermometers are convenient because they are fast, but we have found too much variation in our tests of various models. In one case, the thermometer was an entire degree high. We can't evaluate every brand and provide guidelines for each, so we simply suggest you use the most consistent thermometer on the market. Whatever name is on it, Geotherm of Germany manufactures it. If is fairly easy to find if you check a chain pharmacy or two. It looks like a mercury thermometer (which it isn't). Actually, an old mercury thermometer will do the trick, too. But after you use it, get rid of it (by which we mean, dispose of it properly). Mercury is bad news.

Place it under your tongue for 3 minutes

First, be sure to shake down your thermometer until it reads less than 94 degrees. (An aside: the liquid metal thermometers can take a bit of shaking for some people. Don't really shake it, use a snap of the wrist. And hold on tight.)

There is a little pocket under your tongue on either side of the middle of your tongue at the back. When you wake up, place the thermometer comfortably in either pocket for three minutes without opening your mouth.

Read the whole degrees (like 96) and the tenths as best as you can. You want a measurement with three digits, like 96.6.

Average your temperatures for three days

Add the three temperatures together and divide by three. That's your average. What if you forget a day? That's fine, 3 out of 4 days is OK.

How Low is Low?

Unfortunately, people are just a little bit more complicated than we wish. For 150 years it was thought that everyone who was healthy had the same temperature, 98.6. Unfortunately, that isn't quite right -- it's currently being called into question. We think there is a strong need for more research, but, for now, let's just say it looks like healthy adults have genetically different normal temperatures with a wider range than previously thought.

For the purposes of deciding whether to try 1^st Choice herbal supplements, use these guidelines.

Does a temperature in that range mean you have Wilson's Syndrome?

No. Though a problem in your body's thyroid system is the most likely cause for a chronically low temperature, there are other possibilities. For example, you could have a genetically low temperature (although below 96.8 is unlikely to be genetic).

The key is whether you have a below average temperature and a pattern of symptoms from the list.

Here's a clue

If you know your body temperature used to be higher before the onset of symptoms, or you weren't troubled by cold before but are now, then it is more likely your temperature has dropped with the onset of symptoms: that's a pretty good indicator of Wilson's Syndrome. You don't have to have this indicator to have Wilson's Syndrome, but if you do, it is a pretty good sign.