The 53 Symptoms of Low Body Temperature: A Checklist from Dr. Wilson's Book

Dr. Wilson’s book lists fifty-three symptoms, one to a page, in alphabetical order. That is the right structure for a reference and the wrong one for a person wondering whether this is them. Here are the same fifty-three grouped by what they affect, as a checklist, with each one linking to its page and his account of how the list was assembled.

How the list was made, in his words

The symptoms listed in this chapter all have certain things in common. They have all been seen to follow the typical pattern of presentation and response of Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome. Namely, they each have been seen to come on together with several or many of the other symptoms listed. They many times occur after a major mental, physical, or emotional stress.

— How They Made The List, the book

The two questions he says readers find hardest to accept:

1. How can one problem cause so many complaints? It is because it affects such a fundamental process upon which so many other functions are dependent (like removing the one card from the bottom of a card house that cannot be removed without the whole house of cards collapsing).
2. How can so many different symptoms respond so completely to normalization of body temperatures? Because in so many cases the treatment is addressing the problem rather than the symptoms.

— How They Made The List, the book

And a caution he places in the same chapter:

The WT3 protocol for Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome is not a panacea or “cure-all” and I don’t mean to imply for a moment that it is.

— How They Made The List, the book

The checklist

Go through each group and count. The groupings are this site’s, for reading; the symptoms and their names are the book’s.

Mood and mind

• Depression
• Anxiety, Panic Attacks
• Irritability
• Self-esteem, Decreased
• Motivation/Ambition, Decreased
• Memory and Concentration, Decreased
• Susceptibility to Substance Abuse, Increased

Energy and sleep

• Fatigue
• Insomnia and Narcolepsy
• Lightheadedness
• Low Blood Pressure
• Coordination, Lack Of

Weight and metabolism

• Weight Gain, Inappropriate
• Food Cravings
• Hypoglycemia
• Post-prandial Response, Increased
• Cholesterol Levels, Elevated
• Fluid Retention

Temperature and circulation

• Cold hands and feet and Raynaud’s Phenomenon
• Heat and/or Cold Intolerance
• Sweating Abnormalities
• Flushing

Skin, hair and nails

• Dry Skin
• Dry Hair, Hair Loss
• Nails, Unhealthy
• Psoriasis
• Hives
• Itchiness
• Skin infections/Acne, Increased
• Pigmentation, Skin And Hair, Changes In
• Wound Healing, Decreased
• Bruising, Increased

Digestion

• Acid Indigestion
• Constipation/Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Hemorrhoids
• Food Intolerances
• Bad Breath
• Canker Sores
• Swallowing and Throat Sensations, Abnormal

Pain and joints

• Headaches Including Migraines
• Arthritis and Muscular/Joint Aches
• Musculoskeletal Strains
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Allergy, immunity and senses

• Allergies
• Asthma
• Infections, Recurrent
• Dry Eyes/Blurred Vision
• Tinnitus (Ringing In The Ears)

Women’s health

• Premenstrual Syndrome
• Irregular Periods and Menstrual Cramps
• Infertility
• Sex Drive, Decreased and Anhedonia
• Sexual Development, Inhibited

What a high count means — and does not

Many of these are common, and each has other causes. Dr. Wilson’s point is not that any one of them implies a low temperature; it is the pattern: several of them, arriving together, often after a stress, in a person whose temperature averages low. The diagnostic frame from the patient FAQ:

Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome is largely a diagnosis of exclusion and is best identified with a therapeutic trial.

— Frequently Asked Questions

Which symptoms he thinks respond most predictably:

I feel that the WT3 protocol is not only a treatment for many of these symptoms is also the best available treatment in many cases, for many of the symptoms (when persistent and inappropriate), including fatigue, migraines, PMS, decreased memory, insomnia, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, constipation, and irritable bowel syndrome.

— How They Made The List, the book

Two things to do with your count

1. Take your temperature the way he describes — three oral readings a day, averaged, for several days. How to take it and what the numbers mean.
2. Bring both lists to a doctor — the checklist and the log. How to find one, or ask for a referral.

Every symptom page above carries the book’s text for that symptom, the section of the book on how it is usually treated, what patients have said about it, and Dr. Wilson’s articles on it.

This is a reader’s guide compiled from Dr. Wilson’s published writing; every quotation is his and links to its source. A symptom count is not a diagnosis, and none of this is medical advice.