Introduction
Stop the what??
Well, here’s the skinny. Many patients all over the world have come to the conclusion that for just over 50 years, a needless, blundering and bona fide medical scandal has compromised their lives. It has affected health, overwhelmed relationships, and put money in the pockets of pharmaceuticals who didn’t, and don’t, deserve it.
Could you, a friend or a loved one be a victim of this scandal and not even know it? You betcha.
- The Non-Diagnosis Club: This huge global group consists of those who have genuine or unrecognized hypothyroid symptoms, yet no accurate diagnosis. Why? Because of well-meaning but clueless doctors who fail to look at the entire cluster of your symptoms, or have a rigid reliance on two lousy labs: the TSH and the T4. You are then proclaimed “normal”.
- The T4-Only Club: This also-gigantic global club consists of those who have been diagnosed with a thyroid problem, but treated with Synthroid, Levoxyl, Oroxine, Levothyroxine, Eltroxin, et al, T4-only thyroxine pills. But hypothyroidism and the body is not meant to live on a storage hormone alone and leaves most patients with their own brand or intensity of lingering hypothyroid symptoms.
My name is Janie, and I am a thyroid patient activist, author, blogger and creator of this informational patient-to-patient site—STTM for short. It’s my sweet revenge in the face of a medical treatment which has gone awry, and based on the experience of patients worldwide to inspire, educate and be taken into your doctor’s office.
Stop the thyroid madness! It’s not working. It never has! It still doesn’t.
P.S. Still think this site may not apply to you? Go here for more information.
The Undiagnosed Club
Membership quota: a global mass of medically-duped individuals
Dues: increasing symptoms of hypothyroidism paid in full
Length of membership: a few years leading into decades for some
Mottos: “Your TSH is normal. It’s not your thyroid.” “You need to eat less, exercise more.” “Everyone needs to nap” “You need to see a therapist.” “Your problems are due to being a mom/stress/genetics/your job.” “Here’s a script for your anti-depressant/statin/blood pressure med/psychotropic.” “Your hair loss is due to being a mom/stress/genetics.” “It’s just Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/fibromyalgia” “I don’t know what’s wrong with you.”
Sound at all familiar?
Enlightened patients all over the world report going years while coping with the pesky flies of hypothyroid symptoms, sans a diagnosis. And it’s all because of the inane and lousy TSH lab test (see below) with its dubious “normal” range, or the doctor’s failure to notice clinical presentation of the cluster of hypothyroid symptoms (see below) rather than simply an ink spot on a piece of paper which can mean squat.
As years go by without a diagnosis, the adrenals take the hit trying to keep you afloat, resulting in high or low cortisol symptoms including anxiety, fear, difficulty coping, sleep problems, not waking up refreshed and other symptoms of an adrenal beating.
How to stop this “unclassified madness”? Work with your doctor with the right lab tests and how to read them, and if all else fails, find a much better doctor (see below). And P.S. whatever you do, don’t let your next step be obtaining membership in the T4-only club.
The T4-Only Club
Think you are doing fine on a T4-only thyroid med?
Think again! Synthroid, Levoxyl, Levothyroxine, Eltroxin, Oroxine, Norton and a host of other brand names for synthetic T4-only are only giving you a thyroid storage hormone, meant to convert to the life-giving and active thyroid hormone T3. But a large and growing body of patients in the T4-only club, as well as many wise doctors, have discovered that the body is not meant to live on conversion alone, no matter how “normal” your TSH lab result is or how fine you feel.
As a result of being in this club, your stress-busting adrenals may be kicking in big time with cortisol and adrenaline to keep you going on an inadequate treatment of T4-only. Over time, there’s a high risk of those adrenals becoming sluggish, presenting a much more complicated problem to treat. Low ferritin, aka storage iron, can also raise its ugly head.
As one ages on T4, doctors are finding patients with continuing thyroid symptoms of a poor treatment, including rising blood pressure, a buildup of cholesterol and other lipids, increased depression, fatigue and/or a myriad of other inadequate side effects of a poor thyroid treatment.
According to the experience of patients worldwide, T4-only meds do not do the job, any more than an elevator which only rises to the fifth floor of a 50-story building “does the job.”
Sure, you may feel slightly better with good results. But you will be left with your own brand and intensity of lingering symptoms of an inadequate treatment that will get worse as you age. Yup.
Thyroid Treatment That Works
For more than 100 years, there has been a hypothyroid treatment prescribed by doctors and used by patients that always was a cut above: natural desiccated porcine thyroid.
And today, there is a growing body of thyroid patients and their wise doctors worldwide who have discovered the far superior treatment with Naturethroid, Westhroid, Armour, compounded desiccated thyroid, Canada’s “Thyroid” and other brands. (see Natural Thyroid 101 below)
All the desiccated thyroid brands contain the same hormones as your own thyroid: T4, T3, T2, T1 and calcitonin—all working synergistically and harmoniously in removing lingering symptoms of hypothyroid while on T4: depression, aches and pains, easy weight gain or fatigue, dry skin or hair, high blood pressure or cholesterol, weak heart function or bone density, and a host of others.
Additionally, patients on desiccated thyroid are being guided by doctors to dose according to the elimination of thyroid symptoms, better temperature, continuing healthy heartrate, and paying attention to superior labwork like the free T3 and free T4, and not the TSH (see below).
As thyroid patients on the desiccated thyroid path, we have learned what works, as well as mistakes we and our doctors have made or overlooked that need correction. (see below)
Stop the Thyroid Madness, both website and book, were created to educate you, the patient, about desiccated thyroid and better treatment. In turn, this website helps you carry this information into your doctor’s office and press for change in your thyroid treatment. It’s time to Stop the Thyroid Madness.
NOTE: Go here to discuss alternatives with your doctor if your pharmacy is backordered.
Doctors
A message to Doctors:
In 2005, I watched a doctor advising on a popular health website. And I also saw patient comments removed simply because members dared to tell of their life changing experiences with desiccated thyroid contrary to his T4 advice. It was disheartening.
But the straw that broke the camel’s back was “miserable mom”, pleading for help because of clear hypothyroid symptoms. His advice? Stay with the amount of thyroid medication (that was clearly under-dosing her); her TSH was too low (as if an ink spot on a piece of paper is more important than clinical presentation); and from a thyroid standpoint, he concluded, there isn’t much more to do. He was completely wrong, and learned patients knew it! She never posted again–miserable.
And from all the above started the seed of sweet revenge in my mind. Namely, a website had to be created to educate the patient, who in turn can take life-changing information into each and every doctor’s office.
Stop the Thyroid Madness is a website not based on “my opinion”. It is almost completely based on successful and learned patient experience around the world. Patient lives ARE changing from this information as they take into their doctors offices, and doctors changing their focus.
And you may ask: where’s the science? My answer to you is simple: if patients had waited on science to tell them what they already know by experience, we’d ALL still be sick.
So may I respectfully ask that if you consider yourself to be a caring and wise physician, listen listen to your patients, both in your office, on this website, and in more detail in the book. Because if you do, you just might become quite wiser than the average duck…and patients will adore you.
Information and Communication
“Knowledge is power. Information is liberating.” —Kofi Annan
STTM book: if you’d rather not be tied down to a computer, plus want more detail, the Stop the Thyroid Madness book is boss! The only patient-to-patient book on the market, and it’s changing lives.
Audio Shorts: listen to Janie explain what this patient revolution is all about concerning the TSH lab test, T4 meds, desiccated thyroid, adrenals, etc.
T-Shirts and Bumper Stickers: a way to spread the word. Wear the T-shirt to your doctors office, or splash the humorous bumper stickers on the car. T-shirts now 50% off!
Janie’s Blog: read what Janie has to say about a variety of STTM subjects and make your own comments. Sign up with the Notifications link to be informed.
STTM’s Facebook page: a great place to talk to others, post on the Wall, exchange ideas, and get a message from Janie a few times a month.
STTM’s Twitter: One little sentence here & there to which you can respond with the same.
Talk to others: Need feedback? it was always patients-talking-to-other-patients which turned T4 on its head and started the revolution for far better thyroid care.
Physicians group: Are you a legally qualified and licensed practitioner of medicine with an active practice? This is your group. (Patients need to use the Talk to Others link above)
