Cuz it ain’t the one WE live on, dah’ling.
For a few years now, patients have repeatedly written the Oprah show, begging her to address the thyroid scandal of decades of T4-only medication and the lousy TSH lab, both of which have left MILLIONS of patients with lingering hypo symptoms while our doctors proclaimed we were NORMAL…and about a FAR better treatment called natural desiccated thyroid and dosing by symptoms, NOT the TSH.
And when she finally has a program which somewhat addresses the thyroid issue this week, she allows her hallowed guest, Dr. Christiane Northrup, to state “your symptoms are actually your soul’s way of bringing deeper issues to your attention.” Hogwash! And thyroid patient Mary Shoman has rightly proclaimed that “thyroid disease is NOT your fault, despite what Dr. Northrup says.”
But the issue goes even further. Oprah implies, by her own experience, that taking a month vacation and eating fresh foods is enough to make one well from thyroid disease?? Double hogwash! Thyroid patients seek to live some of the healthiest lifestyles there are. All you have to do is observe the conversations in most any internet thyroid patient talk group, and you will see daily posts on the best supplements to take, healthiest foods to eat, and best ways to de-stress our lives. We are overall a VERY educated group of patients about health, and we practice it. We HAVE to be in light of how poorly educated most of our doctors are about our thyroid disease. And in spite of all the above, our thyroid condition persists.
What has CHANGED our lives is leaving the scandal of T4-only treatment in the dust, and learning about desiccated thyroid like Armour, switching to it, and dosing according to the elimination of symptoms, NOT simply labs. We have also faced the fact that at least 50% of us have adrenal fatigue, which leaves us impatient and angry, with headaches and body aches, chronic back pain and body aches, a loss of passion, and sleep issues. And we have tread new ground in our knowledge on how to treat it, when many of our doctors pooh-pooh the reality of adrenal fatigue.
I love ya, Oprah, as do millions of women out there. But taking a month vacation and eating fresh foods does NOT cure our thyroid disease. So time will tell what went on with you! So now, all we can do is hope eternal that Oprah will get on the planet that the rest of us live on, and help us to spread the word as to why millions of thyroid patients have been suffering and about a far better treatment. If you can continue to have persistence, you can email her here. STOP the thyroid madness!
P.S. Go here to read thyroid patient Anna’s humorous experience with following the same kind of advice given on Oprah’s show.
Theresa Roberts said:
Oct 18, 07 at 3:35 pmI have never joined an online discussion before, but I felt compelled to join Oprah.com just so I could register my disappointment with the episode dealing with Oprah’s thyroid issues. No help was offered to those of us who suffer with this insidious desease. Telling us that we have “swallowed our words” is akin to our doctors telling us that “it’s all in your head”. Who hasn’t had enough of that? I dared to hope that at least Dr. Oz (who I think has an inkling that modern medicine doesn’t have all the answers but seems open-minded about alternative treatments) would be included. Nope! Well, surely, Dr. Northrup, with her “Wisdom of Menopause” would help us. Nope! Her next book could be titled “Insanity of Thyroid Disease” (as I posted on Oprah.com). This site and Mary Shomon’s About.com site are my “bibles”. I check them every day for updated news on thyroid related issues. I have never read anything on either site that made me think “these people are out of their minds”. Suffice to say I will not be tuning in to Dr. Northrup’s programs or buying any more of her books (yes, I was foolish enough to purchase more than 1 in recent years). She has set thyroid disease awareness back immeasureably. My only hope is that those who watched will seek help from caring, knowledgable doctors (ever the optimist), and websites like this one.
Thycagirl said:
Oct 21, 07 at 5:21 amOprah, Oprah, Oprah! You’ve been deceived by your so called experts. You are as bad as Fox News and CNN. Misinforming the people. Why don’t you do a show on Synthroid Vs Desiccated Thyroid. Why don’t you put people on that have suffered for over 25 years on synthroid and switched to desiccated? Where was the mention about Adrenals and thyroid working together if one goes chances are the others not working either? What about Vitamins? Good thing there’s people like us who are here to get the real truth about thyroid disease out there.
Mary Lou said:
Oct 24, 07 at 7:25 am“Hogwash” is right Janie! For Dr. Northrup to go on national television where millions will hear…to EVEN suggest that having thyroid disease is “in our heads”, and “how we look at life”, is downright insulting, totally mis-informed and sets us back immensely in trying to get people to understand how devastatingly “real” & “incapacitating” this disease is for alot of us. I am afraid that now this will just re-affirm what so many already think about our illness & assume we are just complainers or are depressed. I am SO disappointed with this story!!!
Dotslady said:
Oct 24, 07 at 9:02 amWell, I too, was extremely disappointed in how Oprah’s show went. Northrup’s “eating words” was garbage! I logged in to leave a msg. but ended up reading messages, then had to go. Nonetheless, I’ve been to this site a few times, and thought my experience might lend some food for thought!
I was very into learning about my thyroid when I was diagnosed back in Oct ’96 at the age of 35 (way late I’m sure). I corresponded with Mary Shomon even — how nice she was to respond at all. She’s since written her many books. I got on Synthroid at the time of my diagnosis and have been on it ever since. Original dose in ’96: .05mcg. 2006’s dose: 175mcg. I kept going up and up. My symptoms were somewhat relieved, yet so many were NOT relieved. I thought, “That’s life!”
What DID bring me relief? A celiac disease diagnosis. Celiac is an autoimmune condition where the body attacks the lining of the small intestinal villi hairs which absorb nutrients. For years I attributed my constipation to hormones/thyroid disease. HA! It was from eating glutenous grains touted by the USDA food pyramid and doctors telling me to get more fiber! After much research, it is my belief that my undiagnosed celiac (which I’ve had my entire life) made my thyroid go out. If you have one autoimmune condition you’re more prone to others. Mary Shomon discusses celiac in her Living Well with Hypothyroidism book, but it’s only a long paragraph. You might read right over it, and never think you have it. Many thyroid symptoms overlap with celiac. Celiac is considered the Kingpin of autoimmune disorders.
My undiagnosed celiac led me to have altered gut flora which predisposed (+ my genetics) me to have a child with undiagnosed Asperger’s Syndrome/ADD/ODD — she’s 18 now and I’m just figuring this out — no thanks to doctors. What a long and tired life I’ve had, and I’m MAD! My celiac diagnosis got me on the road to learning more about nutrition: I’ve got 130 lbs to lose (have lost 24 so far). My eating more raw veggies and whole, real foods sans gluten or dairy have been my answer all along. Mary Shomon DOES suggest “low carb” diet as one of three diets recommended for thyroid patients … just not the WHOLE story! If you google Shazzie and go to her site you’ll see tranformations — I’m not the only one who has had to take less Synthroid because of health gains from eating gluten-free! Some people, early in diagnosis, can get off meds altogether.
I’m 18 months into gluten free. I’m only 2 months into eating more raw food: my dose was being lowered before raw diet, and was just lowered again (heart is palpitating … thank goodness the doc checked T3 and T4 etc as they were high, TSH was “normal”). I’m now down to 100mcg (this is third lowered dose).
Associated conditions: http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/c/celiac_disease/assoc.htm Learn more about gluten by googling The Gluten File. Not selling anything! Just sharing info like you here!
Much love and hugs to all who have suffered. (from Janie: great story and glad you shared it. Hope you get off the thyroid meds.:) But if you don’t, I highly recommend switching over to Armour, as staying on that Synthroid will continue to leave you hypo.)
Andrea said:
Nov 07, 07 at 4:09 pmI think I would feel great too if I could take a month off of work for some R&R, and have someone prepare healthy foods for me to eat. Alas, this is the real world, and the greater majority of us do not have that luxury.
If it was all about the power of positive thinking, I would be feeling great right about now. Afterall, it was supposed to all be in my head!
Ladybugpicnic said:
Nov 08, 07 at 8:12 amI had to laugh (while also feeling really disgusted) at the month long vacation to recover as well.
Thanks for linking to Anna’s experience following the advice from the show. I was laughing outloud – which is some of the best medicine I know of LOL.
I hope Ms.O. starts to do some digging on her own!
Barbara Nebert said:
Nov 12, 07 at 9:13 pmI just got information that our hormones may be the culprit that determines whether our thyroid is the problem or it is our out of whack hormone levels.
I read an article regarding hormone levels affecting the thyroid function. The patient in the article had had a hysterectomy and was taking an estrogen replacement of Estrace, an oral form of estrogen known as estradiol. Anyway, she was “experiencing unusual weight gain while watching her weight and her doctor ordered a saliva test to determine her current estrogen level. Turned out that it was 10 times higher than normal than it should have been. Her doctor determined that Myrna had developed “estrogen dominence”. In Myrna’s case, the problen had caused water tetention and fat deposition, especially in the abdomen. The excess estrogen can also suppress thyroid function” (as it did in this patients case… “a poorly functioning thyroid can result in yet more weight gain, not to mention fatigue.”) Progesterone cream and a weaning off of the estrogen replacement resulted in the satisfaction of a reduction of abdominal bloating and the loss of some weight. I don’t know whether this article is true or how reputable the doctor is but it makes sense and I plan on getting my hormone levels checked because I have tried everything else.
dee said:
Nov 28, 07 at 9:57 pmJust want to say that if Ms. O really has hypo or hyper thyroidism, she will wake up and smell the coffee sooner than she thinks. Once you pass age 40, your body tells you what’s really going on or not. She’ll just add weight and all the tests in the world will only lie and give a false reading of normal. She hasn’t got long to wait. Her waistline is telling on her right now. Soon she will know what we know.
ibeji said:
Dec 13, 07 at 4:14 am@dee: She may however think and/or be told that these symptoms are “normal” and due to ageing/menopause!
She might not notice something is wrong for more than 10 years!
Happened to myself too: I was diagnosed (wrongly) with Graves’ in 1996 (they must have looked at the then suppressed TSH only, and didn’t pay attention to the high TPO-antibodies and the total lack of TSH-receptor-antibodies typical of Graves’ — I also had a prolactinoma with elevated levels of prolactine, a strong indicator of hypothyroidism!), and after tapering off medication in 1998 I was told I was healed, except for a 50% chance of a relapse. Only in 2005 (because of increasing complaints/worsening health) I went to a doctor and finally found out that I had had Hashimoto’s all the time!
Best regards,
merry christmas & a happy new year!
ibeji
truth said:
Dec 15, 07 at 10:10 pmSorry guys, if you think Oprah is really there to help, think again. What Oprah would have you think is that you have to follow “The Secret” where you “think” your new reality into existence.
When you understand Oprah is owned, then you will begin to start to understand the bigger picture. The drug companies and their owners have a strangle hold on all of our health. Why? Because the owners are the same people who own the media companies and these people with their manipulation of the FDA make the situation as it is today.
Fact, Thyroid meds are the largest money makers for these Pharma companies today — full stop. America is run by companies and their unending desire for profit and if you think that they are going to even take our quality of life into consideration for 1 second… think again. More than that they have another greater “agenda”, but if you dig a little bit you will find it in plain sight.
Lynne LeCLerc said:
Jan 10, 08 at 2:57 pmI too suffered from fatigue, lethargy, a low metabolism, and feeling cold for years. My physician checked my TSH and stated that is was normal. I started working for a physician that specializes in naturopathic and alternative medicine. Through him I had my TSH, T3 and T4 checked. He put me on dessicated thyroid right away, and within a month I started sleeping better (and less) and my metabolism and energy have increased. I now realize that it is important to check the whole thyroid “package” instead of mincing it. I also know that for EVERY symptom there is a root cause, that is NOT cured by prescription. Dr Mercola is an expert in the alternative medicine field, and I strongly suggest people who are interested to check out his website.