And again, on the heels of my post below about Sheila Turner of the UK’s TPA (be sure and read it – good comments, too) comes a blog post by Dr. Richard B. Gutler of California, an Endocrinologist (why are we not surprised). And his message?
1) That the NHS is correct to ban Armour
2) That Armour is a “second drug” that causes harm.
3) That it’s only “fringe” patients who don’t do well on T4
4) That none of the above patients are hypothyroid
5) That they don’t feel well on T4 because of other reasons
6) Therapy is not needed if the TSH is below 10
You know what patients have a fantasy about, Dr. Gutler?? That folks like YOU become hypothyroid and are put on T4. You’ll then have to eat dirt as you see your blood pressure rising, or your cholesterol doing the same, or depression and fatigue setting in, or your adrenals overworking, or weight gain and a host of other continuing symptoms of hypothyroid while on T4. OH WAIT. Those are all due to something else. Gee, let’s put you on anti-depressants, statins, blood pressure meds, pain meds, anti-anxiety meds since those “other” reasons never seem to be fixed. OH WAIT. They DO get fixed when these same patients are switched to Armour or any other desiccated thyroid, and have addressed their low cortisol or low ferritin thanks to years of undiagnosis or undertreatment with T4.
SHAME ON YOU.
p.s. It’s because of opinions like yours that the Stop the Thyroid Madness book has been sent to patients in over 16 countries, so far. People want to find out the TRUTH.
Update: you can read Sheila’s and UK-TPA’s response here: http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/uk-tpas-response-to-the-rcp/
See more from Sheila that gives UK patients hope: http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/relationship-between-the-RCP-and-MHRA/
Want to be notified of my blog posts? Curious what’s on my mind? Use the Notification method to be informed. Look on the bottom left of the links where you can sign up. )
Theresa Roberts said:
Feb 22, 09 at 10:43 amAs the songs says “There is none so blind as he who will not see”!
Dominica said:
Feb 22, 09 at 11:57 pmI seriously believe that this undertreatment of hypothyroidism is an issue that is ignored because most of the patients are women, usually overweight, and often older. It’s easy to dismiss them as “complaining women” or “hysterical” (to use it in the old-fashioned sense), and extremely easy for the medical establishment to dismiss their health problems as being caused by their weight, simply because “everyone knows” that fat people just want an excuse to be lazy and to blame their weight on a glandular condition. And why, women just like to complain, especially older women! *rolls eyes* (You get both male and female doctors with this attitude, I’m sure everyone reading knows this.)
It has been documented in medical studies that patients who fit this profile receive worse treatment or have symptoms dismissed or undertreated simply because they are female, fat, and maybe older and health professionals are “disgusted” by their appearance and perceived lifestyle, believeing them wilfully ignorant of “eat less, exercise more” advice. One study documented that overweight women died of breast and gynaecological cancers more not because of their weight but because doctors were either reluctant to perform the necessary exams, or the women were afraid of the treatment they receive at the hands of these so-called healers and so delayed treatment, or that they were simply not given enough anti-cancer treatment!
And that’s even without getting into the money at stake from pharmaceutical companies who can make more money selling synthroid, statins, metformin, anti-depressants, anti-anxaics, anti-hypertensives and painkillers to hypothyroid patients than a single pill like Armour or even a synthetic T4/T3 combo. That is the handful of pills I would be on if I wan’t being treated with Thyroid USP! Some doctors have claimed that’s a placebo effect. If it is, it’s a brilliant one. But…I am confident it’s not. I was pretty skeptical when my doctor initially prescribed it. But I went to a university medical school library and looked up medical texts and journals from before synthetic T4 became popular. All the mainstream, regular docs and endocrinologists used dessicated thyroid. Of course it wasn’t perfect treatment for all, no drug is. Maybe people needed adrenal treatment as well, or a little extra t4 or t3. But I find it remarkable how doctors now can claim that dessicated thyroid is unreliable and unstable, etc, when it’s actually got even higher production standards today thanks to better analytical procedures. They claim that doctors of previous generations were always complaining that Armour wasn’t good enough but I haven’t found any evidence of this.
Another interesting point to consider is that synthetic thyroid was developed and introduced during that post-war time of modernism when synthetic, manmade and pre-processed goods were considered the absolute height of excellence and good hygiene. Synthroid didn’t become used because it worked better, there wasn’t evidence of that, but because it was newer and “pure” and proof of our technological triumph over nature. It was the fashion at the time (…thankyou Grandpa Simpson). It has little to do with the actual science, just the perceived “science-y-ness” of the product.
stella said:
Feb 23, 09 at 4:12 amOh Janie —
This fight to keep us well is so exhausting. I see the fine doctor is a wine expert on his blog page.
Hmmmmmm.…..
Theresa said:
Feb 23, 09 at 9:45 amI agree with Dominica. How many baby boomers were bottle fed formula because doctors convinced mothers that breastfeeding was old fashioned, and formula was more scientific? Give me a break!
Donald Michael, MD, PC said:
Feb 23, 09 at 2:51 pmDear Janie,
This is just a brief note to let you that your fantasy has already been actualized, on a different doctor.
For over 25 years, I would go to my every-other-year physical exam, get yelled at because I weighed more, had higher cholesterol, and higher blood pressure. I am a three time Life Time Member of Weight Watchers. I would get down to my “goal weight” by starving for a year or more, only to gain it all back in 6 to 9 months after I dropped out of Maintenance.
I was taught the same crap about thyroid that the other docs were taught. It was only after struggling to find an answer to my own problems that I could really understand and be of service to my patients.
And, yes, I have been subject to most of the pain and humiliation that every thyroid patient goes through to get help. I sometimes tell newly diagnosed thyroid patients, “Congratulations, you have been drafted into the Thyroid Wars. These are the struggles that we all face to get decent help for our thyroid problems. On the bright side, any battle you win will not only help you and your loved ones, but every poor soul who follows you.”
I’ve been on blood pressure medicines, antidepressants, and told to eat less and get more exercise, countless times. In retrospect, my mother, brother, and first wife all died from complications that stemmed from undiagnosed and untreated Hypothyroidism. It structured most of my life.
Although I was originally trained in Neurology and Psychiatry, most of my practice now involves Adrenal and Thyroid problems. (www.dmichaelmd.com)There seems to be a vested interest in not treating thyroid problems: instead of safe, effective treatment with cheap medication; people get a myriad of chronic health problems that pump unlimited funds into the sickness industry.
I have learned that the only docs who really known thyroid and adrenal problems are the ones who have had them. In the Thyroid Wars, I am proud to serve along side of people like you and those whose comments I have read on this site.
God Bless.
D. Michael, MD, PC
(AKA Doc Don)
Julie Sue said:
Feb 23, 09 at 4:40 pmDoc Don — GOOD FOR YOU!!!!! Thank you for validating everything we know to be true. The fight will continue no matter what and ragging idiots like Dr. (I use that word loosely) Guttler will be stopped with patients who know the truth. The torture he imposes on his patients will not continue if we have anything to say.
nutralady2001 said:
Feb 23, 09 at 4:53 pmDoc Don you are a breath of fresh air.…… so glad to have you as an advocate,your thyroid patients and probably others too must love you
Darla said:
Feb 23, 09 at 10:52 pmHey Doc Don. Where do you practice.
Lord knows we need more just like you.
Guttler, on the other hand, is dangerous. I can’t help but wonder how many drugs he gives his poor patients that have “problems other than hypo”?
Darla said:
Feb 23, 09 at 11:05 pmWell guess I won’t be getting sued. What a chicken. None of Guttler’s email addresses work on his site. Lucky for any would be patients.
nutralady2001 said:
Feb 24, 09 at 4:23 amDoc Don is in Indianapolis.…… go to the website URL he gave
ibeji said:
Feb 25, 09 at 7:55 amIt is appalling to see how people who have sworn the Hippocratic Oath are wilfully condemning thyroid patients to a life of endless suffering and eventually death (we all know that hypothyroidism causes high cholesterol and this in turn increases the risk of heart attacks).
They must be either insane or absolutely ruthless, or both.
They prefer to prescribe drugs such as for instance statins (from which people died even faster than from hypothyroidism alone — remember the Lipobay scandal?!) rather than to relieve their patients from their illness.
This is not only gross negligence, because it was already known in the 50ies and 60ies that high cholesterol was one of the symptoms of hypothyroidism, but an outright criminal conduct.
Not to mention the unbearable arrogance and complete lack of compassion patients are usually treated with.
Words are not enough to express the contempt that I feel for such a despicable spawn, who are capable of — metaphorically — stabbing the very people in their hearts who trustfully lay their already badly bruised lives and fates into the hands of these wolves in sheep’s clothings.
Kris Miles said:
Feb 25, 09 at 8:49 pmAs I write this tears are streamimg down my face. I am sick, so very sick and I have been told by Doctors that I am fine when I know good damn well I AM NOT!!! I read some of the stories on your sight and one right after the other sounded exactly like me! I have said over and over something is wrong with my thryoid and my doctor took T4,T3 test and nothing was abnormal. Then I found a new doctor who took the test. T3, T4, TSH all normal but my thyroglobin is 500 (0 – 3.9) is suppose to be normal. I feel like there is a light at the end of a very long tunnel. I have a little hope…I finally have hope. Thank you so much for sharing your stories!I am going to be a good mom again!
Joe said:
Mar 01, 09 at 6:44 amI am a 44 yr old male who has been on & off thyroids meds for the past 10yrs because of the side effects sometimes are worse than what my thyroid itself has been causing, I just started taking Amour 2 weeks ago hoping that this time there will be a end to my pain! finding docs that will treat with amour has been diff but after much convincing my doc has decided to give it a try. She has not had much experience with using it but is willing to learn more and I of coarse am doing everything I can to to help her I just sent out to labs you recomended to test my adrenal, I have to say it feels good knowing others are feeling the same way I do I thought I was nuts u guys are great please keep it up
gwen havens said:
Mar 08, 09 at 9:34 amThe P.A. at my gynecologist found a goiter last year. Was put on T4 medication, which was a bomb. After I found this site, I asked for armour, she said yes! Is even increasing dosage gradually for me. I am still not done upping dosage, as I have problems with depression, moodiness. I am fifty one, with no ovaries. The weight issue is a fight, with hormonal problems-it is a up hill battle. I used to be a peanut of a woman, until age 45. As a society we are all so under treated when it comes to hormonal problems. The drug companies are not getting rich off me, but the American people as a whole are a cash cow for the drug co.(drug lords) and the physicians. Thanks for your site and the enlightenment.
Monica Koziol said:
Mar 09, 09 at 8:46 pmAbbott Laboratories,THE drug Lord makers of Synthyroid is making money hand-over-fist even in the manufacture of stents — 50+ years ago it was know that atherosclerosis was caused by hypothyroidism. RA can also be something that comes from autoimmune thyroid problems. This is the latest info on the $$$$ that Abbott has made and what they are into. Please don’t get sick!
Abbott Labs posts 27% rise in profit
Sees strong earnings growth continuing in 2009
By Jeffry Bartash, MarketWatch
Last update: 9:39 a.m. EST Jan. 21, 2009
Comments: 4
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Abbott Laboratories on Wednesday said fourth-quarter profit climbed 27% and reiterated expectations for strong earnings growth in 2009 despite a slumping global economy.
In the final three months of 2008, the drug manufacturer posted net income of $1.54 billion, or 98 cents a share, compared with $1.20 billion, or 77 cents a share, for the same quarter in 2007.
Revenue rose 10.1% to $7.95 billion, helped by a 41.6% increase in sales of Humira, a rheumatoid arthritis drug. Humira sales totaled $1.35 billion. A unfavorable exchange trimmed revenue by 2%, Abbott said. [too bad!]
Excluding various accounting items, Abbott would have reported adjusted earnings of $1.06 a share versus 93 cents in the year-earlier period. On average, analysts polled by FactSet Research had expected Abbott to show earnings of $1.06 a share on sales of $8.07 billion.
For 2009, the Abbott Park, Ill.-based company reaffirmed its prior outlook of double-digit earnings growth, on a percentage basis. The company expects to generate an adjusted profit, which excludes one-time items, in the range of $3.65 to $3.70 a share. Analysts were projecting $3.66 a share, according to FactSet.
In early Wednesday trades, shares of Abbott (ABT:
Abbott Laboratories
News , chart , profile , more
Last: 46.65 – 0.24 – 0.51%
4:00pm 03/09/2009
Sponsored by:
ABT 46.65, –0.24, –0.5%) moved up 1.4% to $49.86.
Aside from surging Humira sales, Abbott has benefited from a strong lineup of vascular and stent-related products. Worldwide vascular revenue jumped 58.9% to $663 million.
Abbott recently received U.S. approval for its new drug-coated stent Xience, which is simultaneously being marketed by Boston Scientific (BSX:
BSX
Sponsored by:
BSX, , ) under the brand name Promus. The Xience/Promus stent has already been available overseas for some time.
Also, Abbott’s nutritional products sales climbed 11% to $1.32 billion.
Earlier this month, Abbot said it will acquire Advanced Medical Optics Inc. (EYE:
EYE
Sponsored by:
EYE, , ) for $2.8 billion, including assumed debt, as part of a move to boost sales of medical products overseas.
Santa Ana, Calif.-based Advanced Medical Optics is a provider of cataract and laser vision-correction surgeries.
End of Story
Jeffry Bartash is a reporter for MarketWatch in Washington.
SnarkyAngel said:
Mar 15, 09 at 10:33 pmIt’s about time someone is taking this seriously. I have a great PA who listens to me and is willing to learn and to my surprise, has even asked me questions regarding how to help other patients! I just finally found my way back to him after some money issues…he is the first to ever listen. I am hoping that he won’t fall off his little roly chair when I walk in with pages I have printed from here…however it goes…I have found a renewed strength to advocate for myself and not let my life go on being 1/2 lived.
Thankyou for taking the time, energy and effort to help educate us, so that we can make more informed and healthy decisions.
I have a long way to go…the only good thing about the hypo weight gain.…if we ever hit a famon, I have more than enough junk in my trunk to live a loooong life!