Janie's Blog

HUMOROUS VIDEO ABOUT ADRENAL FATIGUE:   In my blog post last February 15th, 2011, I sent you in the direction of a kooky, creative and hilarious You Tube video titled “Our Holy Miracle of the Infallible TSH Test”.

Well, creator and thyroid patient Brian Foreman has brilliantly done it again, but this time, it’s about adrenal fatigue and titled “Why Isn’t My Thyroid Medication Working?”  Have fun watching it, and get ready for a good laugh here and there.

Want to know more about adrenal dysfunction? Go here to find out about the problem, and do the Discovery Tests tests to see if you might have it.  Note that it’s critical, if the self-tests seem to point to an adrenal issue, to do a 24-hour adrenal saliva test to see what is going on at four key times during a 24-hour period.  Here is a compilation of what patients have learned in how to treat low cortisol, and this page is important to share with your doctor. If you want even more detail, it is strongly recommended by thyroid patients to order the REVISED STTM BOOK, and see Chapters 5 and 6. This can be carried right into your doctor appointment with key areas highlighted and bookmarked.

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BIPOLAR, DEPRESSION and HYPOTHYROID: A thyroid patient emailed me with just one more article on the connection between having a bipolar disorder and one’s thyroid, including the fact that there is “a strikingly high rate of autoimmune-caused thyroid problems in people with bipolar disorder”, aka Hashimotos disease.

And even if depression is your main problem, the article mentions “gently pushing your thyroid status over toward the “hyperthyroid” end of normal, if you happen now to be toward the hypothyroid end of normal”, in order to adequately reverse the depression problem. I constantly think back about my own mother who suffered from depression, succumbed to having shock therapy, and ended up on anti-depressants the rest of her life because of her use of Synthroid.  So we know that treating hypothyroidism with direct T3, such as is found in desiccated thyroid, is far better. 

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IS THERE A BABY KNOCKING IN YOUR BELLY?  I often see pregnant women in forums wondering how their babies are doing and how the thyroid works in helping their babies, or hurting them if the mother is pregnant and hypothyroid.  Here is an article sent to me that can help inform as to changes in your thyroid function when pregnant, how thyroid hormones affect the brain of the fetus, and the role of iodine.  It can underscore how important proper treatment is while pregnant.

What about adrenal fatigue which so many thyroid patients find themselves with, and pregnancy? A gal named Anne has written about this issue here. She has Addisons disease, which is more about a disease process and can be autoimmune, but her comments can be very applicable for those of you with sluggish adrenal function. Share all of this with your doctor. Need to find a good one?? Go here.

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TWO COMMON MISTAKES  MADE BY PATIENTS:  In patient groups, here are two common mistakes I see patients make:

1. Not doing the 24 hour adrenal saliva test if adrenal dysfunction is suspected:  I can’t stress this enough:  patients have learned repeatedly they shouldn’t have rushed into cortisol treatment if they or their doctor’s “suspect” an adrenal problem. Yes, STTM has outlined several self-tests, called Discovery Steps, that you can do in your own home to see if anything is suspicious. There is also a checklist of symptoms related to adrenal problems. But the problem is two-fold:  symptoms of high and low cortisol can be exactly the same, and ‘where you are low’ and ‘where you are not’ can dictate how your treatment should be.  Some only need to lower high cortisol, some may do well on simply adaptogens like Ashwagandha or Rhodiola, some do well on Isocort or OTC adrenal cortex, and some outright need to be on prescription hydrocortisone. Teach this to your doctor. Here is where you can order your own saliva tests, and then take them into your doctor’s office.
2. Not getting copies of labwork: Contrary to how your doctor says it, you have a right to have copies of your own labwork. And you should! Patients often come on groups seeking feedback from other patients, and yet, have no idea what their labwork was, or the ranges. Getting copies of labwork is just one step of many in being a pro-active patient. Here is how to read labwork according to the experience of thyroid patients.

Below this blog post, you will see my original July 25th post about the potentially harmful thyroid article that appeared in Good Housekeeping magazine’s August issue.

And sadly, though thyroid patients can appreciate even getting a reply by the Editors of Good Housekeeping (which is certainly better than the dead silence thyroid patients got from Oprah Winfrey when they emailed numerous times about this horrific thyroid treatment scandal), we certainly are saddened by the continued poor understanding and false suppositions contained in the reply:

We have read your postings and letters with great interest and are moved by the depth of feeling that underlies them. It is obvious that many of you write out of frustration with your own unresolved symptoms, and we are sympathetic to your ongoing difficulties.

Good Housekeeping’s August 2011 article on thyroid disease describes one woman’s quest to understand her own ambiguous diagnosis. As described in the article, there is a great deal of controversy surrounding the diagnosis and treatment of low thyroid disorders — among mainstream physicians as well as those with a more complementary or integrative orientation. We recognize that much of the information on the Internet serves to support patients who haven’t been heard or understood by their own doctors — a terribly disheartening and frustrating experience for anyone. But it is often difficult to discern what’s been scientifically tested and proven versus what is still being explored. That is why this article, like all health articles in GH, drew on research and advice that is evidence-based; typically, such information comes from credentialed doctors working at leading medical and academic centers. A careful reader of our story will see that doctors we consulted acknowledged that low thyroid levels might be treated if a patient has other problems like infertility or depression or if she has Hashimoto antibodies and other factors.

It is our hope that better understanding of the disease will lead to more effective treatment for all. That’s really the goal and the motivation behind all of Good Housekeeping’s health coverage.

We thank you for your valuable feedback and encourage you to continue to send us your thoughts. You can reach us at ghletters@goodhousekeeping.com.

And here is my reply to the Editors of Good Housekeeping:

We, as thyroid patients around the world, do appreciate that you took the time to reply. We have been the recipients of dead silence all too often in our quest to inspire and educate the media about this near 60-year thyroid treatment problem. Thank you.

But there are incorrect observations and assumptions in your reply that need clarification and intelligent re-thinking:

1. This patient-to-patient movement is far more than ‘frustrations with our own unresolved symptoms’.  This is about  hundreds of millions of us worldwide who have been subjected to a brainwashed bias by medical professionals in the use of  T4-only medications and the TSH lab test (both which have left us with lingering hypothyroid symptoms and denied as such by our physicians).
2. What you refer to as “a great deal of controversy surrounding the diagnosis and treatment of low thyroid disorders”  is, in our experience and observation, only within the boundaries of a dogmatically-trained medical profession comprised of those who seem to have lost the art of paying attention to CLEAR symptoms of hypothyroidism with a so-called “normal” TSH lab test or with the use of the laughable “gold standard” of thyroid treatment–T4-only.
3. This is far more than what is “scientifically tested and proven.” Do you REALLY believe that all scientific testing is unbiased and correct??  Do you not understand that much science has been done quite badly, and the results are often in conjunction to whoever or whatever FUNDED the research? Instead, this is about real live and multiple patient experience and outcome–patient experience where lives are changed due to not going by the TSH but by symptoms; where labwork is used as the cart pulled by the horse of symptoms; where desiccated thyroid has been proven to be far more beneficial in the removal of our symptoms than thyroxine ever was or will be…and more. (And here is science that actually underscores our experience).
4. You state that the article “drew on research and advice that is evidence-based.”  And what about the evidence of millions of thyroid patients who have endured multiple and clear hypothyroid symptoms for years before the TSH lab test rose high enough to reveal their obvious hypothyroid state? What about all of us who have suffered for years in our own kind and degree while on T4-only meds like Synthroid, levothyroxine, etc? What about the irrefutable evidence of those whose lives have turned completely around thanks to desiccated thyroid and/or T3, especially after they treated the extreme side effects of being undiagnosed or undertreated all these years thanks to a clueless medical profession?
5. You refer to “credentialed doctors working at leading medical and academic centers” as your source of information: would it shock you to hear that MANY credentialed doctors are the very ones who have kept us completely sick for nearly sixty years??  Ask thyroid patients about all those doctors they saw over the years who were “credentialed”, and your eyes and ears will burn. And what about all the growing body of “credentialed doctors” who now have the courage to state that the TSH lab test is lousy (except for diagnosing hypopituitary), just as is T4-only treatment? They are many!
6. And finally, if your “goal and the motivation behind all of Good Housekeeping’s health coverage” is to find more effective treatment for all, do a follow-up article in an upcoming issue about the scandal of T4-only treatment, the poor use of the TSH lab test (which is measuring a pituitary hormone, not cellular levels of thyroid hormones), the experience of patients worldwide on T4, the experience of patients who lives made a complete turn-around thanks to desiccated thyroid or T3, the experience of patients with “credentialed doctors” who have been nothing more than condescending, ignorant, biased and dogmatically close-minded to our experience and wisdom in our own bodies!

Good Housekeeping do a PATIENT EXPERIENCE article!  Let your readers use their own wisdom about the “mass experience of patients worldwide” vs the “dogmatic, pharmaceutically-brainwashed “opinion” of a several misguided and credentialed medical professionals.”

As informed thyroid patients, we’ve all been talking about it in patient groups, blog posts, and amongst each other.  About.com’s Mary Shomon did a good write up in her blog post, and you can see one of several different Facebook group conversations here as well as the article and our comments after it, here.

And if you haven’t caught up with it all yet, here is a summary of the extremely sad misinformation and implications contained in an article of the latest issue in the Good Housekeeping magazine:

1. that the first step to diagnosing your potential hypothyroid problem is the use of the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) lab test  (a test which informed patients worldwide exclaim has left them either undiagnosed for years or undertreated! http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/tsh-why-its-useless)
2. that your TSH may only point to hypothyroidism if it comes back at 10 or higher (Hogwash!! say informed thyroid patients, who have been hypothyroid with a TSH in the two’s! See above.)
3. that the only other tests you may need are the T4 and antibodies  (which informed patients have found is only PART of what you need, which needs to include the very important  free T3!  http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/recommended-labwork)
4. that it’s worthy to quote a Dr. Daniels who states ”There’s no compelling evidence that medication helps patients whose TSH is in the 5.0 to 10.0 range,”  (exactly the kind of doctor which nearly all informed thyroid patients state has kept them repeatly sick for years!  http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/give-me-a-break )
5. that if you have “other problems”, such as infertility or depression, your doctor might suggest medication (when, oh when, are doctors going to GET IT that depression and infertility are key symptoms of ongoing hypothyroidism!! http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/long-and-pathetic )
6. that T4 meds like Synthroid are T4 hormone are the go-to medication (and are the very medications which have kept patients sick, disabled, or with problematic hypothyroid symptoms  for  over 50 years! http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/t4-only-meds-dont-work )
7. that the “potency can vary” for desiccated thyroid…as if that’s a good reason to be concerned about its use  (potency is set in a predictable range and is made according to the strict guidance of  the United States Pharmacopeia , say the makers of desiccated thyroid, and desiccated thyroid has been changing lives ten fold for decades!  http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/natural-thyroid-101)
8. And last but not least…that you need to be on-guard about online patient information (yet wise and repeated “patient experience” has changed not only patient lives, but the way open-minded doctors are practicing in their own offices!! http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/things-we-have-learned 

All the above, appearing in what we all thought would be considered a long-standing good magazine, only underscores the irresponsibility and ignorance of the media about REAL LIFE!! Who wants to subscribe to any magazine, or listen in seriousness to any news program, talk show, or internet website that allows this kind of DARK AGES BALONEY on its pages??  I don’t.

P.S. One particularly personal tragedy is the author of this article, Susan Carlton. She is clearly hypothyroid, yet completely duped by the pharmaceutically-brainwashed medical field which clings blindly to a poor medication and inadequate labwork.  She is ALL OF US LOOKING AT OURSELVES all those years when we believed in the doctors we went to and emptied our pocketbooks to try and find out why we had depression, infertility, rising cholesterol and blood pressure, linger aches and pains, poor stamina and fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, anxiety…and so many more symptoms of undiagnosed or undertreated hypothyroidism. 

And sadly, how many of us also thought that actions similar to “drinking more java (for energy)”, or “honing crossword skills (for focus)” or attending a “spinning class”  (for our weight gain) was going to help us!  They didn’t help at all. They just sent us closer to adrenal dysfunction and disability.

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If you could speak to the author, Susan Carlton, in kindness and wisdom, what would you say to help her get past the brainwashing she is a victim to, as you were??

If you could speak to Good Housekeeping and all media like Oprah, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, FOX, what would you say about the repeated misinformation?

HAVE LOW MAGNESIUM LEVELS AND SYMPTOMS? Do you have a hard time raising any of your mineral levels?

I have been working to raise my miserably low RBC (red blood cell) magnesium levels for a good year. And in spite of a strong commitment to my magnesium supplementation as well as oil, I continued to have typical low-magnesium symptoms–most especially lower leg cramping after hiking or heavy duty activity. Why was that?  I think I may have discovered one contributing factor, and this may apply to you.  It’s called high OXALATE food consumption.

Oxalate is an “organic acidic salt compound” commonly found in foods of plant origin. It’s also produced in your body by the metabolism of glyoxylic acid or ascorbic acid (vitamin C).  And it is normally excreted out of your body via urine, and sometimes the bowels.

But it turns out if you consistently eat a LOT of food containing high levels of oxalates, on top of what your body naturally produces, your body will have excessive levels. This may be exactly what happened to me this year, also causing chronic hives (scratch~scratch~scratch). The latter pushed me to do research, and voila, I realized I had consumed far too many high-oxalate foods (which in turn produced excessive histamine). And my eyes popped out when I read this:

“oxalates strongly bind to minerals and vice versa (e.g., calcium, magnesium, zinc and potassium), and reduces the absorption of your minerals as they both come out via your urine.”

It’s a negative love affair for your cellular mineral levels!!

What are foods which are the highest in oxalates? In alphabetical order, they include:

almonds, amaranth, black beans, brazil nuts, beets, blackberries, buckwheat, carob chips, carrots, cashew nuts, cannellini beans, celery, chocolate, corn meal, dried apricots, cooked tomatoes, great northern beans, green peppers, hazelnuts, marshmallow root, milk thistle, navy beans, oil of oregano, okra, peanuts, pecans, pine nuts, pink beans, pinto beans, potato chips, potato flour, rice bran, rhubarb, sesame seeds and tahini, slippery elm bark, all soy, spinach, star fruit, sweet potatoes, teff (flour and whole grain), quinoa (whole grain), white bean flour, and yucca powder.

And what was I eating daily as I was working on the final updating of the revised STTM book this year? Cocoa-covered almonds! Almonds are considered a very-high-oxalate food, as is cocoa.  That was on top of the slivered almonds in my morning yogurt, as well as my consumption of pecans, spinach, and okra. I also drink iced tea daily, which can have higher levels of oxalates. And many times, I grabbed small amounts of frozen sugar-free carob chips every few hours. ~~blush~~

I am currently on a low oxalate diet (besides a great herbal blend four times a day to counter the itchiness and histamines).  And I am curious that by lowering oxalates, I just may finally be able to get my magnesium levels up and far faster.  We’ll see. To see a good blog post and list of oxalate foods (high and low), called Roo’s Clues, go here.

And for more to the oxalate story, including its connection to autism, leaky gut, depression, kidney stones, yeast overgrowth and arthritis, read this.  B6 is also crucial in lowering oxalates.

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UK thyroid patients are clapping at the latest article which appeared in the July 3rd “The Mail”, a UK based, Sunday only magazine. It’s titled  “For Twelve Years I was a victim of The Great Thyroid Scandal” by Matthew Barbour. You can read its entirety here.

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WHEN YOUR HYPOTHYROID SPOUSE OR LOVED ONE IS RUINING YOUR MARRIAGE or RELATIONSHIP:

Over the years, I’ve gotten several emails, and mostly from men, who are emotionally suffering.  But it’s not because they themselves are hypothyroid. It’s because their spouse/girlfriend is, and many of the latter seem to be in the throes of adrenal fatigue and low cortisol, as well.

The correspondents all seem to love their spouses dearly. But their spouses are defensive, over-reactive, paranoid, depressed and/or reclusive—all typical symptoms of having low cortisol. Depression is especially a problem even for those who just have undiagnosed or T4-only treated hypothyroidism.  And most all of those who email me are facing extremely unhappy relationships at the least, and pending divorces at the worst, even while still loving their spouses and wanting to stay married or connected.

If this fits you,  there is a brand new group you can join called Hypothyroid Spouses.   This is NOT just for men. If you are a women in relationship with a man who is like the above, you are welcome, too.

Note that you will need to very specific when you ask to join as to why you think you need to be in this group. This is a moderated and private support group, and is NOT for anyone but those in a relationship with a challenging hypothyroid and/or adrenal spouse.

ARE YOU ON CYTOMEL? If you haven’t gotten a refill of your Cytomel lately (a synthetic T3-only medication), it’s important that you know that the former makers, King Pharmaceuticals, was bought out by Pfizer Canada, Inc last October 2010. Why is this important? Because as thyroid patient Mare found out the hard way recently, your local pharmacy may think it’s not made anymore, and scare the pants off of you by saying so.

In reality, your local pharmacy needs to contact Pfizer Canada about getting re-stocked.  Says Mare, “The pharmacy’s inaccurate data caused me a great deal of angst this weekend as I was now totally out of the only thing (Cytomel) that’s even remotely made a bit of difference and now they were telling me I couldn’t get it anymore (do we patients always have to do everything ourselves??!!!)”

***Have you had any problems filling your T3? Comment on this blog post and tell us your experience.

WHY WOULD ANYONE BE ON T3-ONLY?? Did you know that if you have too high or too low cortisol levels, and/or low ferritin/low iron, there’s a good chance you may need to be on T3-only for awhile?  Yes, when you have ongoing chronic issues as a thyroid patient, your body will respond by converting the T4 you have to excess Reverse T3.  And excess RT3 will hog-and-clog the very cell receptors that would be receiving T3. Thus, you become hypo all over again.  You can read more about it here. But if you want even more good detail about T3, how this active thyroid hormone helps you,  the causes of RT3, and how to dose T3-only meds, get the Revised STTM book. It’s VERY worth it.

***What brands of T3 you have tried,  what works for you, and what hasn’t worked as well?? Comment on this blog post.

THE CONTINUING SAGA OF DR. SKINNER IN THE UK: If you aren’t aware of the incredibly shocking story of beloved Dr. Gordon Skinner in the UK—a man who dared to prescribe thyroid treatment in lieu of a “normal” TSH lab result (which is a lab test that informed thyroid patient worldwide know is completely bogus)—you can read my 2006 blog post about him here, followed by the 2007 post here.  Also, Sheila of TPA-UK gives detailed information here.

And everyone should know that his General Medical Council (GMC) hearing is coming up:  July 28th and 29th, plus August 1st, 2nd and 3rd.  This is to assess whether further action is needed after his 3 years of conditional practice are now up (as of late last year).  Says a strong supporter of Dr. Skinner (and there are MANY): “Please  let people know that their support is extremely valuable. Dr Skinner has asked for the hearing to be public and the GMC should accommodate everyone.”

***Are you in the UK? Keep us informed by commenting below.

HIP HOP MISSY ELLIOTT HAD RAI FOR HER GRAVES DISEASE: How many informed thyroid patients groan when they hear news like this concerning the use of RAI (radioactive iodine)! Thyroid patients worldwide bemoan the use of Radioactive Iodine treatment because of its potential for immense side effects. And all over the net, we read that’s just what was done to Missy Elliott in her battle with Graves disease aka hyperthyroidism.  See the People Magazine article here.

Says the Atomic Women website:

Rheumatoid arthritis is also an autoimmune disease. But, fortunately, limbs are not being amputated nor radiated.

Diabetes mellitus is also an autoimmune disease. And, fortunately, the pancreas is not being removed or radiated.

What is the point of irradiating and killing thyroid glands, which are fundamental for life?

We, as thyroid patients worldwide, wish the best for Missy. And we hope that if she is like many who eventually become hypothyroid, she will discover and learn from Stop the Thyroid Madness!

***What was your experience with RAI? Post side effects? Let us know by commenting on this blog post!