Rotten Tomatoes!
Have you ever read negative comments of angst, ire, or quibbling about Stop the Thyroid Madness, or Janie A. Bowthorpe, M.Ed., or the books, or what is said on the website or Facebook group?? Here are common varieties and our happy reply:
1) STTM is a “desiccated thyroid-only” site – narrowly focused.
Yup. You got it exactly right! This educational patient-to-patient website is purposely-and-positively narrowly focused about two facts as reported by patients worldwide: 1) T4-only meds have served to leave all-too-many thyroid patients worldwide with lingering hypothyroid symptoms, whether from the beginning, or whether those symptoms seem to crop up the longer someone stays on T4-only. Do some do better on T4-only than others? You betcha. But again, there are simply too many patient reports of symptoms slowly cropping up the longer they stay on.
Patient reported experiences have also shown that 2) natural desiccated thyroid, especially when iron and cortisol are optimal, reverses the problems that T4-only gave them. And guess what? Even adding T3 to T4 and being optimal has changed lives.
We have also found the TSH lab test to be completely faulty. Stop the Thyroid Madness is a patient-to-patient site with the goal to educate patients on successful things we have learned so you can take the information into your doctor’s office and press for change
2) Some information on STTM is dangerous and scary.
Theme song from the Twilight Zone playing the background. But actually we couldn’t agree more….if the information on STTM is taken out of context, if it’s taken as personal medical advice instead of the educational information it really is, if you choose not to use a good doctor to help you with this information. STTM was, in fact, created to inspire and educate you only based on years of reported patient experiences, and to take that information into your doctor’s office to discuss and press for change in your treatment if you agree with it. That’s why you will see all over the website and the STTM book to do what it takes to find a good doctor to work with. P.S the idea that STTM is dangerous was started by a few leaders whose competition towards STTM was unfortunately huge. It should never have been that way.
3) The information on STTM is not based on solid clinical research and scientific study.
Actually, there ARE studies which prove what patients already know, and you can see that page here. But STTM is even more about solid patient experience, simply because there is also a lot that has NOT been carefully researched. Patients have been forced to figure a lot of the information themselves via internet research, patient groups, and shared experiences…and our experiences has been profound in creating the compiled information you will find on this website. When the day comes that the medical establishment learns to LISTEN to clinical presentation sitting right there in their offices, we will REJOICE!!
4) STTM was created as a self-treatment site.
Absolutely not. STTM was created as patient-to-patient information site with the purpose of giving you solid patient-experience information to take into your doctor’s office for far better treatment. Sadly, since doctors are not going to change their love-affair with T4 meds like Synthroid, Levoxyl, levothyroxine, Eltroxin, or their worship of the TSH test, we HAVE to bring far better information into their offices, one-by-one.
Do some patients use STTM to self-treat? Yes. And we certainly aren’t going to crucify them when doctors can be SO VERY backwards in their understanding. So though STTM was never created to be a self-treatment site, sometimes patients feel they have NO CHOICE with the current lack of knowledge. And we understand.
5) All Janie Bowthorpe wants to do is sell books!
Common sense tells you that if Janie simply “wanted to sell the STTM books“, she wouldn’t have this HUGE and FREE website for you to peruse. And also note that like other websites, you are NOT seeing advertisements for this product or that doctor’s office on this website. Hmmm. But also….Janie isn’t going to apologize to you or anyone for making a living, either, just as you don’t need to apologize for however you make a living. The STTM books happen to be quite good and yes, help Janie make a living as anyone needs to make a living, alongside the MASSIVE amount of time she gives freely on the STTM facebook page and groups…so it’s up to you…
6) STTM is a “fringe” website…
That may definitely be the observation of doctors who hold firm to the TSH lab test and T4 meds, or a patient who wants to follow the “whatever works” crowd in groups to gain more followers. But patients all over the world would challenge anyone to call treatment with desiccated thyroid a ‘fringe’ treatment. And if you call STTM “fringe” or a “cult”, you are only calling “successful patient experience” the same. And that would be sad.
7) STTM bashes T4-only and how can it do that since “we are all different??”
No, STTM’s focus has nothing to do with “bashing”. Instead, STTM is about worldwide patient experiences and wisdom concerning what works and what hasn’t for all too many. STTM reports on all that. STTM educates on all that. And having an open mind when reading about these patient experiences might affect your treatment in a very positive way!!
8) What about the “nutty creator” of this site?
Here is a page specifically about Janie: who she is and who she is not in response to the actually “nutty” comments made about her. lol.
Postscript: what may be the most accurate about STTM is that there is more good information to come! There is always valuable and cutting-edge insight out there which patients are learning in order to best treat our hypothyroid, our adrenal fatigue, and other related conditions. And as we hear them, we’ll add them.
Important notes: All the information on this website is copyrighted. STTM is an information-only site based on what many patients worldwide have reported in their treatment and wisdom over the years. This is not to be taken as personal medical advice, nor to replace a relationship with your doctor. By reading this information-only website, you take full responsibility for what you choose to do with this website's information or outcomes. See the Disclaimer and Terms of Use.