Please note: Dr. Lowe is NOT an MD or DO who see’s patients and can prescribe. He’s a thyroid and fibro “researcher” with good knowledge about T3,  fibro, metabolism, supplements etc. Many questions have been coming in which are already answered on STTM, or are more targeted to a practicing physician, not a researcher. FYI.

On the heels of an informative and wonderful THYROID PATIENT COMMUNITY CALL on Talkshoe last week with Dr. John C. Lowe (see posts below), we’re going to do it again this coming Thursday, January 14th.  Join us for Part 2!

Dr. Lowe is a fibromyalgia, thyroid, and metabolism researcher who has always been such a champion for better diagnosis and treatment in thyroid patients. He is Editor-in-Chief of the open access journal www.thyroidscience.com as well as his own www.drlowe.com

And this time, Dr. Lowe is going to spend more time answering  your specific questions. Check out his websites above to get an idea what his expertise is, which includes the use of T3,  Hashimotos autoimmune thyroid disease, iodine, fibromyalgia, the tyranny of the TSH lab test, good supplements, the FDA, and more.

So here’s your chance: think of one or two questions you’d like to hear him answer. Please, if you have more more than two,  narrow them down to the two most important, and keep them brief.  No exceptions. Two max only, and brief.  Then use the Comments below to post them.  Be sure and check out if your questions have already been asked in other comments.

I’ll be collecting the questions ahead of time and will let him preview them. He wants to give you his best.

TIPS ABOUT TALKSHOE: Some reported being booted off and having to quickly rejoin. One step that may help is to download the Talk Shoe Live Pro ahead of time (takes 25 minutes for some) and use that software during the call, since it gives you far more stability.  Also, make SURE you have everything else closed and/or not running on your computer at the same time you are in the Talkshoe call. I will also be chatting with Talkshoe support and will get more ideas.

Also, don’t wait until the call occurs to mention your question. We found it difficult to try collecting them on the Chat. Ask now!!

Yes, you can also call in live during the Call, but it’s good to first let me know your question here.

And finally, at a certain point of those who join (after 300 on chat), Talkshoe participants are automatically unable to post on the chat. You can listen, but no chatting. So if you want to chat, join as soon as the Call opens up, which is 15 minutes before the actual audio begins. Times for the audio are 9 pm Eastern, 8 pm Central, 7 Mountain, and 6 pm Pacific.

The Stop the Thyroid Madness Talkshoe page: http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=62603&cmd=tc

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See the blog post below those about Lowe for a very insightful Guest Blog Post by Amy about her role as an Undercover Thyroid Advocate. Below that, you can read how I was wrong about what it was like to be thyroidless, and several great comments.

Yes, it’s being announced today that there will be no more Oprah Winfrey Show on CBS after Fall of next year.  She’s saying goodbye. And the rumor is that she will move her talk show to The Oprah Winfrey Network, which replaces the Discovery Health Channel. We’ll see when she formally announces it today on her show.

But the change sure does shine a bright spotlight on a colossal and complete failure by Oprah and The Oprah Winfrey Show for hundreds of millions of thyroid patients. Though she had her own bout with thyroid disease (and may still be dealing with it when you consider her weight issues), we all winced a year ago when she stated that a month long Hawaiian vacation and eating fresh foods with soy milk (a goitrogen) were a great way to treat her thyroid condition. Yikes.   We equally squirmed in our seats when Dr. Christiane Northrup made the comment that our thyroid problems were due to an “energy blockage in the throat region, the result of a lifetime of ’swallowing’ words one is aching to say.” Double yikes.

And since then, we have watched nothing, zilch, zero from Oprah and The Opray Winfrey Show about a horrendous 55-year medical scandal of thyroid treatment that has negatively affected the lives of hundreds of millions of thyroid patients worldwide. T4-only meds like Synthroid, the darling medication of the medical community for hypothyroidism treatment, has left hundreds of millions sick.  The TSH lab test has equally sent us to hell.  Because we have been forced to live with continuing symptoms of hypothyroidism, we’ve endured much more testing and have been put on many other medications to bandaid our continuing symptoms. And a majority of us have had to deal with the additional burden of adrenal fatigue thanks to all the above.

It’s been hell, Oprah. But you never listened.  So for me personally, I could care less what you do now. You’ve let millions of us down.

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On a far better note:  Last night’s Thyroid Patient Community Call on Talkshoe was excellent. From thyroid/adrenal patient Valerie Taylor, who is absolutely one of the most knowledgeable patients in the world about adrenals and RT3, we gained good information how it raises its ugly head when you have high or low cortisol, low B12, low ferritin and other untreated issues, and how to treat it. You can go back to Talkshoe and listen to the broadcast, which was Episode 7.  See my blog post right below this. As far as future Talkshoe Community Calls: they will always be announced here first.

Below that, you’ll read how cellulose as a filler just may be a huge problem in natural desiccated thyroid meds. But we are also discovering that a good desiccated thyroid like Naturethroid, even with its cellulose, can seem even worse if we have undiscovered and untreated issues like low B12, low Vit. A, low ferritin, low Vit. D and other conditions common with hypothyroidism.  Make sure you have tested for these.

*HO HO HO! Have a STTM book sent to someone  you care about as a CHRISTMAS or HOLIDAY present. All the work is done for you!

I confess that I hated my Chemistry class in high school, even if Mr. Bowen tried to make it interesting and favored the girls over the boys in class.  But lo and behold, one of those elements on the Periodic Table ended up having a significant role in all or our lives as thyroid patients: iodine.

Iodine can be found in every inch your body, but is especially prevalent in your thyroid, which makes it an interesting element for those of us with thyroid disease.  The active thyroid hormone T3 (triiodothyronine) is made up of three iodine molecules, and the storage hormone T4 (thyroxine) has four iodine molecules. In fact, without proper amounts of iodine, your thyroid wouldn’t even function well.

An optimal amount of iodine has also been shown to improve breast health, provide cancer protection, remove toxins like Bromide, fluoride, mercury etc…and in some cases, has helped thyroid patients either lower their dose, or even get off thyroid treatment. Thyroid patient Diana tells of getting off thyroid treatment due to iodine on the Stories of Others page.

***This Thursday evening on the Thyroid Patient Community Call on TalkShoe, we’ll have guest Stephanie Buist, owner of the Yahoo group Iodine and a 9-year thyroid cancer survivor who strongly feels iodine has been a huge factor.   We’ll explore how much iodine a person needs, the loading loading test, the best sources of iodine supplementation, whether you need iodine, as well as controversies with iodine use, including Hashimotos disease or bad reactions.  Times for the call are 6 pm Pacific, 7 pm Mountain, 8 pm Central and 9 pm Eastern. You can listen right on your computer, or call to talk directly to Stephanie and Janie. Join us!

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Sheila Turner of TPA-UK  (Thyroid Patient Advocacy-UK www.tpa-uk.org.uk) is starting the ball rolling on something very interesting:  they have contacted a lab in the UK who will do a qualitative analysis of the old Armour vs. the new reformulated Armour to get a breakdown of the ingredients, and potentially give us an idea WHAT is causing thyroid patients to have a return of their hypothyroid symptoms since Forest reformulated Armour in 2009.

However, says Sheila, this will cost in the region of £600 to £700 (approximately $1100).  Says Sheila, “If there are enough patients who are willing and able to help raise the funding required by giving whatever we can afford, we could finally get the answer as to which changes have been made in the new formula and whether this includes changes in the active (as some have suggested) and the inactive ingredients and put this baby to rest once and for all.”

You can contact Sheila at the above website and make a pledge.  As I write this, they have already have £100 pledged.

UPDATE: Stephanie above has agree to be the ‘Pledge and Money Collector’ for the lab work needed to analyze the old vs new Armour . She can be contacted at ladybugsandbees@sbcglobal.net

When my so-called “borderline hypothyroid” was discovered by age 30, I thought whoo-hooo, I’ll finally get rid of this strange nightmare whenever I tried to do ANYTHING.  I was put on Synthroid and my anticipation for a better life was profound.

But my hope was dashed. Not only did my body continue to overreact to activity, it got worse over time.  Horribly worse.  Nearly twenty years after I had started on a T4-only medication, and was told by one doctor after another that my problem was not my thyroid, I was going to apply for social security disability.

But they were all dead wrong. Sure, turns out I have a form of Dysautonomia, a malfunction and overreaction of my autonomic nervous system, causing my body to far overreact to stress. But remaining hypothyroid, as we all do on the sucky t4-only medications, had made it far worse. And I proved it. When I switched to Armour desiccated thyroid in 2002 and raised it according to what patients have learned, a miracle occurred.  My severe autonomic reactions made an almost complete turnaround.

And my experience of change or improvement when it comes to other diseases or conditions has been shared by others.

Last week, I received an email from a man whose brother has MS–Multiple Sclerosis.  And though Armour has not taken his MS away, it allowed him to move from this wheelchair to a walker! That is impressive.

So I am left wondering:  what other conditions or diseases, which are unique in themselves, are worsened being undiagnosed thanks to the lousy TSH lab test or the inadequate treatment of Synthroid, Levoxyl, levothyroxine, Eltroxin and all other T4-only medications? It’s awful to think about it.

Want to be informed of my blog posts? Curious what’s on my nind? Just use the Notification on the bottom of the links to the left.

“Oh, I take thyroid meds, too.  Synthroid” she explained as she was writing on the papers with her pencil.

Now when I hear something like that, being who I am, I’m like a bear in a china cabinet who suddenly smells honey.  So as not to overwhelm,  I casually say “Oh, I used be on Synthroid.” And after a long pause while we are going over the paperwork, I say “Did you know there’s a worldwide patient revolution going on against medications like Synthroid?”

At the point, she raises her head in curiosity.

I then stick my paw in the honey: “You and I and millions have been put on meds like Synthroid and then told we are “normal” because the TSH says so. But all of us have continuing symptoms of hypothyroidism.  It’s a lousy medication. “

And when I laid out what those continuing symptoms were, her eyes got as big as saucers and she was shaking her head up and down in recognition. “Depression, rising cholesterol and blood pressure, easy weight gain, fatigue, less stamina than others, dry hair and skin, feeling cold, etc”, I told her.

And the most profound aspect of Michelle? She lives her life like the Energizer Bunny, going and going and going. She told me she often doesn’t get home until 6 pm doing her job, and she clearly has a lot of professional responsibilities.

But does an active Michelle mean that Synthroid works and is just as good a thyroid treatment as desiccated thyroid? You know the answer. She revealed that she’s quite tired when she comes home, wishes she had more energy, and still has issues with her weight, even though she lost some when she got on Synthroid.

And reading between the lines, it was clear that Michelle is probably on an anti-depressant, a statin, and a blood pressure medication.  And…she clearly has an adrenal problem that’s only going to get worse. She has a terrible time falling asleep at night (high cortisol), and is very sensitive to light and noise (high or low cortisol).

Suddenly it dawned on me. I am sitting across hundreds of millions of women, and some men. I am listening to how millions live their lives–making a living, maintaining a home, loving their spouses and children, interacting with people.  But underneath it all, it’s not a pretty picture. They cope, and they cope again.  And they dish out their money for more medications to treat the very symptoms caused by an inferior medication. And as they age, they’ll pay each of their millions of prices, just as my mother did, and as I was headed.  Energizer bunnies with faulty batteries.

P.S. Barack Obama has a health care reform plan. Will it change the lives of those 50 million with thyroid disease in the US, or will it only continue this T4-only travesty and health care scandal?  Are we headed in the same insane direction as the UK when it comes to T4-only?  Express your opinion.

He adds that most are women, and most hypothyroidism is occurring after the birth of a baby, called postpartum hypothyroidism.

The Indian Thyroid Society wants to observe January 2009 as Think Thyroid Month with experts calling  thyroid related disorders as the next diabetes to affect the nearly forty million Indians.

A side note from Janie: Sadly, when you visit the website of the Indian Thyroid Society (which by the way was created by the Department of Endocrinology at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences in India), there is a flashing ad on most pages for thyroxine called Thyronorm. And guess who makes “Thyronorm”? Abbott Labs in India, the same pharmaceutical in the US which produces Synthroid.  Anyone hear the theme song from Twilight Zone playing in the background??

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.

For those who haven’t heard, Oprah announced on September 10th during her Good Morning America interview that she “blew her thyroid out”. Now that also sounds suspiciously like she also has adrenal fatigue, but time will tell.

And Oprah will now join the club of an estimated “billions” worldwide with thyroid disease. But even worse, she may also be joining the club of those who for nearly 50 years, have been put on the lousy T4-only medications (Synthroid, Levoxyl, Levothyroxine and others) and who have been terrorized with the TSH lab and it’s dubious and pathetic “normal” range.

Yes Oprah, beginning in the 1960’s, doctors starting putting ALL of us on T4-only meds, and in the early 1970’s, dosing by the TSH lab. And NEITHER have worked. Sure, some will state they felt better. But many will tell you that NOTHING changed. And ALL, to one degree or another, have been left with a variety of hypothyroid symptoms while doctors have been proclaiming that those VERY symptoms had nothing to do with hypothyroid since we were now “adequately” treated.

But we have NEVER been “adequately” treated, Oprah. Doctors became cattle in the chutes of their pharmaceutically-financed medical schools, blindly believing that T4-only meds were working and that the man-made TSH was the gold standard of diagnosis and dosing…and ignoring clinical presentations which showed the opposite.

And when we still complained of symptoms, we have been put on anti-depressants, statins, anti-anxiety meds, and a variety of other pills to bandaid our continuing hypo symptoms.

And we finally fought back Oprah. For the last 7+ years, patients like myself found out that there has always been a MUCH better treatment (desiccated thyroid), MUCH better labs (free T3 and free T4) and much better dosing strategy (by symptom elimination). Our lives have become far better because of what we have learned.

This website represents the knowledge of a large and constantly growing body of patients worldwide, and some wise doctors, which goes totally COUNTER to nearly 50 LOUSY years of pitiful thyroid treatment.

You, Oprah, are a megaphone of influence. And if you can take the time to read this website, you might play a huge role in helping to change MILLIONS of lives. Because right now, the vast majority of the medical community does NOT get this, and is continuing to keep patients SICK and TIRED and/or with continuing hypothyroid symptoms of some kind. And YOU are going to be one, with your own continuing list of symptoms, if you don’t consider what thyroid patients are trying to tell you by nearly 50 years of LIVING it.