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In the year 1847, a young Hungarian physician named Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis had a practice of Obstetrics which began to grow by leaps and bounds.  Even the Royalty of Hungary began to go to his practice. Why?  Because he had the best outcomes.

When he tried to show his collegues his techniques, they simply made fun of him. As his practice continued to flourish,  his peers brought him before the medical society and censured him for not adhering to the current practice guidelines. 

His crime? Washing his hands before delivering babies.  Physicians were offended to think they should wash their hands, and were especially incensed when he could offer no scientific explanation for his intuitive action.  Yet, this very simple antiseptic procedure meant that his OB patients did not contact puerpeal fever and die. Puerperal fever was common in mid-1800′s and often fatal.

The censureship did him in with depression and his practice ended when he was only 47 years old….not because he couldn’t practice,  but because he literally grieved himself to death watching so many women dying unnecessarily for the sake of  current practice guidelines.

It was not until the 1890′s that his methods were fully recognized,  even though Oliver Wendell Holmes of Boston, Mass. USA had confirmed the contagiousness of peurperal fever, and Louis Pasteur confirmed the theory about germs.

And today, established scientific and medical opinions continue the same ridiculous travesty. 

TSH levels have been set at 0.3-5.1 as normal. Therefore, if your physician screens for thyroid disease and you fall within that range, you are considered normal.  Yet, Gay, JC et. al.,  in the Arch Intern Med 2000: 160: 526-534,  showed that the TSH range was 0.45-2.5 for 95% of general population.

In the J Clin Endrocrino Metab Feb 2002 87:(2)489-499 “Serum TSH,T4, and Thyroid Antibodies”,  Hollowee JG et.al. found that a normal TSH was 0.05-3.0 and was different for Whites, Hispanics, and Blacks.The NHASANES lll study showed the normal TSH to be 0.3-2.5 (95% of normal reference subjects).

As a doctor, I wrote to my pathologist at the lab I use and asked why his lab had not changed the ‘normal’ values. I will give you his reply:

“I am aware of this idea to lower the reference range for TSH.  But there are mixed feelings about this in the medical community, especially with endocrinologists. If, for example,we lowered our reference range for TSH from its current 5.1 to 3.0,  we would go reporting about 7% of TSH results being too high to 30%. The last time I looked into this, which was about two years ago (note: this was written in June 24, 2005,  which puts the date of last looking in 2003), most endocrinologists that I spoke with were concerned that suddenly having many more patients would be considered “abnormal” and it would be difficult to manage. They felt it would be best to wait until the word spread in the general medical commmunity and literature so that most physicians would be prepared for the inevitable questions from patients and know how to deal with patients suddenly having high TSH’s. On an individual basis, we certainly could give a lower reference range for the TSH, but you should know that this is not the standard practice in the commnity at this time. It may become standard, but right now, it is not.

Thanks, and good luck,
xxx

So there is the problem. Even if TSH alone was used for screening,  the answer will be wrong. Many hypothyroid patients misdiagnosed as ‘normal’  are being done so because if the right change were made, the ‘medical establishment’ would be embarassed. This says to me that the ‘medical establishment’ does not care about the patient as much as they do themselves.

Recap: TSH levels were known to be wrong by 2000. Reconfirmed in 2006. Waited at least 5 years to make change and no change made. Something is wrong with the system. Review Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis story. Nothing has changed in approx. 160 years.

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From Janie:  ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!  And of course, informed thyroid patients also know another inane current practice guideline–the use of  Synthroid and other T4-only meds as the “gold standard” of thyroid treatment…in spite of the fact that a huge body of thyroid patients in internet groups ALL OVER THE WORLD report POOR outcomes when on T4-only meds, besides with the TSH, and do much better on natural desiccated thyroid, or even T3, and dosing by symptoms and the free T3.

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FIND THE ABOVE APPALLING??? FIGHT BACK!!!  A publicist has been hired to represent  Stop the Thyroid Madness in getting to the word out to millions who still linger on T4-only meds, or who are considered “normal” thanks to the lousy TSH lab test. But it can’t go on long without your help!! Read about it here.

(Photo graphic by thyroid patient Sam Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Baku city.)

• TAKING YOUR TEMPERATURE CORRECTLY?? Possibly not. 

Thanks to Dr. Broda Barnes, informed thyroid patients know the importance of taking one’s temperature, especially just before we get out of bed in the morning. According to Barnes, we can suspect a thyroid problem if that temp is below 97.8. Conversely, healthy thyroid function (or adequate treatment) would  put our before-rising temp from 97.8 to 98.2. (Menstruating females would need to be aware of higher temps right after ovulation.).

Today, we favor the mercury thermometer over digitals for accuracy. But are we using the mercury thermometer correctly? Maybe not.

A discussion between thyroid patients recently underscored the need to leave it in the mouth longer than the 5 minutes we thought was adequate. Thyroid patient Jennifer states: At 5 minutes it read 97.6, at 10 minutes it read 97.8 and at 15 minutes it read 98 degrees. After that, it stayed 98 degrees.  We then discussed the fact that manipulating the muscle in the back of throat could have caused the final temp. But her experiment, as well as others, underscored that we need to be holding that mercury thermometer in our mouths no less than five minutes, and ten is probably better.

• DOES SELENIUM REALLY CAUSE A RISE IN REVERSE T3 (RT3)?  THINK AGAIN.

The above statement about selenium causing excess RT3 has oft been repeated from group to group for a few years. But it may be very wrong.

For example, this study shows selenium did not cause a rise in RT3, and in fact, lowered  it. Here is one which shows LOW levels of selenium can result in increased RT3. This medical book states that though RT3 comes from T4, it also concludes that  low selenium increases RT3.

In other words,  though the enzymes that convert T4 to T3,  and convert T4 to RT3, are selenium dependent to do their job, that doesn’t mean that selenium is going to increase your RT3.  Bottom line, many thyroid patients love selenium, especially with its power to lower Hashimoto’s antibodies, and being anti-cancer. Suggested levels are no more than 400 mcg.

• TPA’s AUTUMN NEWSLETTER IS OUT–many good articles!

TPA stands for Thyroid Patient Advocacy, and is a UK charity organization started by Sheila Turner. Check out the articles below in thelatest newsletter.

Page 5: The Big Question – Is There an Anti-T3 Conspiracy.  Eric Prichard critically questions why those in Endocrinology need to cite numerous anti-T3 studies, in spite of many other studies which reveal the activeness and superiority of T3. Is the UK and other dark age countries ever going to get it?

Page 9:  Why I Believe T3 Should Be the Very Last Treatment that Thyroid Patients Consider.  Don’t let UK’s Paul Robinson’s title fool you. He believes in the efficacy of T3, but underscores why it can be complex to dose with just T3.  Especially compelling are what follows Paul’s article, titled MEMBERS SUCCESS STORY.  Story 1 is about an individual who, when dosing T3 in the early morning hours, was able to get off all adrenal meds. Story 2 is about a gal’s successful transition from T4 to T3.

Page 15:  Thyroid Patients Have Come a Long Way, Baby….But We Still Have a Way to Go!  Though there are now numerous patient groups on the net and many lives have changed, Janie Bowthorpe (yes, me) explains how many doctors still have a long way to go in understanding how T4 and TSH fail patients, just as desiccated thyroid or T3 have turned miserable lives around.

• HEALTHCHECKUSA WENT UP ON SALIVA TESTING….BUT HERE’S HOW YOU CAN GET THE ORIGINAL PRICE!!

On the Recommended Labwork page, you’ll see several lab facilities where patients can get their own labwork done. HealthcheckUSA is a favorite for many. Unfortunately, their “Adrenal Hormones Saliva Testing Kit from ZRT labs (Dirunal Cortisol and DHEA-S)” went up, from $170.00 to $ $265.00. But there is GOOD NEWS:  STTM’ers can keep the price of $170.00 by placing a PHONE ORDER for the saliva at 1-800-929-2044. The customer will need to mention STTM!!   MENTION STTM to get the discount.

• READING THIS BLOG POST VIA AN EMAIL NOTIFICATION??

If you want to respond to this post, click on the title at the top of the email, which will take you directly to the blog post on the STTM site. Then click on Comment.

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.”

YEEHAW!!

Three years ago this month, the book Stop the Thyroid Madness: A Patient Revolution Against Decades of Inferior Treatment came out with quiet fanfare–a complete patient-to-patient book chock full of information based on the successful experience of thyroid patients worldwide.  As the messenger of that information, I had a strong purpose: to create INFORMED patients who can then demand change in their doctors offices. Pro-active patients!  Educated patients!

But the reaction to it wasn’t quiet!

Thyroid patients have reported it was changing their lives.  To date, the STTM book has been sent, and in multiple copies, to Antiqua/ Barbuda, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Malaysia, New Zealand, Netherlands,  Norway, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, and the UK. That doesn’t include the high volume amount of copies sent to US patients, doctors, and individuals in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

Amazingly, yet not surprisingly, patients were discovering new information even a few months after the First Edition was published three years ago.  As a result, Laughing Grape Publishing LLC had to add, and continually update, a bookmark of updated information into all its books ordered directly from the publishing company.

Today, in the REVISED SECOND EDITION, all that extra patient information has been added, plus a LOT more.

• 36 more pages, by and for patients, plus changes & additions in every single chapter
• Much more detail on adrenal and HPA dysfunction and how to treat it
• Recognizing and dealing with Reverse T3
• Identifying and treating gluten issues as related to Hashimotos disease
• Iodine-use information in relation to hypothyroid, breast disease, Hashimotos, adrenal dysfunction, etc.
• More details on labwork preparation, plus what to look for in your results
• Why you need more than ferritin testing, and details on iron testing
• Updated information on brands of desiccated thyroid throughout the world, T3-only products, hydrocortisone, and more
• A completely NEW CHAPTER on supplements & foods which thyroid patients appreciate and use!

And, the price has been kept exactly the same.  Our loss; your gain, in the name of an important movement of needed education and change!

This was NOT an easy book to revise!  I had to go through it with a fine-toothed comb, removing some information, correcting other information, adding a lot more…besides working on making it more readable. I am not a writer by profession. Sometimes I felt like a “cuckoo’s nest mental case”  trying to balance the work on the Revised edition with my other activist responsibilities and a busy private life.  Is it perfect?  Nope.  But as I stated in the First, some information is right on target, some is at least close to the bulls-eye, and other info will fall into place as we continue to learn. That’s why you need to see it as “guide” of patient experience, and to use it to become PROACTIVE in your relationship with your doctor and the entire medical profession.

Today, you can order either copy. As of today, the First Edition has been lowered to 14.95 until supplies run out, which will be soon. The Revised Second Edition is taking pre-orders, and it looks like books will start being sent out in about 7-10 days.

You can go here to see a stand-alone website about the book, as well as here to be among the first to pre-order your copy.

THE STTM BOOK IN OTHER LANGUAGES

Yes, you will eventually be seeing the Revised Second Edition in various languages. That’s in the works right now, and no, I don’t yet know the dates. I’ll announce that here, so be sure and be signed up for this BLOG NOTIFICATION to the left under the links.

KINDLE and E-BOOKS

With no projected dates other than much later this year, you will first see an E-book. Later, we’ll be looking at Kindle. Again, announcements will be made, and you’ll have to be patient.  In the meantime, ordering the book is your best choice right now. Besides, having this book in your lap in the doctor’s office is powerful to many of them, since doctors can have silly thoughts about “internet” information.

And more is coming which will be announced as they occur.

For example, the article notes that there seems to be a “higher symptom load and the lower quality-of-life scores in the group of patients with increased anti-TPO levels”, which can include “Chronic fatigue, dry hair, dysphagia, irritability and nervousness”. Yet, the article states, these patients have “normal thyroid function” , are “euthyroid” and have an “ideal biochemical response to thyroid hormone replacement therapy.”. Are you kidding me, say many thyroid patients???  Chronic fatigue, dry hair, dysphagia, irritability and nervousness are classic hypothyroid symptoms, as well as potential adrenal issues from having poorly treated hypothyroidism!

And of course, most thyroid patients who are informed know that “normal” and “ideal” refer to an ink spot on a piece of paper called the TSH lab result and NOT cellular receipt and/or use of thyroid hormones.  The TSH lab test has failed patients for decades, just as has T4-only!

Also mentioned is the Austrian study involving 426 women aged 19 years or older who were undergoing surgery for benign thyroid disease. When SO many patients come on thyroid groups and report Endo’s who want to remove their thyroids simply because they have the treatable Hashimotos disease, you have to wonder why 426 women were having surgery for “benign thyroid disease”… To read all the ways patients have learned to adequately treat Hashimotos, go here. To find a good doctor, go here.

Do you look back and wonder about the fact that your thyroid was taken out?  Let us hear your story by commenting on this post. What has been your experience with an Endocrinologist? Tell us about it.

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“Have you registered?  The Charity, Thyroid Patient Advocacy www.tpa-uk.org.uk, is creating a World Register of Counterexamples to levothyroxine-only (T4) therapy. This short survey is applicable only to those who continued to suffer symptoms on T4-only therapy, and who found those symptoms were mitigated or disappeared once they were started on a T3 hormone containing product , whether synthetic or natural thyroid extract. The objective is to push for a re-examination of the existing protocol for the diagnosis and management of the symptoms of hypothyroidism. If you fit this category, please complete the 3 questions with either ‘YES’, ‘NO’ or N/A here http://www.tpa-uk.org.uk/register_of_counterexamples.php All responses will be collated online, and your email address (if you provide one) will be used ONLY to contact you at a later date should this be becomes necessary. (A counterexample is a situation which fits the concept or premise of an idea but produces a different result.  To be responsible, a scientist who finds a counterexample to his idea, must limit or abandon his idea as unworkable, or not reliable.)

Her email today was titled OMG, THANK YOU!!!!!!

She explains that for twenty years, she has been sick, fired doctors, had them fire her for being “uncooperative in my treatment”, and more. And today, after finding STTM, she wants to cry, laugh and “talk out loud to all those charlatans who call themselves doctors”.

And I completely identified with her. I remember those 20 years myself where I went from doctor to doctor to doctor, enduring dismissive attitudes, vain condescending deaf ears, clinical blindness, ignorance, lab worship, and a slew of tests that were either useless or extremely painful–all in the attempt to find out WHAT WAS WRONG WITH ME.

Today, after finding STTM, she exclaims: “the relief of finally being vindicated after all those years!”

She continued:  “Most of the time they didn’t even have enough integrity to admit they didn’t know…they would just look at the paperwork and say,”well, the lab work looks fine.” Then would come the implication that it was all in my head.”

She spent hours and hours of online research (boy does that sound familiar) and her breakthrough after too many years of poor doctors came with a single old school family doctor who ordered the cortisol test.  And finding the patient-to-patient STTM was the final victory.

I wish I had had something like STTM, once upon a time. But so be it. The kind of long term suffering I endured, as well as many others, is the reason STTM was compiled and created, and patiently sits there, waiting for each and all who are STILL in the same boat to find it.

She ended her email with “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” And all of us who have been there, and have finally found our sweet spot thanks to PATIENT WISDOM as outlined on STTM, say “You’re welcome”.

THANKS go to the American Thyroid Association (ATA), who in their Nov. 10th email newsletter, had a NATURE-THROID desiccated thyroid ad right under their logo and gave us a great chuckle! Why? The ATA has always rigidly recommended T4-only medications and the TSH–both which have failed too many thyroid patients for sixty years. Loved your faux pas, ATA, in the name of making $$!! Are we going to see it again? Huh??

THANKS to Forest Labs, who though patients feel they ruined one of the oldest and best desiccated thyroid medications ever made when they reformulated it in 2009, gave thyroid patients the memory of a desiccated med far superior to press for from other pharmaceuticals in the future after the FDA gets their act together about the safety and efficacy of desiccated thyroid. (p.s. chew your Armour thoroughly before swallowing for better effectiveness, say patients)

THANKS to Erfa in Canada, who makes their own version of desiccated thyroid just like the old Armour, where we can do it sublingually and where it still has a touch of sugar to help with dissolution. Glory be to Erfa!

THANKS to the FDA, who had enough wisdom to allow thyroid patients to order Erfa desiccated thyroid from Canada–a far superior product than the lousy T4-only medications for a huge body of thyroid patients. We hope your wisdom continues.

THANKS to all the makers of important supplements–many which have played HUGE roles in the lives of thyroid patients trying to undo the damage done to us thanks to T4-only and the TSH lab test. They include high potency B-vitamins, selenium, minerals, sea salt, iodine, and so many more. We are behind you in the freedom to choose nutritional supplements without a doctor’s prescription.

THANKS to the growing body of doctors who have been listening to patient experience and email me of that fact. We bow to all of you who have LISTENED to the whole body of knowledge thyroid patients have learned, which is also Chapter 3 in the STTM book with more details.

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I’ve been lucky. But some thyroid patients have not.

It’s been clear that a certain percentage of thyroid patients, who desire to be healthy and live again after the nightmare of T4-only treatment, have had a hard time finding a doctor to either prescribe desiccated thyroid, or to understand how to dose it even if they did prescribe it. Even harder have been those thyroid patients with adrenal fatigue in finding doctors who understand this widespread and debilitating condition and how to treat it.

As a result of the latter tragedy…and here comes the big elephant in the room…some thyroid patients will state they have felt forced to self-treat and find their needed medications via online websites in order to live again.

And now comes some breaking information that I think all thyroid patients who feel forced to self-treat, and even those who don’t but use legitimate prescription-required online pharmacies, need to read:

1. Apparently, we now have a possible explanation of why “some” online pharmacies have disappeared: a company called LegitScript LLC, which seems to have some power to push online pharmacies out of business.
2. Also, says PharmacyChecker.com, LegitScript has been targeting some of the “legitimate pharmacies” i.e. those who require prescriptions.
3. And here’s another twist: PharmacyChecker.com, who is “the leading online verification company for U.S. and international online pharmacies” commends LegitScript for fighting the pharmacies who send out meds without a prescription, but does not agree with LegitScript’s attack towards legitimate on-line pharmaceuticals. If this is true, the former will concern thyroid patients who feel forced self-treat in order to have their health restored, and the latter is good news for those who use these “legitimate prescription-only pharmacies”.
4. Additionally, there may be some governmental push to get ICANN, the organization that works with URL names of businesses, to forbid URL’s to certain pharmacies across the world, and that may have huge legal implications. Last week, the Santa Monica headquarterd eNom, which is a domain name registration and wholesaler, has agreed to work with LegitScript in “identifying customers who are operating online pharmacies in violation of U.S. state or federal law”.
5. There is going to be a White House meeting on September 29th which is focusing on addressing “illegal online sales” via these internet websites.

You can read more about PharmacyChecker’s opinion about the White House and online pharmacies here and their opinion of Legitscript here. You can read about an investigation request against the president of LegitScrip here and his rebuttal here. I am just now reading about this, and reporting above on what I know right now. I’m sure there is more to come, and I also have no doubt that this is going to produce a lot of discussion and/or action by thyroid patients. If you want to contribute to discussion on this, here is where to go. BUT REMEMBER: unlike what has happened before, let’s keep a level head and stick to facts.

Thyroid tidbit #1 COCONUT OIL:

Thyroid tidbit #2 GRASS FED DESICCATED THYROID: Are you worried what the pigs were eating before the thyroids became desiccated?? If so, try Dr. Lowe’s Thyro-Gold, which is actually from cow who are pasture-fed. Then report back to STTM on the Contact Me page and tell us how it works for you as a treatment, or not work. I will compile information and report it here.

Thyroid tidbit #3 ALZHEIMERS DISEASE: Improving your thyroid function just may lessen your chance of getting dementia. But research has also found a Leptin connection: http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/news/20091215/more-leptin-may-mean-less-alzheimers

Thyroid tidbit #4: ASHWAGANDHA: If you have sluggish adrenals and are on cortisol, adding the herb Ashwagandha can be an excellent and natural additional support for your adrenals. Even without adrenal fatigue, it’s also good in the face of excess emotional stress, and is an anti-inflammatory.

Thyroid tidbit #5 REVERSE T3–IS YOURS TOO HIGH? The body naturally converts T4 to RT3 as a way to clear out excess T4. But you can also make too much when your ferritin is too low, your adrenals are stressed, B12 is low, in the presence of diabetes, and other chronic issues. High levels of RT3 can cause a pounding heartrate, continued hypo, and just a feeling that you aren’t feeling great yet. To learn more, go here.

Thyroid tidbit #6 BI-POLAR: Have you been diagnosed with bi-polar disease? If so, you might want to do the right tests for hypothyroidism, since there can be a strong connection between the two, and you can either be undiagnosed thanks to the wrong test, or undertreated thanks to Synthroid, Levoxyl, Eltroxin or other T4-only medications. Read more here plus more detail in the STTM book.

Thyroid tidbit #7 GREEN POWDER and CHOCOLATE: Don’t like green veggies but want to be healthy? Look into the different varieties of “Green Powder” that you can stir into your favorite juice or water. Read the labels, tho, and avoid those with soy. Like chocolate?? They now make CHOCOLATE FLAVORED GREEN SUPERGREEN POWDERS and I am a huge fan. Just google what is all in caps before this.

Thyroid tidbit #8 YOUR GRANDMA: Thyroid function will naturally go downward in the elderly.That’s why grandma starts wearing that purple sweater in weather you are sweating in.  But putting those over 65 on T4-only thyroxine is not the answer, as a recent study showed.  That’s why YOU AND I are lucky to be on desiccated thyroid with its direct T3, or even those of you who are on T3 only.

Thyroid tidbit #9 EGGS ARE A BIT SCARY RIGHT NOW: Not necessarily for thyroid folks only, but you should be aware that with the recent recall of huge amounts of eggs in the US, there are reports of a four-fold increase in Salmonella Enteritidis infections since May 2010 because of eggs and health officials fear the worst may be yet to come. Why? Because the same eggs have been used in other products. Scroll down this page to see list of recalled eggs. P.S. if you get salmonella and are on cortisol for adrenal fatigue, you should discuss with your doctor about using OTC cortisol cream, since you may not be able to hold down the pills. 1/4 tsp equals 10 mg cortisol.

Thyroid tidbit #10 FLU SHOTS vs. VITAMIN D: Just when you are making progress treating your hypothyroidism and/or adrenal fatigue comes the season for the flu. And if you google the same same title of this tidbit, you’ll see numerous articles about the efficacy of taking Vit. D rather than the flu shots.  How much? General recommendation are 1000 IU’s daily at the minimum. Others point to more. Do your research.

Having read my blog posts about widespread negative patient experience with cellulose, she told the pharmacy that many of us have noticed distinct problems with the addition of cellulose in our desiccated thyroid medications–exactly why the newly formulated Armour caused too many patients to see a return of their hypothyroid symptoms. Naturethroid has not escaped the same fate for some.

When she asked if they could remove the cellulose, she received a firm and condescending “No” from the pharmacist, referring to cellulose as “a common ingredient in many medications and not a problem.”

Not a problem? Once again, patients are dismissed as if we couldn’t possibly know what works, and what doesn’t work, in our treatment and in our own bodies. A shameful reality. She left disappointed. 

What is cellulose? Cellulose is the most common organic substance found on our planet–a fiber abundantly found in plants and trees, and most especially in cotton.

Where is cellulose used? You wear it and you write on it! You eat it when you consume celery, potatoes, or mushrooms. It’s used to stabilize and thicken processed foods, and may be found in many cheeses, dry milk, puddings, and more. And since it’s difficult to find anyone allergic to wood, it’s been a common ingredient in medications, used as a filler.

So where’s the problem for thyroid patients?

1. Unlike the happy cows in their pastures chewing their cuds, human stomachs  have a limited ability to break cellulose down. Cellulose is a fiber. And what does fiber do? It “binds”. It binds to the desiccated thyroid that has gone down with it.  i.e. the life-changing effects of desiccated thyroid are clearly dampened by the presence of cellulose. Our “experience” has revealed it all across the globe since Armour was reformulated with an increase of cellulose in the mix.  i.e. we have witnessed a massive return of hypothyroid symptoms on the newly formulated Armour, and to some degree, on Naturethroid, whether the latter switched to microcrystalline cellulose or not (as compared to the larger celled methylcellulose).
2. Hypothyroid patients do not digest well. As one of many complications of hypothyroidism,  especially due to the inadequate treatment of T4-only medications and poor diagnosis from the TSH lab test,  low stomach acid and poor digestion is COMMON in hypothyroid patients.  So when you add cellulose to the mix, you are further damning thyroid patients.
3. Though not specific to just thyroid patients, we are not too comfortable with finding out that cellulose can collect in our lungs, as revealed in pubmed articles here and here.  (Thanks to thyroid patient Danny for alerting me to this.)

Bottom line, desiccated thyroid is a quality and superior treatment medication which has changed the lives ten-fold for thyroid patients around the world.

But cellulose and desiccated thyroid DO NOT MIX. And BRAVO to those compounding pharmacies who have listened and have used the beneficial probiotic acidophilus as a filler. We appreciate you.

P.S. I absolutely loved this comment made by another patient on Facebook when we were discussing the grief of taking our last pre-formulated Armour: Would love to get my hands on some old Armour again….those were the days my friends…

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Want to know your options for better thyroid treatment?? Go here.

Need help finding a good doctor? Go here.

Think desiccated thyroid didn’t work for you?? Go here.

See common Questions and Answers here.