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Hello my thyroid friends. If you’ve noticed (or not), my last blog post was 11 months ago from when I am writing this. So many of you have been posting on previous posts for help. I’ve tried my best to continue giving patient-to-patient information to you.
The reason I’ve been gone so long? I was a caretaker all last year, especially as things got worse and were going downhill, then sadly experienced the grievous passing of someone deeply loved and highly significant to me. And loss and grief of that dimension is not for the faint of heart. It’s challenging. It can be a nightmare. And with deep grief can come the need to have an important break from what one was doing before, like writing blog posts and more.
All the latter even aged me terribly. But I call the aging and extra facial and neck wrinkles I now have my “battle scars out of love”.
I can’t say I’m totally ready to be back. Grief doesn’t end when you lose someone that significant to your life. You just learn to live “alongside it” to some degree. But I had such a memorable experience this morning that I decided to start again…to some degree.
***Please don’t reply to this by asking me “who passed away.” I don’t want to talk about this publicly. It’s too close to my heart. But you are welcome to offer condolences. They will mean a lot to me.
But I do want to tell you what happened this morning, as it will apply to any of you.
If you didn’t know, still being hypothyroid has many symptoms. The best list on the internet is this one.
I say the best not to criticize other lists. I say it because this list is not only based on 20 years of reported patient experiences and observations, it doesn’t include symptoms which are more related to adrenals in order to puff the list up.
And one symptom is the inability to conceive. l didn’t have this problem. But some women do when they are still hypothyroid, either from not being diagnosed, or being treated poorly on T4-only, or underdosed even with T3 in their treatment.
Here’s more specifically what I want to tell you…
I was at a restaurant eating my breakfast this morning, but it’s actually a brunch. I eat my “breakfast”
around 1pm. Why? Because I’m doing intermittent fasting from approximately 9pm the night before (occasionally I start at 10 pm, but mostly the 9pm) until about 1pm the next day. I do this to keep my insulin levels down (I have a touch of insulin resistance I want to fight against). It’s also anti-dementia, anti-Alzheimer’s to do it. Plus doing it keeps my weight down beautifully. It’s not hard for me to do, as I get my energy from fat when fasting. I don’t even notice it much.
The waitress walked up to me. She said “I remember you from a few years ago!” with a smile on her face.
I asked how?? She said that she had waited on me before, and that I was the reason she had been able to turn her inability around to have more children around! She now has three sons instead of the one when I met her.
I had apparently found out she was on Synthroid, told her about Stop the Thyroid Madness, about a better way to treat hypothyroidism and all related no matter the cause. She has now been on Armour instead of the Synthroid she used to be on—the latter which prevented her from getting pregnant again. She was now doing fabulously. She showed me a photo her now three darling sons, all thanks to throwing Synthroid to the wind and now having T3 in her treatment.
She also underscored that she has been using her new STTM knowledge to guide her doctor, who is willing to listen. That is the kind of doctor we all have to work to find. I’ve done it. I know that those of you in the UK, as one example, have it hard, though.
But it’s also important to know that anyone reading this can do fabulously with T4 and T3, or with T3-only if there is an RT3 problem to treat. You just need to READ this: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/optimal. And I don’t mean skim the latter page. Read it all.
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.
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190 Responses to “Janie Bowthorpe is back.”
Lucinda Horst
i finally got my doctor to give me 1 grain dessicated thyroid. She refuses to go higher. My T3 is 5.32. Would raising my medication make my T3 go up? Im still very depressed and tired.
Janie Bowthorpe
Hi Lucinda. Because lab facilities can be slightly different as far as ranges, you need to give the range. You also need to clarify if that’s the free T3, not just T3.
Tammy
I came here looking to see if I could find any info about the FDA designating NDT as a Biologic? I read the article “What’s Happening With Natural Desiccated Thyroid Drugs” at Paloma Health.
In order to keep selling NDT they have to get a BLA license by 2029. The FDA wants to limit or eliminate compounding.
The price will skyrocket after this happens.
Hope you are doing well. I’m so sorry for your loss.
Dontforgetcortisol
Hi Tammy, I’m looking for similar information… doesn’t look good at all.
Maria
Hi Janie. Do I need to have my latest test results including vitamins and minerals before our first call.? What happens after the first call.
Thanks
Janie Bowthorpe
Lab results for the call do help. Free T3, free T3, RT3, B12, Vitamin D, four iron labs, sodium, potassium, aldosterone.
Janie Bowthorpe
Whoops. I put two of “free T3”. The second one would be the free T4.
Marie Wallner
Dear Janie, I offer my sincerest condolences to you for your loss. I was able to care for my 93 year old Mom this past August and bring her home on Hospice. My 4 Sisters and 4 Brothers rotated in and out to help as I am the only medical person in my Family. Mom wanted to be at home and we all got to help her with this. I know I will be grieving for a long time as Mom was my best Friend. I developed Papillary Ca Nov. 2021 with T.T. in January 2022. Would your books benefit me now that I have no thyroid but still struggle with “hypo symptoms”? Thank you so very much! marie
Janie Bowthorpe
I’m sending my love to you concerning your dear Mom. And yes, the book will benefit. Hypothyroidism is hypothyroidism no matter the cause.
Carrie Coates
Janie,
Sending warm hugs & my deepest condolences. I understand the deepness of grief, after the loss of my family in 2014. I was looking for the group site on FB and couldn’t find it….are you still doing individual consults? I had to go back on thyroid meds b/c of a recent battle with COVID & pneumonia but my doctor finally put my on Armour (Yeah ????). I think I’ve finally hit menopause, so I was hoping for guidance on managing the Hashimoto’s plus menopause to manage everything. I’m on the lowest dose of Armour and waiting for my blood labs. My hair has finally stopped falling out in clumps! (Small victory). I think I need to go to either the functional dr and/or my obgyn but wanted your insight before I do any of that….I hope you are staying safe & smiling. If you are doing private consults, I’d love to touch base once I have those labs. Sending my best 🙂
Janie Bowthorpe
Yes, the coaching calls have continued by me. I was able to continue them without too much stress in this journey. Here: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/coaching-call I can tell I would have a lot to teach you in getting well, based on two decades of what we have learned, which doctors can be behind on.
Yes, Armour still works. But…only if your RT3 stays down. Also, you have to have good cortisol levels with it, plus understand this: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/optimal And the lowest dose does nothing and will never achieve what is explained on the latter page.
Brenda
Welcome back Janie and sincere condolences for your loss.
I have been hypothyroid for the past 30-odd years (total thyroidectomy).
I believe that my hypothyroidism has been fairly well-managed. I am taking Euthyrox and Tertroxin (T3). My doctor (general practitioner) added T3 to my meds about 10 years ago.
My worst symptoms are “overheating” and weight gain and trouble sleeping. Apart from that I feel good. 🙂
I suffer from the occasional hot flash which I think is menopause-related. I have been in 2 minds about starting HRT as I have been told that HRT will interfere with my thyroid medication.
Do you have any suggestions? I have checked on the STTM site, but didn’t see anything about menopause and hypothyroidism.
Any pointers as to what I discuss with my doctor about going on HRT together with my thyroid medication?
Thanks
Brenda (South Africa)
Janie Bowthorpe
Hi Brenda. The symptoms you are describing point out that you are definitely NOT well-managed.
Weight gain implies you are underdosed and haven’t followed this: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/optimal
Overheating could point to sex hormone issues with meno, but also implies you could have low iron https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/iron (which happens from being underdosed) or even more so, this: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/aldosterone
Trouble sleeping implies this: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/adrenal-info
Sex hormones, especially estrogen, interfere if you take them close to your thyroid meds. You just take them away from thyroid meds, not avoid them!! Especially the estrogen.
Brenda
Thanks so much Janie, your reply is well-received.
Sofia Ferenburg
Hello Janie,
I am sorry for your loss. I know the feeling. I lost both my parents few years ago. I still remember them every day.
I need some help. I am going to this functional doctor who is also an MD. She is very knowledgeable. She wants to adjust my thyroid medication since she thinks I am taking too much T3 for my age. I am 65 1/2 years old. I decided to give it a try. She put me on 1 grain T4 from compound pharmacy and 30mg NP Thyroid twice a day. After taking it for about 6 weeks my blood test showed the following:Free T3- 2.3 (range 2.0-4.4), Free T4- 0.99 (range 0.79-1.77), TSH- 0.061 (range 0.45-4.5), T3 Reverse 20.1 range (8.0-25.0), Thyroglobulin Ab – 14.4 (range 0.00-115.0), Anti-TPO 11.90 (range 0.00-35.00).
I didn’t take meds the morning of the lab, last time I took 30mg NP Thyroid the day before around 2:30pm. She says my Free T’s are high because they are short lived. They should be lower. My TSH is too low. She want me to start taking brand Synthroid 50mg and 15mg NP Thyroid twice a day. Please let me know what do you think?
Thank you.
Sofia F
Janie Bowthorpe
Sofia, there are no “grains” of T4.
Your results show you haven’t read this: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/optimal or this: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/reverse-t3. Your frees are LOW not high. Read the links. Also, it’s never ever about the TSH. READ: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/tsh-why-its-useless
Sofia
Hello Janie,
I am so confused. Could the person be on Synthroid and NP thyroid at the same time? I only see synthetic T4 and synthetic T3, of NDT.
Janie Bowthorpe
Sofia, NP or Armour is already 80% T4. Adding T4 is not what we do, because it raises the risk that you’ll be on too much T4. If the latter happens, RT3 will go up. We just raise the NDT by itself until we have achieved this: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/optimal
Janie Bowthorpe
The people who add T3 to NDT is usually because they already had an RT3 problem. So they greatly lower the NDT, which lowers the 80% T4, then make up the difference with added T3. This may not be you. https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/reverse-t3
Sofia
Hello Janie,
My doctor made me have a blood test at 1pm after I took 30 mcg T4 and 1/4 grain NP Thyroid at 7am in the morning.
My FT4 is 1.0 (range 0.8-1.8). FT3 is 2.7 (range 2.3-4.2). RT3 is 18 (range 8-25).
I know these are low. I see some symptoms like losing hair, dry skin etc coming back. She wants me to stay now on 50 mcg Synthroid, and 1/4mcg NP Thyroid twice a day.
What do you think I should do? I am so confused.
Thank you in advance.
Janie Bowthorpe
We as patients have learned a lot.
1) We never do labs after taking our meds. We take our meds after the morning blood draw.
2) We find it stupid to be in such a low amount of NDT (when NDT by itself works great in larger amounts) along with her clueless emphasis on T4.
3) But…at this point in time, you can’t even be solely on NDT and raise it. The problem is your already too high RT3, which will only continue to go up due to doctor who is raising T4. It will also go up on just NDT, since NDT is 80% T4. RT3 comes from T4 due to three issues. She is making you worse according to years of our experiences. Time to read this and all of it: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/reverse-t3
Gianluca
Hi Janie, Happy New Year!.
Does endogenous Thyroid increase Pregnenolone? if so what do you think would be the mechanism?
Gianluca
I actually meant exogenous, so like the NDT we are taking
Janie Bowthorpe
Thyroid doesn’t increase low pregnenolone. Taking Pregnenolone increases low levels. Important to test it first and not guess.
Gianluca
HI Janie.
i wanted to report that both me and my GF, were able to get optimal with only two grains Amour, We followed the recommendation on your book for testing also. Beside the FT3, our FT4 is at the top of the range as well, actually hers is a bit above. Does this mean we are taking a bit too much, since in your book you wrote FT4 should fall about mid range?
My GF doesn’t have any side effects, but I do think I have been feeling a bit too wired later in the day, plus my heart rate seems to increase more in situations where I generally feel anxious
Janie Bowthorpe
If your free T4 is at the top of the range, that’s way too high. It will now be converting to RT3 to clear out the excess.
You also may have a high free T3 due to this: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/pooling, not because it’s “optimal”. And that can mean you need to explore having a cortisol problem. The symptoms you describe are usually cortisol- related, we have noticed.
This is the saliva test we order: https://saliva-cortisol.squarespace.com/ Then compare to this page: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/lab-values
Gianluca
thanks for your reply Janie.
Our FT3 is not high, but at top of range, we both are about 4.2 pg/ml (LabCorp)
I’m already on 30mg HC for my cortisol. And my basal am body temp finally rose to 97.8. I may think I’m not pulling, neither is my GF. We both got similar test results with only 2 grains. I think we may go back to 90mg total for now.
Based on the reading I have done on your book and website, I really thought we would need to get in the 3 grains area to be optimal,
Have you heard of other patients complaining about Armour batches being too strong? we are in California
Janie Bowthorpe
Armour has not been too strong. If it feels that way, it can be because the T3 in Armour is revealing a cortisol problem.
Gianluca
These are our labs, I hope you could be able to comment on it. both me and GF did not take any Armour before the labs in the am. We both take 1 grain in the am, and 1 grain in the PM around 4PM, would you just take a half grain less since the above mid range FT4?
Me: FT4 1.7 Range 0.82-1.77
FT3 4.2 Range 2.0-4.4
GF: FT4 1.99
FT3 4.3
RT3 14 (no range)
Gianluca
Janie, if you could give me some guidance here, as I’m a bit lost.
As I wrote in the above comment, my FT4 on 2 grains came back at 1.7, not even at 4 weeks marker since the previous increase, but a few days before. FT3 top range also. I decreased my dose of half grain less, and I feel better I think. Do you think I need perhaps to lower another half grain to lower that FT4 to mid range from 1.7?.I decreased my dose just a little bit over two weeks ago.
I read your book and blog, so I know 1 grain is a starting dose, and I’m not pulling neither here. The blood test to me clearly showed 2 grains is too much. I take 500mcg Iodine as well, so I suspect that is helping. I have seen many people needing to cut the dose substantially when starting some Iodine
Janie Bowthorpe
If a range goes up to 1.7, we definitely don’t want to be “above” 1.4ish, otherwise, it’s too much FT4, and the body attempts to clear it out by converting the excess FT4 to the inactive RT3. i.e. RT3 moves up, and we don’t want that either. Lowering the FT4 to midrange will usually make the FT3 a bit too low.
UPDATE: I accidentally put “excess FT3”. It’s now changed to “excess FT4”.
Gianluca
Thank you Janie. My guess then, is that if we need to lower FT4 to midrange and FT3 comes back a bit too low, we may need to add some T3 if we still have symptoms. I will wait another two weeks this way and pull another FT4/FT3, but I hope that with 30mg less my FT4 goes down to midrange, I feel pretty good over all on 90mg, probably still a tiny bit too much, I’m always hungry.
thank you J god bless you!
Janie
Janie when decreasing the NDT dose, is going down with half grain every two weeks a good strategy?
Janie Bowthorpe
Hi.l’m having to scroll back past a lot of others posts to reread your previous posts, and it’s getting confusing figuring everything out. This might work better by you scheduling a coaching call. https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/coaching-call
Angi
I have been struggling for several years now to get my thyroid straight. I have no thyroid due to cancer. It was removed in 2014. I did well on synthroid once we got to a level where I felt good. I started a low carb/keto diet in January of 2016 and lost 77 lbs in the first 11 months. My dr lowered my synthroid dosage. Then my weight loss stopped, then started creeping up again…I begged her to try something different as that was the only thing that had changed. I spent the next 3 years gaining back 45 of the 77 that I had lost and searching for a dr who would listen to me. I fired my endo and after several crazy drs (one tried to take me off of my meds for 6 weeks to get a “baseline”…I don’t have a thyroid. my baseline is ZERO! I now am so lucky to have a functional dr (I drive 2 hours to see her) who asks me what I think we need to do…we have tried various things, we tried NDT (I Never felt good on it) Went back to synthroid but added t3, and now I am back on the dosage of synthroid that I was when I originally lost the weight. The Only way I have been able to lose anymore weight is to do alternate day fasting. and then it is just a little here and there. I still have about 30 lbs to get to where I was before the change in dosage. I just had labs done, and my free t3 is showing a little high. I have another appointment after the first of the year. I am not sure where to ask to go from here medication wise. She ordered a complete metobolic panel as well as other standard blood tests. She is very receptive to anything I want to try, I just don’t know where to go next. Any help would be so greatly appreciated!
Karla
Welcome back, Janie! My deepest condolences for your loss!
I found your blog many years ago and am forever grateful to you! I am wondering if you or anyone on here has also experienced or know what is going on with “new method and reference range effective 7/18/2022” for thyroid tests? Specifically, I had both my FT4 and FT3 tested and had this note on both, and the reference range has changed – FT3 went from the top of 5.2 down to 4.4? I just recently had my blood drawn to check my levels and what is reported seems way high and inaccurate and this note is on both values – I am just trying to find any information about this change to the method and reference range?? THANK YOU for any help you can provide.
All the best and happy holidays! ~Karla
Janie Bowthorpe
Hi Karla and thank you.
Actually, the top of the free T3 range at 4.4 has been around for several years. Most of the time, the top is either 4.2 or 4.4. It’s as if the lab facility you use it just now catching up.
Karla
Thank you so much for your response, Janie! That is mind blowing! My lab results I’m in Santa Fe NM, from June 2022 have the top being 5.2, and then this new test states “New method and reference range as of July 2022”, so just after my last blood test in June. Do you know if this new method gives the same results so to speak? Meaning, if my FT3 was at 5.3 in June – and then I get this new test and haven’t changed anything – it should still be in that same range – or would the new translation be different? I guess I’m asking what does “new method and reference range” mean – in the new method -is the overall measurement of FT3 and FT4 the same as the previous method – just a different range? OR, are the measurements different altogether in what will come up as a number in this range? Funny that I’m this behind the times in Santa Fe NM…I’ve been thinking that optimal FT3 is as close to 5.2 on the old scale as possible for many years now. Curious if the new “methods” of measuring have anything to do with such a drastically different reading without changing my medication? Thank you again for your time and assistance, it is invaluable to have you back!! I’m VERY GRATEFUL you are back, and glad to know that you are taking good care to allow yourself the time you need to heal and grieve. All the best to you and yours! ~Karla
Janie Bowthorpe
Your result should come back “in relation to” the new improved range.
Karla
Thank you so much, Janie! It’s strange, I’m taking Nutri-Meds and a bit of T3 compounded – my last blood test had my FT3 at 5.3, which was slightly high (at the range with the top at 5.2), so we lowered my T3 slightly and expected it would go down into 5.1 or so, but with the new method and range my FT3 was 5.8. I would think that at 5.8 I would have heart palpitations (typical for me if hyper), which I do not have hyper symptoms. Either way, it’s strange that we lowered my medication and both my FT4 and FT3 are elevated way high and over the range. I am talking with my doctor tomorrow, so hopefully we will find some answers and I will proceed forward trying to get balanced yet again – since NP Thyroid went down the tube! 🙂 All the best and thank you again!!
Betty
Did np thyroid have a huge increase? A few months ago I paid 48.00 and now paying 135.00 for 90 tablets of 90mgs
Janie Bowthorpe
That sounds terribly high. Call around to different pharmacies.
Betty
I have and it is almost the same
Tammy Meier
I too have experienced a similar increase in price for NP thyroid. I checked Good Rx and every pharmacy is showing the same huge increase. Does anyone have any suggestions for a substitute. I’ve done very well for a number of years on NP and hate the thought of trying something else.
Brenda
Yes – total increase where I am for NP thyroid (upstate NY). Good RX no longer offers a discount. Last month I paid $80, just today $94 and the pharmacist was encouraging me to try levothyroxine to save money – unbelievable. So I did a quick google and found this article which I haven’t verified just yet: https://anh-usa.org/fda-attacks-natural-thyroid/
Also this states the same => https://www.palomahealth.com/learn/natural-desiccated-thyroid-drugs
Very concerning information if the above are true. Each article gives action steps to take. I’ll pay the higher fee to feel better, but wow – to not even have that as an option takes my breathe away.
Janie – sorry to hear your news. My deepest condolences to you. Take care of yourself.
Janie Bowthorpe
The articles are about compounded NDT, not about NDT in general. Thank you for your condolences.
Sarah
Hi Janie, very sorry to hear of your loss. I can imagine the grief. Seen it, and have felt it too. Leaning on God and knowing he has all the answers is the key to obtaining comfort. I am new to your page and blog. I come to you with a few questions, I hope you can shed some light on.
I have never had any thyroid issues, nor family history. But, I had taken a high dose prescription of aspirin for 10 days after a knee surgery. I ended up in the ER and was tested for aspirin toxicity came back as negative. But, Er Dr. Said it could have still been that.
I had all the symptoms of a Hyperthyroidism reaction. Rapid heart beat, very dry mouth and anxiety that was like nothing I experienced before.
I then went for a checkup to my Drs. Office and they had me do a neck X-Ray because I was experiencing neck pain. Within a week my thyroid swelled up and it was quite painful. I had an MRI and it was hurting during that.
I was sent for ultrasound on my thyroid and yes, it was enlarged with 3 nodules, that I never knew I had, A biopsy came back benign.But, it was just like they appeared over night with the enlarged thyroid.
I have been going to have lab test done on regular basis and my labs they say are all in normal range TSH is a little under 1. I went to a Endo surgeon for possible Alcohol Ablation and was told I wouldn’t be a candidate, but could be for radio frequency ablation.
The Endo Dr. Told me though he thought in three months I would probably not feel a need anyway. I guess thinking the swelling will go down.
He also mentioned a lot of grayish speckled matter. Do you have any idea why the aspirin reaction would cause this? Then I thought well maybe it was the xray , could that have caused it?
I don’t know, but my thyroid is causing me pain in ear and side of neck. I do not want to have it removed.
It has been 6 months now since reaction and X-Ray and swelling took place. Is there anything you have heard that helps to Bring my swelling down. I am hoping it will just heal itself.
I am on no medicines, only take vitamin D and Zinc sometimes magnesium. I also started drinking sea salt in water on and off. Thank you and Prayers for your comfort and oeace .
Janie Bowthorpe
Though normal amounts of aspirin rarely affect our thyroids, you mentioned a high dose. And that could have done it. And if I was in your shoes, I’d first ask for both thyroid antibodies. Anti-TPO and anti-thyroglobulin. Taking high dose aspirin for as long as you did could have caused subacute thyroiditis.
Diane Blair
Need some help please. I have both books and follow as much as I can but as you know the cost of NP went up so much I can no longer pay for it so my Dr suggested we go to Levothyroxin and add Liothyronine to it. I was at 3 grains 2 in morning and one at night so now she says 100 mcg 3 times a day and add 5 mcg mid day . What do you think of this???I just turned 70 a few days ago and feel like crape. Have not started yet as I still have a few NP left. Thank you
Janie Bowthorpe
We as patients have found Tirosint to be a better way to get T4, along with a working brand of T3 like Cytomel or Sigma Pharm. One grain of NDT = 38 mcg T4 and 9mcg T3. So 3 grains equals 114mcg T4 and 27 mcg T3. So hell no is 5mcg T3 enough. Typical paltry dose done by clueless doctors. But, you also need to know where your RT3 is. If that T4 is converting to RT3 (three reasons mentioned here: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/reverse-t3) you would need far less T4, a little more T3, and correct the three issues.
Lynda
Hi Janie,
good to hear from you! You mght want to hear about this case against Merck and their Levthyrox (new formula) in France. They’ve been ordered to pay over 3000 plaintiffs €1000 each after they experienced, and cl.aimed, that the new formulation didin’t work.
A total of 295 and 42 775 (adverse) reports for the old formulation and new formulation, respectively, were retrieved, with 149 and 5503 medically confirmed.
https://www.connexionfrance.com/article/French-news/Levothyrox-controversy-Lyon-court-wins-payout-for-patients-from-manufacturer-pharmaceutical-Merck
Janie Bowthorpe
When we as thyroid patients are already faced with far too many ignorant doctors who push the TSH, this is actually good news.
AWhitney
Janie, your blog has been a lifesaver. I have a very complicated condition that seemed to start with thyroid presentation but it was a mitochondrial disorder – 4 yrs and probably 50 Drs. later I have some idea how to manage it, but it was the thyroid presentation and my “almost normal” labs that were like red herrings and kept throwing Drs. off the track. I kept coming back to your lab values posts and it took time but I found an allergist who figured out the source of inflammation – radiation and MTHFR – that was throwing my thyroid and metabolism out of whack. I don’t treat thyroid (it’s normal most of the time now), but I also figured out I don’t treat a number of other things (supplementing mostly makes things worse) and my body is starting to turn around. I’ve worked closely with a functional medicine nutritionist (there are no functional medicine Drs. here which is unbelievable, I’m in a large metro area in NY) – and over the last several months she has started using the information here to evaluate labs for patients, especially when they don’t make sense.
I cannot express enough gratitude, after 5 endocrinologists dismissed me despite being bed-bound from tachycardia and dehydration, I finally knew what to do so the next endocrinologist could see the pattern for hypoglycemia (which causes hormone dysregulation and can knock HPA Axis and thyroid out together). Anyway, thank you and many blessings!
Sandra
I’ve not been here for sometime but need to say how much of a blessing you are to us all and all you do educating us.
I also want to say I’m so very sorry to hear of your pain and your loss. Your being there for your loved one when they needed you most is such a special gift you gave them and I hope that you are able to now take sometime for you.
Bless you and thank you
Leisa Forman
Been on all t3/HC for 12 years. Recent keto OMAD with terrible stress from a family member loss( sorry for yours as well. I’m unable to control the anxiety pray for healing) lost too much weight labs still show totally surpressed tsh, ft3 near top of level, but sudden new extreme anxiety. Doctor says high beaver top calcium means I need to add t4. And probably have a problem with hyperparathyroid causing high calcium. Is lowering t3 and adding t4 the right thing to do? I feel I just got messed up due to stress and weight loss.
Janie Bowthorpe
Doctors are solely trained about T4. So they unthinkingly think that when a problem arises, we need more T4. Not necessarily so. In fact, in the face of stress, that FT4 will start converting to the inactive RT3. Doctors are poorly trained about that. So if our free T3 isn’t optimal, it’s T3 we need.
Hyperparathyroid doesn’t make anyone feel good. Treatment often reverses that. I have a friend with hyperthyroid who was feeling worse and worse, and they kept saying “Let’s wait another 6 months.” Then again “Let’s wait another 6 months.”…all while she was getting worse and worse. She on her own found a surgeon to take out the two bad parathyroids, and she felt so much better!
Grief is a bitch if you lost someone close. That alone stresses the adrenals. So we have to do whatever we can to calm ourselves down (I used meditation and calming supplements) and I only choose to do things that give me joy.
Jennifer B
So nice to have you back, Janie. I hope these blogs posts will get back to me.
I just had tests (only ones paid for by insurance)
TSH 42.340 (.0400 – 5.000) Critical Low
T3 total 1.41 (0.59 – 1.74)
T4 Free 0.6 (0.7 -2.0)
I was given 65 mgs of Nature Throid …does this seem like enough or too little? And I am finding it difficult
to find desiccated hormone in my area. Are they trying to discontinue it? Is there anywhere
we can purchase online? Thank you.
Janie Bowthorpe
Unless something has changed, Naturethroid production was halted in 2020 by the FDA due to a recall. So not sure what you are on?
Total T3 is measuring mostly bound, unusable T3. We need the free T3, which measures what is unbound and available.
60 or 65 of any NDT is simply a starting dose from which we raise from. I would strongly recommend you order this: https://laughinggrapepublishing.com/product/sttm/ and study chapter 2.
Jennifer B
Yes, they told me Nature Throid was discontinued at the time but they had some on the shelf so I asked for that anyway. It seems to be working well but I won’t be able to find more. What desiccated brand works best now for most folks? And who can I order from if I cannot find it locally? Thanks, Janie…. and happy holidays to all.
Janie Bowthorpe
Contrary to those few who are determined to catastrophize and blame all their problems on Armour, or are not truly looking at their saliva cortisol levels or aldosterone, Armour IS IN FACT still working for the vast majority. There aren’t many places to get it without a prescription.
Kathy Hartzler
Janie I need your guidance. I have very low cortisol in the AM you and I had a coaching call you suggested 1/4 tsp hydrocortisone applied in a variety of places to help bring up that low reading. Doc wont rx HC tablets. Now after a month or so my face is red and swollen. I’m wondering if Hydrocortisone applied to other locations on my body can be causing this facial flushing with hive like spots? I’m reducing the amount a little daily to get off the protocol and will retest w/saliva testing. Thank you
Ralph Lewis
Good Morning Janie ,
Years back I had 1st found “Stop The Thyroid Madness” and your later “Stop The Thyroid Madness II” and have shared your information links with many others – including MD’s and other health professionals.
After retiring as a too-busy Industrial-construction Electrician, I admit the COVID Plandemic / $CAMdemic had displaced me from attention to your Internet sites. ( – too busy searching for censored viral-truths from HONEST, clinical doctors )
Anyway, I feel “back in the thyroid groove” and I’m sure many others are grateful your wisdom is again back online to shine !
Janie Bowthorpe
Hi Ralph. I had to drop doing blog posts awhile for my sanity. Losing someone significant is not easy. But I at least continue to do coaching calls and that works for me.
Julie Scarsbrook
Janie, so sorry to hear about your loss. I have been using your wisdom for years, your book was a life saver.
J
Janie Bowthorpe
It’s not fun to go through a grief journey when you lose someone highly significant. But it can be done and time helps. I just had to drop posting on the blog for awhile. But I still do coaching calls.
Linda L Schneider
I am so utterly sorry to hear about your loss. Its traumatizing. As you know, we dont get over it, but we get through it. My heart goes out to you and I understand….people who you dont even know care, and they understand.
Janie Bowthorpe
Thank you for that, Linda. Losing someone this significant is a hell of a journey. I have been able to continue all the coaching calls I do, but had to pull back on other parts of my activism for a little while. This is not for the faint of heart,
Jennifer
Janie,
I’m very sorry about your loss of a loved one. It can be overwhelming.
I just became aware that the FDA has declared desiccated thyroid extract (DTE) to be a biologic drug and therefore ineligible for compounding. I found out when I called my compounding pharmacy this morning for a refill. Do you think there’s any chance of that being overturned?
Janie Bowthorpe
There are push-backs going on. Here are two. It will take a lot of effort but worth it as nutty as this is by the FDA.
https://anh-usa.org/fda-attacks-natural-thyroid/
https://a4pc.org/
Linda L Schneider
I just got my letter today and Im shaking….please start writing these places to file a complaint. The one on my letter is: compounding@fda.hhs.gov. was told by the pharmacist to also contact your state representitives.
Michael D
Hi Janie, I am very, very sorry to hear about your loss.
I also wanted to send a big ‘thank you’ your way for all of your efforts on thyroid wisdom and related topics! You have helped so many for years, and you have just helped me yet again (more on that below). I have been following your website for a handful of years, and have learned a great deal about T3, NDTs, optimal lab values, and so much more. My wife had her thyroid removed (cancer) years ago and I have Hashi’s, so we’ve both benefited from your wisdom. We are both in our 30s.
Very recently, I stumbled on one of your pages about iron which led me to discover an issue. I have been using NDT or T4+T3 for a few years, and other than the very beginning, I have not felt good. The usual fatigue and brain fog, with a few other symptoms. I was able to get my T3 Free in the top quarter of the range (also tried the top third) and my T4 Free in the very middle of the range, but the symptoms were still there. I mean, there was some improvement, but overall I still felt lousy. I thought, “what else is there to check” and “will I ever feel normal again”? I was let down after all the efforts to get the lab values in their ideal ranges (including fighting with the Endo to ignore the super low TSH) and still not feeling good in the end. Then I saw the Iron page and it reminded me of my iron results that my doctor has run at different times when I complained of easy exhaustion. It turns out that my serum iron and TIBC are both above the range, the % saturation is near the top of the range, and my ferritin is on the low side, especially for a male (when looking at your optimal lab values page).
Iron Total: 184 mcg/dL HIGH (Lab range 50 – 180 mcg/dL)
TIBC: 459 mcg/dL HIGH (Lab range 250 – 425 mcg/dL)
% Saturation: 40 % (Lab range 20 – 48 %)
Ferritin: 66 ng/mL (Lab range 38 – 380 ng/mL)
My primary doctor didn’t understand how the iron and TIBC were both high. He was confused and said usually when one is high, the other is low, and vice versa. But, he wasn’t too concerned since the values were “only a little high”, and referred me to my Endo to review it. My Endo essentially said the same thing. Eyeroll. I wasn’t really satisfied with this answer but I didn’t know what else to do at that point. A third doctor also said the same thing, that there wasn’t a concern because they were “barely above the range”. So I thought I was the crazy one and left it alone. Keep in mind, I went back and found labs that my doctor ran for iron (all 4 tests above) in 2017 and they were all basically the same as above. So this has been an issue for at least 5 years, and we had the labs sitting right there in front of us, but no one knew what to do!
And so from your Iron page, it looks like I have methylation issues (and I’m probably in a ‘low iron’ state)! Yours was the only website I could find that mentioned a reason for both high iron and TIBC at the same time. Thank you for having this info available!! I now have something to go after instead of feeling stuck/hopeless. I will be getting tested for MTHFR and will start working through whatever treatment is necessary. I had seen your MTHFR page in the past, but I was overwhelmed/didn’t understand genetic mutations at all, so I think it skipped over it thinking it was not applicable to me.
For all those still reading, I say all of this to encourage you – if you got your thyroid values in their optimal ranges (not just anywhere in the lab ranges) and you still don’t feel right, keep searching! There are other things that could be the cause!
Janie Bowthorpe
Michael, your willingness to read what patients have learned for 20 years makes me feel so humbly proud and glad I created STTM for someone just like YOU who is willing to read. Because you hit it all on the nail. You aren’t breaking it down for use, thus in a low iron state. Plus, you didn’t mention RT3. Low iron pushes the inactive hormone RT3 up, and that can also make you feel less than great. Take the time to study this page. https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/reverse-t3
Michael D
Janie, thank you for the info on the link between low iron and RT3. That is very interesting and would definitely explain my symptoms. Also, I wanted to follow up and let you know that my MTHFR results came back and I have 2 copies of the C677T mutation (aka homozygous C677T). I guess this would confirm why my iron results were the way they were! Now I have something to start treating! Again, thank you for providing the knowledge on this website, it has been invaluable.
Janie Bowthorpe
Being homozygous 677 can definitely push iron up for some if those mutations are active. You are welcome! This is one reason I like doing coaching calls–people hearing me say what we’ve learned as patients really seems to get through!! By the way, you also have to rule out hemochromatosis, another mutation-caused problem when both iron and ferritin are high! It’s the HFE gene. If that’s the cause, you give blood.
David Ferry
My wife is a Np thyroid taker – some 60 years now. We recently lost our primary care doctor and just interviewed with a new one. This doctor claims that T3 causes or amplifies atrial fibrillation (which my wife has had for 2 years). and suggests going on Synthroid. She has been on that route and Synthroid does not work in her system Is there an adverse effect of T3 and AF?
Been following STTM since its beginning – it’s great!
Janie Bowthorpe
Just an FYI: NP Thyroid hasn’t been around for 60 years. Maybe you mean desiccated thyroid.
And that comment about T3 can be based on patients who, if they have a cortisol problem, then raise T3, it can cause hyper-like symptoms like a higher heartrate or palps. But that’s not due to the T3. It’s due to what the T3 raise is revealing, which is this: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/adrenal-info We are light years ahead of doctors about all this.
And you might want to read this: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/afib/
Carol Florio
Canada,s Universal Drugs has changed the dessicated thyroid I have used for years. Anyone know if they will get the old formula back? Or where to get a similar one? Thank you
Janie Bowthorpe
Carol, we need more information than that. What was your latest free T3, free T4 and RT3 with ranges?
Carol Florio
As long as I stay on 60mg of dessicated thyroid my labs are all within range. Problem is I am running out of what universal drug had in past. The new formula causes severe muscle tightening side effects. Will they be returning to old formula ?
Janie Bowthorpe
Carol, your problem can be from only staying on 60 mg. That is simply a starting dose. We have found repeatedly that we are not meant to stay on only a starting dose without raising. Otherwise we start having problems.
Lab results are not about being anywhere in the normal range. That’s another important point we discovered. Lab results are about where you fall in the range. Read about the goal we have learned for years now: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/optimal
Terry
Sending hugs your way. I lost my FIL suddenly this spring (rare non Hodgkin’s lymphoma). Still working thru things with my hubby’s step mom.
Learning from your website I’ve been able to talk to customers who come into our natural foods and wellness store about what tests to ask for (yep the Drs in my area still chase TSH – even an IFM Dr). I’ve given them your website as well as what labs to ask for and in some instances the names of Drs I know who don’t shy away from prescribing Cytomel.
I’m still working on my thyroid but thanks to your book and website I’m making progress!
melannie
Hi Janie,
I interested to know more about the intermittent fasting. Given how taxing it is on adrenals, i’m curious about it’s safe uses. If you have more info to share or resources you could point me to that would be great!
Melannie
Janie Bowthorpe
Hi. You stated “given how taxing it is on the adrenals”—according to whom?? I’m betting you read that opinion somewhere on the internet. And we all tend to read something on the internet, or hear it stated firmly by someone in a group, and get fooled by the black and white aspect of it. It’s like that time a year ago that a particular someone exclaimed in black and white emphasis that NO NDT’S WORK. Yet, numerous people were still doing well on Armour with labs to prove it when that was yelled…and that is still the fact today if someone understands what an “optimal” free T3 and free T4 mean (by reading the article on optimal, which too many don’t), and having a low or below range RT3, plus good cortisol levels.
I for one, have never, ever had fasting cause my adrenals to be taxed by it. I’ve even done it when I was stressed and it didn’t make my adrenals worse.
Now there is the possibility that someone with low cortisol could have noticed a problem when they did it. Yet others have reported doing it with low cortisol and they have reported no issue!! Opposites!! So we have to consider “individuality”. The statement that it’s “taxing on the adrenals” is too global when you read experience with intermittent fasting.
Even Dr. Berg believes that fasting helps the adrenals, even with a cortisol problem. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EctvVSwWSQ The answer may be to make sure you eat a good meal before the time you start into fasting. Plus to go SLOWLY in the amount of time you do intermittent fasting. I went slowly went I started, meaning I did NOT go until noon or 1pm before eating again. I built up to that. So being gradual in the time one does the fasting may be a good answer.
Tea
Janie, “grief is love with nowhere to go”…. I’m sorry for your loss. I know it all too well. Thank you for the strength, wisdom and knowledge you give to so many including me 🙂
Lorie
Hey, me again.
Have you tried CoQ10? It is good for insulin control. It’s also good for the liver and kidneys as well as the heart. And it’s good for energy as it feeds the mitochondria and it helps with brain fog. It’s safe even in high doses. Though too much can upset your stomach or make you feel jittery. But that’s and easy fix. Find a low dose bottle (30mg) and start with that and increase until you find the optimal dose for whatever you’re taking it for. Adrenal people may find higher doses may cause crashes.
Heather Green
Hi Janie. Welcome back and so sorry for your loss! I was wondering if you had heard accounts of those on T3 monotherapy for several years that, when they tried to incorporate a natural dessicated thyroid, their FT4 numbers did not come up by very much (e.g .4 to .46). This was after 2.5 months of decreasing the T3 and adding Ancestral Thyroid. FT3 was also very suboptimal in labs after this switch. Perhaps the supplement is just not enough in this scenario? Thoughts appreciated.
Janie Bowthorpe
Hi Heather. T4 won’t come up much on desiccated thyroid if someone is underdosing. Same with Free T3.
And ancestral is cow-sourced, so no telling what it will do when batches are not regulated.
Shelly Paige
Janie, I am so sorry for your loss. I lost my Dad last September and I am still struggling to get back to my routine. Take your time to grieve and go at your own pace.
Would you give an update on what NDT’s are still considered “working”? Is Armour still the best NDT option, at this point?
Janie Bowthorpe
We are in a state where it varies. Some state they are still doing quite well on Armour; others feel it’s not working. But the “not working” appears to be a single batch issue here or there more than a widespread issue.
Diane Blair
Hi Jamie I was wondering if NP THYROID is messed up again I have looked everywhere to see if there is a new recall but only see lawyers. I had a great Dr but we moved my new Dr is willing to do whatever for me but…. I have gained almost 49 pounds in 3 months or less as I set here I am freezing and it’s 90 plus outside. My THS is creeping up a little the same old story cant sleep, losing what hair is left on and on. I am 69 and on 60 three times each day. Oh yeah, i have had a very high ferritin level but coming down a little.
Janie Bowthorpe
Hi there Diane. From one patient to another, gaining/being freezing/rising TSH/hair loss and etc can be because a high ferritin equals inflammation, and inflammation is one of three causes of rising RT3, the inactive hormone. You might want to consider getting your RT3 tested. https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/reverse-t3
Also, high ferritin means the body is pushing iron into storage, which ferritin is, and is the result of the inflammation, and that can lower your iron levels. https://stopthethyroidomadness.com/inflammation
John Brown
I came across this Blog in my search for some answers to my health problems. If there is someone that may have some direction to point me, that would be appreciated. I suffer from almost all of the symptoms of hypo thyroid but I am a man and so I cannot get a Dr in my area to look into my thyroid as something that could be what is causing the problem. I had some blood work done and because my TSH was normal my Dr said my thyroid was fine, however, both my FreeT3 and TotalT3 were high and my T4 was normal. Maybe my Dr is right but I have thought something is off for years and because I am a guy and I have been told men don’t normally have thyroid problems I have wandered down the hopeless trail.
Janie Bowthorpe
We as patients have repeatedly learned over the years that we can never, ever go by the TSH alone. https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/tsh-why-its-useless
So it’s on our shoulders to find a doctor we can guide.
Amber
My uncle has hypothyroidism, as do my mom, grandma, and myself. So while yes women suffer from hypothyroidism more often, men absolutely can and so have hypothyroidism as well. I hope you find your answers.
Gianluca
I’m glad you are back, and sorry for your loss.
In the updated version of the book, you give a few examples of HC dosing, with the first dose taken first thing in the AM, should i take that immediately upon rising with my NDT or later with breakfast, which is generally at least an hour later or more
thanks
Janie Bowthorpe
We can take it first thing in the morning with thyroid meds.
It should also be mentioned that taking HC when our free T3 is pooling, meaning way over range, can cause that T3 to rush in the cells like a son of a gun and cause hyper like symptoms. https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/pooling
Gianluca
Thanks for you response. Do you think adrenal patients need to start the NDT as 30mg in the am and 30mg in the PM, or that is ok to start with the introductory dose of 1 grain in the am, then building up the next dose in the PM?
thanks
Janie Bowthorpe
Either way have worked. 🙂
Gianluca
Janie, thanks for responding to my comments. Your book has been very helpful, and easy to understand i wish I had read it years ago!
Couple days after my rise going from 1/2 grain to 1 grain, I experienced some pretty noticeable hyper symptoms, two of which were speediness and increased sweating, along with some good benefits though . I’m thinking my body needs to adopt to it. But how long does generally take for the body to adjust to the new dose, before I decide this is too much for now?
I’m on about 25mg HC, and I have also a low aldosterone to treat, but the hyper symptoms didn’t really feel like the usual adrenal hyper.
Janie Bowthorpe
Having hyperlike symptoms after a raise to such a small amount as one grain is about this: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/pooling And the latter can be due to that low aldosterone, we as informed patients have discovered for years how. Also, 25 mg HC is simply a starting dose and for women. Time to read Chapter 6 in this book: https://laughinggrapepublishing.com/product/sttm/
Gianluca
Janie
My Hydrocortisone has as a filler some calcium stearate, greenstone brand. Should I not take it with my Thyroid because the calcium?
thanks
Janie Bowthorpe
It’s probably such a tiny amount that you’ll be fine. And the calcium problem is more about with thyroid meds. 🙂
Gianluca
Janie, I much appreciate your responses. I really wish I read your book years ago!
do you think the “morning before rise” temperature is still a reliable measure of thyroid function, even if I’m on the Hydrocortisone?
Janie Bowthorpe
Using a temp to discern hypothyroid is more about doing it around 3pm. In the US, it should be close to 98.6. But….there are other issues which can affect one’s temp. So we concluded that a temp alone may not be reliable enough in some cases.
Gianluca
Janie I hope you are having a wonderful weekend, thank you for your work, 20 years or thyroid patients records is amazing, thank god for that!
I find myself needing to raise my NDT dose, currently at 1 grain, and I also need to raise my 1/4 tab Fludrocortisone. Would you do one in particular before the other, or both around same time should be ok?
thank you for your guidance
by the way, is there any particular place I could write a review about your work or book? please let me know
Janie Bowthorpe
Yes, STTM is now about 20 years of compiling worldwide patient reported experiences and observations in getting well. And I only compile what is consistent among patients.
One grain is simply a starting dose from which we raise every two weeks or so by 1/2 grain, slowing down in the 2 grain area and doing labs to see where we are. This is the goal: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/optimal
And to anyone reading this: If a raise causes hyper-like symptoms like higher heartrate, palps, anxiety, etc, that can point to a cortisol problem needing a saliva test https://saliva-cortisol.squarespace.com/ to see what needs treatment. Chapter 6 in the updated revision STTM book with blue-gray cover. You will also read about low aldosterone which is a second adrenal issue that so many end up with.
I would personally raise Fludrocortisone first. You did the aldosterone lab to prove you needed it, right? What about your cortisol levels? Low aldosterone doesn’t stand alone: it accompanies a cortisol problem that we also treat.
Gianluca
Yes, I did the Aldosterone test and it was low. I’m going to increase the .025mg Fludrocortsione to .05mg, hold it for 7 days then increase the NDT. I believe .05mg Fludrocortisone may be an ok dose for now, and it is really time to go up with my NDT.
Cortisol also came low at 3 points, beside the am one. I’m on 27,5mg HC, 10/10/5/2,5 I checked my temps last week, and they were stable. However, my doc left me a script for 35mg HC if need to go up that much. But he told me to check the ACTH level, and if it goes below 10, to reduce my HC dose.
I know in your book the HC protocol for male start with 12mg in the am, but I’m just concern taking more than 10mg all in once in the am, will decrease more my ACTH for the day. I will take my temps in another week or so after the Fludrocortisone increase.
thank you again for you help Janie
Gianluca
Janie, when I was on 1/4 tab of the Fludrocortisone I tested my Renin and it came back at 1.063, on a scale 0.167 – 5.830, do i need to be concerned about this low level?
I also increased my Fludrocortisone to 1/2 tablet for the past two weeks, so potentially my Renin is a bit lower now. I also believe I started to experience insomnia from it, but only for the past few days
Janie Bowthorpe
It appears that if you do just a regular blood test, it will look falsely low since it really should be testing plasma and collected in a chilled blood sample and spun–the latter which isn’t usually done. In the meantime, certain doctors over the years have directly patients to consume a lot more potassium when on Florinef.
Gianluca
Thank you Janie. The test I took it was a Plasma Renin Activity, I’m buying blood test on my own.
I generally get 4/5grs of Potassium from my diet.
Janie Bowthorpe
Yes, we can need a lot of potassium, for sure, when low aldosterone goes on awhile, and on Florinef.
mark olinyk
Hello… Sorry for your loss.. Do u know or anyone know what NDT can be be bought without a script that actually works? I tried the Thailand thyroid s and found it didnt do much .. I have tried nature-throid and felt it was doing something.
Janie Bowthorpe
Some differences can be due to different fillers, we suspect, somehow slowing down absorption. So with thyroid-s, which before had quite a lot of fillers, one might need slightly more to achieve the same good results as an American-made product before something went wrong with it. Also, be sure to have fully read this: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/optimal
Monique
Hi Janie, so sorry to hear about your loss. It’s inspiring to hear how you took time out to take care of yourself, grieve and heal. And we appreciate you coming back to support our community as well.
I have a question about being on T3 only which is the only dosage that works for me with the least side effects (I’m on 85 mcg currently). Both my endo and general MD have said that to get pregnant and stay pregnant I would need to add T4 to my meds. Preferably before I get pregnant. Do you have any experience with women on T3 only and pregnancy? I’m not ready to get pregnant just yet but when the time comes I’d like to be prepared. Any advice you have from experience would be helpful!
Janie Bowthorpe
Hi Monique. All I can say to you, as someone who has been listening to and collecting patient reported experiences and observations for 20 years, it’s never been about just “having T4 in our treatment”. Yes, some do have T4 in their treatment, but some don’t and are just on T3. And it’s been about being out of our hypothyroid state when it comes to getting pregnant. This explains what that means, and note the free T3: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/optimal
Doctors are generally only trained about T4 in their medical schools. This is why they tend to put the emphasis on it. But we are light years ahead of them. our repeated and worldwide experiences show that what they are saying to you is the wrong focus, even if having T4 in our treatment is fine, since it can convert to T3 for us in the background. But we have learned that even more important is that T3 in our treatment, too, (or by itself) and where to get the free T3.
sandra
Janie,
I am so very sorry to hear of your loss, your loved one was very blessed to have you by their side during such times and I am sending prayers of kindness to yourself, rest and recovery and in hopes you continue to look after yourself.
Thank you for all you have done for us and bless you!
Sandra
Lorie
Glad to see you back. I’ve been thinking about you. I am so sorry for your loss. I was my brother’s caretaker for the last 6 months of his life, he passed in October 2017. I cherish the time I had with him, as he moved in with me so I could better take care of him, but it almost destroyed me. My adrenals were already weak and I needed to go back on higher doses of cortisone just to make it through the day of doctor’s appointments, radiation and chemo appointments, meal prep (he lost his tongue to cancer so he was tube fed, I had to blend all his meals) and wound care (he had two flap surgeries for tongue reconstruction which caused a huge wound on his abdomen and pectoralis muscle when the first flap failed), plus all his medications. I’m still struggling because the stress hasn’t gotten better, just new stresses. My husband has been out of work for almost a year now. We’ve been surviving on savings, but it’s been tough.
Jan Kasza
You’re the Best!
Linda Burns
My deepest condolences Janie, and I am so sorry for your loss. I just wanted to share how much you helped me. Approximately 13 years ago I began experiencing secondary infertility after easily conceiving and carrying 2 children. Bloodwork showed that I was ‘subclinical’ hypothyroid but no doctor was willing to treat me. But from reading your info, I trusted myself enough not to give up. Thankfully I found a Dr 1 hour away who was willing to prescribe meds, and within a short time I was pregnant.
Your knowledge, books, website, and more have empowered me to take charge of my health, and to share my knowledge with my friends, family, and practitioners. I await the day, when I believe the medical establishment will come round and acknowledge that this is the optimal way to go, and you will deserve a lot of credit!!
Wishing you much continued comfort and strength, Linda
Janie Bowthorpe
So happy to read that getting those thyroid meds help you get pregnant!
Elle
My sincerest condolences to you . Your work has been such a blessing to me and now to my daughter and to so many others . Prayers of light , love , and peace to you and all affected by the loss of a loved one .
Deborah Olcott
Sending you condolences Jeannie. I am so sorry that you lost someone that you love so dearly and it sounds as if it was very hard on you and very beautiful to be by their side. Of course the grieving and recovery and healing all take time and shift. I am extremely grateful that you continue to be there for everyone struggling with thyroid challenges. You have certainly changed my life. And I am still working to get to an optimal place but you have given me so much hope (and so much information 🙂 to work with!! Thank you!!
Bernice Caruth
Hi Jamie
Sending hugs and love your way. Loneliness isn’t easy but maybe all of the people you are helping here can fill that void with love. I’m so glad to see you back. Your books and website are my source of fantastic, credible thyroid information.
When I read your first book many many times, my brain fog at that time was so bad that I could not apprehend a word. Well maybe the “the’s” and “ands.” Several years later I can now read the second book and understand it. Maybe not remember it all but can understand it.
I found a doctor in my local community who is my partner with thyroid treatment. My first visit probably was awkward as I felt that I had some credible information to share with her. She has since been more open and willing to hear what I have to share. First visit only TSH was done. Next visit I insisted on the full panel for thyroid and iron. I keep a spread sheet with my lab results and med changes and bring it with for my visits.
I have been on compounded T4/T3 for years, always with the T4 being higher. Recently, at my persistence, she has raised the T3 and lowered the T4. Amazing difference but still have more to do with cortisol and iodine testing again. I have other lab work every six weeks. A year or two ago she wanted to do blood cortisol and I said I would do saliva testing instead. She didn’t know much about the saliva test. My last visit she recommended the saliva test!!! A few months ago I eliminated all grains my diet, lost weight, and feel better. Now she is doing blood food sensitivity test to see where I have issues.
I have promoted your books and website and she said “there is good information.” Gentle persistence and information can help doctors become better doctors.
Without your information I don’t know where I would be. Welcome back, Jamie. We have missed you so much.
Philippa Snowdon
Janie, this is important. The effects on different people after re-formulation of drugs, is the addition of MANNITOL.
(Hence the successful demonstrations in France)
For me and for many, but not all of us, the inclusion of MANNITOL as an unlisted excipient stops the medicines from being absorbed. They are no longer bio-available. Take as much as you like, it can never work.
MANNITOL needs to be listed so we save money. SThyroid from Thailand has evidently added MANNITOL to its new formulation. It was very expensive. It used to really work for me. NO MORE.
All those others. I am so sorry. Add MANNITOL and it will never work for you.
housemaid
Phillipa, I am on Thyroid S and it has worked great for me. But the bottle I have been taking expires August 2022, meaning they were made in 2019. I have bought new bottles that expire in August 2024, meaning they were made in 2021. When did this addition of mannitol take place? I read that it acts as a diuretic and is poorly absorbed by the intestines. I guess that is why the pills don’t work. Have you tried chewing them? How do you know they contain mannitol since it is not listed as an ingredient? I am so upset as I am due to start on the new bottle in 2 weeks. None of the US brands including Armour worked for me after they all went bad, but Thyroid S did.
I cannot understand why manufacturers always have to mess with a good formulation. I have not looked at STTM in a long time, as I have been doing fine on Thyroid S. But what is the US brand that now works, if any?
RachelDLS
Hello Janie,
I want you to know how sorry I am for you and your loved one, and any other family and friends that are grieving. I too, just lost someone dear to my heart. It was wonderful to read your story this morning and hard at the same time. We each of us deal with grieve in separate ways, don’t we? For me, I found my music, which I had stopped doing because of my own health issues, to be a comfort, as I worked on songs for the memorial service. I am grateful that I was asked to do the music. It has brought that part of my life back into my life! I am hoping to do more of that now.
I am also so happy to hear about your waitress! It is funny, I talk to my waitresses as well, and ask them if there is anything they would like me to pray about for them. It is amazing some of the answers I have received!
I too, have to thank you for all you have done. I was quietly dying on Synthroid, even after they added Cytomel. I am now getting my Thyroid medication from a compounding pharmacy, as Armour does not work for me. I end up with a lot of joint pain when I take it. I suspect it is the corn in the Opadry White that causes it. Thankfully, my insurance reimburses me for a good part of the cost. I am so grateful to have found something that works so well! 🙂
I am so grateful to have found your site. I share the site name, with everyone I can. My doctor listens too, and even though she was reluctant to see me on Naturally Desiccated Thyroid medication at first, she has seen the improvement over the years, and now lets me run my own show in that department.
I am truly blessed!
Janie Bowthorpe
Glad you figured that out about the corn in Opadry White. And yes, we have to run our own show when so many doctors lag far behind in knowledge and end up keeping us sick. That’s why I created a patient to patient movement I call Stop the Thyroid Madness.
For others reading this, Armour can seem to not be working because you have never achieved this: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/optimal. Don’t skim it. Read it all. The information also applies to taking synthetic T4 with synthetic T3. Or even just T3.
Rosemary
Dear Janie, Condolences and thank you for being a caretaker. I’ve been there, and it is so much work and so rewarding. May your loved one Rest In Peace. This type of fasting has worked for me, but I drink coffee in the morning and then eat at 1 pm. I guess that’s not fasting. I do feel better if I start food later and I take Thyrovanz, also, late. Thanks for your post.
Lesli
Welcome back. So sorry for your loss. You have been a lifesaver for myself and my clients even while you were gone. Your work is irreplaceable. Go slow and know how much you mean to perfect strangers.
Janie Bowthorpe
Thank you for that, Lesli.
Rainbow
I’m so sorry to hear of the loss you’ve endured. I love this quote from WandaVision: “What is grief, if not love persevering?” The love never dies, but I know how difficult it is to redirect that love once the object of that love is gone.
Optimizing my autoimmune hypothyroidism did start me ovulating for the first time in my life (in my late 20s). Unfortunately, I was never able to conceive a child, but we had 10 embryos left over after IVF, and so far we’ve donated two of them to another family. It’s wonderful to watch these two genetic children grow up and be so loved, even if we’re not directly in their lives. Without your site and help, I never would have been healthy enough to even consider the rigors of IVF. So there are two more children who probably would not exist had it not been for your help 🙂
Janie Bowthorpe
That is so wonderful.
TRISHA
Does the pain ever go away? Maybe. Maybe not —. depending… on countless things. One cannot, I believe, limit the unlimited, or contain, the uncontainable! Still, in time, it will evolve — like it or not. But hopefully, we will evolve with it.
Upon reading these words some time ago, I found, and still FIND…. comfort herein. Somehow in one succinct sentence — it put everything into perspective and spike spike a truth to my heart and soul…. which continues to this very day, to give me comfort.
And those words: “As long as there is love, there will
always be loss.” HOW could it be otherwise? Still, I firmly believe, that in the LOVE…. there will ALWAYS be Light!
Mariya
Dear Janie. Condolences to you. Grief makes us stronger. I wish you strength, health and good luck. I hope you will continue to delight us with your lyrics.
Robin
Condolences from N.Z.
Cheryl Jansen
My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Dorothy
My sincere condolences on your loss. It is hard to lose someone so close so please take care of you!!
Thank you for all the great work you do to help us all.
Lilian
So sorry to hear of your Loss Janie. You have my very deepest sympathy.
Michele
Great to see you Janie! Where would any of us be without you and STTM?! Half dead I’m sure, lol … being so grateful for you, we all send you BIG HUGS and love in your difficult times.
Mary Lou Vanda
So so sorry for your loss. When someone hears that a friend has experienced a profound loss, they share the grief. Janie, you are a friend to all of us. They want, so bad, to take the pain away but all they can do is be there to help support. Stay strong and busy. We will pray for you.
Gail
Janie, So sorry to hear you lost a loved one. Thank you for your latest post. Do take your time getting back to your regular schedule. There’s so much you’ve already done for this community that we can use to get answers!
Dawn
Dear Janie,
I am so, so sorry to read about your devastating loss. Please know you are not alone, as you have helped countless of us, we are here for you. Grief knows no bounds nor limits. Please allow yourself to feel whatever shows up in your body and mind, and acknowledge it’s there, and just do your best. There’s no right or wrong answer for how you respond.
Thank you for letting us be a part of your grief. May each day become a little easier for you, as heartache turns to warm memories that will be there forever.
I don’t see you as being aged. You look beautiful, as you always have. Your kindness radiates. That is timeless.
We love you!!
Dawn
Mary
Dear Janie, so very sorry about your dear one’s passing. Sending you blessings, prayers, and peace. Much appreciation for all you’ve done for all of us.
Mary
Jeanne
Janie you are a treasure! I’d heard of your loss and sending a HUGE hug. I am taking care of my elderly mom these days and it’s sure hard to see her decline. Little things like taking care of her bills and seeing her forget how to do things she was previously able to do! Hard but rewarding.
It’s been 34 years since my RAI for Graves and I am just now getting to where I should be -on T3 only! I have learned so much from you and grieve the decades I’ve lost to improper treatment. You are indeed a treasure and blessings on your healing journey.
oLt
My dear Janie:
So sorry to hear :(( May God comfort you and all morning the loss of a loved one. Please take extra good care of yourself during the healing/grieving process.
Stephanie Tackett
My deepest condolences on your loss. Thinking of you and wishing you strength and healing in this difficult time.
Cindy Zuniga
I’m so sorry for your loss. I have been a caretaker for family members that were very dear but I haven’t suffered grief to the depth you have. I do know it takes time and grief is not something you can suddenly still in a box and tuck it away. Our prayers and condolences go with you. We all appreciate all that you have done and do for us.
Trish
I’m so sorry for your loss. Wishing you comfort and blessings.
Trish
Trisha
anie,
If one can suffer too much loss, then I believe I may qualify. Still, I KNOW countless others have suffered way MORE than myself or what I could ever imagine! My heartfelt condolences to both you and Kristie whose first year anniversary of her son’s loss is fast approaching on June 30th. Sending you both Light and Love to Carry On!
And HERE is one of the BEST poems on the subject EVER written, for both of you, and ALL of you suffering a recent and/or wrenching loss!
CARRY ON!
It’s easy to fight when everything’s right,
And you’re mad with the thrill and the glory;
It’s easy to cheer when victory’s near,
And wallow in fields that are gory.
It’s a different song when everything’s wrong,
When you’re feeling infernally mortal;
When it’s ten against one, and hope there is none,
Buck up, little soldier, and chortle:
Carry on! Carry on!
There isn’t much punch in your blow.
You’re glaring and staring and hitting out blind;
You’re muddy and bloody, but never you mind.
Carry on! Carry on!
You haven’t the ghost of a show.
It’s looking like death, but while you’ve a breath,
Carry on, my son! Carry on!
And so in the strife of the battle of life
It’s easy to fight when you’re winning;
It’s easy to slave, and starve and be brave,
When the dawn of success is beginning.
But the man who can meet despair and defeat
With a cheer, there’s the man of God’s choosing;
The man who can fight to Heaven’s own height
Is the man who can fight when he’s losing.
Carry on! Carry on!
Things never were looming so black.
But show that you haven’t a cowardly streak,
And though you’re unlucky you never are weak.
Carry on! Carry on!
Brace up for another attack.
It’s looking like hell, but—you never can tell:
Carry on, old man! Carry on!
There are some who drift out in the deserts of doubt,
And some who in brutishness wallow;
There are others, I know, who in piety go
Because of a Heaven to follow.
But to labour with zest, and to give of your best,
For the sweetness and joy of the giving;
To help folks along with a hand and a song;
Why, there’s the real sunshine of living.
Carry on! Carry on!
Fight the good fight and true;
Believe in your mission, greet life with a cheer;
There’s big work to do, and that’s why you are here.
Carry on! Carry on!
Let the world be the better for you;
And at last when you die, let this be your cry:
Carry on, my soul! Carry on!
— Robert Service
AD
Sending you well wishes, Janie. Grief fundamentally changes who we are…I think of the process like going into a cocoon for a while and coming out a more beautiful person. Lost my father two years ago after doing some caregiving for him, then had to close his estate…navigating that world as a single 30-year-old was truly something. Be patient with yourself…your special person will visit you in unexpected ways. That being said, congratulations on 20 years of STTM website! While I don’t personally have thyroid issues, the site and forum is an awesome resource as an integrative heath practitioner.
Katherine Hughes
Dearest Janie,
Thank God you are ‘feeling better’. !! 🙂 I don’t think grief ever leaves us completely, but I am thankful that the time has come for you to ‘surface’ a bit more. Thank you again and again from so many of us who owe the recovery we have to you and your dedication.
Janie Bowthorpe
Yes, this is just a surface by me. That made me chuckle. But it’s real. I can only do a little at a time.
Peg
Love you, Janie, and a big THANKS! May the God of all comfort meet your every need.
Carolyn Hutchins
I was so sorry to read of your loss, Janie. It’s always devastating to lose someone who has been a huge part of our lives. It leaves us drifting anchorless for what feels like eternity. I hope you’re beginning to forge a new path now and finding a little peace in knowing that you will always have your memories.
Suki Singh
Hello Janie,
Please accept my condolences for your loss. It’s very hard and hopefully over time the pain will get less. Just remember that you have all this virtual family here for support as you have helped so many people overcome issues with thyroid. So thank you for your help and keep the chin up even in this hard time .. god bless
Kristie Mulreed Blank
I am so very sorry for your loss, Janie. Grief can be a very lonely journey. I know this all too well. I lost my older son suddenly and unexpectedly on 6/30/21. My family acts differently and my friends disappeared. They’re uncomfortable and don’t know what to say to me. I hope that you have loving support, as this grief journey is truly brutal. Please know that I am sending love, hugs and prayers for comfort and peace to heal your hurting heart.
Janie Bowthorpe
You said it well. Loss and grief is a lonely and brutal journey that we all have to travel if we do lose someone significant. And I am so very sorry for your own loss. Yes, people do disappear. And their discomfort is palpable. And many are just plain silent. It’s brutal.
Adela
Janie,
Grief is so hard to move through, a crushing force, but then as you say, you begin to live alongside it. What I have found (I’ve had several huge losses) is that with time the grief is softer, comes inside, becomes the lost one we love living inside us. Accompanying us. And makes us wider and fuller.
Thank you for your story, and thank you for your book that has guided me into much better health. Adela
Janie Bowthorpe
A crushing force. So true.
Jeannie Crockett
What a wonderful story. I am so glad she spoke to you and shared how you helped her.
Grief is so shattering…I am glad you are seeing some glimpses of light. Are you still getting out in the sunlight first thing in the morning?
Thank you for all you have done and will continue to do.
Janie Bowthorpe
I do get out. And yes, she was such a delight. We hugged right there in the noisy and busy restaurant.
Bev
So sorry you lost someone important in your life. It’s not easy as you have now found out. I wish you well with your grieving process and please remember, there s no timeline. It’s hard work and you will get through it. All I can offer is a hug!
Janie Bowthorpe
Yes, that there is no timeline is something a body of people don’t understand. This is a lifetime of dealing with it on this physical plane, even if you get a little better. The actress Betty White knew this.
Alison
I’m so very sorry for your loss! Caregiving is deeply personal, loving, and will take all you have and more. I’m glad you’ve taken time for your own healing.
Frances
I have many of the hypo symptoms and my FT3 is low and is not optimal but just in range. Do I need a T3 treatment?
Thanks.
Janie Bowthorpe
We would definitely have T3 in our treatment, always. And this is the goal: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/optimal
Betty Downs
Janie, my heart felt condolences, can’t imagine the pain of such a loss. I found your page here right after a heart valve replacement & the Dr wanted me back on synthroid. I happened onto your Facebook page & my life has actually changed for the good. At 77 on Armour & T3 I’m able to do so many things I enjoy doing. A big thank you Janie.
Janie Bowthorpe
Ohhh I’m so glad to read that, Betty. Congrats!!
Jean Humphrey
What a lovely story! I think of all of the people you’ve helped that you don’t even know about. I’m one of them. At 76, I’ve been on NDT for 15+ years and I’m doing well. I wish you wonderful memories of your loved one as you “live alongside” your grief.
Janie Bowthorpe
I’m so glad you told me that you are doing well on NDT for 15 years.
I’m only 8 months out from losing someone so dear to me. It’s still not easy. But there is music that reminds me of him that makes me smile. 🙂
Lucy
Janie I actually found you because a clerk at my medical marijuana store told me about you. In two weeks time of finding you I have found answers for my symptoms have fired endo going to naturopath who mentioned your website in a podcast this week. I am so grateful for you and send you love and comfort for your loss. Thank you so much and may you feel your loved one with you supporting you in your legacy and love
Linda Siller
I’m so sorry to hear of your loss. Please accept my condolences.
Janie, I found you in 2009. My first child was born hypothyroid in 1994. After me requesting to have my levels checked, it was discovered that I too was hypothyroid. My daughter and I were prescribed ‘The Gold Standard’ synthroid. I knew nothing about the thyroid and was at the mercy of the doctors. A sonogram showed my new born baby had nodules instead of a fully developed thyroid gland. Through several sonograms over a 10 year period, I watched my thyroid disappear. When my daughter turned 15, she began having heart palpitations. This is when I found STTM. We both switched to NDT and oh what a difference that made. Her palpitations stopped and many other symptoms disappeared, as did mine. My health was so much worse than her. I truly believe you saved my life. Probably both our lives. The knowledge you so givingly share gave both of us a better quality of life. She is now married with a child of her own who is not hypothyroid. I’m 61 years old and I can’t thank you enough. You are a blessing.
Janie Bowthorpe
Ohhh Linda, that is a wonderful testimony. Thank you for telling me.
Nancy Murillo
I finally found a doctor who had done the work and added T3 to my T4. It has made a lot of difference. He also found out I was anemic (low ferritin levels). Thank you for your work.
Sending love and positive thoughts your way in your loss. It is hard. I am so sorry.
I lost someone very close to me last September after caring for them daily for 2.5 years. I was in a fog of grief in all it’s stages for months and it still hits me out of the blue.
We were such a blessing to these loved ones by lovingly caring for them and providing companionship. What a blessing to have spent the last days with them.
Janie Bowthorpe
Nancy, it’s never about treating ferritin. Ferritin as storage iron can be low with high iron, so treating it can drive the high serum iron even higher…if the serum is high. It’s always about serum iron. 🙂 The only thing we look at with ferritin is if it’s high. That’s inflammation and we treat the latter. https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/iron
Fog of grief–that describes what I went through, too. And I’m still in the area of only being tolerate so much. But I felt ready to try one post. I still have my days and know they will always be there.
Debbie
Janie,
Condolences to you as you continue to learn how to live with a great loss. May you find joy in in the memories and see life in the nature around you.
Janie Bowthorpe
It’s a slow journey but I’m at least glad I finally felt ready to do a blog post. Yes, nature was very important to both of us.
KayHehir
Deepest Condolences in your recent loss of a beloved one…. It is wonderful that you’ve allowed yourself time for the grieving process & integrating your new reality… Please go gently, as you are.. Know also that you are supported with love in this journey, from many of us……Sending Prayers for you & your loved ones….????????????????????
Janie Bowthorpe
Yes, I have no choice but to go gently. Grief fills you up to the point you can barely add anything else in your life. But after seeing this waitress and what she told me, I was at least ready to talk about her in a blog post.
Judith Stringer
Your pain touches my heart. I know it well, and the loss of my 38 yr old son 17 years ago is a part of my bones. I learned from others in grief that this will change, and be ‘softer’ over time, yet will never go away. Yes, we learn how to live alongside the loss, grief. And somehow it makes us stronger. You are wise to lean on others. We can help you carry this. Your work has blessed so many of us. Thank you.
Mary Ann Pressley
I was on Armour then my new doctor stopped it and put me on levothyroxine. I prefer Armour but am looking for a doctor that will listen to me. My condolences on your loss.
Janie Bowthorpe
Keep up that search. We have to have the right doctor and also expect to GUIDE them. That’s why the website, the books, the coaching calls exist. To educate all of you so you can step in the doctor’s office and guide.
KayHehir
Deepest Condolences in your recent loss of a beloved one…. It is wonderful that you’ve allowed yourself time for the grieving process & integrating your new reality… Please go gently, as you are.. Know also that you are supported with love in this journey, from many of us……Sending Prayers for you & your loved ones…
Janie Bowthorpe
I see this is a duplicate. Thank u.
Mary Kay Parulski
Oh Janie, my heart aches for your loss. You have helped countless numbers of people, including me. Walking your loved one home is both an honor filled with much sadness, but also much joy that cannot be matched any other way. You have my deepest sympathies.
Janie Bowthorpe
Hardest thing I ever did. Yet at the same time, the grief is even harder. Thank u.
Judith Booth
Hi Janie. Deepest sympathy to you at such a sad time.
In 2005 I found a doctor who had worked this out. Her daughter kept miscarrying and after adding T3 she had no troubles. She was one of the first to understand this. It was this doctor who gave me natural thyroid hormone when I felt suicidal due to thyroxin only meds for 25 years. It went against all medical advice at the time.
I am now 77 and still taking NTH. It’s been my lifesaver for the past 15 years. But there are still so many people struggling on T4 meds only.
Janie Bowthorpe
I am so glad you gave your age. You are proof, as are many, that even those in their 70’s and BEYOND can do well with NDT. Medicare is stupid about this. Thank you deeply for your sympathy.
Kathy Forrest
That is a wonderful story of you in the restaurant. You have helped many. I am sure we can all understand your grief in the loss of someone special. Please accept my condolences.
Janie Bowthorpe
People who tell me things like she did mean a lot to me. Makes all these twenty years worth it. Thank u for your condolences.