Skip to content

Category: book

TWO NEW BOOKS: Hashimoto’s: Taming the Beast & Updated Revision STTM book.

One of the most important steps we have to do, as hypothyroid patients no matter the cause, is to be INFORMED, which the Stop the Thyroid Madness books aka STTM books, provide you.

We have to look at the experiences and wisdom of patients before us who GOT WELL, which STTM gives you!

And we have to be prepared to guide our doctors with the information in the Stop the Thyroid Madness books…or fire them.

Why? Because 1) the medical profession simply doesn’t get it 2) their training is awful 3) they accept the dark-ages bad information they are fed without questioning.

Thyroid treatment should have NEVER been about…

  1. putting us on only one of five thyroid hormones like T4-only (backfires sooner or later with growing problems)
  2. the insane use of the TSH lab test and range for diagnosis or treatment (keeps us hypothyroid)
  3. falling anywhere in those ridiculous “normal” ranges (keeps us hypothyroid)
  4. “doing nothing” and “letting it run its course” for those with autoimmune Hashimoto’s (which increases inflammation and the risk of other autoimmune diseases)

And all the while we have had continuing problems, we are told…

2019 updated revision of the classic Stop the Thyroid Madness

You are normal
It’s not your thyroid
You need to eat less
You need to exercise more
You need to see a therapist
You need to be on an anti-depressant, or this med, or that med

PRESENTING…..

1) The “updated revision” of the world-renowned STOP THE THYROID MADNESS BOOK (info below)

2) HASHIMOTO’S: TAMING THE BEAST (a companion book to the above updated revision) See below.

About the updated revision STOP THE THYROID MADNESS: A Patient Revolution Against Decades of Inferior Thyroid Treatment, @2019

Same chapter titles. A continuation of former good info. Yet now, you have updates throughout the book.

  1. This world-renowned “bible of patient experiences” which is now updated, continues to have the life-changing information that it always has had with the same chapter titles…no matter your cause of hypothyroidism…
  2. …but it now has numerous updates throughout where needed, and out-of-date information removed.
  3. Both adrenals chapters 5 and 6 have been updated, and there’s now details about the use of Adrenal Cortex (ACE), while still having info about hydrocortisone (HC). Chapter 6 now mentions what information applies to either ACE or HC, or BOTH.
  4. The T4 chapter now mentions Tirosint, but continues to explain the problem of forcing the body to live for conversion alone. T4-only is T4-only.
  5. There are now light gray rectangular boxes throughout the book, meant to highlight certain important sentences.
  6. Emphasis is now on serum iron. i.e. the former book would mention both iron/ferritin, but we now know that it’s far more about serum iron as far as what to make “optimal”. The emphasis about ferritin is more about its ability to reveal inflammation, but can reveal a methylation issue when low with good or high iron.
  7. There is updated information about
    1. different kinds of iron products
    2. better explanations in areas alongside those which were already good
    3. some new tidbits at the end of some chapters
    4. some updates to the list of thyroid meds, etc.
  8. Throughout the book are many more mentions about being “optimal”, not just “on” NDT or T4/T3. It’s also explained often what optimal means in those several places in the book.
  9. There are great additions to the list of supplements as well as certain foods.
  10. The chapter on Natural Desiccated Thyroid now has a little photo of an antique bottle of NDT--that’s to show that having T3 in our treatment has been helping patients a long time and safely! This book also mentions the alternative treatment with synthetic T4/T3. Plus various updates throughout while keeping what was always IMPORTANT.
  11. And there is more.

About HASHIMOTO’S: TAMING THE BEAST…
A “companion book” to the updated revision Stop the Thyroid Madness above

  1. “Taming the Beast”, a companion book to the updated STTM book shown below, has purposely been put together as concise, yet comprehensive. That means it purposely gets to the point about key information related to Hashimoto’s, while avoiding chattiness or long pages of stories to help those of you with brain fog and concentration problems. 🙂
  2. Some of the information you may have read before, while some is very unique to this wonderful book!
  3. FOUR chapters fully pertaining to reported patient experiences and wisdom which can help change your life and reveal that you are NOT alone as a Hashi’s patient!
    1. Why and how Hashimoto’s patients go years without help or awareness of what is going on
    2. Patient-reported foods which were and are problematic for some and all the symptoms
    3. 43 most frustrating aspects of having Hashi’s as expressed by patients (especially about doctors)
    4. 95 short testimonies on what patients are using or doing to successfully lower their antibodies!
  4. Like research? You will see a total of 241 footnotes throughout this book that will send you to research articles, or just good information for further reading. Additionally, one chapter simply summarizes 46 research articles pertaining to Hashi’s in one (or two) sentences. And as intended, YOU can choose what you want to further read…or not.
  5. You will be made aware of, or reminded about, a variety of environmental triggers that can either birth autoimmune Hashi’s in the first place, or make one’s current antibodies worse. (Chapter 4)
  6. There is a chapter totally focused on Hashimoto’s inflammation--what it can do to you, inflammation labs, what to do about inflammation, supplements and foods to consider to counter inflammation, and short summaries of three ways to eat to counter inflammation. (Plus of course, good footnotes, and added URL’s in the body if needed)
  7. Two excellent and informative chapters on different gut health problems to explore, or be reacquainted with, including symptoms, types under each category, ways to treat, and more.
  8. Other examples of patient experiences inserted throughout many chapters
  9. Different lists of patient-reported symptoms within different chapters to help identify your issues, for example:
    • a chapter with symptoms from the autoimmune attack
    • another chapter highlighting symptoms of adrenal problems
    • more about hypothyroid symptoms that appear while on T4-only or being underdosed due to a doctor’s reliance on the lousy TSH lab test,
    • inflammation symptom list…etc.
  10. Each chapter has a lighthearted small drawing, pertaining to the subject, to send a friendly message about a serious topic, all drawn by Janie A. Bowthorpe, who is an artist.
  11. There is a blank “NOTES” page at the end of each chapter where you can put page numbers to remember, or additional information you have gleaned in this book or others! That way, you don’t have to flip through all the pages to find what was important to you.

AND SO MUCH MORE!! This book encourages you to underline, highlight, dog-ear, paper clip, and use the NOTES page at the end of each chapter. This is YOUR book.

Laughing Grape Publishing (LGP) now has a brand new, high-end ordering system for the Stop the Thyroid Madness books!!

ORDER: http://laughinggrapepublishing.com

74 replies

What do these people have in common: Adams, Bouc, Dach, Edwards, Heyman, Heiser, Luber, Lynch, Phan, Roberts, Saleeby, Stone, Trumbower and Yang?

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER FOR WHEN YOU ARE READING THIS: the fact that each doctor shown below had contributed information to this book does NOT mean someone is the right doctor for you!  Always, always do your own research. Ask others. What patients like at one time may be different today, and vice versa.

1-Screen Shot 2014-08-13 at 5.22.27 PMWhat do these people have in common: Adams, Bouc, Dach, Edwards, Heyman, Heiser, Luber, Lynch, Phan, Roberts, Saleeby, Stone, Trumbower and Yang?

Answer: Each of them contributed to a chapter in the STTM II book. 

Stop the Thyroid Madness II: How thyroid experts are challenging ineffective treatments and improving the lives of patients

Each of them are medical practitioners who strive to….

  • create a patient-centered practice and personalized method of treatment based on the symphony between the thyroid and all other bodily systems
  • understand that treatment of thyroid disease is more than the use of a single synthetic medication and a pituitary hormone lab result.
  • have the courage to question the basic assumptions held by the traditional medical community as to what constitutes good thyroid treatment
  • listen and learn from their patients.

Why else did I choose these particular practitioners for the book?

First and foremost, it was based on patient reports (at the time. We make not promises if you are reading this later). The majority of these professionals were reported by thyroid patients to be the better cream of the crop in the medical field.

How is this book different than the revised STTM book?

The revised STTM will forever stand out as a compilation of highly important and life-changing experiences and wisdom of thyroid patients worldwide.

The new STTM II book brings the minds and ideas of medical professionals into the mix, not only giving you more details that only a trained professional can give, but the book can also be seen as a practitioner-to-practitioner book, as well. THIS is a book that will end the refrain among certain doctors “Who is Janie Bowthorpe and where is her medical degree?” (i.e. as if only someone with a medical degree can know something important medically!).

THIS is the book that you can give your doctor since it’s written by his very colleagues!

THIS is the book that will play a dynamic role in changing the worldwide medical mindset about the proper treatment of thyroid disease.

What did they write about?

CHAPTER 1 The Integrative and Functional Medicine Approach to Thyroid Diseases by James Yang, MD, MPH and Andrew Heyman, MD, MHSA

CHAPTER 2 Stress, Adrenals, Your Thyroid, and You by Laura R Stone MD, Andrew Heyman, MD MHSA and Carla Heiser MS RD LD

CHAPTER 3 Thyroid Replacement Therapy: Natural Desiccated Thyroid (NDT) by Yusuf (JP) Saleeby, MD

CHAPTER 4 The Unreliable TSH Lab Test by Jeffrey Dach MD

CHAPTER 5 When Normal Ain’t Normal by Geoffrey T. Bouc MD

CHAPTER 6 Nutrition and Hypothyroidism by William D. Trumbower, MD

CHAPTER 7 Hashimoto’s Autoimmune Thyroid Disease by Jeffrey Dach MD

CHAPTER 8 Why Are Doctors Like That? by Nguyen D. Phan MD

CHAPTER 9 Gluten Intolerance and Thyroid Disease by Paula Luber, MD

CHAPTER 10 Thyroid Toxicity by Philip L. Roberts, MD

CHAPTER 11 Moving Forward with Reverse T3: the Causes and Health Implications by Paige Adams, FNP, B-C

CHAPTER 12 Methylation, MTHFR and Thyroid Dysfunction by Benjamin Lynch, ND

CHAPTER 13 Hypocortisolism: An Evidence-Based Review by Lena Edwards, MD, FAARM, FICT; Andrew H. Heyman, MD MHSA; Sahar Swidan, PharmD

Who wrote the Foreword?

Dr. David Brownstein, MD.

Where can I order the book?

Here:  https://laughinggrapepublishing.com/stop-thyroid-madness-ii-book/

Or you can order a set(s) of both the revised STTM book and the STTM II book here: https://laughinggrapepublishing.com/stop-thyroid-madness-books-revised-and-ii/ ALSO NOTE that by snail mail, you can order an amount of each book. There’s an Order Form to print out on the above page.

Want to read more about each author?

Go to the following page and click on their photo: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/stop-thyroid-madness-ii

9 replies

Washington spits in your face, anti-depressant problem, and the STTM book is now in German and Swedish!

The US Government is going to confiscate your meds sent from overseas!

Fall is in the US, but as you were enjoying your summer, it happened in a flash:  last July, President Obama signed into law the FDA Safety and Innovation Act (S. 3187). And that Act includes a section that might negatively affect your life as a thyroid patient if you are among those feel forced to get your life-saving natural desiccated thyroid (NDT) or related medications from overseas (because your doctor was too clueless to either prescribe NDT or give you enough thanks to the medical stupidity about the TSH lab test).

i.e. in Section 708, the US government now has the authority to destroy a package of personally imported drugs at their point of entry to the United States…even if you badly need them. And this potentially includes NDT like Erfa coming to us from safe, reputable Canadian online pharmacies by prescription! Or your T3-only from other places. Both the latter are unclear, but it’s a possibility.

And do you know why they state they are doing this?? For your “SAFETY”.  Janie’s eyes rolling here.  Can someone tell me how they know if a thyroid med from somewhere else is “unsafe” simply because it wasn’t made in the US?? Are US-made drugs SAFE??? Give me a break. Ask that of folks whose lives paid big prices because of side effects from our FDA-approved medications like Synthroid and many other NON-thyroid related drugs pushed upon us. It’s all a bunch of Big Pharma-influenced, greedy hooey, say thyroid patients.

Now as far as we know, this isn’t going to affect anything really soon. The US Secretary of Health and Human Services has up to two years to decide how to make the new law a reality. But it may happen far sooner than later in that time frame and I would count on it.

Says Lee Graczyk, RxRights Lead Organizer, “It’s critical for people to stand up and get organized to fight against this harmful regulation!”

Anti-depressant use and your adrenals: not a helpful connection for some

Sure, having depression is not fun and it’s understandable if you want to do something about it. My own mother had depression so bad thanks to her lifelong use of Synthroid that she used anti-depressants her entire adult life. This was long before we, as thyroid patients, discovered the strong connection between low T3 levels in the brain and depression (and a connection which all too many doctors miss!)

She also had an extremely “emotionally apathetic” personality, which I assumed was solely due to the electric shock treatment she had while in her early 40’s in an attempt to reverse the depression. But turns out her impassive and flat personality could have also been from the nasty side-effects of my mother’s long-term antidepressant use. i.e. while they made her “happy”, they also made her more dull, flat and detached. This has been reported by all-too-many patients

But now we are seeing the problems that anti-depressant use can cause for your adrenals. A study done in September 2011 titled Antidepressant use and salivary cortisol in depressive and anxiety disorders reveals that

  1. Tricyclics* flatten your cortisol awakening response
  2. SSRI users** had higher evening cortisol levels
  3. Most antidepressants are associated with distinct alterations of the HPA axis (hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal feedback loop)

*A common form of Tricyclics is Elavil (Amitriptyline).  **Common examples of SSRI antidepressant (Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors or serotonin-specific reuptake inhibitor) include Lexapro, Prozac, Celexa, Paxil, Zoloft, etc) 

The alternation of your HPA axis is a common finding when you peruse several research studies. And it’s even more obvious when thyroid patients with adrenal fatigue start using the T3 Circadian Method. i.e. it can take longer to get the right response from the T3. ***Please note that this is simply providing information in the name of being informed patients, not a recommendation to get off your antidepressant!  Talk to your doctor.

(Speaking of mood issues, a study was done showing cherries help with mood. Who would’ve guessed. You can read about it here.)

The revised Stop the Thyroid Madness book is now in German and Swedish! 

You can read about the translations here and I included an autobiography of each translator!  Please do not comment asking if a particular language is coming. I’ll announce them when the day comes.  If you know someone in Germany or Sweden who could badly use the patient-to-patient information in this book, go here.

4 replies

Finally! The 2011 REVISED SECOND EDITION of the Stop the Thyroid Madness book!

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. 🙂

30 replies

Thank you, Jeffrey Dach, MD

img_0276 When I work up this morning and later got on my computer, I read an email which informed me that Dr. Jeffrey Dach had reviewed the Stop the Thyroid Madness book in a surprise article which came out today: www.opednews.com/articles/A-Review-of-Stop-the-Thyro-by-Jeffrey-Dach-090218-801.html

Yes, I write on the same site, yet had no idea he was going to do this…

You can also see my response to his review, on his blog, here: http://jeffreydach.com/2009/02/06/stop-the-thyroid-madness-by-jamie-bowthorpe.aspx#Comment

Humble thanks, Dr. Dach. With the shared experiences of thousands of hypothyroid patients around the world, I climbed a steep mountain to get that book out–a labor of love and the firm commitment to educate patients because of a medical community which has been keeping us sick. Stop the Thyroid Madness!

2 replies