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Category: Thyroid treatment

20 Ways that Hypothyroid or Hashimoto’s Patients are Gaslighted

It would make an incredible horror movie. THE PLOT: stunningly convince hundreds of millions of individuals worldwide that what isn’t a good thing, really is. That what appears to be so, isn’t.

Or that leaves only look green because of alien filters in your eyes. That ripe apples fall because invisible evil hands pull them down. That fire doesn’t burn your skin–it’s only your imagination, so ignore the fake pain and blisters.

That giving you only one of five thyroid hormones…a storage hormone called T4 with the name of Synthroid, Levothyroxine, Eltroxin, Oroxine, etc…is all you need to adequately treat your hypothyroid state.

Because if those in authority say so, it must be so…right?

****************

The gaslighting of hypothyroid patients for decades

If you have never heard of the term “gaslighting”, it describes a form of manipulation by an individual or enterprise. The result is to cause you to doubt your own intuition, intelligence, perceptions and natural wisdom.

Here’s what gaslighting does:

  • implies a person in authority knows what he or she is talking about or doing, over your own inner wisdom and observations.
  • makes you question your own self
  • makes you second guess what is going on and your own perceptions
  • spins a false interpretation of reality.
  • tries to put the blame on you
  • makes you feel crazy
  • is a way to benefit the person or enterprise pushing the delusion for their own aims.

20 ways that Hypothyroid or Hashimoto’s patients are gaslighted–which ones are you?

  1. Authoritatively putting you on only one of five thyroid hormones as if it’s an adequate treatment, as if relying solely on “conversion” to get T3 is all you need (Yet all along, there was a proven treatment that contains all five thyroid hormones, including some direct T3, called Natural Desiccated Thyroid. But of course, you aren’t told, or it’s efficacy is grossly misrepresented)
  2. Telling you that Synthroid or Levo etc is the gold standard of hypothyroid treatment i.e. adequate, easy to dose, reliable, then sending you off into the world (Yet for all too many, sooner or later, T4-only meds have been problematic for millions, in their own degree and kind, for over five decades, as reported by patients worldwide about themselves, relatives, friends, etc)
  3. Implying the TSH lab test, aka Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, is a reliable way to diagnose or dose by. (The TSH is a pituitary hormone, not a thyroid hormone, with a lousy “normal” range, and with a history of lagging behind for years and thus preventing diagnosis, and more)
  4. Implying that those continued symptoms, whether at the beginning or the longer you stay on T4-only, are somehow your fault, about your life situation, or in your imagination (examples in #5, #6, #7, for example. See the best list of symptoms on the net)
  5. Telling you that you need to “eat less” or “exercise more” (as if easy weight gain is totally your fault or in your control, instead of the fault of a poor treatment with T4, or the use of the TSH)
  6. Sending you to a therapist (as if your hypothyroid-caused depression isn’t related to your T4-only treatment…when it definitely can be… or can be due to the lack of a diagnosis)
  7. Saying your afternoon fatigue is due to “being a mother” or “part of getting older” (yet we see that need for a nap go away for the majority once optimal on NDT or T3 with optimal iron and cortisol)
  8. Implying that you have “separate” conditions which now need more medications only (like rising cholesterol, higher blood pressure, depression, fibromyalgia, and more…all which can be clearly related to a poor treatment and which either go away or improve, say many patients, once they have T3 or NDT in optimal amounts)
  9. Stating that Natural Desiccated Thyroid (with all five hormones) is outdated and thus a reason to avoid it (Hmmm. Then I guess so is listening to the radio, talking to people live on the phone instead of on Facebook, or sending a real birthday card instead of an internet one…should be avoided since they are outdated.)
  10. Saying you’ll get heart or bone issues if your TSH goes below range while optimal on NDT or T3 (Patients have noted that it’s not only normal for the TSH to go that low when optimal, but they see improved bone and heart health! A low TSH on NDT is NOT the same as a low TSH with Graves disease!)
  11. Stating that it’s rare for anyone to be above 2 grains, aka one grain is 60 or 65 mg depending on brand, so your continued symptoms aren’t related (Yet there are many patients who aren’t optimal until the mid-or-upper 2’s, or in the 3-5 grain range. It’s individual where optimal falls.)
  12. Implying that continued hypo symptoms while on NDT or T3 proves they aren’t needed (There are understandable and correctible reasons.)
  13. Stating that Natural Desiccated Thyroid is not for Hashimoto’s patients (which is contrary to the majority of Hashi’s patients on NDT who have reported great gains once they get up to their optimal amount)
  14. Stating that iodine is the worst thing for every and all Hashimoto’s patients (in spite of those with Hashi’s who discovered that iodine lowered their antibodies if they used it correctly with supporting nutrients. It’s individual and each Hashi’s patient has to find out for themselves).
  15. Saying that NDT or T3 for those over 60 is dangerous (yet many patients this age range report huge improvements from using it safely and wisely, such as starting low, building in small doses, watching labs, learning how to read labwork, etc)
  16. Implying there’s no such thing as adrenal fatigue/hypocortisolism (yet many get low cortisol, as proven by saliva testing, due to the inadequate treatment of Synthroid or Levothyroxine, and suffer from it.)
  17. Stating that the use of hydrocortisone (Cortef) in the presence of extremely low cortisol three or more times (as proven by saliva testing) is dangerous or should be kept low (in spite of how patients have successfully learned how to use HC safely and wisely as outlined in chapter 6 of the revised STTM book)
  18. Underscoring that if you are “in range” with your lab result, you are doing great (We learned that it’s where we fall that has meaning, not just being in range.)
  19. Stating that you should not go by what is said on the internet, such as on Stop the Thyroid Madness (STTM) or the books (in spite of the fact that it’s all based on 15 years of repeated, solid, patient reports and wisdom; can include studies to back it up on several pages; has the support of many other practitioners….etc)
  20. Implying you are a “difficult patient” because you dare to state what you have learned that is contrary to what the doctor says (See Things we have learned)

So you see, the horror movie plot has been a reality for hypothyroid patients.

Like a few years ago. A couple saw the STTM book in my vehicle and struck up a conversation with me. She was on Synthroid; he was on Levoxyl–both T4. They had each been on their T4-only treatment for 12 and 14 years respectively. They felt their hypo was perfectly treated and they believe in their doctors. So the other problems they dealt with were separate: his rising cholesterol, her depression, his fatigue, and her weight gain. But of course, they felt those have nothing to do with their T4-only treated hypothyroid, as some of it was their own fault, and their doctors are right…leaves aren’t really green, invisible hands make ripe apples fall, and fire doesn’t really burn. Gaslighting.

Sad.

  • Check out the best list of hypothyroid symptoms on the net, totally based on reported patient experiences, reliable, and not culled from other cold lists to bulk it up. They can even occur on Synthroid or Levothyroxine, report patients over the years.
  • Have you Liked the STTM Facebook page? One of the most helpful thyroid Facebook page on the internet and based on reported patient experiences and the wisdom gained.
  • See research that can back up what patients have learned (and there is more on individual pages)

P.S. The photo is an actor portraying a zombie. It’s simply to represent a horror show.

109 replies

10 ways you can live a better life as a Thyroid Patient

STTM 10 things(This post originally appeared in 2012, but has been updated for July 2015 with more information! It’s just a poignant today as it was then. Enjoy!)

In a post I did May 21st, 2012, I showed you two examples of very poignant emails I get weekly. And the second one revealed how hard it can be when you not only have very little money, plus an uninformed doctor who ends up keeping you sick.

Yesterday, I received another email from a thyroid patient which simply blew me away, directed to the gal above. But it turns out her words are very appropriate for all of us. Read it carefully and enjoy.

Dear friend,

I am also hypothyroid. I am on Armour Thyroid, but if I couldn’t get it, I would still take the following supplements to try and give my thyroid gland the support and boost that it needs in order to make its own hormones. Please consider starting on one or more of these and see how you feel. I’m listing the most important ones first.

1. Sunlight! We all need sunlight every day. Our bodies make vitamin D3 in the skin following exposure to sunlight. People who are overweight are usually low in vitamin D3. D3 helps the thyroid. D3 from sunlight is the best kind; D3 supplements are not as good. Don’t believe the medical profession when they try to scare you off from getting sunlight, and don’t use harmful chemical sunscreens; just cover up with longer clothing after you have had your desired sun exposure. Vitamin D3 actually has a protective effect against most cancers. Best of all, it’s free.

2. Iodine — it is part of the raw material for thyroid hormone. Buy a cheap bottle of simple iodine tincture and paint a drop on your skin each day with a cotton-tipped swab. It helps in so many ways. Not only does iodine supply the thyroid gland with raw material for hormone, but it is the body’s own natural antibiotic. The neutrophils (specialized white blood cells) each contain a speck of iodine to help fight off microbes. And the eyes and ears work better if iodine is sufficient in the body. The ciliary body of the eye has a rich concentration of iodine. And the little cochlea of the inner ear contains fluids — perilymph and endolymph — which contain iodine as well.

3. Selenium — a co-nutrient with iodine. Iodine should always be taken with selenium. I get my selenium in the form of pumpkin seeds, 2 tablespoons each day.

4. Magnesium — I make my own magnesium oil and apply it to my skin daily. Janie will tell you how wonderful magnesium oil is — it helps to burn calories by supplying the “flame” for metabolism. And it’s very anti-inflammatory, with no side effects. My recipe is as follows: Stir a cup of magnesium chloride flakes and a cup of pure water together in a bowl for 5 minutes until dissolved, then pour into a clean plastic spray bottle (like what you might use for ironing). The Zechstein Sea magnesium chloride flakes are the purest; they are from a mine underneath the Netherlands, an ancient sea of 250 million years ago. A 1-kilo bag of Zechstein magnesium chloride flakes should last you more than a year. (From Janie: you can also use a good quality magnesium supplement, which I switched to sometime after 2012!)

5. Green leafy vegetables, a dietary source of magnesium — these are helpful in so many ways and are great either raw or cooked. If you cook them, top them with a little salt, a squeeze of lemon juice and a splash of olive oil.

6. Vitamin C — helps the liver to convert T4 to the active T3 hormone. I always have more energy when I remember to take 500 mg of vitamin C twice daily.

7. Coconut oil — really! It supports the thyroid and helps with weight loss. Try to get raw or unprocessed coconut oil, but in a pinch any coconut oil is helpful. Take 1-3 tablespoons per day. Stir it into yogurt and chill it if you don’t like to swallow oil.

8. Avoid refined carbohydrates like the plague, please! They are not food at all. It is impossible to lose weight if one is eating refined cereal, bread, pasta, pizza and sweets. These trigger the body to produce more insulin; the insulin then triggers the cells to store the calories as fat. This is from the book by Gary Taubes, Good Calories, Bad Calories.

9. Avoid using harmful chemicals to clean your house; use vinegar and baking soda for most cleaning jobs. Bleach, ammonia and other chemicals are extremely harmful to your thyroid gland; chlorine displaces iodine in the body.

10. Simplify your personal care supplies to further reduce your toxic exposures (this saves money too). Throw away the fluoridated toothplaste, and brush with baking soda. Hydrogen peroxide 3% makes a good dental rinse. Baking soda dusted under the arms is an excellent and nontoxic deodorant. If your skin is sensitive, mix equal amounts of baking soda and cornstarch and use that as deodorant. Use a soap with a very simple formula and no chemicals. Try to find a shampoo without SLS or parabens (carcinogens). To save even more money, stop using shampoo and wash your hair with a baking soda solution and rinse with a mild vinegar solution. Many people say their hair is lovely with this treatment; google “no poo” to learn more. If you have dry skin, massage in a drop of coconut oil. Don’t use commercial creams or lotions; don’t put anything on your skin that you wouldn’t eat.

I wish you all possible success with your health. Even if you haven’t much money, there are things you can do to feel better. Please let Janie know how you are doing in a few months’ time, so she can let us know! Your sisters and brothers in the STTM community will welcome your news.

All the best, and don’t lose hope. Better days are ahead. Lots of hugs,

Yvonne in Cyprus

Yvonne is an 57-year-old American whose background is in medical transcription, writing and editing. She is constantly reading in the medical journals and websites, looking for natural and inexpensive ways to improve health. She and her husband eat a Mediterranean diet (organic when possible) with good fats from olive and coconut oils, nuts and cheeses. She thinks every family should have some type of garden, even if it’s just a few herbs in a flowerpot.

Have any other recommendations for someone who is financially poor with thyroid disease (or not–this can apply to anyone), plus has a doctor who isn’t helping? Let others know!

P.S. from Janie: I already do many of the above. Do you? I’m big into Vit. C, magnesium and selenium. I also use liquid Vitamin D. I use baking soda for deodorant and non-fluoride toothpaste. I only use organic lotions and soaps. I outright use one tablespoon vinegar in my morning drink, as well as MCT oil (it’s what’s in coconut oil). Or I use lemon juice in most of my water daily! Great for alkalinizing the body. I don’t avoid refined carbs totally, but I do avoid them in many places. I love the sun. Plus exercise when I’m able. And lately, I’ve learned the hard how important it is to avoid chronic stress, or treat myself more gently when I have to go through it!

A 11th recommendation from Janie:

I think it’s also important to add that in addition to all the wonderful ways you can live a healthier life as a thyroid patient, also consider adding T3 (Cytomel, cynomel, etc) to your T4 (aka Synthyroid, levothyroxine, eltroxin, etc), or look into natural desiccated thyroid with its five thyroid hormones, which is usually even cheaper. Updating your thyroid treatment is not based on opinion! It’s based on the experiences and wisdom of patients worldwide who found they got much better results! 🙂

Namaste Janie

 

**Join the STTM Facebook page for daily tips and inspiration: https://www.facebook.com/StoptheThyroidMadness

** Check out both STTM books here: www.laughinggrapepublishing.com

38 replies

More thyroid patients respond with a resounding YES!!

CLOCKOn my May 17th blog post, I did an interesting blog post about the responses given to a new patient when she asked in a patient group: “If you could turn the clock back to when you were first diagnosed, would you even have bothered trying the synthetic Thyroxine (T4-only) or would you have jumped right in with NDT (Natural Desiccated Thyroid)?”

I then posted a link to the above blog post in a large STTM-related (which means patient-experienced-related) thyroid group, which produced even more interesting responses from real people to the same question! See below.

Because nothing is more influential than the exact words of others!!

 

  1. Yes! I would have!
  2. Does a bear poop in the woods?
  3. Oh my gosh YES !!!!
  4. YES!!!
  5. YES.
  6. Oh heck yes!!
  7. Thank God for STTM and I started with NDT.
  8. If NDT had been a real option here in Norway, yes I would! Unfortunately it is not. 13 years on Levaxin made me definitely not healthy. After three years on NDT I reckon myself as practically recovered! It is only exceptionally that one can get NDT here in Norway. To get it you must be lucky enough to have a doctor who has 1) heard of the medicine, 2) has the right information about it and not just the incomplete and partly erroneous information they receive during their studies in Norway, and not the least 3) do not care what their colleagues are saying and take the chance to provide the patient NDT. Getting NDT medicine on the same terms as the synthetic is an entirely different game. The synthetic is subsidized by the state. That does not apply NDT, so until further notice, most of us luckiest pay dearly of our own pocket.
  9. If I would have had this knowledge I have today when I was a teenager and first had thyroid symptoms I would have tested if it because of autoimmune destruction. Before starting any thyroid medication my first priority would be to try to find out the root cause of my symptoms. Perhaps I could have been able to avoid meds completely taking food supplements and eating the way my body needs. If hormone therapy would have been what I need then of course I would prefer NTD.
  10. I had a TT in 1976 (probable Graves, but antibodies weren’t tested much in that time). I was put, immediately, on 3 gr Armour. Stayed on that for probably 10-12 years. Was then switched to Synthroid .112. I stayed on that until 1999 with no issues. Something happened about that time to cause Synthroid to stop working for me. Whether it was something they did to the medication or something to do with my changing hormones, but I started to get hypo and was very, very anemic (serum iron level was 7 and Ferritin was 12). It wasn’t until 2008 that I started looking for other solutions to my problems. I tried T3 and several kinds of NDT in an effort to feel better. Followed several different protocols. Finally, I went back to the basics, started on low doses of Erfa and raised it by small amounts every few months and finally leveled out at 2gr as my optimum dose. it’s been a long road of trial and error, but I finally feel normal again.
  11. I would have stayed on Armour. I was diagnosed at age 9 and was told I had to switch to a synthetic in my late 20s. Suddenly I had some health issues and doctors didn’t seem to know why. They said it was because of having kids. What? The issues started years before I had my girls. I went back to Naturethroid several years ago. Thankfully I had some knowledge about things so when my girls were diagnosed as hypo, I already had doctor that prescribed NDT!
  12. Most definitely.
  13. OH, YES!!!! I remember being diagnosed 12 years ago after 10+ years of asking…I thought – FINALLY!!! An answer and I’m going to get better – NOT!!!!!!!
  14. ABSOLUTELY
  15. HECK YES!!!! I think they need to discontinue just T4 meds! It hurts too many of us suffering! I was allergic to them and had not idea for a year! ugh…Thank you NDT!
  16. YES!!
  17. Definitely!!!!! i wish i would have known about it then, took me 3 years to research and find it..thank god for these sites!!!!!
  18. Definitely!! I now know that I have been “settling” for what I thought was the best I was going to feel as a hypo patient. I’ve now been on Armour for 5 months – my joint pain is gone, I’m not freezing all of the time, I’m (very) slowly losing weight, and I have more energy! I’ve also taken charge of my health and am getting my vitamin deficiencies taken care of!
  19. My wish is that anyone who wants it NOW could get it. there are still whole STATES in the US with no physicians who will prescribe it.
  20. hellz to the yeah!!
  21. Absolutely, I wanted to but first doc who diagnosed me barely thought I had an issue
  22. Oh yeah!
  23. I started on NDT. Thankfully I had researched it before my TT (I have Graves) and knew NDT is what I wanted; and thanks to Charlotte, found a fabulous physician to take care of my thyroid hrt needs from labs to meds.
  24. Absolutely! Especially when I first had a problem – many years – over a decade before my TSH was high enough to qualify me for meds…
  25. I was lucky, as first time a minimally low thyroid showed up, (along with adrenal exhaustion) at 31 the md believed in only prescribing NDT armour. But then i had to learn how to know when it was time to come off and on for year as adrenals healed. So at one point when weaned off, then being intro to standard process NDT and now working though a Fibroid tumor in uterus (successfully at this point with no burn off) and menopause.
  26. Makes me sad for my mom who is in Heaven because she suffered years on synthroid and she didn’t have to.
  27. I’ve been wondering over the last few days if my mom is also suffering. Her symptoms and medical issues seem classic to me. I’m going to ask for a copy of her labs from her MD. This is so sad when it’s so preventable — with the right tests and medication people don’t have to suffer like we are!
  28. Yes, I would have started out on NDT first, no question. My endo at the time wouldn’t give it to me, so I tried Synthroid… for about 2 months, with no relief. Lol, I fired that doc and found one that gave me NDT after reading about all the success the group members here have had with it. It was a life changing (for the BEST) decision!!
  29. Me too, I would not be having the issues I am having now, if I had been on NDT!! But on the plus side, thanks to Janie, I am getting better, and have lost 22kgs in weight.
  30. Yes I would in a heart beat! I remember crashing on synthroid only 2 years after using it and that was not a very happy time of my life. I just wish that it wasn’t so difficult to find a Dr. that is ok with prescribing it.I wish that they were more educated on the product. It’s obvious that it works,lol.
  31. Yes, then I would not be on T3 only now…and probably would still have my thyroid!
  32. Yes, I wish I knew about NDT back when I had my thyroid ablation in 2000.
  33. I started out on t3 only but had wanted ndt and got it when i went to hospital thinking i was having a heart attack! THEN the dr had the gall to say ” didn’t we try armour already?” I almost stabbed him as I had been asking for it the whole yr! Other than that i couldn’t even get a diagnosis for 48yrs so yes glad i am on ndt but got a whole lot of catching up to do!
  34. YES! No question.
  35. I have only ever been on NDT!!!
  36. Of course!
  37. Funny b/c I was just looking at a picture of myself from a year or two prior to losing my thyroid and was thinking if I could turn back time I would love to have my body WITH a thyroid back. But if I could only go back to the point where I had to have the TT I would absoeffinlutely choose NDT over T4. If I had any idea how close T4 would come to killing me I would have never done it. I have a very hard time understanding how it is legal (unless used w/T3).
  38. No brainer.
  39. Just did! I started directly on NDT instead of T4!
  40. YES!
  41. I love that I have great hair now. always had thin stringy splitting hair before NDT.
  42. Yes.
  43. It’s only a very short time, a month and a half, but I would have to say yes. NTD gives me something that synthroid didn’t some thing I can’t describe but a feeling of whole. Now I feel stable enough to check out another problem: Depression. I have been off lexapro since end April, mood has been OK until recently. Started reaserching on line and gonna try 5-htp to boost my serotonin levels and see were that takes me. It is your site Janie and all the wonderful people here that have given me the boost to make this leap in to “the wild side” as Wendy Kuh put it! lol Had hoped that the NDT would handle the depression, but now after reading articles on line, it seems I gotta check out the serotonin. I will be reporting on it here if that is OK.
  44. no, I don’t think I needed it until my gland completely died. But I would have started on it alot earlier than I did. it took forever for a doctor to give it to me.
  45. I know this sounds crazy but are any of you afraid of diseases that could be passed on? My doc has suggested using armor to me but I came home and researched it and it kind of scares me. (From Janie: 110+ years of safe use, so far! And compare that with your risks of being on T4-only…and later she replies “I probably should give it a try”
  46. Of course! But I had to start as a baby in 1978 after my thyroidectomy – conveniently 5 years after the worthless TSH. I was great until my teenage years. Would have LOVED NDT as a child! Instead I was 28 before finding it. I found out about NDT from STTM. Even in nursing school, we were taught NDT was very difficult to control thus they preached T4 specifically Synthroid. It starts in our medical nursing schools! SAD!
  47. Oh yes, 2 and a half years of misery and hospitals. Ill never know how my life may have been different if I had found it sooner.
  48. I’m much more afraid of continuing on the path I have been on for all these years and especially the last 3 years. I became sicker and sicker to the point I could barely walk or breath. NDT was used for a hundred years successfully before T4 meds came along. I don’t believe all the negative hype about NDT. Plus, I’m willing to do whatever it takes to try to get a life worth living again.
  49. If you want to save yourself from complete and utter misery you really should. I thought I was doing just great on synthetic for 17 years until my body finally decided to show me the damage it did. I’ll be lucky if the damage done doesn’t kill me.
  50. oh yes my life is a complete turn around.
  51. YES! If I could turn back the clock, I’d have kept my thyroid gland and gotten a good doc who prescribed NDT. Life’s much better now
  52. I am on T4 and T3. Would you still recommend NDT? (From Janie: Yes, say a lot of patients who switched and got even better results.
  53. I definitely would recommend NDT. I was on Armour but my dr wouldn’t raise me so I raised myself and felt better within a few weeks. Then I ran out and decided to try T4/T3 because I could get it from Mexico with a prescription and hoped it was close enough to Armour. . It’s only been a few weeks and I’m feeling horrible again. Am getting back on NDT asap and waiting to feel good again.
  54. Yes for sure
  55. Absolutely!
  56. yes
  57. Yes, I god madly sick when I started taking synthetic T4.
  58. Oh yes I lost 16 years in $ynthroid hell.
  59. Absolutely.. I lost from 22 to 34 years due to Syncrap meanwhile thinking I was just lazy, crazy and a loser…
  60. YES!
  61. This is a very tough question for. Each event in our lives define who we have become …. the very essence of who we are today is a culmination of the events, tragedies, triumphs, challenges that have brought us to where we are today. It took years of what I am playfully calling medical abuse for me to “jump off the plane” and free fall (so to speak)…And make the change from Synthroid (T4 only) to Nature Throid and eventually To Thyro Gold. It took me getting to my lowest point where my son was so upset, he thought I didn’t want to play with him, my family thought I was ignoring them, my loved ones thought I was playing sick to get out of social events. I quite literally had NOTHING to lose and everything to gain. I was about to lose my job. So, I look at it like this: For those that have read Janie’s books…You know her journey…You know how she got fed up and DISGUSTED with the way things are /were…and ask yourself: Would we have a Janie or an STTM for that matter if we all had the choice to turn back the clock? Think of how many people have benefited from her story and the story of those that found her & STTM, and now people that followed suite and GIVE BACK to the community because of the Selfless contributions that Janie has made. To those that say or WILL SAY But she sells her book…She makes money…Look at the time she gives up. Look at what she lost , look at what she’s contributed. FOR ANYONE with a calculator and half a brain cell you will KNOW that she hasn’t even come close to breaking even, nor do I think that even bothers her provided that THE MESSAGE gets out So that HER STORY…… OUR STORY doesn’t repeat itself and repeat itself . Think for a moment about sacrifice. Giving up ones personal time to HELP PEOPLE. IT IS time consuming. Now lets look @ the overhead. What it costs emotionally, physically, etc to keep this going. If anyone that’s ever done business adds it up, she’s not even close to even, yet she still keeps this going TO HELP PEOPLE ….For me, I can honestly say ……. NO .. I think things in life played out the way they were destined to: to provide people with the strength, determination and fortitude needed to give us all what we need to be where we are today. So I think for me, I am where I am because of the path people before me traveled and I am WHO I am because of the sacrifices those before me made and the sacrifices and chances I made along the way .
  62. Heck yes. Can’t say enough yes ! Would have saved me many sick years.
  63. YES!!!!!!
  64. YES, was called hypochondriac for 20 years by docs
  65. OMG yes . . . I was sick for 7 years before anyone would believe it was my thyroid. Then I was started on “Syncrap” and really wanted to die. I mean really, panic attacks, depression, some days non stop crying, could not sleep, sweating like crazy, heart rate and so strong you could see my chest move. After 5 months of that h*ll, I was moved onto Armour and within a week felt better, but it took another six months to be feeling like I wanted to continue with life. The only good “Syncrap” did, I dropped weight like crazy! But, I was also going crazy, so not worth that.
  66. Well, thanks to all the wonderfully inspiring answers and what I’ve learned from STTM in those weeks – mostly through quiet observations – I have ceased Levothyroxine and started Armour. Within hours of stopping Levo, I could fill my lungs with air. (breathing was getting quite worrying!) Moving into the forth day of my new journey, I feel very optimistic indeed. Thanks to everyone!
  67. Yes….that was over 30 years ago.
  68. good gosh yes! triple yes!
  69. Yes!
  70. I went directly to Armour. I did my research. I just wish I had also gone to Cytomel earlier. I just started that last year and it has made a world of difference. I now take 150 mg of Armour and 10 mcg of Cytomel daily. I started losing weight shortly after introducing Cytomel and I also got some of my hair back.
  71. No, lol. If I hadn’t tried synthroid that one weekend to find out that I couldn’t take it, I might always have a question. I’m glad I found out fast how awful it made me feel and how happy I was to start NT.
  72. i definitely would have
  73. DEFINITELY. T4-only was torture for me – all my symptoms were much worse.
  74. Yes i probably would have
  75. I probably would’ve done a lot of things differently like research more and understand things before doing the radioactive treatment
  76. If I could turn back the clock I would have grown up eating a diet full of fruits and vegetables and more protein, and not have these effing hormone imbalances to begin with…uhhg.
10 replies

2013 presents the INTERNATIONAL FLAT STTM campaign! Come join the fun…and serious message!

739736_10151336286077170_1389100373_oHAPPY NEW YEAR 2013, THYROID PATIENTS AND FRIENDS FAR AND WIDE!

Stop the Thyroid Madness is pleased to present the FLAT STTM campaign–a way to have fun while sending a serious message from all over the world. 

Here’s how it works…

THE FUN PART: You’ll need to create a flat representation of the words STOP THE THYROID MADNESS. It can be on a poster board, or the back of a pizza box, or even on your hand. Then put yourself and the “Flat STTM” in front of a landmark anywhere around the world. You could be standing in front of the Eiffel Tower, or in the middle of the Arizona crater, or in front of the Greek Parthenon, or standing next to the Kremlin, or in front of the the Statue of Liberty, or next to Prince Charles in the Wax Museum, or by your state monument, or to the side of your town sign, or in Times Square in New York City,  or on top of a particular mountain…you name it. Just make it something recognizable to confirm where you are.

You will then upload your photo here: http://flatsttm.com  REMEMBER to include your location details, plus your name.  This URL will be spread all over the Stop the Thyroid Madness website–a site visited by hundreds of thousands of individual hits monthly (seriously)…including doctors!

THE SERIOUS PART:  This new visual campaign by thyroid patients worldwide will send a strong message that patients are sick and tired of decades of the poor use of the TSH lab test, inadequate treatment with the wrong thyroid medications, ignorance about the problems associated with adrenals, low iron and more….and want medical professionals to be more open-minded about the efficacy of natural desiccated thyroid or T3, better labwork and how to read it, and successful patient experiences which just may go against what was taught in medical school.

JOIN US IN THE SERIOUS FUN WITH THE NEW “TWENTY THIRTEEN” CAMPAIGN, FLAT STTM!

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Ten years reveal what works with thyroid treatment, plus healing adrenals without HC!

This year, 2012, marks the tenth year I started working with and learning from patients after desiccated thyroid turned my life completely around. It all began with the creation of the Yahoo group Natural Thyroid Hormone users–a still-active group. And the next few years of “patients sharing with patients” provided incredible information.

And when it comes to the variety of thyroid med treatments, here’s a general summary of ten years of patient experience:

  1. T4-ONLY MEDS: do not work well for a large body, if at all, leaving patients with continuing hypothyroid symptoms in their own degree and kind. Those who feel they are doing well on T4 end up seeing increasing symptoms of a poor treatment…eventually (or don’t recognize their symptoms of a poor treatment). By observation, more than 50% of those on T4-only end up with screwy or debilitating adrenal function, low iron, low Vit. D and more side effects of a poor treatment. Some put on T4 (because of a transient high TSH lab test result) probably never needed any thyroid treatment in the first place, like my sister-in-law.
  2. SYNTHETIC T3 WITH SYNTHETIC T4: a definite step up from T4-only in improvement of symptoms. Unfortunately, though, we see more and more doctors prescribing this rather than breaking through their ignorance and prescribing natural desiccated thyroid with its T4/T3/T2/T1/calcitonin, because all they know about is synthetics.
  3. T3-ONLY: another good step up from T4-only. Patients note they have to be diligent in taking their multi-dosed T3, having no T4 to rely upon for conversion. Also used temporarily by those who want to lower high RT3 while correcting the causes.
  4. NATURAL DESICCATED THYROID: gives the best results, say many patients over the past ten years who tried the synthetic T4/T3 route or others, since it gives exactly what a healthy thyroid would give (T4, T3, T2, T1 and calcitonin). There just appears to be something synergistically powerful when you give yourself exactly what your own thyroid would be giving you. If you have issues, it’s usually due to a cortisol or iron problem, which need to be corrected. More info here.
  5. COMPOUNDED THYROID: Be careful, say experienced patients, when your doctor prescribes this! It’s far more expensive, and the less expensive prescription pill forms of NDT work well anyway. Also, some patients have been shocked to find out that what they were taking was compounded synthetic T3 and synthetic T4. Beware, say informed patients, when your doc says “it’s specially formulated for your particular needs” (for most, this is a mute point. The prescription pills for fine.) or “time-released is good” (Not, say patients, who found it runs out far too quickly).
  6. OVER-THE-COUNTER THYROID SUPPLEMENTS: Just a few years ago, patient experience found them to be weak substitutes for prescription desiccated thyroid meds. But the last few years saw the introduction of good OTC products which patients report have done them well! ThyroGold brought out by the late Dr. John C. Lowe is one, even if quite strong and the need to pour out the contents and divide.
Of course, there can be less common ways to use the above. For example, those with peripheral tissue resistance can be on high doses of desiccated thyroid (to get the benefits of all five hormones) along with added T3. And there are more.
READ the stories of two real people who found out the hard way that Synthroid can end up biting you in the butt later: DEANNE and GENE.

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YES VIRGINIA, YOU CAN HEAL YOUR ADRENALS WITHOUT USING HC!

And just as patient experience has revealed great information about a variety of thyroid treatments, the same patient experience is breaking ground with adrenal treatment as I write this! Namely, a small but growing body of patients have been doing the T3 CIRCADIAN PROTOCOL FOR ADRENALS, as first discovered by UK patient and author Paul Robinson, and it’s working!

And even more exciting? It’s working with natural desiccated thyroid, not just T3!

Now of course, Paul doesn’t feel that “healing” is the right word. He prefers that it’s “promoting better adrenal function”. He’s right. But “healing” fits when one has gone from the misery of low cortisol, to the glee of better adrenal function….and achieved from just several weeks of doing the protocol correctly, as compared to a few years with the use of HC and its problematic side effects.

To read more about this exciting new discovery, go here. You’ll also see the link to order Robinson’s book, of which Chapter 16 covers this use of T3 in promoting better adrenal function.

 

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