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Year: 2016

Aging Thyroid Patients: 7 Issues To Consider

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We all age. And as our bodies are aging as thyroid patients, so can the wonderful optimal functions our bodies once had. Here are 7 areas which can go south, and what to do about them.  ~Janie, hypothyroid patient and site creator

NOTE that when the words “aging” or “getting older” are mentioned, there’s no way to actually say “this or that age”, unless mentioned below. Some of these issues can start at even younger ages, but older than you were before!

1) DIGESTIVE ENZYME FUNCTION CAN GO DOWNHILL — what aging patients are doing about it

Most of our lives, we get benefit from naturally-made digestive enzymes which help digest/break down that food we eat in order to absorb important nutrition for the running of our bodies.

For example, eating can tap our pancreas to release “pancreatin” which contains several different enzymes (amylase, lipase and protease)1. These enzymes can break down the protein, carbs/starches and fats you eat. i.e. specific enzymes work on specific foods. Amylase targets those carbs/starches like fruits, potatoes, sweet products, etc). Lipase targets those fatty foods like cream, oils, nuts and fat on meats, etc). Protease targets the protein foods such as eggs, cheese, meats and even nuts.

There’s also another important enzyme not released by the pancreas, but made via bacteria, called Cellulase. Cellulase breaks down fiber and cellulose. There are more enzymes, but you get the drift.

But as the body ages, the body’s ability to trigger (due to less stomach acid) and produce all these digestive enzymes may decline, thus, you start to see lowering of important nutrients, as well as less energy. And in some, it can happen sooner than others!

Check out “digestive enzymes” on a site like Amazon or others and read the reviews on various brands. I find this to be an excellent way to find a good product. 

2) STOMACH ACID LEVELS CAN FALL — what aging patients are doing about it

I, Janie, especially saw this in my mother-in-law as she aged. Her worsening acid reflux was a sure sign. And this becomes even worse if we are still on T4-only meds, which in itself causes a fall in stomach acid at any age. Then you add the aging cause of lowered stomach acid on top of a poor thyroid treatment and you’ve got a disaster.

Why is stomach acid so important? It plays a role with enzymes in breaking down your food and supplements for digestion, plus the absorption of nutrients. And breaking down the food better empties the stomach better, which means less stomach problems.

What to do? Adding 2-3 teaspoons of either Apple Cider Vinegar or lemon juice into every drink with meals brings the acid back into the stomach, say thyroid patients, which improves absorption of nutrients from better digestion.

3) THE ABILITY TO CONVERT THE THYROID STORAGE HORMONE T4 to THE ACTIVE T3 CAN DECLINE — what aging patients are doing about it

There are a variety of issues which can affect conversion of the storage hormone T4 to the active hormone T3, and aging appears to be one of them. i.e. there’s an enzyme called 5′-deiodinase, and it’s responsible for the breakdown of T4 to T3. And even research underscores that it can become less effective as one ages.2

Based on comments by older individuals, they are making sure to have direct T3 in their treatment, whether adding synthetic T3 to our T4, or using Natural Desiccated Thyroid–the latter which contains all five thyroid hormones. Healthy levels of T3 appear to end up towards the top “area” of the range–not a specific number, just up there. ***Optimal iron and cortisol are important to achieve it. And contrary to what doctors are being told, older individuals seem to need direct T3 in their treatment even more because of conversion problems…and they report needing optimal amounts to counter the feedback loop! SHARE THIS PAGE WITH YOUR DOCTOR if he or she is being influenced by false information. SEE GRAPHIC BELOW.

4) GENE MUTATIONS MAY REAR THEIR UGLY HEADS — what aging patients are doing about it

Gene mutations can be activated at any age. But with aging, there may be more mutations expressing themselves more acutely than before.

That’s where using 23andme.com to get one’s genetics (then uploading the raw data to a site like livewello.com to see what’s going on) may open up ideas as to what just might start expressing itself. It’s a guessing game, of course. But if we see things that imply a gene mutation is now active, there is all sorts of information we can look up to see what we might do about it, as well as forums. Many doctors are becoming more informed about genetic mutations, as well, and can help. 

5) B12 CAN FALL (or go too high) — what aging patients are doing about it

B12, which is one of eight B vitamins, is such an important nutrient! It contributes to…

  • brain and memory health
  • better mood
  • optimal functioning of your nervous system
  • the formation of red blood cells
  • overall good health

Conversely, if B12 falls low, or if the MTHFR with the COMT mutations become active in older age, which causes you not to break it down well for use (making it above the range), you might notice issues like

  • memory problems
  • depression
  • paranoia
  • numbness sensations in your little fingers, hands, legs or feet
  • overall weakness or fatigue
  • even a swollen tongue and more.

Studies3,4,5 show that B12 can start to fall after age 60 due to decreased absorption, and you might not even realize it until symptoms take over.  What to do about it? Many doctors recommend supplementation.

On the label, B12 is called cobalamin and there are four types:

  1.  Cyano- version, though cheap, is the least recommended as it’s the least absorbable.
  2. Methyl- version is more highly recommended since it’s already broken down for use. But if you have both MTHFR and COMP mutations, B12 can build high in your blood and not break down for use…so if this happens…
  3. Hydroxy- version is then recommended if you have these mutations. It’s easily broken down to the active B12 and safe for more people, say studies.  
  4. Adenosyl- version of B12 is also recommended, as it’s stored in the mitochondria and helps break down carbs and proteins for energy. 

6) THE ABILITY TO RECOVER FROM STRESS MAY DECLINE — what aging patients are doing about it

Studies show that as we age, we tend to have higher levels of cortisol in response to stress, plus lower levels of DHEA–the latter which have been falling substantially with every decade. And those higher levels of cortisol can have a negative impact on our brain6 and immune function, just as low DHEA can decrease one’s immune function.

What to do about it?  For one, experts recommend taking certain adrenal-supportive supplements when we are under a lot of stress. Herbs which help counter stress include:

  • rhodiola
  • ashwagandha
  • schizandra
  • astragalus
  • gingko
  • holy basil
  • korean ginseng
  • licorice root (though this can lower potassium and patients report other side effects, so many say no about this one)

We all have to make sure we don’t have any known allergies or sensitivities to to any of the above. Also, many preparations will include many of the above, and can also have adrenal glandular with the herbs. Any good health food store on internet websites can have these adrenal supportive supplements. DHEA supplementation is also recommended with aging–your doctor can help you with the amount.

Sometimes, we may not treat the stress in time, and we end up with low cortisol. For the latter, herbs won’t be enough. This is where we order the 24 hour adrenal saliva test to see how we stand. 

If cortisol is low, patients have taken adrenal cortex if only minorly low, or a prescription of Hydrocortisone from our doctors for more serious low cortisol. It’s all explained what patients have learned in Chapter 6 of the revised STTM book, also called STTM I. You would need to work with your doctor on this information.

Also recommended when under stress is taking comfortable walks, eating as healthy as you can, napping, and sleeping as long as we can during the nighttime.

7) LEVELS of CoQ10 CAN FALL — what aging patients are doing about it

CoQ10, know as Co-enzyme Q10 or ubiquinone, is a substance similar to a vitamin and known to be a powerful natural antioxidant. Besides having a major positive effect on heart health and your mitochondria’s ability to produce energy, Life Extension7 states that CoQ10 also has “protective effects in the brain and nervous system, in asthma and chronic lung disease, in diabetes and the metabolic syndrome, on ocular health, and even on the aging immune system.”

Studies even show a correlation between the right amount of CoQ10 and lowered risk of dementia as you age.8

And with the aging of your body, your ability to break down ubiquinone to the active ubiquinol may be decreased, as well as your ability to absorb CoQ10 from food. Also note that statins, which many older folks are put on due to rising cholesterol, can lower CoQ10!

The solution? Cutting edge doctors recommend supplementation. And the majority seem to agree that taking “ubiquinol”, the active form, is a better choice than “ubiquinone”. Recommended doses range from 100 mg to 600 mg depending on who you read. Work with your doctor on this.

From Janie: the above is not an exhaustive list of what can go downhill with aging, but gives you a great start!

JanieSignature SEIZE THE WISDOM

P.S. Being on Natural Desiccated Thyroid or even T4/T3 and an optimal dose can halt rising cholesterol, rising blood pressure, bone problems and other aging issues, many patients have reported.

** HAVE YOU LIKED THE Stop the Thyroid Madness FACEBOOK PAGE?? Similar to the STTM website and books, it’s strongly based on reported patient experiences and the wisdom gained from them. STTM is the MOTHERSHIP of those reported experiences. 

** Check out the Laughing Grape Publishing page for both STTM books. 

FOOTNOTES
  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancreatin
  2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2917513
  3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10448529
  4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15103481
  5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC490077/
  6. https://www.degruyter.com/dg/viewarticle/j$002frevneuro.1999.10.2$002frevneuro.1999.10.2.117$002frevneuro.1999.10.2.117.xml
  7. http://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2013/1/coq10-the-longevity-factor/page-01
  8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25463064
111 replies

TV personality Dr. “Drew” Pinsky is SORELY misinformed about desiccated thyroid!

YOU GOT IT WRONG DR. DREW!Note: though this STTM blog post will be mentioning a US presidential candidate, we will NOT approve comments that make political comments in any form.  We DO invite you to comment about the problem of medical professionals like Dr. Drew Pinsky being completely ignorant about the efficacy of Natural Desiccated Thyroid! SPEAK YOUR MIND!!

Recently, Dr. David Andrew “Drew” Pinsky (also known in the media as Dr. Drew) while being interviewed on KABC’s “McIntyre in the Morning,” made a ridiculously misinformed comment about the fact that Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is on natural desiccated thyroid to treat her thyroid condition.1

The Washington Times stated that Dr. Drew and another doctor came to some “startling conclusions“ and were “gravely concerned“. The Times quoted Dr. Drew as saying

“Both of us concluded that if we were providing the care that she was receiving, we’d be ashamed to show up in a doctor’s lounge. We’d be laughed out,” he added. “She’s receiving sort-of 1950-level care by our evaluation.”

The article narrowed it down with this quote from Dr. Drew:

“She also has hypothyroidism, and she’d been treated for hypothyroidism with something called Armour Thyroid, which is very unconventional and something that we used to use back in the ‘60s,” Dr. Drew said. “And by the way, wow, Armour Thyroid sometimes has some weird side effects.”

Here are SIX REASONS Dr. Pinsky is exactly the kind of doctor that informed thyroid patients report avoiding like the plague

1) To the contrary to what Dr. Drew stated, this so-called “unnconventional” medication from “back in the 60’s” was being used on thyroid patients starting in the 1890s…and was clearly successful for six DECADES as the primary treatment for hypothyroidism, and as medical reports reveal.

2) This so-called “unconventional medication” was only substituted with Synthroid starting in the 1960’s (which is synthetic and only ONE of FIVE thyroid hormones) because money-eyed Knoll Pharmaceuticals promoted it as a way to make moola….and doctors stupidly fell for it. See Chapter 1 and 2 in the revised STTM book for verified history about the introduction of Synthroid followed by the successful use of NDT for decades.

3) The “conventional medication” of using only one of five thyroid hormones (aka Synthroid, Levoxyl, Levothyroxine, etc) has caused a multitude of problems for thyroid patients for over 50 years, as they have reported. The body does NOT force us to live for a storage hormone alone. Read //www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/t4-only-meds-dont-work  i.e. the use of Synthroid, Levoxyl and Levothyroxine has been the treatment producing “grave concerns” for too many patients. 

4) Natural Desiccated Thyroid has changed lives ten-fold, report patients who started back on it around the turn of the 21st century! The results have been clearly superior to T4-only for all-too-many thyroid patients. Read //www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/natural-thyroid-101

5) Any “weird side effects” from Natural Desiccated Thyroid has explainable and correctible reasons for most of us, ranging from misinformed doctors using the lousy TSH lab test to dose by, to keeping patients on low doses far too long, to the fact that NDT will reveal either inadequate iron levels or cortisol issue (the latter two which by the way, Dr. Drew, are due to the lousy and inadequate treatment with T4-only for most). Study this: //www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/ndt-doesnt-work-for-me

6) As far as Dr. Drew’s comment about being laughed out of the doctors lounge….that is exactly why informed patients are disgusted with, have so little respect for, feel immense frustration by, and run as fast as they can from doctors who would do that.  

All of YOU are the reason we are yelling “Stop the Thyroid Madness!”

Thyroid patients worldwide are sick and tired of the robotic way medical practitioners worship the TSH lab test, the complete and biased ignorance many have about Natural Desiccated Thyroid or even T3 in one’s treatment, the blindness to obvious clinical symptoms of a poor treatment with T4, and the failure to understand how a healthy thyroid works and why!

It’s NOT about a “conventional” storage hormone alone any more than it’s simply about a pituitary hormone!

To Doctors: LISTEN TO THYROID PATIENTS! OPEN YOUR MINDS!

We are not brainless little peons who walk into your offices: we do live in our own bodies and thus have some wisdom about what works and what does NOT; we DO know that our lives have changed thanks to Natural Desiccated Thyroid and going by the free T3 and free T4, NOT the TSH. //www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/things-we-have-learned

To Thyroid Patients: WANT TO TELL DR. DREW HE’S WRONG ABOUT NDT??

Go here: https://www.facebook.com/drdrew/ Also share this link to this blog post: //www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/2016/08/18/tv-personality-dr-drew-pinsky-sorely-misinformed-desiccated-thyroid/

 JanieSignature SEIZE THE WISDOM

 

 

 

 

 

REMINDER: Note: though this STTM blog post mentions a US presidential candidate, we will NOT approve comments that make political comments in any form.  We DO invite you to comment about the problem of medical professionals like Dr. Pinsky being completely ignorant about the efficacy of Natural Desiccated Thyroid! Speak your mind!!

  1. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/aug/18/dr-drew-pinsky-gravely-concerned-about-hillary-cli/

STTM graphic HEY DR. DREW....

85 replies

Janie: The High Copper Detox Queen

Even though this Stop the Thyroid Madness blog, website and the books pertain to thyroid patients and their issues, it’s been observed that many thyroid patients have also found themselves with high copper, whether from low zinc due to illness, the MTHFR or other methyl mutations, chronic high stress, mold exposure (which can tank zinc), high estrogen, the use of a copper IUD, or other causes.

I am one who found myself with high copper. 

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

My story

Looking back, I’m fairly certain my high copper was manifesting itself in Fall of 2014 by suddenly developing very weird iron labs. My serum iron plummeted from 103 down to 55 in just one week of high physical activity. Huh?? I’d get it back up, then down it would fall.

Turns out that high heavy metals can mess with your iron levels–others might see low ferritin with high iron. I also started to notice movement headaches in the Fall of 2014, and I’m not a headache person, so that was new. In October of 2014, I did hair testing and though copper was midrange, It should not have even been mid-range, but I didn’t understand the significance.

In early 2015, I was seeing my hair come out in clumps, yet I had gotten my iron back up once again. Finally in March of 2015, I was noticing I had ruminating negative thoughts--not at all like me!! What the heck was this about??

How my labs revealed a copper problem

First, the clue that a problem was brewing was shown in October 2014, but I didn’t understand the significance. i.e. it was the metals hair testing, called an HTMA, showing Copper was going up at 23 (11-37). This is the one I ordered and did: https://www.directlabs.com/sttm/OrderTests.aspx

By April of 2015, my symptoms were so horrible in my BRAIN that I did serum testing of copper and zinc. And there it was: high copper, relatively low serum zinc–they have a see-saw relationship! Another important test is hair testing, also  since not everyone is lucky with blood testing as I was. Finally, a good indication is high calcium, which I had and is called the calcium shell, but didn’t know the connection to high copper!

Additionally, a Calcium result was SUPER high 1840 (300-1200) which correlates to rising copper. It’s called a Calcium Shell, meaning a high tissue level that that forms to protect against stress. That should have screamed at me, but I wasn’t informed.

Here are my lab results in April 2015.

Copper, Serum: 1.36 mcg/mL (.75 – 1.45) HIGH
Zinc, Serum: .81 mcg/mL (.66 – 1.10) LOW (And if only I had done the RBC zinc!!)
Ratio: 1.68 (should be .7 – 1.0) TOO HIGH
Ceruloplasmin: 40.5 mg/dL (16 – 45) (this is the protein that binds and carries copper around)

Bound Cu: 121.5, Unbound Cu: 14.5 (optimal unbound Cu: 5-15)
% Unbound Cu: 10.7% (optimal 5-15%)

*** Note that I did serum copper and zinc–some will say it needs to be plasma, but serum confirmed it anyway as did my symptoms. Others recommend Copper RBC and Zinc RBC, and I would now do the RBC zinc, not the serum.

What caused my high copper

I’m fairly certain it was because 2014 was a year of constant and unrelenting high stress, both good and bad. I was editor of the STTM II book, plus had many other things going on in my life–good things, but chronic and stressful. And turns out that chronic high stress can deplete your zinc, which in turn can cause copper to rise.

Additionally, I was recovering from mold inhalation, which left me quite sick the year before. Not only is mold stated to lower zinc, but my immune system was in high gear battling it, and that can also tank nutrients like zinc. (You will see later in this article that only in 2017 did I discover my RBC zinc was BELOW range)

On top of the stress/mold zinc fact, I was eating a huge amount daily of stevia-sweetened dark chocolate daily as my way of self-comforting myself through the unrelenting stress. And chocolate is high copper! I was unknowingly feeding my internal levels of copper that were destined to climb in the face of my low zinc. 

Additionally, I found out later the next year via hair testing that I had low levels of both manganese and chromium—another inducement of rising copper.  Some literature states that deficient levels of B-vitamins and vitamin C can also promote rising copper levels—I had both deficiencies but didn’t know it at the time.

How I started the detox

This is where there is all sorts of strong opinions in groups, so I had to do careful reading make a decision for myself.

  1. The most important step I took is to get off of all high copper foods. That especially included all the stevia dark chocolate I had been consuming to self-treat stress. Bad mistake when zinc was so low. (I initially left this step off when I created this page, and shouldn’t have. It’s the most most important step!)
  2. I got on Manganese and Molybdenum (not even knowing I was low in both, as I found out later). Manganese is stated to help remove copper, especially from the liver. Molybdenum is stated to bind to copper and greatly facilitates its excretion.
  3. I also got on B-vitamins, especially b6 and zinc to start detoxing. But I had to learn the hard way that the b’s heightened the speed of my detoxing (and fatigue misery) and I had to take MUCH lower amounts. I may be a fast metabolizer.
  4. Some will say take no zinc whatsoever, but my experience is that low levels were fine.
  5. I was also taking curcumin and astaxanthin for inflammation
  6. To support my liver and kidneys (the detoxing glands), I used Milk Thistle (but use iron with it–it can lower iron levels) plus Dandelion Root, plus Swanson’s Kidney glandular. P.S.  I also detoxed a second time starting June, 2016)

My detoxing experience

I started detoxing in late April 2015, and it ended on its own by October 2015. And frankly for ME (though it may not be this bad for you), it was absolutely miserable with fatigue and weakness. I was completely exhausted the entire time in an extreme way–much worse than I read in others.

BUT, I later figured out that for whatever reason, I wasn’t breaking down carbs well to give me energy to endure the detox. And the latter was due to the fact that my pancreas wasn’t releasing enough of the enzyme called amylase which breaks down starches and carbs for energy! My situation was probably rare.  

But one thing did help back then before I knew about my low-amylase caused low energy: CoQ10! I got on 1500 mg liquid Ubiquinol daily. That did help! Because all the stress I was going through at the time also caused super high Succinate, Fumarate, Malate and a-ketoglutarate in my urine as revealed by an Organic Acids Test (OAT)–implying I had an energy metabolism disorder.

Ironically, though my body stopped detoxing on its own as I neared six months, and though my serum zinc levels were fabulous now, my serum copper was still a little too high. But I redid hair testing, and things were good enough there in my mind i.e. 16 (11 – 37). That was far better than the previous mid-range of 23—and which I have no doubt got MUCH higher before I caught it all (In hindsite, I found out my  probably should have detoxed more. That came in 2016) 

Did the high copper affect my emotions and brain?

It sure did. I had movement headaches in late 2014 before I ever knew about my rising copper i.e. if I bent down to pick up something, there it was. Right before I started to detox the first time in April 2015, and when my copper had to be sky high, I noticed I had ruminating fearful negative thoughts. My brain must have been loaded with copper by then, as copper is a known neurotoxin. The second time around in 2016, and as I was entering the third month of detoxing, I noticed depression was creeping in, irritability, impatience. I can imagine that the latter is related to the copper moving around to be released.

Did the high copper and especially the detox effect my thyroid?

Yup. It sent my reverse T3 (RT3) up, which is probably due to the inflammation levels it pushed up. I had to be on mostly T3 instead of the natural desiccated thyroid (NDT) I had been on.

Was I able to keep my copper levels down after detoxing?

Unfortunately, no. There was evidence that it went back up. Because in the Spring of 2016, I was seeing more hair loss than normal again, yet my iron was great. No, I didn’t have the movement headaches or the ruminating negative thoughts like I did the year before, but the hair loss was a sign. Then at the beginning of June 2016, my body started detoxing copper again! I wasn’t trying to do so–it happened from taking phospholipids, known to help heal the mitochondria (of which I had a problem as revealed by the Organic Acids Test and symptoms–not everyone does). But it turns out that phospholipids induce detoxing! So here I was, once again detoxing copper with the exact same symptoms I had in 2015–copper-colored stools, adrenal stress, fatigue. It all lasted nearly 6 months again. The two phospholipids were NT Factor and Body Bio–one in the morning and one in the evening. Some just use NT Factor.

Then it happened again in 2017, but luckily only a month. And you know what started the detox this time? Trying out 10 mg of lithium instead of 5. I was using low dose lithium to help get B12 to my cells better.

And then, again in April 2018–very strongly as revealed by the stools and fatigue. But this time, I was prepared, and taking many adrenal-calming supplements helped a lot in that area. I also went back up on my ubiquinol.

Why the continual copper detoxing? One clue is the excessively high amount I had–some literature says it can take a few years to get it all out. That seems true to my experience.

What did 2017 reveal about my zinc?

All through 2015 and 2016, I was always doing serum zinc labs. In April of 2015, when I first understood I had a serious Copper problem, it was LOW:  .81 (.7-1.10). I got it towards the top of the range by the end of 2015, and did so in 2016 and worked to maintain that. 

But in the Fall 2017, I did an RBC zinc instead of serum: BELOW RANGE. RBC stands for red blood cells. Seeing BELOW range threw me against the wall in shock: I may have had below range RBC zinc ALL this time. No wonder I had a copper problem!! I was already on 30 mg zinc, and I went to 80mg zinc. THAT is one way we can all control our levels of zinc–keep it up!

What about the MTHFR mutation in all this?

Since the MTHFR mutation can contribute to high heavy metals, there is a question if my single 1298 heterozygous mutation may have contributed, or my other methyl mutations like COMT.  I’ve seen that happen to others. So just in case, I stay on folate plus other B vitamins. 

What are surprises I had during the entire high copper journey?

My biggest one was finding out that not only did I have high copper, I also had high lead (though not as high as the copper). Both were revealed by the hair testing I did in 2014…and both came down after those six months of detoxing in 2015 as also revealed by another hair test.

The second surprise was discovering that copper detoxing (or high copper) can cause SIBO, Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. Have never had gut problems in my life, then found myself with SIBO that I had to treat. (Turns out SIBO can happen due to a poor release of bile from the gallbladder!) The third surprise was that I started to detox again in 2016 by accident!

And the final surprise?? Finding out why this may have all happened in the first place. My RBC zinc was BELOW range in 2017, that means it had to have been horridly low by 2014—-all due to my immune system in high gear in 2013 due to mold poisoning. Immune systems need a lot of nutrients to be effective.

Copper-color stools when detoxing–really??

Absolutely! It happened when I detoxed for six months in 2015 (and went away once my body stopped), happened exactly again when I started to detox in 2016, and happened in 2017 and 2018 for shorter, but still challenging, detoxes.

If I could change/improve anything about my high copper experience, as well as detoxing, what would that be?

  1. I find the biggest emphasis should be on supporting your natural detox organs like the liver, kidneys and skin. If you do a sauna to sweat out the metals, it’s the skin helping you. But I tended to support my liver (Milk Thistle for one) and kidneys (Swanson Kidney Extract twice a day) during the second round of detox. Why? Because I tend to naturally detox with the elimination organs!
  2. I find it quite important to take key antioxidants when detoxing like Astaxanthin, Grape Seed Extract, Vit. C and E, etc. I didn’t get into that well enough the first time around and regret it, so I did much better using them the second time around.
  3. It’s going to be quite important to find out if you have the MTHFR mutation causing high heavy metals and treat it. I don’t think this was my cause, but it would be for you, especially if you have the 677 MTHFR mutation. 
  4. With what I know now, I would be on high amounts of CoQ10 (ubiquinol, not ubiquinone) while detoxing to support my mitochondria. I did that for the second detox and felt a little better. But you may not have the energy metabolism issues I had as discovered via the Organic Acids Test. I also discovered via a stool test that I have an intermediate level of carbs in my stool–a carbohydrate metabolism disorder. I don’t uptake carbs well for energy! No wonder I was so exhausted with detoxing!
  5. I should have been on glutathione…a master antioxidant in your body. It was used up by all this detoxing and exposure to toxins, and I didn’t even find THAT out until January of 2019. UGH. I used infusions to get it up. No wonder I noticed myself aging quicker!

Did detoxing effect my adrenals in any way?

Boy did it. Detoxing heavy metals can be a huge stress on one’s adrenals! Now understand that I did NOT have an adrenal issue before I started detoxing. So at the beginning of detoxing, I didn’t even think about it. But as it continued, it became clear that my cortisol was shooting high. I started to have sleep issues through the night. I felt shaky in the morning (adrenal excess can go with high cortisol just as it can with low). And around dinner time later in my detoxing, I had the internal buzzing feeling that can go with a cortisol issue.

The second six month detox I went through brought on high cortisol again–sleep issues, morning adrenaline and shakiness, evening same. What was effective for me was to take Holy Basil in the morning, again in the late afternoon if I noticed symptoms, and before bed. A side note: during the second detox, and after 4-5 weeks of my mitochondrial treatment with high-dose CoQ10 and B-vitamins, and my cortisol issue mostly went away. I also learned to take supportive adrenal supplements like Taurine, GABA, holy basil, ashwagandha, rhodiola….etc. 

Want to know if your adrenals are being affected? You can order your own saliva cortisol test here. 

Other bits of info

  1. Once I start detoxing, my body is simply going to continue it on its own no matter what. I must be a super detoxer.
  2. If there is excess fatigue with detoxing, look at your mitochondrial function via an Organic Acid Test (OAT). I am thinking my mito were functioning less than optimal before my 2015 detox, and the detox plus the SIBO plus a yeast infection from hell….ruined my mito. I took a very high dose of CoQ10, and added in NADH, along with the other supplements that the OAT told me about. 
  3. I got a lot of good information from these websites: http://www.drlwilson.com/articles/copper_toxicity_syndrome.htm and http://www.coppertoxic.com/
  4. Use your best judgment after reading several sources. Be wise within any copper groups, as you will have to sift through strong opinion vs valid information and decide what fits you.
  5. This is the hair testing I have used twice, also called HTMA, and I will use it again to keep track of where my metals are: https://www.directlabs.com/sttm/OrderTests.aspx (3rd test down)
  6. Testing via blood should always be copper, RBC zinc and ceruloplasmin at the least (ceruloplasmin is the major copper-carrying protein). If ceruloplasmin is quite low or below range, might want to explore Wilson’s disease.
  7. It’s rare, but there are some who might have Wilson’s disease, which is an autosomal recessive inherited disorder. It causes accumulation of copper in major organs like your liver (failure to filter it out), brain, and more. www.wilsonsdisease.org/  That was not my cause, but you should read about it, just in case. 
  8. About zinc and how it can be depleted: http://drlwilson.com/Articles/ZINC.htm
  9. TEST YOUR RBC zinc!!
  10. About ceruloplasmin: http://www.clinchem.org/content/51/8/1558.full
  11. Since high levels of copper is usually in the unavailable unbound form, you might see problems with yeast/candida.
  12. Also going hand-in-hand with high copper is high calcium, called the “calcium shell”. With that high calcium can be lack of emotion/apathy.
  13. High copper can also cause excess fears or anxieties. Detoxing may create some of the same. That happened to me. Could also be related to the adrenal stress it all causes.
  14. You will see ceruloplasmin mentioned on key copper websites–the major copper-carrying protein. Some will state that the lower it is, the quicker copper will build up in your liver and brain. Janie had high ceruloplasmin and still an obvious brain buildup! Just to show that there can be exceptions to the rule, it seems.
  15. If you want to work with a doctor, find one who is open-minded about hair testing aka HTMA. But you may be lucky and the blood testing shows the problem anyway along with symptoms. Want to order your own HTMA?? You can! Go to the following page, scroll down and click on the DIRECT LABS icon, and the hair test is the 3rd one down: www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/recommended-labwork
  16. Copper IUD’s have caused many women problems with rising copper levels! That can especially be true if you have the MTHFR mutation or even high stress. 
  17. It’s stated that vegetarians have a high risk of becoming copper toxic.
  18. Foods high in copper include chocolate (darn it), avocados (darn it again) molasses, liver, oysters, shrimp, mushrooms, sesame or sunflower seeds, cashews, etc. A more comprehensive list is here.

PLEASE WORK WITH AN INFORMED DOCTOR IF YOU CAN FIND ONE.

If you found yourself with high copper, let us know your story by commenting below!

UPDATE FROM JANIE, late NOVEMBER 2016

Here is what I got down to in Sept. 2015 when I suddenly stopped detoxing following 5 1/2 months:

COPPER: 1400 (810-1990) (I was 1571 after detoxing two months)
ZINC: 1.09 (.66 – 1.10)
RATIO: 1.0 (you want it to be .7 – 1.0)

And here is where I am in late November 2016, after 5 1/2 months of detoxing high copper once again

COPPER: 1400 (810-1990)
ZINC: 130 ug/dL (60-130)
RATIO: 1.0 (you want it to be .7 – 1.0)

You can see they are nearly identical, each after detoxing 5 1/2 months. Zinc was a different measurement above, but at top of the range, just as last year.

And, with both detoxes:

1) High inflammation
2) High RT3, needing T3-only
3) Massive easy fatigue (I think both detoxes heavily messed with my mitochondria–the powerhouse of energy

Why test RBC levels of certain minerals? Because it’s measuring the intracellular levels in your body, which is even more important than serum levels. What can mess up your cellular levels? Toxic levels of other metals, for one. Those minerals which can have the RBC tested include Zinc, Copper, Potassium, Vanadium, Chromium, Manganese, Potassium, Selenium and Magnesium. The other metals need more then RBC, such as hair testing, i.e. they can be good with RBC, but high in hair. More good info here.

UPDATE FROM JANIE, late NOVEMBER 2018

Looking back, I have figured out that the stress of copper detoxing over the past few years may have contributed to gallbladder problems. The clues? The first one was having SIBO after my first detox in 2015–it’s strongly related to your gallbladder and bile levels. The second? I don’t break down fats well at all anymore. And there are other TMI clues that you can see by researching “symptoms of a sluggish gallbladder”. I have some; not all. But it’s very obvious. So I’m now taking Cholacol by Standard Process to help break down fats and which provides more bile. There are also things to be done to support a sluggish gallbladder, which you can also do an internet search for.

ADDITIONAL READING:

  1. This is a great read about what high copper can do to you: https://healdove.com/alternative-medicine/Hypercupremia-High-Copper And also note in the latter article that high copper can mess with your Glutamate/GABA balance, i.e. resulting in high glutamate levels in your brain (causing inflammation), plus in some, impaired speech, aggressive behavior, intense irritability, anxiety, inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), and eventually neuronal destruction.
  2. Great website on the copper issue: https://coppertoxic.com/

 

68 replies

There’s a dynamo Thyroid Patient Advocate you should know about!

Sheila Turner TPA-UKI’ve been doing this a long time.

And early on in my activism, I became acquainted with someone else who was fighting for better hypothyroid diagnosis and treatment. And she was a bulldog! She chose NOT to “walk the fence”… instead speaking the bold truth about the scandal of the current popular thyroid diagnosis, as well as treatment with thyroxine for all too many. She has numerous times over the years written the governing bodies in the United Kingdom as to the problem, including with her communication “hundreds of references” to available research and studies to back up the issue.

Her name is Sheila Turner, and she’s the founder of Thyroid Patient Advocacy in the UK (TPA-UK).

And Sheila is a HERO!

Similar stories

Like myself and millions of you, Sheila suffered on thyroxine, which she also terms as “monotherapy”. She had “fatigue, weight gain, coldness and hair loss”–the latter even all over her body! And her pain was so bad that she couldn’t even pick herself up off the floor.

She finally managed to find a maverick doctor who put her on Natural Desiccated Thyroid, and she says “The sun came out!” She has now been happily pain-free and symptom-free for over 13 years. I identify, Sheila!

And her transformation led to the creation of her TPA-UK website and thyroid support forum just for UK patients and more, “dedicated to the millions of thyroid patients who are being ignored and left to suffer unnecessarily, and to healthcare practitioners, who want to better serve those patients.” The use of the word IGNORED couldn’t be better said, Sheila.

Others who work with TPA-UK

What I have loved about Sheila’s website and work are all those who are associated with it. They are:

– Barry Durrant-Peatfield, (UK) MB BS LRCP MRCS who serves as Patron and medical advisor
– Malcolm Maclean MD (UAE)​, a Scot practitioner who has rejected the idea that being “normal” in labwork means a patient couldn’t possibly have a thyroid problem. Dr. Maclean also wrote a brilliant STTM Guest Blog post about the effects of high doses of iodine
– Kent Holtorf, MD, the medical director of the Holtorf Medical Group and non-profit National Academy of Hypothyroidism.
– Gina Honeyman, DC, owner of the Center for Metabolic Health, LLC and co-author of a fabulously detailed book titled “Your Guide to Metabolic Health.” 
– Jacob Teitelbaum, MD,  a board certified internist and Medical Director of the national Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers and Chronicity.

Sheila’s latest concern and confrontation: Possible removal of Liothyronine (T3) from the NHS Prescription list

Just one more example of Sheila’s persistent and unflagging fight for better treatment, she has stood up in immediate defiance about the possible removal of T3 medication from the publicly-funded National Health Service (NHS) Prescription List–a potential removal as recommended by the NHS-funded program called PrescQIPP. (Only the second middle link on their website is working for me to view the Drop list.)

PrescQIPP is recommending the following:  

  1. They do NOT recommend the prescribing of liothyronine or T3-containing products for the treatment of primary hypothyroidism
  2. They do recommend prescribing of thyroid hormones in line with Royal College of Physicians guidance (which means thyroxine, T4-only, monotherapy).

The rationale of the above ridiculous comments? Are you ready??

– T3 has a short half-life

– Steady-state levels cannot be maintained

– No robust evidence i.e. has not been shown to be more beneficial that levothyroxine with respect to cognitive function, social functioning and well-being

– Inconsistent with normal physiology

– Insufficient clinical evidence of effectiveness and cost effectiveness to support the use of liothyronine (either alone or in combination) for the treatment of hypothyroidism. 

To the contrary, the evidence of consistently-reported therapeutic efficacy of T3-containing medications by a huge and growing body of thyroid patients worldwide is clearly important and worth consideration if the medical profession has even one intelligent and open-minded cell in their brains.

EVEN WORSE, their recommendations show how to move patients off their T3 and onto T4-only.

And in Sheila Turner’s latest newsletter, she states with her typical and dynamic activism:

The information about liothyronine by PrescQIPP is both mis-leading, and some of it is downright incorrect.  I am in the process of writing a response to PrescQIPP asking them to remove the hormone liothyronine from the ‘Drop’ list with immediate effect and I will give all the reasons they need to do this.  If such organisations as the BTA, NICE, NHS UKMi (Q56.6) and PrescQIPP learnt how the different thyroid hormones work, there would be no controversy and if L-T4 left patients with continuing symptoms, the active thyroid hormone T3 would be given automatically and without complaint.  I intend to ensure they know how thyroid hormones work.

Bottom line, Sheila Turner is a strong friend of thyroid patients who is persistent in her quest to drive in the TRUTH about what appears to be a backwards and dark ages medical system in the United Kingdom about how a thyroid works, about diagnosis, and about successful treatment protocols. And what Sheila might achieve in the UK will only help the rest of us!

You are a hero, Sheila!

JanieSignature SEIZE THE WISDOM

 

 

 

 

 

 

– CHECK OUT THE LATEST VIDEO, which includes patients in the UK, and which underscores the FALLACY of T4-only, thyroxine treatment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n0NfAUyOKo

– Have you Liked the Stop the Thyroid Madness Facebook page? It’s full of daily inspiration and information based on solid patient experiences and wisdom!

– TPA-UK forum: http://www.tpauk.com/forum/

Read more on Sheila’s website:

http://www.tpauk.com/main/article/rcpbta-failures-harming-approx-300000-uk-citizens-suffering-symptoms-of-hypothyroidism-part-1/

http://www.tpauk.com/main/article/tpa-survey-finds-thousands-of-patient-counterexamples-to-l-t4-monotherapy/

http://www.tpauk.com/main/article/its-not-all-in-our-head-professor-weetman/

http://www.tpauk.com/main/article/the-best-clinical-guidelines-money-can-buy-a-look-at-guidelines-bias-and-thyroid-treatment/

http://www.tpauk.com/main/article/on-the-clinical-diagnosis-and-treatment-of-hypothyroidism/

65 replies

The Scandal: Thyroid Patients are Speaking Out, Wall Street Journal, and a new video!

STTM photos of people from video UPDATEDThe push continues, fellow thyroid patients.  And it’s getting louder and more widespread.

This week, Wall Street Journal columnist Melinda Beck, who writes a weekly health column, hit an important gong with her wonderful attention-getting article titled “Doctors Hear Patients’ Calls for New Approaches to Hypothyroidism.”  

“Doctors and patients have been at each other’s throats for decades over how to treat a little gland in the neck–and patients may be gaining ground.” ~Melinda Beck

Beck underscored the sad reality that doctors have been relying “on a single form of treatment for hypothyroidism”, aka T4-only like Levothyroxine or Synthroid.  And it’s been travesty.

Why T4-only as a sole treatment is a scandal

As I explained in detail in the revised Stop the Thyroid Madness (STTM) book, a healthy thyroid produces five hormones: T4, T3, T2, T1 and calcitonin, with T4 being the storage hormone, and T3 being the powerhouse of all the thyroid hormones. In that healthy thyroid, T4 will convert to T3, but the gland also produces “direct” T3.  That is an important distinction.

Yet this “single form of treatment” with simply a storage hormone, which was thrust upon thyroid patients by 1960 (see Chapter 1 in the revised STTM book for excellent historical details), has forced us all to live for conversion alone…and hundreds of millions of us over the past five decades have a paid a hefty price. There are simply too many reasons why the conversion of T4 to T3 can be impaired, ranging from genetic factors, to diet, to stress, to illness, to age.

That is exactly what compelled me, in 2002, to start what is now the largest active thyroid group still on Yahoo, and later, the largest “system of thyroid groups” on Facebook, called the FTPO (For Thyroid Patients Only) groups–the only system of patient groups endorsed by Stop the Thyroid Madness.

How patients are dismissed

In addition to quoting a few doctors, Beck interviewed thyroid patient/advocate Mary Shomon, who stated “It’s so much easier to tell a woman to get up off the couch or hand her a prescription for antidepressants.” Also interviewed was thyroid patient/advocate Dana Trentini, who feels her second pregnancy ended in miscarriage due to only being dosed by the TSH, which in her case was left high–another hefty problem in the treatment of thyroid patients.

Major kudos to Antonio Bianco, president of the American Thyroid Association

When the American Thyroid Association (ATA) has been the height of disappointment for informed thyroid patients with it’s strong emphasis on “synthetic thyroxine” as well as its poor details about NDT, it was extremely refreshing to see him quoted as stating: “I credit this to patients pushing doctors and saying, ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t feel fine’.” followed by Beck’s words that Bianco ‘has refocused the research to search for answers for such patients’. You give us a light of hope, Dr. Bianco.

Seven areas that patients beseech their practitioners to be wiser about…

1. Levothyroxine, Synthroid and all other T4-only medications

They have failed far too many of us. It’s not about exercising more, eating less, seeing a therapist or putting us on a myriad of other medications to treat conditions which are actually the results of that failure. Learn from us.

2. Natural Desiccated Thyroid (NDT)

What has been vividly changing lives is Natural Desiccated Thyroid (NDT), not T4-only medications. NDT has been around since the 1890’s–it worked then and it works now. Learn from us.

And to the contrary, NDT’s T4 to T3 ratio of 80/20 (as compared to the human ratio of 93/7) has not been a problem for the vast majority. Instead, problems are usually “revealed” on NDT due to a cortisol issue and/or low iron–both common problems that arise with patients who have been put on T4-only, or who have been left undiagnosed.

3. The TSH lab test

The TSH lab test is and has been as much a failure for thyroid patients as has T4-only. To be held hostage to a “pituitary hormone” has been a complete **nightmare** for thyroid patients. Even one of your own esteemed colleagues, Jeffrey Dach MD, as well as many others, know the travesty of the TSH as explained in chapter 4 of the practitioner-written book Stop the Thyroid Madness II.  Learn from us.

4. Lab tests that count, and how to read them

It’s the free T3 and free T4 lab tests which have been superior for either diagnosis or dosing, not the TSH. And a key observation noted by informed thyroid patients is “where” a result falls in the so-called “normal” range that has meaning. Many key lab tests have helped us in our journey towards feeling wonderful again. Learn from us. 

5. Symptoms that go along with hypothyroidism

To the contrary, there are clear symptoms that go along with the right lab tests to reveal hypothyroidism. Depression is overtly common in an undiagnosed or poorly treated hypothyroid state, as is afternoon fatigue, poor stamina, dry skin, hair loss, rising cholesterol, rising blood pressure, painful joints, and/or others. How do we know as informed patients? Because they go away when optimally treated on Natural Desiccated Thyroid. Learn from us. 

6. T3 added to T4

Adding T3 to T4 has proven to also be far superior to T4-only, and to the contrary, it has NOT been “difficult to sustain therapeutic levels” if practitioners will simply learn from their patients how to use T3-only with T4. The same goes for the even more superior Natural Desiccated Thyroid. Learn from us.

7. Listening to your patients instead of dismissing them

Finally and most importantly, though we appreciate the intense medical training that all our doctors have received, it’s time to consider that we, as informed patients, might have something valuable for our doctors or practitioners to consider and open their minds to. It’s not just about clinical trials. It’s time to RESPECT AND LISTEN TO YOUR PATIENTS, THEIR EXPERIENCES, CLINICAL PRESENTATION, AND THEIR OWN INNATE WISDOM. Learn from us. 

ANNOUNCING: A new powerful YouTube video in honor of thyroid patients worldwide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n0NfAUyOKo   Please share this video to your blogs, private Facebook pages, groups, Twitter, email. Join the PUSH!

JanieSignature SEIZE THE WISDOM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

– Head on over the Stop the Thyroid Madness Facebook page and Like it for daily inspiration and information!

43 replies