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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 …but it now has numerous updates throughout where needed, and out-of-date information removed. 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

Feel better on T4 than you did on Natural Desiccated Thyroid?

Occasionally, hypothyroid patients will exclaim with conviction and truth that they outright feel better on Synthroid or Levothyroxine (T4-only meds) than they did when they tried Natural Desiccated Thyroid (NDT) or even T3-only.  And we believe them.

But…there is an explainable reason which does not mean T4-only is better for you. It really isn’t. Bear with me and read on…

Years ago, as many of us were starting on NDT after being on T4, we were seeing our lives change in a huge way, far more than T4 did! It was like a miracle! Those five hormones really made a difference.

But some others were having problems when raising something so miraculous for others. Huh?? We didn’t get that.

It took awhile longer to finally see why and to answer the “huh?” i.e. we began to see that there were three strong and correctible reasons why someone was not seeing the miracle of NDT as others were, and instead, were blaming the NDT (or T3) and moving back to T4-only…

The three main and correctible reasons why NDT, which gives all five thyroid hormones, seems to fail…

1) NOT BEING “OPTIMAL” WITH YOUR NDT DOSE (it’s NOT about just being in range and not about being held hostage to the TSH)

We all have had a tendency to believe that our doctors know what they are doing with NDT or T3. But, the majority do not. They tend to leave you on too-low doses, and/or pay attention to the lousy TSH. Thus, due to the natural suppression of the feedback loop (hypothalamus to pituitary to thyroid), you will get worse on those lower doses, sooner or later. i.e. you will get more hypo, and/or have rising adrenaline, cortisol, anxiety or other. And because of that, some exclaim “NDT didn’t work for me!” and they rush back to T4-only.  But NDT, with all five thyroid hormones, could have worked well IF you had known to be more optimal. Optimal puts the free T3 towards the top of the range and the free T4 mid-range, and puts the TSH below range…all three…and removes all symptoms. What amount does that is very individual—some start to achieve that in mid-2 grains, others are in the 3-5 grain area, others may be higher.

What if you tried to raise to be optimal, but had worsening problems? Read #2 and #3 below.

2) NOT BEING OPTIMAL WITH YOUR IRON LEVELS (it’s not about just being in range)

When this is brought up to patients who once tried NDT and failed, they will exclaim with all sincerity “But my iron levels were great”. We know that a very small percentage may have had good iron. But what is common with the majority is they did NOT have good levels “Falling in the normal range” does not equal a good level of iron. It’s WHERE one falls that tells the story.

For example, with two types of ranges for serum iron (NOT ferritin):

a) When the range is approx. 40?155: women who have optimal serum iron tend to be close to 110, or 109, or 108, etc. They are NOT in the 90’s and definitely not lower when optimal. Men tend to be in the upper 130’s.
b)  When the range is approx. 7-27: women are optimal around 23ish; men are towards the top.

If they are lower than the latter examples, it messes up the ability to raise NDT and feel great without issue. Why? Inadequate iron levels tend to raise the reverse T3 (RT3) as one is raising their NDT.  As the RT3 goes up due to inadequate iron, you will feel worse. And because of that, some exclaim “NDT didn’t work for me!” and they rush back to T4-only…but if they had had optimal iron, NDT WOULD have worked…as long as they also had optimal cortisol (See #3 below) and were working to find their optimal dose of NDT (see #1)

See more details about iron here: http://stopthethyroidmadness.com/ferritin

3) NOT BEING OPTIMAL WITH YOUR CORTISOL LEVELS (it’s not about just being in range, and it’s NOT about blood cortisol)

We noted years ago that at least 50% of those with hypothyroidism had a cortisol issue as revealed by saliva, not blood. What does a cortisol issue mean? Either their cortisol was too high (due to the stress of being undiagnosed, poorly treated, or being on T4) or was too low (due to the stress of being undiagnosed, poorly treated, or being on T4), or had both high and low (due to the stress of being undiagnosed, poorly treated, or being on T4).

And what happens with a cortisol issue when you are trying to work with NDT? Either RT3 will go too high (the inactive hormone), or one’s T3 will pool in the blood and not make it to the cells, or both…and you won’t feel well or have bad reactions like excess adrenaline, anxiety, shakiness, feel-bads.

And because of having a cortisol issue, some exclaim “NDT didn’t work for me!” and they rush back to T4-only…but if they had…

a) done the 4-point saliva test, not blood
b) compared the saliva results it to the lab-values page (it’s not about that normal range)
c) CORRECTLY treated it (see this page, plus Chapter 6 in the updated revision STTM book if saliva is VERY low, which also applies to Adrenal Cortex),

….they would have soared on NDT…along with good iron and being OPTIMAL on NDT (or T3)

Note: it’s always about the results of a saliva test, NOT blood cortisol.

Bottom line, it’s not as simple as “feeling better on T4”. It’s more about that you are NOT experiencing the side effects that you did on NDT from any of the above three problems, which were all correctible. That is different.

“That all sounds like too much trouble–I’m staying on T4-only!”, you may be exclaiming….

There is a big problem with that reasoning that I hope you will be open to….Namely, T4-only outright…

  • CAUSES low iron
  • CAUSES a cortisol problem
  • CAUSES many other issues like lowered B12, lowered Vitamin D, rising blood pressure, rising cholesterol, depression, anxiety, heart issues, bone thinning, chronic pain….and more. The individuality is in who gets which…but T4 users do get problems of their own kind, sooner or later.

Please note that the above is not an empty strong opinion. It’s based on years of reported patient experiences from many who were on T4! i.e. most of the following hypothyroid symptoms were experienced by T4 users!! They were still hypo!

Now you may state “But I know people on T4 who do not have those problems!”.

First, some outright DO have some of those problems, but don’t realize it or they deny it (while others see it in them). Adrenal issues, even those denied, can make certain people awash with defensiveness, argumentativeness, denial, anger, paranoia towards others observations, low patience, moodiness, etc.

Yes, some on T4 do, in fact, do better than others. But you know what we have observed? The longer they stay on T4-only, the more problems WILL, in fact, raise their ugly heads eventually…like either adrenal issues, or low iron, or low B12, or depression, or rising cholesterol, or rising blood pressure, or heart problems, or dry skin and hair, or chronic pain, or bone loss, or rising illnesses…..on and on. Forcing the body to live for conversion alone backfires….sooner or later.

Summary: A working Natural Desiccated Thyroid, or adding T3 to that T4 as a second choice and getting those frees optimal, is a much better way to go than being on nothing but T4, according to years of worldwide patient experiences

A working NDT gives you all five thyroid hormones, and does NOT force you to live for conversion of T4 to T3 alone, i.e. some of NDT is direct T3. Additionally with T4-only, some people have genetic mutations which hinder the conversion of T4 to T3 and may not realize it.

There is a good reason that millions of patients found out that T4-only is not the way to go for many reasons, and NDT is the way to go if you correct the reasons you did NOT to do well...or even adding T3 to your T4 in an OPTIMAL amount. But you will still need optimal iron and cortisol!

P.S. The above three reasons are the most common for not doing well on NDT (or T3) and should be considered first. A 4th less common reason: chronic inflammation of any cause. Read about inflammation. If this is true for you, the sad part is that T4-only will also backfire, as it raises RT3.

Mold exposure can also effect conversion.

Click on the graphic to order an excellent saliva cortisol test.

101 replies

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

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/

 

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A Speculative Account of the Effects of Iodine Supplementation at Different Doses

Screen Shot 2016-01-08 at 10.14.42 AMThe following Guest Blog Post was written by Malcolm Maclean, MD of the United Arab Emirates. Dr. Maclean serves as a Trustee and Medical Advisor for TPA (Thyroid Patient Advocacy) UK.

Dr. Maclean makes strong speculative proposals in this article as to why there are differing bodily experiences in the use of iodine and the doses used.

Take the time to read the below slowly and carefully–good points to consider!

NOTE: if you are receiving email notice of this blog post, a reply to the email goes nowhere. Instead, you need to click on the title of the blog post, which will take you directly to the STTM blog, and there you can comment.

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The value of iodine

Most folk in the Thyroid Community understand the requirement for Iodine because the body uses it to synthesize thyroid hormone.

But a variety of cells require iodine for optimum function, as well (e.g. breast, ovaries, pancreas and prostate). So Iodine is important for the body quite apart from supplying the thyroid gland with Iodine. This view is not widely held in the mainstream.

Further, several scientific reports point to widespread iodine deficiency, particularly in the UK and parts of Russia, pointing to the value of Iodine supplementation, at least in some cases.

Yet a problem and a challenge

The capacity of Fluoride and possibly Estrogen Dominance to aggravate dysfunctional Iodine metabolism argue for close attention. Because for those who choose to supplement with Iodine (and there is a strong case for this to prevent breast cancer, plus those diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Disease, see below), the response to such supplementation (based on reported experience of those contributing to Iodine Forums) appears to vary according to:

  1. the baseline Iodine status
  2. the state of the adrenal glands (operating at full strength or in a state of “adrenal insufficiency”?)
  3. whether Companion Nutrients are simultaneously supplemented.
  4. the chosen dose of Iodine
  5. how it is taken (via skin/orally)
  6. the size of the dose
  7. how quickly dosage is introduced

Important Point: For those in the Thyroid Community who have been diagnosed as having Hashimoto’s Disease, Iodine has a reputation for exacerbating Hashimoto’s Disease. However, Iodine may be tolerated provided that the “Companion Nutrients”, referred to above, are in place.

Why are Companion Nutrients important?

Arguably, the adverse effects attributed to Iodine, when used in the situation of Hashimoto’s Disease, are caused by the Iodine-induced, unbalanced and exaggerated activity of the activity of an important and powerful thyroid enzyme: Thyroid Peroxidase, thereby a creating Oxidative Stress and the potential for thyroid cell damage. The Companion Nutrients are designed to support the body’s antioxidant System. Companion Nutrients are used here to prevent damage arising from the unopposed action of Thyroid Peroxidase, as and when Iodine is introduced to the Thyroid Gland, especially in the situation of an inadequate anti-oxidant System.

The purpose of this article

The purpose of this text is to examine the variable experience of those who have reported the effect of supplementing with Iodine and to attempt to explain those experiences according to how the body responds in different metabolic situations. Therefore the purpose is not to influence the reader in any direction (as regards Iodine usage) but to perhaps enable a speculative view of what might happen if/as and when, Iodine is supplemented and why.

I believe that no one should adopt Iodine supplementation without a good deal of reading around the subject, e.g on the STTM and TPAUK websites.

I apologize for the length of this contribution. However, it deals with the complex issue of Iodine effects and it is tricky to give a brief interpretation of this little-understood, but important area, especially for those whose metabolism is out of whack because of the toxic effects of mercury, which has the capacity to damage adrenal, thyroid and methylation function (at least).

So, this text has also been written for those with suspected toxicity (e.g. from dental amalgam) in the hope that the text might explain and emphasize components of the Shade Protocol (designed for the elimination of mercury), which might be ignored by those who, unwisely, are too hasty to get better. 

The right dose of Iodine

I don’t think anyone fully understands what “the right” dose of Iodine is.

If your adrenals are out of whack, Iodine is liable to cause you to crash.

Nor is there agreement on what may be the further results of Iodine supplementation, especially at higher doses.

Some people assert that if you start supplementing with Iodine, two different effects may result, depending on what dose you start at:

Low Dose

Effect: Up-regulation of thyroid synthesis, especially for those who are Iodine deficient (many people are Iodine deficient, so that makes sense). However, if your adrenal function is down, the cells cannot handle the increased levels of stimulation (via thyroid hormone) without a correspondingly elevated level of cortisol.

It is known that thyroid hormone and cortisol work together. Hence, in the situation of adrenal insufficiency (possibly Mercury-induced in the first place, for some) there is the potential for an adrenal failure-induced “Crash” (= feeling dreadful +/- palpitations =”Thyroid toxicity”). So in these two situations… (a] adequate, vs  b]  inadequate adrenal function…taking Iodine may make you feel better or worse

High dose

Effect: Some people report benefit from the introduction of Iodine at a high initial dosage (going against the principle of starting low, increasing slow). This appears not to make sense.

The theory of taking high doses of Iodine

One theory involves acknowledging that Iodine may function as an antioxidant (that Iodine has antioxidant properties, is accepted, although, perhaps not widely so).  The theory goes: Iodine exerts its antioxidant properties but only noticeably at higher doses.

Further, so the theory goes, that antioxidant effect at higher doses tends to overcome the blockage of adrenal function that is creating impaired adrenal function in the first place. Meaning: Low cortisol synthesis and low cortisol levels, because of Mercury blocking cortisol Synthesis by exerting stress on the anti-oxidant system (Iodine usage here, supporting the anti-oxidant system and opposing Mercury).

That too makes a certain amount of sense, because Mercury is known to be able to block cortisol synthesis by acting as an oxidant and exerting stress on the anti-oxidant system.

Speculatively, once your Iodine dosage has (according to this scenario) restored adrenal function by opposing Mercury effects, any further increase may start to be counter-productive (meaning onset of Iodine overdose).

Speculatively, according to dosage therefore, these situations may result sequentially:

1. Baseline: Iodine deficiency in the diet.

Sub-optimal thyroid function with, perhaps, symptoms of Hypothyroidism.

2. Addition of Iodine at low dosage

a) Improves you if adrenal function is adequate
b) Crashes you if you have adrenal insufficiency

3. Addition of Iodine at high dosage

a) Bypasses the “Crash” effects
b) Remits the oxidative stress which is causing the (Mercury-induced) adrenal Insufficiency (with knock-on low Cortisol levels), enables the adrenals to restore Cortisol synthesis:

Result?  Feeling better

4. Supra-Optimal Iodine Dosage

Meaning: even higher dosage than that necessary to restore adrenal function and Cortisol levels:

Speculatively: Iodine Toxicity

Result: You start to feel down again.

Speculative summary of Iodine effects according to dosage

Starting at a “Low” baseline level (Iodine Deficient status) and from there, increasing daily dosage: Feels down-> Take more Iodine-> Feels better->Increase Iodine dosage. More iodine-> Feels worse-> Increase Iodine dosage. More Iodine->Feels better-> Increase Iodine dosage even further: feels worse

This is all theory and is provided for the benefit of those who speculate about what effects Iodine may have.

In preparing the description of this speculative scenario, I am indebted to the contribution (of a lawyer) to an Iodine Forum, who wrote interestingly on this topic as follows:

“Okay. This all-theoretical, mind you, but based on my experience, I think my theory may be correct. At lower doses of iodine, many of the symptoms labeled as bromide detox are identical to adrenal fatigue symptoms: air hunger, low blood sugar, weight gain, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, palpitations, etc. Another coincidence: the very things that Brownstein etc. recommend for bromide detox are actually things used to alleviate adrenal fatigue: Vitamin C, salt… This may explain many of the symptoms of detox at lower doses. It’s actually adrenal fatigue. Now, iodine can also act as an antioxidant, but only when the body uses excess iodine to make a lipid called delta-iodolactone. But the body will not make this unless it is such a high dose of iodine that the body feels confident that it has enough iodine for its basic needs, so it can use the excess iodine to make this antioxidant lipid. This antioxidant is like 300x more powerful than Vitamin C. I think that you have to take upwards of 100mg of iodine or higher for the body to make this. Because when I take 25mg, I have horrible detox symptoms, but when I take 100mg of iodine I feel normal. I think that at 100mg and up, the body makes delta-iodolactone, and this [is an] antioxidant . It’s the only thing that can account for the fact that people, who can’t take 25mgs without getting sick, can take 150mg without a problem. And there have been about 10 of us who have found this to be true”

The only difference between the lawyer’s interpretation of Iodine effect (at high dosage) and my interpretation:

My interpretation is that at high Iodine dosage, that strong antioxidant effect kicks in, thereby enabling Iodine to resurrect the adrenals (and thus cortisol levels) by opposing the strong oxidant and toxic effects of Mercury. The evidence for this speculation?  At high concentration, iodine appears to tighten up the mitochondrial membrane, thereby preventing leakage of cytochrome C from the mitochondria, across the mitochondrial membrane into the cytosol (cytoplasm).

Result? Less  in the cytosol diminishes oxidative processes in the cytosol.

Result? Less risk of the negative consequences of oxidative stress.

Result? Restoration of the important enzymes which have been suppressed by oxidative stress.

Result? Recovery of 17-Hydroxylase, 5′ Deiodinase, and Methionine Synthase, thereby contributing to the recovery of adrenal, thyroid and Methylation function respectively.

There are those, including myself, who attribute their thyroid & adrenal failure to Mercury toxicity (from dental amalgam). Importantly, this interpretation of Iodine effects draws attention to and emphasizes the importance of supplements described in the Shade Protocol (designed for the elimination of Mercury) and also described as the “Companion Nutrients” in “Iodine Context”.

To summarize: Iodine supplementation is a tricky area. Extensive reading prior to any usage is advised. Adrenal function should be good and the Companion Nutrients should be in place as supplements before embarking. Potential effects of Iodine at different doses have been speculatively described. Getting the right dose is especially tricky and there appears to be no way of knowing what is the right dose without just trying and seeing. Few would argue against a daily dosage of Iodine: one milligram per day, properly supported, as described above.

Further, importantly, this text is not a recommendation to start taking Iodine at massive doses, despite the fact that some report benefit from this approach. The reason for such caution is, as usual, that our metabolisms are all different.

Dr. Malcolm Maclean

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