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 …but it now has numerous updates throughout where needed, and out-of-date information removed.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

“A Little” natural desiccated thyroid if you’re “a Little” Hypothyroid? Don’t Make the Same Mistake We Did!

photo Moriah with butterfliesThe following Guest Blog Post is written by Jill, who has a B.S. in Combined Sciences and is the mother six, including 22-month-old Moriah, a thyroid and adrenal patient who has Down syndrome.

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I had gone to several doctors to investigate thyroid treatment for our infant daughter Moriah, who was born with Down syndrome (Ds). From my research, I knew thyroid issues to be quite common in those with Ds, but also frequently overlooked since many of the characteristics associated with Ds are the same as those seen in congenital hypothyroidism.

Also, because many doctors do not order all the appropriate labwork but rely too heavily on the TSH, many of these children remain untreated.

I was determined not to fail my girl on thyroid, so imagine my joy to finally find a doctor willing to prescribe NDT. I happily filled our prescription for 15 mg/day of natural desiccated thyroid and scheduled a follow-up appointment for 6 weeks. What I did not know at the time is that one cannot remain on a low dose of natural desiccated thyroid. (Patient Mistake #1)

The solution to being “a little” hypothyroid is not to take “a little” NDT. As I learned from a new friend and confirmed on the STTM website, that will cause you to become even more hypothyroid than you were to begin with due to the suppression of the feedback loop.

And that is exactly what happened to Moriah.

My friend clued me in, and I felt sick to my stomach, realizing this doctor must not be aware of that since she had not mentioned anything about ever raising Moriah’s dose. Long story short, even with labwork showing a big drop in the free T3, along with multiple new-onset hypothyroid symptoms, the doctor wanted to keep Moriah on just 15 mg/day. Why? Because, she stated “The TSH is by far the most important of the thyroid levels, and her TSH is really good!”

Ugh!

Sadly, the mistaken notion about how to dose NDT is all too common, even among caring, integrative doctors such as the one I had. I read many stories of doctors prescribing “low dose” NDT or adding “just a little” to be “on the safe side” and treat “borderline” hypothyroidism. But this is not how it works with NDT! This “treatment” only makes things worse! There is even pediatric dosing information on the NDT websites, but it is meaningless to a doctor who doses according to the TSH.

What a tragedy that these caring doctors are actually making their young patients even sicker!

Thankfully, we are now working with a new doctor who understands the necessity of evaluating symptoms and all the labwork and understands that, like adults, children cannot be left on “low dose” NDT. I wish there were more doctors like her.

The STTM website has been a Godsend, and I refer everyone to it, especially to check out “Mistakes Patients Make“” so they do not make the same one I did.

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– See why going by the TSH is the WORST way to diagnose or treat hypothyroidism, here.

– For adults, here’s what we have learned about using Natural Desiccated Thyroid.

– Having what seem like bad reactions to NDT? Learn why. It’s not about NDT, but what it’s revealing!

– Have you Liked the STTM Facebook page?? Come on over for daily inspiration and information based on shared patient experiences!

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Exercise reduces T3, Vitamin C lowers high cortisol, Interesting theory about iodine…and more.

POTBELLY PIGDESICCATED THYROID QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I had potbelly pigs as pets for 18 years (my kids were allergic to cats and dogs). I took darn good care of them! Now pigs are taking care of me! :c)”  ~Thyroid Patient Tula

THE STOP THE THYROID MADNESS BOOK IN SPANISH IS COMING OUT LATER THIS MONTH!

Look for a future announcement! It will only be available via the publishing company at first, which is here: //www.laughinggrapepublishing.com

CAN ENDURANCE EXERCISE AFFECT YOUR THYROID?

There has been some hoopla around the net about the possibility of endurance training affecting thyroid function in a negative way, especially in women (but could happen to men). And when women stop their endurance or cardio training, they see their T3 levels come back up where they should be. One article cites 80 difference references about problems caused from excess training or exercise. But what I fail to see mentioned in many articles is the potential physiological reason why. First, more intensive exercise raises cortisol levels (in those with healthy adrenal function–not in those with sluggish adrenal function). Both higher levels of cortisol, as well as increased inflammation, inhibit the conversion of T4 to T3. This inhibition raises the levels of Reverse T3, which lowers the cellular receipt of T3. And here’s something quite interesting also found in this article:

“….low intensity exercise (40%) does not result in significant increases in cortisol levels, but, once corrections for plasma volume reduction occurred and circadian factors were examined, low intensity exercise actually resulted in a reduction in circulating cortisol levels.”

The above biological fact about exercise and cortisol is another reason why intense exercise becomes a no-no if saliva testing proves you already have an adrenal (sluggishness) or HPA feedback issue.

VITAMIN C AFTER A WORKOUT CAN HELP LOWER HIGH CORTISOL–IS THERE SIGNIFICANCE FOR THYROID PATIENTS??

I thought I knew a lot about Vitamin C until thyroid Patient Kristian told me about Vitamin C helping to lower high cortisol. Well Blimey and Blow me down!! This article reveals, via certain studies, that taking 1,000 mg of vitamin C before a workout lowered high cortisol even 2 and 24 hours after the workout, or taking 1500 mg Vitamin C for eight days put cortisol 57% lower….and more. So perhaps we have another treatment for thyroid patients who find themselves with high cortisol (as revealed by a saliva test, NOT a blood test) or a mix of highs and lows. This Psychology Today article says Vitamin C might be an essential part of stress reduction, which a mix of highs and lows in which saliva testing reveals.

IODINE DEFICIENCY MAY NOT BE FROM LACK OF IODINE IN OUR SOIL?

From 2004, the article titled “Nutrition, evolution and thyroid hormone levels — a link to iodine deficiency disorders?” proposes that iodine deficiency may be more about historical changes in what humans now eat rather than a decrease of iodine from the environment. He explains that T3 is actually dependent on the amount of carbs we eat. He states:

While our Paleolithic ancestors subsisted on a very low carbohydrate/high protein diet, the agricultural revolution about 10,000 years ago brought about a significant increase in dietary carbohydrate. These nutritional changes have increased T3 levels significantly. Higher T3 levels are associated with an enhanced T3 production and an increased iodine requirement. The higher iodine requirement exceeds the availability of iodine from environmental sources in many regions of the world, resulting in the development of IDD.

DON’T DISMISS THE INFLAMMATION PROBLEM WITH THYROID DISEASE…

Normally, inflammation is a naturally healthy and positive response of your immune system to counter the infectious problem of a virus, bacteria or fungal excess. It can also be activated by an irritant (picture a splinter in your finger) or damage to your cells from an injury.

But in thyroid patients, especially those who have remained undiagnosed or poorly treated on T4-only meds, the inflammation response can become chronic and problematic! You might even get the diagnosis of Fibromyalgia because of it! And while many thyroid patients may be clear they have inflammation, others may have it with no clue!  See the newest page on Stop the Thyroid Madness concerning the problem of inflammation, how to detect it, and what you need to do about it.

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Being in the “normal” range has nothing to do with it, plus three adrenal videos to see

Note: though this page was originally written in 2012, it has been updated to the current date and time. Enjoy!

The famous psychiatrist Carl Jung used to say “To be normal is the ideal aim of the unsuccessful”. 

And nothing is ever so unsuccessful when it comes to thinking that a lab result within the so-called “normal” range is ideal.

It’s not.

And unfortunately, when I do phone coaching sessions with thyroid patients, or watch comments made in discussion groups, I hear or see all too many say “My doctor/Nurse Practitioner/Physician’s Assistant/Naturopath says I’m normal”.

And I have to immediately back the conversation up and say “Can you share that lab result and range with me?”

Because as patients have learned:  “Optimal” and “problem-free” has nothing to do with just being anywhere is a range.  It has to do with “where” in the range one’s result is.  

B12:  This may not be true for all international ranges, but when it definitely came to the US range or those similarly broad, we found out that ‘mid-range’ still produces symptoms of low B12, and we can confuse them with hypothyroidism, including fatigue and pain.  We look for our result to be in the upper quarter, if not near the top.  Because there, we found out, is where our symptoms related to low B12 abated.

Vitamin D:  Several leaders and I had a private discussion about all the conflicting information on the net as what an ideal Vit. D result was. We decided to follow the Vitamin D Council, which states that 60-80 is the goal.  I then add that progressive doctors like to see 80-100, which can especially be cancer-protective.

Cortisol Saliva Results:  When you look at the results of someone with no symptoms of an adrenal problem, here’s what you note: 8 am, at the top of the range; Noon, about a quarter from the top; Afternoon, mid-range; Bedtime, at the very bottom.

Iron: Of the four labs we generally like to see as thyroid patients, we note that a good Serum iron level is closer to 110 (with men being higher and in the upper 130’s or 140’s); a good % Saturation is close to 35% for women and 40-45% for men; a good Ferritin will end up being 70-90 (though this can come last as one improves the others), and a good TIBC, if the range is 250 – 450, ends up being in the low 300’s, we noted, when the others are where they should be.

To read more about what patients have learned about lab results, go to the LAB VALUES page. Learn to understand your own lab results!! 

Three good videos about better adrenal function

I often feel I can’t rave enough about what Paul Robinson of the UK revealed to us about promoting better adrenal function without the use of adrenal meds. It’s a quite unique method of using T3-only (or natural desiccated thyroid) in the early morning hours when the adrenals need it the most. You can see several testimonies—some with more updates coming—on the STTM T3 Circadian page here: //www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/t3-circadian-method.

Has everyone succeeded with the CT3M? No, say some. It wasn’t enough to raise their low afternoon, but definitely helped their low morning!! Others absolutely love it. So it’s up to you.

Granted, if you have Addisons, hypopituitary, or untreated diabetes or blood sugar issues, and saliva reveals quite low cortisol, you may still need HC or adrenal cortex. Chapter 6 in the revised STTM book is your go-to chapter. But for some, this is a very workable solution.

Robinson has created three videos to explain it all, which he also links to from his recent blog:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97SOyEYwh54 

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t2wg9rr6F4

Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhkhcLPGCww

If your doctor prescribes synthetic T4 with synthetic T3

Progress appears to be one step at a time. And we are seeing more and more doctors prescribing T3 to their patients on T4. That’s good!! Doctors are FAMILIAR with the synthetics. So that’s what they will prescribe!

But many, many patients who have tried both synthetics, and who have tried natural desiccated thyroid, report even better results with the latter. So THIS IS WHERE YOU COME IN. Teach your doctor!! Why just be on synthetic T4 and synthetic T3 when you might do even better with all five hormones from desiccated thyroid—i.e. the same five your own thyroid would be giving you! Consider sending the Revised STTM book to your doctor: //www.laughinggrapepublishing.com/ Or, there’s a STTM II book totally written by physicians (his colleagues) and one chapter is specifically about NDT: https://laughinggrapepublishing.com/stop-thyroid-madness-ii-book/

JanieSignature SEIZE THE WISDOM

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

9 replies