ndt Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Stop The Thyroid Madness Skip to content

Tag: ndt

20 Ways that Hypothyroid or Hashimoto’s Patients are Gaslighted

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

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

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

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

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

The gaslighting of hypothyroid patients for decades

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

Here’s what gaslighting does: 

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

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

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

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

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

Sad.

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

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

109 replies

10 Gray Areas about Thyroid Treatment and related issues: The Anomalies

Screen Shot 2015-09-01 at 2.34.02 PMEver heard of the word “anomaly“? It means that which deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected. You could also call it the “gray areas”.

And when you’ve observed and compiled thyroid patient experiences and wisdom as long as I have, one thing certainly stands out: though something may be true for the majority of thyroid patients, it may not be true for others.

Here are 10 of those anomalies when it comes to thyroid treatment and issues related – – all based on repeated observations: 

 

  1. HASHIMOTOS and GLUTEN:

    Though the majority of Hashimoto’s patients seem to need to be off gluten to control their antibodies and improve nutrient absorption, there have always been a small percentage of those who have never had problems with consuming gluten….ever.

    i.e. though their once-high antibodies revealed their Hashimotos state, eating gluten didn’t make them worse, nor did gluten consumption bring their antibodies back up after they had gotten them down due to a better thyroid treatment or use of iodine. (Yes, iodine use has helped many Hashi’s patients bring their antibodies down).

  2. SYNTHROID OR OTHER T4-ONLY MEDS:

    Though we’ve observed that the biggest body of Synthroid or T4-only users see the failure of their treatment either from the beginning or within the first few years (in their own degree and kind), there is a small percentage who may not see the failure for 15, 20 years or more, and an even smaller body who feel they never have problems from it (though they usually do and don’t recognize them as problems related to being forced to live for conversion alone).  

    Informed thyroid patients have observed that in fact, some T4-users convert to T3 (the active hormone), better than others…for awhile.  Other T4 users may never have needed treatment at all. My sister-in-law is an example. Her doctor once found her TSH was high, so he put her on Synthroid. She seemed to do fabulously for about 4 years. Then she stopped and was fine. Looking back, there’s a good possibility that chronic stress was pushing her cortisol high, which promotes a hypothyroid state and higher TSH…thus the appearance of thyroid disease. When the chronic stress is resolved, the “hypothyroid state” goes away.

  3. ADRENAL ISSUES:

    Though we’ve observed that at least 50% or more of thyroid patients end up with an adrenal problem due to being on the inadequate T4-only or other stressors to their adrenals, there is another body of patients who never seem to acquire adrenal problems yet had every stressful reason to. 

    Who knows why some escape it. My mother was on Synthroid her entire adult life and paid horrible prices, yet I saw no evidence of an adrenal problem. I was the same–had a million reasons to see my adrenals become sluggish, yet it didn’t happen. Something about our biological or genetic makeup in response to stress? Our way of handling stress? Supplements we took?

  4. HOW MUCH NDT CAN BE TOLERATED WITH LOW CORTISOL

    Though a large body of low cortisol patients can only tolerate “up to” 1 1/2 grains of NDT without having problems, if they go higher, they start to see either pooling of T3 or rising RT3. A smaller percentage can go much higher without noticeable issues, and another small percentage can’t even go as high as one grain without seeing those issues. But they are there.

    When one’s cortisol is a problem, especially when it’s too low, NDT at certain raises will reveal the low cortisol. i.e. NDT is not the problem; it’s revealing the problem via the raises. //www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/ndt-doesnt-work-for-me

  5. WEIGHT GAIN:

    Though it appears the majority of thyroid patients will either gain easy and/or have trouble losing weight, there is a smaller minority with hypothyroidism who stay thin.

    There are so many possibilities as to why some hypothyroid patients stay thin, ranging from not being one who uses food to treat emotions…to all the genetic differences in how each of us burns fat or what one craves. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jul/17/food-metabolism-calories-obesity-diet

  6. WOMEN VS MEN AND HYPOTHYROIDISM

    Though the majority of hypothyroid sufferers appear to be women, there are a body of men who will find themselves in a hypothyroid and/or adrenal state, as well. 

    There is speculation that because of women’s hormonal changes, it makes them more susceptible to having a thyroid problem. But men get thyroid problems, too, so the problems of toxins in our environment and/or low iodine may be other issues affecting both males and females, even if females with their hormonal issues get it more often.

  7. OPTIMAL AMOUNTS OF NATURAL DESICCATED THYROID (NDT)

    Though it appears that a large body of thyroid patients, when optimal, end up in the upper two grain area AND HIGHER…there is a much smaller body who are even higher than the 3-5 grain area, and the very minority are optimal less than 2 grains. 

    If a line is drawn with the least amount of NDT on the left, and the highest amount of NDT on the right, and with a dot representing each person on an optimal amount of NDT, the majority of dots start to fall in the upper 2 grain area and into the 3 grain area. A lesser amount of dots fall in the 4-5 grains area, and fewer dots are higher. Same with the other direction, Much lesser dots are in the lower 2 grains area, and even less in the 1-2 grain area. Of course, this observation is only true when participants understand what “optimal” really means (which many do not) and is explained on the Natural Thyroid 101 page.

  8. DOCTORS

    Though patients have reported over the years that the majority of their doctors are overtly clueless about either diagnosing or correctly treating their thyroid disease, there are a small and growing percentage of medical professionals who are bucking the trend and taking the time to listen to informed patients and Stop the Thyroid Madness, both website and books. 

    And honestly, we all play a role in strengthening that trend by politely yet confidently being your own best advocate, learning what patients have learned, and having the courage to explain it to your doctor, besides make it clear that “this” is how you want to do “that”. If a doctor will not listen, we put our money into the hands of those who will. A doctor works for YOU, not you for him or her. Here’s how to find a good doc.

  9. PROGESTERONE

    Though many (not all) females see their sex hormones mess up in conjunction with having hypothyroidism…and thus, can need progesterone supplementation to counter estrogen, there is a risk of having the progesterone convert to too much cortisol and causing miserable symptoms of high cortisol!

    In the hormonal pathway of conversions, there are some who convert progesterone to cortisol far easier than others. So each person has to figure out how much progesterone they can handle, which is probably individual. If cortisol is low, though, progesterone converting to cortisol can be a slight boon! 🙂

  10. ACID REFLUX/GERD

    Though it’s very common for doctors to prescribe acid reducers like Prilosec or over-the-counter antacids like Tums for your GERD or Acid Reflux….in reality for thyroid patients, turns out they have LOW stomach acid causing the reflux, not high. 

    Though antacids will seem to relieve the symptoms, it’s actually making the low stomach acid now worse, which in turn makes your ability to absorb nurtrients worse. Read about this issue right here: //www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/stomach-acid

JanieSignature SEIZE THE WISDOM

* Join the STTM Facebook group for daily tips, information, and wisdom!

80 replies

Dear Erfa Canada: Stop this nonsense and change your desiccated thyroid back!!

Screen Shot 2014-05-08 at 8.13.37 AMNot again. 

It appears that one more time, a manufacturer of what was once a very good natural desiccated thyroid product has ruined it. 

In 2009, thyroid patients whose lives had changed in major and positive ways thanks to Armour, a brand of natural desiccated thyroid (NDT) made by Forest Labs, saw their hypothyroidism come right back. Why? Forest, in all their wisdom, decided to raise the cellulose, lower the sucrose, and make Armour a much harder tablet. And somehow in all that change, patients reported all their hypothyroid symptoms now returning. It was a disaster.

As a result of the above, thyroid patients moved to other natural desiccated thyroid products, and Erfa of Canada was one. And oh did patients love it. It was made like the old Armour, and we could also do it sublingually–a method many of us like. Erfa calls their NDT product simply “Thyroid” and it has always come in sizes of 30 mg, 60 mg and 125 mg.

Fast forward to 2014, and patients who have been doing wonderfully on Erfa are now reporting a major return of their hypothyroid symptoms!

And what’s the scuttlebutt we hear from Dr. Henri Knafo, the Medical Director for Erfa Canada?? That they changed the facility from which the tablets were made but not the ingredients. Really??

This is particularly disturbing for European patients whose lives have changed in positive ways thank to NDT, and know the inherent problems with T4-only.

All too many European doctors and their esteemed medical organizations are clueless about the efficacy of Natural Desiccated Thyroid and turn their backs on prescribing it. Like too many American and Canadian doctors, they worship the ground that T4-only medications unfortunately walk on, and fail to see the widespread problems that thyroid patients have on T4-only. So patients suffer. But luckily, thyroid patients in Europe had been pleased about being able to find Erfa in a few places and thus, see their lives change in major positive ways.

But that has now changed for European Thyroid Patients thanks to this latest egregious change in Erfa’s Thyroid, and the situation is horrific for patients once again, just as it was in 2009 when Forest changed Armour.

bild 1

What can you do??

  1. If you were once doing wonderfully on Erfa, and now see a return of your symptoms, email Erfa’s Medical Direction here: henri.knafo@eci2012.net  Spell out how you were BEFORE the change, and what is going on SINCE the change. And email him multiple times, if necessary. Make it clear. Make it often.
  2. Post here what has happened to you on the “reformulated” Erfa. This is a widely read blog post and website for informed thyroid patients as well as doctors.

In the meantime, if you need to move over to another brand…or if you CAN change over where you live….here are your options for better thyroid treatment.

PLEASE POST THE LOT NUMBERS of the bottles of which your symptoms returned!

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

UPDATE May 12, 2014: A gal from Sweden heard from Erfa today, and they are admitting there have apparently been a bad batch or batches. I’ll keep you updated.

UPDATE May 15, 2014: Dr. Knafo has posted the following:
Dear all, 

As you know we are currently investigating all the complaints that I received and I would like to ask for your help in order to complete the investigation.

1.       Do you have a lot number and exp date written on the bottle of Thyroid ? If so please give it to us.

2.       Can you tell us what strength(s) you bough (30, 60 or 125mg) ?

3.       Also please mention what pharmacy you bought the product from.

Once this information is received we can go forward with the investigation.   Please feel free to email me if you have other questions

Dr Henri Knafo, MD, M.Sc, B.Sc

Email : Henri.knafo@eci2012.net

 

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

* Watch for daily informative postings on the STTM Facebook page.

* Have you signed up to receive notifications of STTM’s blog post?? Go to the bottom right of the home page on STTM and sign up!

* Need to talk to other patients? Talk to Others page. You’ll also see many other great groups who don’t bash other groups (I hope), care about patient experiences and wisdom over “opinion”, and can be friendly.

* Do you have the STTM books?? You HAVE to be informed to get well.

* Learn why Synthroid or other T4-only meds by themselves are not the way to go in your thyroid treatment.

520 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.

**********

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.

********

– 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!

22 replies

Wall Street Journal’s recent thyroid article: 13 ways it could have been SO MUCH better!

Screen Shot 2013-08-06 at 1.05.29 PM(This post has been updated to the present day and time! Enjoy!)

As usual, informed thyroid patients can only roll their eyes about the latest example of a watered-down, thyroid-themed article in the media. This time, it’s from Wall Street Journal Online and appeared Monday, August 5th, 2013.

Now on the positive side, the title looks good: New Call for More Thyroid Options. 

But let’s set it straight: this is NOT new! Informed thyroid patients have been clamoring about better treatment for more than a decade!!

I started the Yahoo Natural Thyroid Hormones group in 2002 as a way to begin the important discussion about the efficacy of Natural Desiccated Thyroid as a treatment for hypothyroidism over T4-only. The Stop the Thyroid Madness (STTM) site first went up in December 2005–a compilation of worldwide patient experiences which included lives being changed thanks to natural desiccated thyroid (NDT). The STTM book by the same name first appeared in 2008, and the revision in 2011. The STTM II book came out in late 2014. Today, there are numerous thyroid groups all over Facebook which have been extolling the virtues of better treatment.

Let’s break the article down and go into further detail, correction or clarification–all which might have made this a MUCH more informative and accurate article:

1) Grass roots patient-activist organizations….and the doctor-founded National Academy of Hypothyroidism, say that the current screening test for hypothyroidism leaves out some symptomatic patients and that the main medication used to treat patients, doesn’t always alleviate many symptoms.

True! And let’s be more specific about that so-called “screening test”: it’s the inane use of the TSH lab test which has been a monstrous screening failure! The TSH is a pituitary hormone, NOT a thyroid hormone! And it can consistently look “normal” for years (according to the parameter of an erroneous man-made “normal” range), yet we have raging hypothyroid symptoms…all the while the patient has to hear his or her doctor state they need to “exercise more and eat less”. The “main medication” is the all-too-often lousy T4-only medication like Synthroid, Levoxyl, Levothyroxine, Eltoxin, etc. Yet, a healthy thyroid makes FIVE hormones, not just one.

2) They are calling for doctors to be open to other therapies, including a combination of synthetic hormones and the use of natural, animal-based ones.

True. But though adding synthetic T3 to synthetic T4 is a huge step in a much better direction and can be applauded (and so can being on T3-only), a multitude of worldwide patient experience has found that Natural Desiccated Thyroid has given these patients even better results (in the presence of good iron and cortisol levels). Doctors need to listen to that!

3) Hashimoto’s Disease: A Primer (box on the left side of the article) 

What a perfect way to lower the quality of an article. As usual, it contains the dark ages information about the use of the TSH, and mentions the “common” treatment of T4-only. They might as well have inserted a primal on blood-letting.

4) [In reference to Dr. Ridha Arem’s correct comment that “There are so many unhappy thyroid patients,”] :  Many of his mainstream medical counterparts disagree. “The vast majority of people are fine on the standard therapy,” says Jeffrey Garber, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical Center and chair of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists Thyroid Scientific Committee. Still, he says, “there’s a whole group out there who just thinks we’re clueless. 

Yup, millions of informed thyroid patients worldwide would definitely put you in that clueless category, Dr. Garber.

5) The wide range of symptoms, so similar to those of many other diseases, can make diagnosis tough. 

Totally untrue, say thyroid patients! Thyroid disease has a common cluster of symptoms in patients, which can include one or more of depression, fatigue, the need to nap, rising cholesterol, rising blood pressure, achiness, hair loss, weight gain, inability to lose weight, dry skin, dry hair, achiness, a low mid-afternoon temperature (below 98.6F/37C) and so many more symptoms.

Additionally, we have noted that if our free T3 is mid-range or lower, or our Free T4 is low, along with the above symptoms, it’s a sure sign that we are hypothyroid. Finally, family history underscores it for others, as can an ultrasound. It’s not that difficult when you understand the clinical presentation of hypothyroidism over an ink spot on a piece of paper!

6) Newborns and pregnant woman are routinely tested. Experts recommend screening all women over the age of 35 every five years. 

And how does that help when the testing/screening is with the inadequate TSH lab test, which we, as patients, already know leaves millions of us undiagnosed for years.

7) For treatment, guidelines generally call for the prescription of levothyroxine, a synthetic version of a hormone called thyroxine, or T4, which is produced by the thyroid. The gland also produces one other hormone, Triiodothyronine, or T3. 

A healthy thyroid gland produces FIVE known thyroid hormones: T4, T3, T2, T1 and calcitonin. So what’s the motive to prescribe only a storage thyroid hormone???

8) Most doctors, says Dr. Arem, generally prescribe T4-only medications. But such medications may leave some patients with lingering symptoms such as fatigue and depression and, in some cases, low T3 levels. 

He’s right! But there’s more to the story. Even those T4-only treated patients who see a removal of those lingering symptoms still end up seeing them crop up the longer they stay on T4! T4-only treatment is NOT a pretty picture.

9) Some patients go to alternative health professionals to get prescriptions for drugs such as desiccated thyroid extract (DTE) prepared from animal thyroid glands, which include a combination of T4 and T3.  

Thyroid patients are NOT just getting their natural desiccated thyroid (NDT is the common term, not DTE) from alternative health professionals. They are also getting it from open-minded and progressive regular doctors who LISTEN to their patients experiences!

10) The danger here, Dr. Arem says, is such patients could end up with an excessive amount of T3, resulting in symptoms of overactive thyroids, such as anxiety and a fast or irregular heart rate. He advocates a combination approach with amounts tailored to the individual.  

With all due respect to Dr. Arem, who is light years ahead of his colleagues in many areas, an excessive amount of T3 is not because of the use of NDT. It’s because NDT will reveal the problems of inadequate iron or inadequate cortisol–either of which can cause T3 to pool high in the blood and not make it to the cells. When patients correct those, they eventually soar on NDT. A newer page on STTM explains why NDT appears to cause problems.

11) Most studies looking at combination approaches show conflicting results. 

This is because those doing the studies made several key mistakes!! a) they dosed by the TSH, which leaves patients underdosed, b) they had no clue about the problem of inadequate levels of iron or cortisol, either which will leave a patient hypothyroid! Learn from patients!

12) The study’s authors said in a news release that it showed DTE may be a good alternative therapy for a limited number of patients. Harvard’s Dr. Garber says there may be certain subsets who are genetically programmed to respond to such combination therapies. 

That’s like saying a “limited number” of human beings and only those “who are genetically programmed” will do well with a healthy thyroid (NDT gives the exact same hormones as a healthy thyroid!! T4, T3, T2, T1 and calcitonin).

13) Dr. Garber, like many endocrinologists, uses T4 medications with the vast majority of his patients. Occasionally he’ll also use conservative doses of a synthetic T3 drug, but he virtually never prescribes the animal-derived form, he says, because of complications that could arise for women trying to get pregnant or in early pregnancy, as well as individuals with heart disease.  

And this is why most thyroid patients, when they report about their doctor experiences, find Endocrinologists to be the worst doctor they ever went to, using descriptive words such as arrogant, close-minded, blind. And by the way, even some heart surgeons know that T3 SUPPORTS healthy heart function, not hurts it! See the Medical Research page on STTM which supports what we already know by our experiences!

See the actual Wall Street Journal article here.

*******

* Did you know that the original and revised Stop the Thyroid Madness book is in four languages?? English, Spanish, German and Swedish. Wooo hoooo!!  And now, there’s a STTM II book with each chapter written by medical practitioners! 

* The STTM Facebook page is very active and informative about successful thyroid patient treatment! Come join us! Discussion groups listed on the Talk to Others page.

10 replies