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7 examples of buffoonery from The Endocrine Society of Australia about desiccated thyroid

The Endocrine Society of Australia (ESA) came out with their final position paper on Natural Desiccated Thyroid. Ready to throw up at what many hypothyroid patients will state is overt ignorance and condescending arrogance?? Are we not surprised??

Below are 7 excepts from this position paper.

Please note: the following terms are referring to the same product: desiccated thyroid, thyroid extract, NDT, natural desiccated thyroid. By prescription, it’s usually porcine, but there are over-the-counter bovine versions. Thyroxine refers to T4-only, aka levothyroxine, one of five thyroid hormones and a storage hormone alone. In Australia, common brands are Oroxine, Eutroxsig and/or Eltroxin. 

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1) “Desiccated thyroid or thyroid extract is not a pure product, not approved by the TGA [Therapeutic Goods Administration], not available on the PBS [Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme], not produced by a pharmaceutical company, not subject to existing TGA regulations, has limited quality control, and is marketed as a “bioidentical hormone”, while “bioidentical” has been determined by the FDA in the USA as a marketing term.”

Now who wouldn’t want their meds to be pure?? But wouldn’t you love to know what their definition of pure is in their swipe of desiccated thyroid?  But ultimately, this negatively pudgy paragraph is only a set up for the rest of the paper, which is full of baloney statements.

2) “Is the reason some people fail to have complete relief of symptoms when tests show normal levels simply because there are other causes of fatigue, depression, and weight gain that are mistakenly attributed to the thyroid? Could a placebo effect explain the better relief of these symptoms from thyroid extract?”

Condescending ignorance to the max, say patients. For one, we know that “falling in the normal range” has nothing to do with it–it’s about where we fall in those ridiculous normal ranges that does have something to do with it.

And gee, funny that with an optimal amount of desiccated thyroid or T3 (along with good iron and cortisol levels, which is crucial), that “fatigue, depression and weight gain” goes away as reported by patients for YEARS.

And the TSH lab test, which we know is one of the labs being referred to, is useless while on desiccated thyroid–i.e. optimal, life-changing amounts of desiccated thyroid nearly always push the TSH quite low, which has NOT caused bone loss or heart problems (as a low TSH with Graves disease does). To the contrary, the right amount of desiccated thyroid has REPEATEDLY been known to improve bone and heart health in measurable outcomes.

Finally and more egregious, to use “placebo effect” as a way to explain the numerous and common positive effects patients get on desiccated thyroid is the height of condescending arrogance, many patients would exclaim.

3) “Despite claims of proponents that desiccated thyroid or thyroid extract are superior to thyroxine or combinations of T4 and T3 for most people with hypothyroidism, no controlled clinical trials have been published, and most endocrinologists are concerned that superiority is due to a placebo effect or an effect of overtreatment.”

Claims?? Since when are CLEAR and MEASURABLE health changes on desiccated thyroid by Australian thyroid patients (and worldwide) simply “claims”?? They include lowered cholesterol, better blood pressure, improved bone density, less weight gain (and in some, weight loss)…besides the obvious reported improvements in depression, better energy, softer skin and hair, removal of pain and so many more results.

And once again, the condescending conclusion that if one feels better on thyroid extract, PLUS has measurable changes, then SURELY it has to be in their heads and nothing going on physiologically. Let’s see, I’ve been on NDT for 15 years now, and if this logic is maintained, I have somehow continued to simply “delude myself” for a decade and a half that I have felt much better in my thyroid treatment THAT long…andddd somehow manipulated the measurable results in my health.

4) “Thyroxine is “Monitored; accurate and consistent “; Thyroid Extract is “Monitored; may be inaccurate or inconsistent” “

Yawn. The same weak and unfounded conclusions about desiccated thyroid we’ve heard before. Since when is giving us back all five thyroid hormones “inaccurate” or “inconsistent”? If it’s inaccurate or inconsistent, why have so many seen their lives change on NDT as they find their unique optimal amount, and for years?? If thyroxine is so wonderful, why do millions report continuing or worsening symptoms on the “accurate and consistent” thyroxine?

Oh wait, all of you whose lives have changed are just fooling yourself with placebo outcomes….

5) “The controversies surrounding the safety and efficacy of “bioidentical hormones” such as desiccated thyroid or thyroid extract illustrate the need for further scientific and medical scrutiny of these substances. Until such studies are completed, physicians should exercise caution when prescribing “bioidentical hormones” and counsel their patients about the controversy over the use of these preparations.” 

Really?? Is it SAFE to be on only one of five thyroid hormones when there are numerous reasons why the conversion to T3 can be blocked, either from the beginning or the longer someone is forced to rely on conversion alone??  See those reasons on this page.

Is it SAFE on thyroxine when so many see rising cholesterol, rising blood pressure, bone thinning, heart problems, and/or a lowered immune function?? The “controversies” are those manufactured by clueless Endocrine Societies, NOT by thyroid patients who worldwide have had lives changed on desiccated thyroid if they are allowed to find their optimal amount (which has to have good iron and cortisol levels).

And by the way, there is ALREADY science about the efficacy of NDT or T3 in one’s treatment…BESIDES that fact that a huge growing body of thyroid patients are reporting lives changed in totally positive ways.

6) “In general, desiccated thyroid hormone or thyroid extract, combinations of thyroid hormones, or triiodothyronine [T3] should not be used as thyroid replacement therapy.”

In other words, as the most damning, cruel and ignorant part of this statement, it’s saying that we, the Australian Endocrine Society, don’t give a damn if you are suffering on thyroxine…don’t give a damn if you have genetics which prevent the conversion of T4 to T3 and thus might need T3-only to reclaim your health and well-being…don’t give a damn if you have high RT3 on thyroxine that being on mostly T3 would lower…don’t give a damn if there are a huge growing body of thyroid patients whose lives have changed on thyroid extract (of which many changes ARE measurable)…and don’t give a damn that a healthy thyroid also gives people direct T3 and does NOT force people to live for conversion alone.

Oh and remember the reasoning above that desiccated thyroid is not pure–implying that thyroxine is…yet now we have a widening of the cruelty by lassoing in triiodothyronine (T3) as a product which IS approved by the TGA, yet now is also not recommended??

7) “A registry of adverse events related to the use of bioidentical hormone preparations, including desiccated thyroid or thyroid extract, should be supported by the TGA and could be managed by an external organization, as the TGA does not regulate or monitor these compounds.”

At face value, registering adverse events to any drug is a good thing.

Yet, we KNOW for a fact that most “adverse events” with desiccated thyroid are due to the FAILURE of doctors or research studies to understand that patients have to have the right amount of iron levels or cortisol when raising NDT to avoid those “adverse” reactions….just as patients should NEVER be dosed by the TSH “normal” range, which leaves patients underdosed and thus, continued or growing symptoms of hypothyroidism which could be termed “adverse events”.  Other situations which can cause “adverse events” with NDT include Lyme disease, chronic inflammation, and high heavy metals, of which of course, clueless organizations would simply blame the NDT instead of understanding the results of Lyme, inflammation and/or high heavy metals.

To see this position paper in its entirety: https://www.endocrinesociety.org.au/ESA_Position_Statement_%20Thyroid-Extract.pdf

Rattle, thyroid patients!! Speak loud and clear. Send the URL to this blog post to your private Facebook pages. https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/2017/06/27/7-examples-australian-endocrine-buffoonery/ Make this information even better by your informed comments here. Don’t be silent!!

BEST LIST OF HYPOTHYROID SYMPTOMS on the net (of which many occur while on thyroxine): http://stopthethyroidmadness.com/symptoms 

WHY T4-ONLY HAS RUINED MILLIONS OF LIVES over the decades: http://stopthethyroidmadness.com/t4-only-meds-dont-work

WHY DESICCATED THYROID or even T3 added to T4 has changed lives and how: http://stopthethyroidmadness.com/natural-thyroid-101

TWO MOST WIDELY READ and LIFE CHANGING THYROID BOOKS: http://www.laughinggrapepublishing.com 

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Stupidity Award of the Year: the UK’s NHS states that T3 has “little or no clinical value”

The following Guest Blog post has been written by UK Thyroid Patient Carolyn and contributions added by Janie A. Bowthorpe

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Just when you think things couldn’t get more ridiculous….

Just a few days ago, the BBC reported that the National Health Service (NHS) of the United Kingdom has proposed that the medication T3-only, aka Liothyronine, has little or no value. Let me repeat: LITTLE OR NO VALUE.

The article also states: “The proposals could see an outright ban or tighter restrictions on some products being prescribed by GPs.”

Here’s the list, as reported by the BBC, of those they consider as low value medicines (and their annual cost to the NHS):]

  • £30.93m on Liothyronine to treat underactive thyroid
  • £21.88m on gluten-free foods
  • £17.58m on Lidocaine plasters for treating nerve-related pain
  • £10.51m on Tadalafil, an alternative to Viagra
  • £10.13m on Fentanyl, a drug to treat pain in terminally ill patients
  • £8.32m on the painkiller Co-proxamol
  • £9.47m on travel vaccines
  • £7.12m on Doxazosin MR, a drug for high blood pressure
  • £6.43m on rubs and ointments
  • £5.65m on omega 3 and fish oils

Also mentioned in the article after the above “low value” medications comes “suncream, cough and cold remedies and indigestion and heartburn medicines”. i.e. T3-only, which patients report has brought back MUCH better health, is on the same level as suncream.

The article states that the “NHS England confirmed the review would begin in April, but did not put any timescale on how quickly a decision would be made.”

Living in the UK as a hypothyroid patient

Those like me living in the UK and using the NHS (which by the way is not ‘free’, as we all pay into it through our taxes), appreciate that it isn’t a bottomless pit of money which can fulfill every single person’s desires. Some of the items on this list (see above) are easily and cheaply available over the counter in pharmacies and supermarkets.  I believe people also have a responsibility to purchase some things themselves rather than incurring the excessive cost of processing an unnecessary doctor’s prescription.

But T3 isn’t available over the counter, although it is in some other European countries.

The sole reason T3 is on this list at all is the cost. Just look at that amount of money: £30.93million annually— that’s a lot of money, and who wouldn’t want to save that.

But despite this drug called Liothyronine (aka T3) costing pennies to make, and costing a couple of Euros on the mainland, it costs over £9 A TABLET to the NHS. No wonder they don’t want to prescribe it.

A loophole in legislation around generic medicines has been massively exploited and the cost has been steadily increased by the sole licensed supplier. So rather than investigate that situation of being totally ripped off and putting a proper system of value-for-money purchasing in place, the answer that is being proposed is to withdraw T3. What a failure of proper management of resources; I expect better of my government officials.

I have friends with the genetic mutation which means they literally cannot convert T4 to T3, even before we get into the debate about T4-only thyroid hormone replacement detailed below. They are being condemned to a long slow death.

A health care system which is held up as a model for the rest of the world is going backwards.

We aren’t all able to change doctors and a private prescription would be prohibitively expensive for most people, even if the doctors working in the private sector would be prepared to step outside the cruel guidelines still in place for treatment of hypothyroidism in the UK.

I can only hope that someone listens to the cries of outrage following this proposal and takes some sensible action to correct this massive pricing discrepancy. Getting proper treatment with T3 or NDT shouldn’t be this difficult and is a false economy.

Before I was refused any treatment due to the guidelines, I was off work ill for months. I was working full time within weeks of starting Natural Desiccated Thyroid; back paying my tax and supporting the NHS.

Let’s talk a minute about T3

For those who might be new to this, a healthy thyroid produces five known hormones: T4, T3, T2, T1 and calcitonin. Those five hormones are a wonderful symphony of what makes a healthy thyroid function. (Chapter 2 in the revised STTM book gives excellent detail about all this)

And hypothyroid patients were treated with all five hormones from the 1800s onward via pig or sheep thyroids…until the early 1960’s when Knoll Pharmaceuticals decided to promote its “new and modern” treatment for hypothyroidism–T4-only. i.e. no direct T3. T4 is a storage hormone meant to convert to the powerful and health-giving T3. And everyone fell for this promoted fallacy that somehow, giving patients only one of five thyroid hormones was a hunky-dory way to treat hypothyroidism. (See Chapter 1 in the Revised STTM book! Learn the truth!!)

But they were dead wrong. T4-only, aka Synthroid, Levoxyl, Levothyroxine, Unithroid, Eltroxin, Levaxin, Norton, Eutrosig, Oroxine, or Tirosint, seems to have failed millions of patients in their own degree and kind, over the years, forcing all who are prescribed it to live for “conversion” alone. Yes, some do better than others! But the large amount of people who have NOT done well is profound….just as it’s profound how many T4-users report feeling far better when they added direct T3 in their treatment, or Natural Desiccated Thyroid.

My final message to the NHS

You are seriously wrong to state that the medication Liothyronine (aka T3) has little or no value as a way to cut costs.

Your conclusion means that you will end up subjecting your fellow UK residents to a lifetime of continued hypothyroidism thanks to being forced to live for conversion alone on levothyroxine as a sole treatment for hypothyroidism (See seven studies/articles at the bottom of this blog post). Your conclusion also seriously harms those who have the DIO1 or DIO2 mutation, which prevents these individuals from converting T4 to T3 adequately.

Get with it, NHS. Wise up. Stop this massive ongoing cruelty to thyroid patients.

UK THYROID PATIENTS: Share this blog post anywhere, everywhere. Let’s send a firm message to the NHS. Copy and paste: 

https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/2017/04/02/stupidity-award-nhs/

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RESEARCH SHOWING THAT T3 COMBINED WITH T4 GIVES BETTER RESULTS (from https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/medical-research):

  1. Here’s a study from 1996 which underscored that both T4 and T3 are needed to remove hypothyroidism: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8641203 (And it followed research from the previous year showing that T4-only did NOT do the job—see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC185993/)
  2. As far back as 1999, the New Journal of Medicine reported superior results of a synthetic T4 and T3 combination treatment, especially on the brain and other tissues.  http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/340/6/424
  3. And another one titled Thyroid Insuffiency: Is Thyroxine the Only Valuable Drug,   http://www.encognitive.com/  Journal of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine (2001), 11, 159—166
  4. And here’s another one from 2009: http://www.eje-online.org/cgi/content/abstract/EJE-09-0542v1 (has a fee) but here’s where you can at least see the abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19666698 They evaluated depression and anxiety rating scales as well as patients own preference.
  5. Also this one:  http://www.endocrine-abstracts.org/ea/0013/ea0013P316.htm
  6. At first blush, this Amsterdam study appears to give the same propaganda of T4 only. But as you read on, it mentions this: Third, recent animal experiments indicate that only the combination of T4 and T3 replacement, and not T4 alone, ensures euthyroidism in all tissues of thyroidectomized rats. From 2001, Developmental Endocrinology to Clinical Research: http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?Aktion=ShowAbstract&ArtikelNr=48140&Ausgabe=227546&ProduktNr=224036
  7. John C. Lowe’s Four 2003 Studies of Thyroid Hormone Replacement Therapies: Logical Analysis and Ethical Implications  Excellent article (16 pages) about the efficacy of using T4 and T3 in treatment, and not using the TSH, and so much more.

 

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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?

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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

Depression? High blood pressure? Weight gain? Need a nap? On a T4-only med like Synthroid? TEN RESULTS YOU NEED TO KNOW!

(This page was updated in 2015. Enjoy!)

STTM Thyroid Awareness MonthJanuary is THYROID AWARENESS MONTH, but no matter what month you are in, it pays to be an informed patient!

A healthy thyroid, or the right treatment, will create the following TEN RESULTS: 

 

1) Bodily warmth

Because the active thyroid hormone T3 stimulates your metabolism is the right way, patients find themselves getting close to or at 98.6 F/ 37 C in the afternoons, plus warmer hands and feet.

2) Better mood

The right thyroid hormones increase neurotransmitter responsiveness in your brain (like serotonin), meaning it’s your natural anti-depressive…and depression is kicked to the wind.

3) The ability to concentrate 

Just as they are anti-depressive, thyroid hormones promote better thought processing in your brain.

4) A healthy heart and blood pressure 

Thyroid hormones play a strong role in the health of your cardiovascular system

5) Softer skin and better hair

The right thyroid hormones keep you moister, so you don’t have problems with dry hands, dry hair, eyebrow loss, hair thinning….etc.

6) Better weight maintenance

Your metabolism stays at a point where it’s easier to maintain your goal weight with healthy eating habits and exercise.

7) The ability to avoid naps 

The right metabolism from the right thyroid hormones (after a good night’s sleep) keeps you awake and feeling fabulous even in the afternoons.

8) Healthy cholesterol 

Thyroid hormones appear to have both an indirect and direct relationship to healthy cholesterol levels.

9) Easier and more regular bowel movements

Because of the extra moisture that the right amount of thyroid hormones give you, bowel movements are better, and constipation and hard stools belong to someone else.

10) A stronger immune system

Thyroid hormones play a direct role in the strength of your body’s ability to withstand infections and disease, or at the least, fight them quicker and more stronger if you do get sick.

So my friends, if anything above seems off to you, there are important things you need to do:

  1. Find a doctor who will do the Free T3 and Free T4, NOT just the TSH. Just using the TSH lab test has kept many folks UNdiagnosed, or UNDERtreated. 
  2. Learn how to read those lab results here. Lab results have NOTHING do with just “falling in the range”.
  3. Look into natural desiccated thyroid (NDT). It gives you all FIVE thyroid hormones, not just one left to depend upon like T4-only (aka Synthroid, Tirosent, Levothyroxine, Eltroxine, etc).
  4. Find out about all problems associated with being left undiagnosed due to the TSH and undertreated due to T4-only meds, such as non-optimal levels of iron, high or low cortisol, low B12, depression and mental health issues, low Vitamin D and other problems. Any of these can also contribute to problems with the above ten results.
  5. Order the revised STTM book. This is a compilation of successful patient experience and wisdom to help you achieve the above ten results. Learn from patients! Right now, it’s in ENGLISH, GERMAN, SPANISH AND SWEDISH.

**The above graphic was lovingly created by thyroid patient Marivia Gonzalez of Panama.

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* ADD A BLUE THYROID AWARENESS RIBBON to your Facebook profile pic here. It will end up on the lower right….

* Did you know there’s a STTM II book? Every chapter is written by medical practitioners! A great followup to the revised STTM book! 

* Join the STTM Facebook page to get daily tips and inspiration!

 

31 replies

A clinical trial in progress to investigate T3 in the treatment of fibromyalgia

Oh the heels of my last blog post (see right below this if you are reading right on the site) comes something VERY interesting, and which thyroid-patients-in-the-know have already known about for a good ten years!

Namely, Dr. Ian Carroll, MD, MS, and Dr. Jarred Younger, PhD of the Stanford Systems Neuroscience and Pain Lab are currently enrolling patients for a clinical trial investigating T3 for the treatment of fibromyalgia. (Fibromyalgia is a chronic syndrome which causes widespread musculoskeletal pain and debilitating fatigue, also aching, twitching, burn sensation, joint issues).

Of course, patients who switched to desiccated thyroid the past ten years (or have used synthetic T3 in their treatment) already KNOW the truth from experience (which is usually always pooh-poohed by clinical-trial-worshipping, clinical-presentation-ignoring, medical professionals.).

Namely, fibromyalgia is usually the result of undiagnosed hypothyroidism (due to the inane TSH lab test) and undertreated hypothyroidism (due to the worst medication ever thrust on patients, aka T4-only, or Synthroid, Levoxyl, levothyroxine, Eltroxin, Oroxine, etc.) i.e. you need direct T3, the most powerful thyroid hormone, to adequately treated hypothyroidism.

i.e. we’re all kinda going duhhhhhhhh here.

But, if a clinical trial is needed to prove what we already know (and so has Dr. John C. Lowe known it for many years), it’ll be just one more underscore of the truth. Go to the following to read more and/or enroll:  http://snapl.stanford.edu/t3/

P.S. the Bobbsey Twins of the failure of the TSH labs test and treating with T4-only:  Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

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Does your inner ear itch?? Got an email from a gal who was on Synthroid for 7 years, and for the last 5, had torturous deep inner ear itching. And guess what?? It went away just two days after switching to desiccated thyroid. Yup, another long and pathetic symptom of a poor treatment. (If you still have it on desiccated thyroid, see what mistakes in your treatment you need to identify and change, which is also Chapter 11 in the STTM book with a little more details added.)

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Yippee!! Direct Labs is the third lab facility to partner with STTM in offering the kind of labs that patients who frequent STTM know are important in their quest to feel better and educate their doctors.  Unfortunately, they don’t offer saliva like the other two, which are Healthcheck USA and MyMedLab, but they have all the other labs you may be interested in. You can view them by going to STTM’s Recommended Labwork page.

12 replies