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How a hospital can royally mess a thyroid patient up!! And here’s what YOU can do to avoid this!

hospitalLinda was an informed thyroid patient. i.e. she knew that Natural Desiccated Thyroid (NDT) gave her the best results and had been on it for years and successfully. It changed her life in so many wonderful ways as a survivor of polio.

At 3 grains, it was an amount that removed her symptoms and helped so many issues that T4-only like Synthroid in the past did not.

But she was faced with major heart surgery–the replacement of her heart valve. The current one was quickly failing, and it became serious and necessary to get her into surgery!

And here’s what happened after she was admitted into the hospital:

  • She was immediately put on T4-only

    Their reasoning: her FT3 was too high. They failed to understand that her biological stress was probably causing pooling of T3–common in response to high cortisol, and the latter also causing more Reverse T3, the inactive hormone.. Patients will usually just lower the NDT, not get on T4-only, the latter which is a lousy treatment for all too many. And Linda had once been on T4-only and did absolutely lousy!

  • One of the surgical team doctors, while visiting her several days before surgery, defended the T4. 

    Linda reports that the doc seemed to have no knowledge that a heart needs T3 to function well.

  • She was told she could NOT bring her NDT with her and take it. 

    Linda reports here that she was treated like a moron who couldn’t possibly have a brain on what is best for her.

  • Another doctor gave in, but she was only allowed 1.5 grains  

    A much better treatment plan, says Linda, based on years of her NDT use, even though lower than she wanted. And she credits her insistence for this change.

  • She was put back on T4 for the surgery.  

    “I don’t do well on T4!!”, Linda exclaims. “Why do they think I should be on an inferior treatment when I need direct T3 the most in my recovery? They are so uninformed and brainwashed!”

  • Upon being sent to a nursing home for several days for further recovery, she was also forced to stay on T4-only.

    Linda had a friend come get her and take her home for the rest of her recovery!

She is now back on her NDT, though less until she recovers from the stress of her surgery, which can cause T3 pooling and rising RT3. Lesson learned, says Linda!

HOW TO AVOID LINDA’S EXPERIENCE

  1. Designate a loved one or a few friends ahead of time to agree to be your advocate if you have to go into the hospital. 
  2. Teach your advocates by letting them know what you are on today, why it’s a better treatment for you, and what you want to stick with (even if in lower doses due to the stress effect)
  3. Inform your doctor of what you want or don’t want in a hospital setting.
  4. Create a MEDICAL INFORMATION POUCH. Inform your advocates where this pouch will be.

WHAT SHOULD BE IN YOUR MEDICAL INFORMATION POUCH

Try and find a clear plastic pouch or envelope of some kind. If it’s not transparent, label it with you name and info, such as JANIE’S MEDICAL INFORMATION POUCH, 2013. Place it in a memorable place in your house to be taken to the hospital, if needed. It could even be placed in your vehicle.

Or, create a google doc with all your information, and designate someone’s email as always having access to this information.

Add the following information on a sheet of paper:

  1. the amount of Natural Desiccated Thyroid and/or T3 you are on. Suggest an amount to lower to during the stress of the hospital stay, and to be continued after coming home until better recovery. Explain how you dose it. Make it clear that you do not want to be put on T4 of any kind.
  2. the amount of HC/adrenal cortex/adrenal supports you are on and why.
  3. any other important meds you are on and why.
  4. the name of your doctor and phone number.
  5. the name of close relatives or other friends and phone numbers.

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20130611_192609HAVE SPANISH SPEAKING FRIENDS?? PLEASE POST THIS IN YOUR PRIVATE FACEBOOK PAGE: Porfavor ayudame a difundir que la version en español del libro STTM esta disponible. Porfavor peguen la liga de arriba en sus paginas personales de Facebook. No lo puedo dar a conocer sin su ayuda! //www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/spanish

It translates: Please help me to spread the word that the Spanish version of the STTM book is available. Please post the above link in your personal Facebook. I can’t spread the word (about the book) without your help.

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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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T3 to heal adrenals, Selenium, liver–all important info for thyroid patients!

Though this post was written in 2012, it has been updated to the current day and time and it still applicable. Enjoy!

HOW T3, DOSED A CERTAIN WAY, CAN REVERSE YOUR ADRENAL FATIGUE!

UK’s Hashimoto’s patient Paul Robinson has been a successful T3-only treated patient for more than 13 years, especially because he never did well on either synthetic T4, nor on the combination of T4/T3. And he learned so much about himself that he compiled all the information on T3 dosing in his book called Recovering With T3: My Journey from Hypothyroidism to Good Health Using the T3 Thyroid Hormone.

But what I especially find interesting is how he used T3 to cure his flagging adrenal function rather than HC (hydrocortisone).  And here is a short summary of key points. He calls this The Circadian T3 Method, aka the CT3M.

  1. Most of the day’s cortisol is made in the last four hours of sleep, which means your adrenals work their hardest during that time. And like any cell in your body which need T3 to function well, so do your adrenal cells…especially during the time they work the hardest.
  2. With the above in mind, it made sense to Paul that if adrenals are struggling with low cortisol, they clearly need T3 in that early morning 4-hour window in order to function better. How did he do it?  He moved his first T3 dose to one hour before he would normally wake up, held it for a few weeks to see the results, went earlier another half hour, held it for a few weeks to see the effect…and so on. He obtained a lot of data to ascertain what was happening–urine cortisol, blood pressure, pulse, etc. He found that the time which gave his adrenals the biggest boost, and thus better function, was 3 1/2 hours before he normally wakes up.  But he feels that others might find that anywhere in the first three hours of that four hour window, and it’s important to move slowly within that area to find the right time for you based on data.
  3. This protocol needs certain supplements, which include high potency B complex, B12, Vit. C, Vit. D and a good multi mineral. He goes into detail in his book.
  4. This protocol would not work if someone has Addison’s Disease, Hypopituitary or Diabetes…and may not work if you have pre-Diabetes blood sugar issues. It’s blood sugar in the cells that reacts positively with T3.

There is much more detail than the above. And Paul makes it clear that this treatment for adrenal fatigue and proven low cortisol should only be done in your relationship with your doctor. You can read more here on STTM.

UPDATE: many patients have reported that though the CT3M did wonders bringing up the morning cortisol, it didn’t help afternoon cortisol at all, and for some, didn’t help noon’s low cortisol. Yes, there are some who feel it’s helped all day, but also a large body who said it only helped morning. So we concluded that though it’s great for that low morning, you may have to use other supports for other low cortisol times. Also, the CT3M is excellent to help get off HC! Many are off in a month or less!

SELENIUM, EVEN WITH HIGH RT3, IS A MINERAL YOU NEED!

Check out what thyroid patient Cheryl Alvey has put together about selenium. This is a masterful page!

WHY THYROID PATIENTS NEED HEALTHY LIVER FUNCTION

What happens if your liver isn’t healthy?  Transportation is less optimal, and the deiodination type 1 will change to type 3, meaning T4 will convert to excess RT3! And guess what can make your liver unhealthy? Continued hypothyroidism, which happens to all too many who are on T4-only medications, or those left undiagnosed due to the TSH. Hypothyroidism is worsened with adrenal problems, and low iron.  And liver function can become unhealthy or stressed if you eat poorly  You can read more about all this here.

In the meantime, what can one do to promote better liver function? Milk thistle is one highly recommended way by many (use Milk Thistle supps from the seeds to avoid estrogenic affect). Also look into dandelion root /leaf, Sassafras, Burdock, Goldenseal and Yellow Doc root, Red Clover and Echinacea root. Ask someone knowledgeable at your local health food store.

PATIENT YOU-TUBE STTM VIDEOS

See thyroid patient Sam Aliyev’s latest YouTube video.  If you do one about the message of STTM, let me know and I’ll post about it.

**Has STTM benefitted you?? Want to Pay It Forward? Go here.

**Come over to the STTM Facebook page and “Like” it for daily inspiration and information!

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Why iron is so important, milk thistle for RT3, and send the revised STTM book as a Christmas present!

NOTE: though this post was originally written in 2012, it has been updated to the present day and time! Enjoy!

IRON AND ITS IMPORTANCE 

It all too common with hypothyroid patients: finding themselves with low iron levels.   I probably had insufficient iron my entire adult life, remembering that my doctors always told me I was borderline, yet nothing was done about it. So when I finally got on desiccated thyroid, and my iron needs increased due to better health, I finally fell into true anemia, and twice.  Miserable, let me tell you. I was breathless, achy, depressed and had horrific fatigue.

And why is iron so important?

  • Iron carries oxygen from your tissues to your lungs (so if iron is low, you can be breathless and your heartrate has to go up in response to less oxygen. Link here.)
  • Iron helps raise dopamine and serotonin in your brain (so if iron is low, you can feel depression or hyperactive i.e. attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Link here.)
  • Iron assists with the cortisol secretion after ACTH stimulation (so if your iron is low, the cortisol secretion is decreased, lowering glucose in your cells, and that might cause the pooling of T3 in your blood. Link here.)
  • Iron promotes good conversion of thyroid hormones T4 to T3 (so if iron is low, your storage iron T4 will build too high. Link here.)
  • Iron balances your autonomic nervous sytem (so if your iron is low, you can end up in a frequent state of fight-or-flight with accompanying adrenaline surges and nervousness due to heightened sympathic activity. Link here.)
  • Iron protects women from breast tumor growth (so if your iron is low, a benign tumor can become a malignant cancer tumor. Link here.) 
  • Iron improves your immune system (so if your iron is low, you are most susceptible to infections and illness. Link here.)
  • Iron supports brain cell health (so if your iron is low, you can have brain cell death contributing to dementia and possibly Alzheimers. Link here.)

How to discern if your iron is too low

We used to think testing one’s storage iron, ferritin, was enough. But it’s not. Your storage iron can look normal because of an ongoing inflammation, which tends to thrust iron into storage. So we learned that we need four labs at the minimum : ferritin, % saturation, serum iron, and TIBC.  Even low ferritin along with optimal results in the other labs have caused problems with T3 pooling in the blood.  Go here to read what we look for in our iron results.

Raising poor iron levels

Hypothyroid patients tend to “dry up” and that also causes lowered levels of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, which lowers absorption. For better absorption, try adding 1 tsp to 1 tbsp of Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar to each large glass of water or juice you use to swallow your iron pills, or use Betaine, which is an OTC hydrochloric acid supplement.

To learn more, go to the following page. And for even more details, read the Odds and Ends chapter in the revised STTM book.

CAN LIVER CLEANSES/SUPPORTS HELP IMPROVE YOUR RT3 RATIO??

Because of low iron or adrenal dysfunction, many thyroid patients have found themselves with high levels of Reverse T3…or more common, a poor RT3 ratio. And too much RT3 can mean the thyroid hormone T3 won’t adequately work in your cells, and you can feel miserable. The solution for most has been to switch to T3-only, but that can have a host of difficulties.  It’s not easy to dose with T3 alone.

Recently, though, patients are discovering an alternative way to lower one’s excess RT3: the use of a good liver cleanse/support product, and most especially those with the herb called Milk Thistle. It’s an herb which, for hundreds of years, has been used as a liver tonic.  In supplements, it’s the milk thistle seeds which are used because they contain silymarin–the powerful part of the herb which does the trick.  And doses in the 400 mg’s of milk thistle extract supplements seem to be doing the trick, say patients who are reporting on it, taking it twice a day at 200 and 200 minimum. Some studies state you can go higher, if needed. Be careful with its use, as it can lower ferritin levels to some degree. But as long as you keep your serum iron levels up, you can get by with the lowering of ferritin for the short while you may be on Milk Thistle to lower RT3.

HO! HO! HO! SEND THE REVISED STTM BOOK TO A FRIEND OR LOVED ONE FOR CHRISTMAS OR THE NEW YEAR!  It can be the BEST gift they will ever receive!  Go to the following page, and put in the name and address of the recipient, YOUR email, and the publishing company will get the book out to your special someone:  //www.laughinggrapepublishing.com/

 LISTEN TO ONE OF SEVERAL INTERVIEWS I’VE DONE LATELY…AND BOSTON IS NEXT! My next interview will be aired on WBZ-AM 1030 (Boston & New England) on the program called “Women’s Watch” with host Ellen Sherman. You can also listen live here: http://boston.cbslocal.com/station/wbz-news-radio/ No specific time as I am posting this, but it may happen next week. Watch the NTH Yahoo group, STTM Twitter and STTM Facebook groups for an announcement. And there are more to come thanks to a great publicist representing Stop the Thyroid Madness. Want to donate so she can continue helping us spread the word? Go here.  Janie can’t do it without you…and this is specifically to reach millions still on T4-only meds!

 STTM NOW HAS MANY FACEBOOK GROUPS!  See what Facebook has to offer you on top of already great Yahoo groups, here.

 

NOTE: if you are reading this via the email notification, and you want to comment on it, you’ll need to click on the title of this blog post to take you directly to the blog post. Then scroll down to comment.  For those reading this on the actual blog, sign up to the left under the links. 

23 replies

Taking your temp, Selenium and RT3, TPA’s Autumn Newsletter, and HealthcheckUSA’s discount to STTM readers

NOTE: though this post was originally written in 2011, it can still contain relevant information for you today to consider, or do further research on. 

(Photo graphic by thyroid patient Sam Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Baku city.)

TAKING YOUR TEMPERATURE CORRECTLY?? Possibly not.

Thanks to Dr. Broda Barnes, informed thyroid patients know the importance of taking one’s temperature, especially just before we get out of bed in the morning. According to Barnes, we can suspect a thyroid problem if that temp is below 97.8. Conversely, healthy thyroid function (or adequate treatment) would  put our before-rising temp from 97.8 to 98.2. (Menstruating females would need to be aware of higher temps right after ovulation.).

Today, we favor the mercury thermometer over digitals for accuracy. But are we using the mercury thermometer correctly? Maybe not.

A discussion between thyroid patients recently underscored the need to leave it in the mouth longer than the 5 minutes we thought was adequate. Thyroid patient Jennifer states: At 5 minutes it read 97.6, at 10 minutes it read 97.8 and at 15 minutes it read 98 degrees. After that, it stayed 98 degrees.  We then discussed the fact that manipulating the muscle in the back of throat could have caused the final temp. But her experiment, as well as others, underscored that we need to be holding that mercury thermometer in our mouths no less than five minutes, and ten is probably better.

DOES SELENIUM REALLY CAUSE A RISE IN REVERSE T3 (RT3)?

The above statement about selenium causing excess RT3 has oft been repeated from group to group for a few years. But it may be very wrong.

For example, this study shows selenium did not cause a rise in RT3, and in fact, lowered  it. Here is one which shows LOW levels of selenium can result in increased RT3. This medical book states that though RT3 comes from T4, it also concludes that  low selenium increases RT3.

In other words,  though the enzymes that convert T4 to T3,  and convert T4 to RT3, are selenium dependent to do their job, that doesn’t mean that selenium is going to increase your RT3.  Bottom line, many thyroid patients love selenium, especially with its power to lower Hashimoto’s antibodies, and being anti-cancer. Suggested levels are no more than 400 mcg.

TPA’s AUTUMN NEWSLETTER IS OUT–many good articles!

TPA stands for Thyroid Patient Advocacy, and is a UK charity organization started by Sheila Turner. Check out the articles below in the latest newsletter.

Page 5: The Big Question – Is There an Anti-T3 Conspiracy.  Eric Prichard critically questions why those in Endocrinology need to cite numerous anti-T3 studies, in spite of many other studies which reveal the activeness and superiority of T3. Is the UK and other dark age countries ever going to get it?

Page 9:  Why I Believe T3 Should Be the Very Last Treatment that Thyroid Patients Consider.  Don’t let UK’s Paul Robinson’s title fool you. He believes in the efficacy of T3, but underscores why it can be complex to dose with just T3. Especially compelling are what follows Paul’s article, titled MEMBERS SUCCESS STORY.  Story 1 is about an individual who, when dosing T3 in the early morning hours, was able to get off all adrenal meds. Story 2 is about a gal’s successful transition from T4 to T3.

Page 15:  Thyroid Patients Have Come a Long Way, Baby….But We Still Have a Way to Go!  Though there are now numerous patient groups on the net and many lives have changed, Janie Bowthorpe (yes, me) explains how many doctors still have a long way to go in understanding how T4 and TSH fail patients, just as desiccated thyroid or T3 have turned miserable lives around.

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