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Join us every Friday night for a STTM Community Call Talk Show

talkshoeOh boy! You are invited to a Thyroid Patient Community Call on your computer which will be held each and every Friday night for an hour with myself, Janie, as host.  We had the first one last Friday and it was fun and informative. No, I didn’t announce it here because I wanted to work on any bugs in the system as we learned to use it.

Here’s a chance to ask questions about shortages of desiccated thyroid, options to talk to your doctor about to treat your hypothyroidism during this shortage period, how to find a good doctor, and more.

Times are 7 pm Pacific, 8 pm Mountain, 9 pm Central and 10 pm Eastern. Just go here: http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=62603&cmd=tc

You can make two choices: just listen to the Audio of the podcast talk show, or call in. Phone number will be right on the bottom.  You can register with Talk Shoe and pick a user name, or come in as a Guest.

You’ll also note a chat box.  The handy and beautiful gals Darla and Diane will usually be there to guide you. If you want to line up to talk in the queue, you’ll be asked the topic of your conversation in the chat box.  As you wait for me to get to you, you’ll be able to hear the talk through your phone, and will need to MUTE your computer sound.

You’ll be seeing guests join us, as well, so watch for each Community Call announcement on the above link. And even without a scheduled guest, you just never know who is going to pop in and chat. 🙂

Come join us! And remember: we are all just patients chatting with patients. This is not to replace the relationship with your doctor in your treatment or for treatment advice. Stick with your doctor for that.

*Want to be informed of these blog posts? Curious what’s on Janie’s mind? Just use the Notifications on the left below the links.

* STTM t-shirts are half price! I love sales!

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Iodine–thyroid patients figure things out again!

Iodine

(Though this post was originally written in 2008, it has been updated to the current date and time. Enjoy!)

The topic of iodine supplementation for your overall health has been growing the past few years among thyroid patients, especially in light that many of us may be low in iodine, that thyroid hormones are composed of iodine, or just the fact that iodine has anti-cancer qualities.

I became interested in the topic after reading Dr. David Derry’s book Breast Cancer and Iodine. I’ve also seen the testimony of several women with Fibrocystic Breast Disease who saw it disappear once they started iodine supplementation. Impressive! And it’s true for me!

And since thyroid hormones are primarily composed of iodine, thyroid patients are listening to and questioning the use of iodine supplementation.

But thyroid patient Mike Lawson came up with some very interesting facts this week about iodine in desiccated thyroid–just one more reason to consider using WP Thyroid, Naturethroid, Westhroid or other desiccated thyroid products! He figured out the below:

T3 = C15H12I3NO4 = molar mass of 650.9776
T4 = C15H11I4NO4 = molar mass of 776.87

Iodine has a molar mass of 126.90

Iodine content of T3 = (3 * 126.9)/650.9776. T3 is 59.725 % iodine.
Iodine content of T4 = (4 * 126.9)/776.87. T4 is 65.339 % iodine.

NDT has 38 mcg T4 & 9 mcg T3.
.65339 * 38 mcg = 24.828 mcg iodine
.59725 * 9 mcg = 5.37525mcg iodine

So, each grain of NDT has 30.20325 mcg iodine. In other words, each grain of NDT has 1/5 the RDA of iodine (150 mcg).

Very interesting facts, Mike! Sure, most thyroid patients feel they need more than what desiccated thyroid offers. But it’s a good start when so many individuals feel their own iodine levels are too low and need help, especially those who have had to deal with thyroid or breast cancer, or have a family history of it.

Want to read more??

– Check out Dr. Maclean’s STTM Guest Blog post with excellent information concerning high doses of iodine supplementation: //www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/2016/01/14/iodine-effects-at-different-doses/

– And this information is important concerning companion nutrients you would want to already be on when you start iodine supplementation: //www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/2013/12/29/companion-nutrients-the-key-to-iodine-protocol/

– Here is a compilation of good information concerning iodine: //www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/iodine12345/

– Facebook has two iodine groups worth exploring: https://www.facebook.com/groups/iodine4health/ and https://www.facebook.com/groups/IodineWorkshop/

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Count on it: your doctor is going to ignore your symptoms

At the heel of Oprah’s revelation that she has a thyroid condition (see my blog post below) comes this article on September 13: Statins: Doctors ignore patients’ complaints of reactions to drugs

Boy howdy, doesn’t THAT sound familiar!

Sure, it’s about a non-thyroid drug called a statin, which has an advertised purpose of lowering your high cholesterol. But the information MIRRORS the experience of ALL thyroid patients!! Namely, the article shows that doctors rarely believe that the pill you are on is to blame for your “real – or imagined reactions”.

The article outlines a study that involved 650 patients who had complained of particular reactions after taking their statin. And the problems these patients observed are COMMON to being on statins – muscle problems, cognitive loss, and nerve pain called peripheral neuropathy (and my dear mother-in-law, who is on a statin, has all three). And what they got across the board is that their doctors either denied or barely considered that the statin could be causing the problems which the patient complained about!

And there’s a huge double whammy irony here. Namely, not only do thyroid patients have this exact experience when we are on T4-only meds and continue to have hypo symptoms that our doctors dismiss, but WE ARE A CERTAIN BODY OF THOSE ON STATINS because of one of the key continuing hypo symptoms that our doctors dismiss–high cholesterol.

Clinical presentation has gone by the wayside in favor of a lazy worship of the infallibility of pills.

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Patient experience in the doctor’s office makes you weep

I’m sick. I’m tired. I feel awful. I’ll go the my doc’s office for help.

We have all done it, filled with hope and promise. I have done it!! Why not, since our doctor has had at least four years of medical school training that we couldn’t fathom doing ourselves, including working with patients under the supervision of licensed doctors, and 1-3 years of residency following school. Oh and let’s not forget the continuing education, besides experience with thousands of patients before me.

I’m in good hands.

THUD. For thyroid patients, it couldn’t be FARTHER from the truth. The experience in the beloved doctor’s office has been nothing less than dismal, disgusting, and depressing….and nothing more than pure malpractice.

Why? Because there’s not a thyroid patient anywhere who hasn’t gone in with raging hypothyroid symptoms…and 1) was dismissed, 2) told they needed an anti-depressant/pain med/statin rather than better thyroid treatment and/or 3) were told they were “normal” simply because those ink spots called labs ‘said so.’ So we have left…sick, and for years.

Whatever happened to “clinical presentation”????

And if you think that I am barking up the wrong tree, take heed. The following true story, which was related to me two days ago, is exactly like THOUSANDS we hear on this site every week:

I walked into the Endo’s office, feeling awful. I had been told he was the best in the state and I knew he held a high position in the University. First, when I told him about my unrelenting brain fog, he dismissed it. When I told him my cholesterol keeps rising, he said I wasn’t eating correctly (I love veggies and eat fowl more than beef). When I told him my throat felt tight, he said it was a temporary inflammation, take tylenol and it would pass. When I told him that I wanted a treatment with T3 in it like Armour to help my depression, he laughed, saying there was no connection between T3 and mental health. I left with my normal script for 125 mcg Synthroid, a pronouncement that I’m “normal”, feeling crazy and stupid, moving to a sense of COMPLETE rage, and mostly, I felt like a complete fool for ever taking the time. What will happen to me? I can only get worse with my symptoms, which thanks to you site, I can now see are ALL hypo symptoms. Will ANY doctor LISTEN TO ME???

I WEEP.

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