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Walter Reed Medical Center proclaims desiccated thyroid SAFE…and there’s more to the story!

CLAPPING HANDSPatients have known by their experiences the past 110 years that natural desiccated thyroid (NDT) was safe and effective.

Yet it took a recent study at Walter Reed Military Medical Center, and lead by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, to proclaim what patients already knew: Desiccated thyroid extract a safe alternative to levothyroxine in hypothyroidism, as reported on Endocrine Today. Good for Walter Reed Military Medical Center and Thanh D. Hoang, DO, the staff endocrinologist who reported it:

“At the end of the 16-week study, 34 patients (48.6%) preferred DTE therapy, whereas 13 (18.6%) preferred levothyroxine; 23 (32.9%) did not specify a preference, he said. Further analysis confirmed those who preferred DTE lost even more weight over a 4-month period.”

In other words, those doctors throughout the years…and especially negatively-biased Endocrinologists…who have outright proclaimed that NDT was….

  • ineffective
  • dangerous
  • inconsistent
  • unnecessary
  • “fill-in-the-blank”

…might want to eat a bit of the dirt from that potted plant in their office’s waiting room.

And what’s the “more to the story”??

In all probability, there were several patients who had either low iron or a cortisol problem—a common problem for many hypothyroid patients who’ve remained undiagnosed with their hypothyroidism. And with either or both, patients don’t do as well on NDT until they optimize either. And once they do, patients have soared on NDT, as reported for more than ten years!

Also, the TSH lab test was used in this study, and if patients are kept in the TSH “normal” range, they don’t do as well ! Dosing NDT should have NOTHING to do with a pituitary hormone lab result, we have learned over and over.

Bottom line: we might have seen that 48% much higher if the above had been recognized. But frankly, the results of this study are still POSITIVE and underscore what patients have already known and experienced for a long, long time!! Hooray!!

DO YOU HAVE SPANISH-SPEAKING FACEBOOK FRIENDS?

WIth 20130611_191811the Spanish version of the Stop the Thyroid Madness book being out, I could use help in reaching folks who really don’t understand English well-enough to know why they are having problems with their thyroid treatment.

Please consider posting the following on your Facebook page to help reach your spanish-speaking friends from the misery of being undiagnosed or being on T4-only meds like Synthroid:

Pre-ordenar su copia de la versión española del libro DETENGAN LA LOCURA TIROIDEA: Una Revolución de Pacientes en Contra de Décadas de Mala Calidad !! http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/spanish/

EVEN WITH DAILY SUPPLEMENTATION, MY OWN VITAMIN D LEVEL FELL

I found myself with a Vit. D level of 45 two weeks ago. That was a shock considering I have been supplementing with 5000 IU’s almost daily and it was, in fact, lower that last time I checked. Sure, there have been intermittent periods where I would run out of my supplement, or forgot it on a vacation. But this was a drastic drop…considering. And my progressive doc wondered out loud if SUNSHINEsomething is going on out there, as she’s seen this with several of her patients.

Granted, we know that one culprit which is huge for thyroid patients is low stomach acid. But are there other causes? Possibly.

In 2011, the National Center for Health Data reported on 9 reasons your D levels can fall. They include living in higher latitudes, pollution, having darker skin, obesity, and getting older. Two other important reasons include gut problems or kidney/liver issues. i.e. if your gut is compromised due to low stomach acid, Celiac, or any other digestive/absorption issues, you will probably need to keep a close watch on your levels and supplementation. And a stressed liver is not helping you either. That’s where doctors will test your ALT and AST to gauge the stress level of your liver.

For me, I’m back on 10,000 IU’s daily.

WANT TO SEE MORE MEDICAL STUDIES WHICH SUPPORT WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW? 

STTM has a page showing several medical research studies which you might enjoy, and can use with your narrow-minded, research-obsessed doctor.

**Have you Liked the STTM Facebook page? You’ll get daily tips and information!

 

 

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More Spring 2013 Thyroid Tidbits!

Yellow FlowersOn the heals of the bat-guano Thyroid Tidbits just a few days ago, here are more for your reading pleasure and enlightenment:

Well, well, well…Endocrinology underscores what we already know!

In a March 2013 article titled “Subclinical hypothyroidism predicts cardiovascular mortality in NHANES”, it states “Subclinical hypothyroidism is a strong independent predictor of cardiovascular mortality in a healthy population at baseline, a national study indicated.”

A good realization about hypothyroid and heart health, but we have to wonder if they really understand what “subclinical hypothyroidism” is, because we, as informed thyroid patients, know it’s NOT waiting until the pituitary hormone TSH rises to 3 or 5 or above, since MANY of us are hypo years before the TSH rises high enough to reveal it…and some report NEVER having a raised TSH even though their symptoms scream hypothyroid for years!

And do they yet understand that thyroxine is NOT going to make that much of a difference in our heart health…as exactly happened to my Synthroid-treated mother?? *See*//www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/healthy-heart-with-t3/

B12 Dots may be a better treatment for some!

Thyroid patient Marilyn emailed me the following interesting information:

I had a B12 level of 189 five years ago. In the beginning, I tried the mega-doses of B12, but they did nothing for me, and I had to take the monthly shots. My thyroid specialist recommended B12 Dots (found in health food stores or organic sections of stores). Put under your tongue, they are absorbed into the blood stream directly. One a day and I am back to normal. No more shots and no more big pills to take. I use the 500 mcg dot, but I know they also make a 5000 mcg dot.

And by the way, an important discovery patients made years ago: mid-range B12 is not adequate. They needed to get to the upper quarter of the range to fully rid themselves of B12-related symptoms.

Costco has it ALL WRONG!

From thyroid patient Florence who emailed me:

I received The Costco Connection magazine in the mail for April 2013. There is an article on underactive Thyroid that refers to the TSH as the “gold standard” and states if someone continues to have symptoms on T4 medication when the TSH is within the desired range then the amount of medication isn’t the problem. Please contact The Costco Connection magazine and let them know why the information the author received from an Endocrinologist at the Diabetes Center at Mercy Medical Center (Baltimore) is incorrect. 1-800-955-2292

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: the world-is-flat syndrome

Have you ever been told you have CFS, ME (Myalgic Encephalopathy), or CFIDS? Because It’s past time to lay this out on the table, because Chronic Fatigue Syndrome just may be one more bungling diagnosis by our medical community for more than twenty years! So it’s time to have an open mind, carefully considering history and facts.

Yes, there are always exceptions to everything, but overall, there are strong clues as to what most cases of CFS spring from—a hypothyroid state. //www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/chronic-fatigue-syndrome

2013 study: direct evidence about the efficacy of Vitamin D!

This newest study, just reported in Science News, is said to provide direct evidence that optimizing your vitamin D levels plays a large role in improving your immune system, besides lowering your risk for a host of diseases! That is good news for thyroid patients, especially Hashimotos patients, who are always working to optimize their poor levels due to low stomach acid.

It states that the “vitamin D status of healthy adults significantly impacts genes involved with a number of biologic pathways associated with cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD), infectious diseases and autoimmune diseases.”

Why you need to go to bed when your body says NOW!

Dr. Lam has always stated that we need to go to bed by 10 pm. Why? He explains that “This is because our adrenal glands kick in for a “second wind” to keep us going from 11 pm to 1 am. This puts tremendous stress on the adrenals.”

And we now have proof by patient reported experiences as to how important going to bed at the right time is! One gal with adrenal fatigue and low cortisol, and who was working with the T3CM, stated she went on vacation with her family. The vacation was to an area that had no TV, and definitely no stress. And the family just went to bed by 10 pm-ish…and they all slept well. Lo and behold, she stated she did SO much better with the T3CM, getting far better results.

The message was clear: going to bed at a reasonable time can do wonders for your adrenals.

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Check out this photo, about Vitamin D, 64 symptoms removed, and life after thyroid cancer~

OOPS. THIS GAL’S DOCTOR WAS A BIT CLUELESS…

Look carefully at the photo to the left. You will see the actual outline of this woman’s thyroid. It’s obvious. It’s swollen. A swollen thyroid is called a goiter, and can be due to an autoimmune attack of the thyroid called Hashimotos, aka thyroiditis.

Yet, this woman’s doctor insisted she just had a throat infection, gave her penicillin for 12 days, and the outcome?  It’s still inflamed and sore. Jeez, doctor!! WHAT were you thinking!  She states: I always feel something pressing down on my neck and food gets stuck and then I’m having a chocking session. CLEAR thyroiditis and a blind doctor!

Thanks to this gal’s participation in the Stop the Thyroid Madness Facebook groups, she knows the truth, is empowered, and is going to try and get the RIGHT labs and treatment this time! Her biggest challenge is where she lives–the UK with a very dark- ages medical system that worships T4-only and doesn’t get the efficacy of Natural Desiccated Thyroid. It’s not a pretty picture in the United Kingdom or a lot of European countries if you have thyroid disease.

VITAMIN D–DON’T DISMISS THIS IMPORTANT VITAMIN FOR YOUR THYROID HEALTH!

Vitamin D is considered a steroid plus a prohormone, i.e. it’s not yet a hormone, but has affects on real ones. And your body can get it from sunshine exposure, or you can supplement with it. Why is it a great vitamin? It helps balance out your calcium levels and bone density, can help lower stress and blood pressure, and promotes a good immune system.

Vitamin D is found in two forms: cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) which is made via skin exposure to sunlight, or ergocalciferol (vitamin D2). D3 is the natural form and why it’s often preferred for supplementation over D2. After vitamin D3 is formed in your skin or taken as a supplement, it is then metabolized into two different substances: 1) 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), known as calcidiol and your storage Vitamin D, and 2) 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D3), known as calcitriol. The former is the Vitamin D you measure via blood.  Good information on both can be found in the abstract here.

So why bring it up?  First, it’s important for your thyroid, i.e. it has to be in sufficient amounts for thyroid hormones to work in your cells. And second, a huge body of thyroid patients find themselves with low levels of this important vitamin! How to raise it? It can take 10,000 IU’s of D3 daily. Some doctors even prescribe more and sometimes once a week in these very high amounts. Add an acid to the drink you use to swallow your Vit. D–like one tablespoon Braggs Apple Cider vinegar, or lemon juice. It will promote better absorption.

SHE ELIMINATED 64 SYMPTOMS THANKS TO NDT AND TREATING HER LOW CORTISOL!! 

Next time you hear that NDT is not good, think twice. Her name is Mary, and you should check out the 64 symptoms she eliminated thanks to NDT, here.  You will see that she’s still working on a few more, but the difference is stunning!

A TESTIMONY FROM A COLLEGE STUDENT OF HOW NDT CHANGED HIS LIFE AFTER THYROID CANCER (even more than being on T4 with T3!)

I’m a male college student and in 2008 I was diagnosed w/ thyroid cancer. Cancer aside, I was placed on Cytomel followed by Synthroid. When I asked my doctors for natural options they said there were no such meds. For four years I was a prisoner in my own body. I had rapid mood swings, I was always cold, had a lack of energy and worst of all dry skin. The dry skin became so bad that I started to develop cystic acne covering my entire back and many on my face–I had no confidence and work out 5x a week yet I was scared to take off my shirt. I knew that there had to be a solution being that I didn’t have any of these symptoms prior to getting my thyroid removed so I began to research. This website, Stop the Thyroid Madness, got me in the right direction as far as understanding the role o f T3 and T4. After many lies, and doctors who denied to write for Armour or Naturethroid, I finally found a woman who knew about the “madness”. I have only been on Naturethroid for one month and my TSH, T3 and T4 levels may be off but I feel like the old me again! I have energy, I have steady moods, I have less brain fog and my skin is finally producing oil again and my acne is almost cleared 100%! Thanks for your work your site had changed my life for the better!

DID YOU KNOW THAT THE STTM BOOK IS AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH, SWEDISH AND GERMAN?? A perfect gift for your friend or loved one who speaks any of those languages. Go here.

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

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

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

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

It’s not.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Three good videos about better adrenal function

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If your doctor prescribes synthetic T4 with synthetic T3

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

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

JanieSignature SEIZE THE WISDOM

 

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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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