Stop the Thyroid Madness™ - Thyroid Mistreatment and Hypothyroidism Scandals

Introduction

Stop the what??

Well, here’s the skinny. Globally, informed hypothyroid patients have come to a unified conclusion that for 50+ years, they have been subjected to a thyroid treatment which didn’t work, leaving their lives compromised with lingering thyroid symptoms, besides adrenal stress and low levels of important vitamins and minerals.

Could you, a friend or a loved one be a victim of this poor thyroid treatment? You betcha.

• The Non-Diagnosis Club: This huge global group consists of those who have genuine or unrecognized hypothyroid symptoms, yet no accurate diagnosis. Why? Because of well-meaning but clueless medical professionals who not only fail to note the entire cluster of your hypothyroid symptoms, but rigidly rely on the TSH lab test, which hasn’t worked for most of us. You are then proclaimed “normal”.
• The T4-Only Club: This huge global club consists of those diagnosed with a thyroid problem, but treated with Synthroid, Levoxyl, Oroxine, Levothyroxine, Eltroxin, et al, T4-only thyroxine pills. But we found that hypothyroidism and the body is not meant to live on a storage hormone alone, leaving many patients with their own brand or intensity of lingering hypothyroid symptoms.

My name is Janie, and I am a thyroid patient activist, author, blogger and creator of this informational, educational patient-to-patient site—STTM for short. It’s helpful information in the face of a medical treatment which has gone awry–based on the experience of patients worldwide to inspire, educate and be taken into your doctor’s office.

Stop the thyroid madness™! It’s not working. It never has! It still doesn’t.
P.S. Still think this site may not apply to you? Go here for more information.

The Undiagnosed Club

Membership quota: a global mass of medically-duped individuals

Dues: increasing symptoms of hypothyroidism paid in full

Length of membership: a few years leading into decades for some

Mottos: “Your TSH is normal. It’s not your thyroid.” “You need to eat less, exercise more.” “Everyone needs to nap” “You need to see a therapist.” “Your problems are due to being a mom/stress/genetics/your job.” “Here’s a script for your anti-depressant/statin/blood pressure med/psychotropic.” “Your hair loss is due to being a mom/stress/genetics.” “It’s just Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/fibromyalgia” “I don’t know what’s wrong with you.”

Sound at all familiar?

Enlightened thyroid patients all over the world report going years while coping with the pesky flies of hypothyroid symptoms, sans a diagnosis. And it’s all because of the inane and lousy TSH lab test (below left) with its dubious “normal” range, or the doctor’s failure to notice clinical presentation of the cluster of hypothyroid symptoms rather than simply an ink spot on a piece of paper which can mean squat.

As years go by without a diagnosis, the adrenals can take the hit trying to keep you afloat, resulting in high or low cortisol symptoms including anxiety, fear, difficulty coping, sleep problems, not waking up refreshed and other symptoms of an adrenal beating. (click on Adrenal Info below)

How to stop this “unclassified madness”? Work with your doctor with the right lab tests and how to read them. If all else fails, find a much better doctor for thyroid treatment (below right).  And P.S. whatever you do, think twice before obtaining membership in the T4-only club with the use of a thyroxine medication like Synthroid, et al.

The T4-Only Club

Think you are doing fine on a T4-only thyroid med?

Think again! Synthroid, Levoxyl, Levothyroxine, Eltroxin, Oroxine, Norton and a host of other brand names for synthetic T4-only are simply giving you a thyroid storage hormone, meant to convert to the life-giving and active thyroid hormone T3.  But a large and growing body of patients in the T4-only club, as well as many wise doctors, have discovered that the body is not meant to live on conversion alone, no matter how “normal” your TSH lab result is or how fine you feel.

As a result of being in this club, your stress-busting adrenals may be kicking in big time with cortisol and adrenaline to keep you going on a treatment which may be inadequate for you.  Over time, there’s a high risk of those adrenals becoming sluggish, presenting a much more complicated problem to treat. Low ferritin, aka storage iron, can also raise its ugly head. (Click on Adrenal Info below)

As one ages on T4 like Synthroid, doctors find patients with continuing hypothyroid symptoms of a poor treatment, including rising blood pressure, a buildup of cholesterol and lipids, increased depression, fatigue and/or a myriad of other inadequate side effects of a poor thyroid treatment. (See Symptoms below)

According to the experience of a large body of patients worldwide, T4-only meds do not do the job, any more than an elevator which only rises to the fifth floor of a 50-story building “does the job.”

Sure, you may feel better with good results. But many report being left with their own brand and intensity of lingering symptoms of an inadequate thyroid treatment that can get worse as one ages.

Thyroid Treatment That Works

For more than 100 years, there has been a hypothyroid treatment prescribed by doctors and used by their patients that always was a cut above: natural desiccated porcine thyroid.

And today, there is a growing body of thyroid patients and their wise doctors worldwide who have discovered the far superior treatment with Naturethroid, Westhroid, Armour, compounded desiccated thyroid, Erfa’s  “Thyroid” or other brands, plus T3-only. (see Natural Thyroid 101 below)

All the desiccated thyroid brands contain the same hormones as your own thyroid: T4, T3, T2, T1 and calcitonin—all working synergistically and harmoniously in removing lingering symptoms of hypothyroidism: depression, aches and pains, easy weight gain or fatigue, dry skin or hair, high blood pressure or cholesterol, weak heart function or bone density, and a host of others.

Additionally, patients on desiccated thyroid are being guided by wise doctors to dose according to the elimination of thyroid symptoms, better temperature, continuing healthy heart rate, and paying attention to superior labwork like the free T3 and free T4, and not the TSH (see below).

As thyroid patients on the desiccated thyroid path, we have learned what works, as well as mistakes we and our doctors have made or overlooked that need correction. (see both below)

Stop the Thyroid Madness™, both website and book, were created to educate you, the patient, about patient experience with desiccated thyroid and treatment.  In turn, you are meant to carry this information into your doctor’s office and press for change in your thyroid treatment. It’s time to Stop the Thyroid Madness™!

NOTE: Go here to discuss good thyroid treatment alternatives with your doctor, including T3.

Doctors

A message to Doctors:

In 2005,  I watched a doctor advising on a popular health website. And I also saw patient comments removed simply because members dared to tell of their life changing experiences with desiccated thyroid contrary to his T4-only Synthroid advice. It was disheartening.

But the straw that broke the camel’s back was “miserable mom”, pleading for help because of clear hypothyroid symptoms. His advice? Stay with the amount of thyroid medication (that was clearly under-dosing her); her TSH was too low (as if an ink spot on a piece of paper is more important than clinical presentation); and from a thyroid standpoint, he concluded, there isn’t much more to do.  Informed patients knew he was completely wrong! She never posted again—miserable.

And from all the above started a seed in my mind. Namely, a website had to be created to educate the patient, who in turn can take life-changing information into each and every doctor’s office and press for change.

Stop the Thyroid Madness™ is a website not based on “my opinion”. It is almost completely based on successful and learned patient experience around the world, as well as good information from wise doctors. Patient lives are changing once they take this information into their doctors offices.

And you may ask: where’s the science?  My answer to you is simple: if patients had waited on science to tell them what they already know by repeated and shared experience, we’d ALL still be sick. Some research which backs us up is here.

So, may I respectfully ask that if you consider yourself to be a caring and wise physician, listen listen to your patients, both in your office, on this website, and in more detail in the book. Because if you do, you just might become quite wiser than the average duck… and patients will adore you.

Information and Communication

“Knowledge is power. Information is liberating.” —Kofi Annan

• Your Questions: The Answers: This website has a lot of information and may seem overwhelming! But here is a great way to start: Click on the link to find common questions, which in turn will tell you where to find the answers.
• STTM book: if you’d rather not be tied down to a computer, plus want far more detail, the STTM Revised Second Edition book is boss! The only patient-to-patient book on the market, and it’s changing lives.
• Audio Shorts: listen to Janie explain what this patient revolution is all about concerning the TSH lab test, T4 meds, desiccated thyroid, adrenals, etc.
• T-Shirts, Bumper Stickers and so much more: a way to spread the word. You’ll even find business cards to pass out, and potentially change someone’s life!
• Janie’s Blog: read what Janie has to say about a variety of STTM subjects and make your own comments. Sign up to be notified of each blog post–lower left of links on blog.
• STTM‘s Facebook group page:  a great place to talk to others, post on the Wall, exchange ideas, and feel camaraderie with others.
• Talk to others: Need feedback? It was always patients-talking-to-other-patients which turned T4 like Synthroid on its head & started the revolution for better thyroid care. You’ll also find a link to do a one-on-one paid consultation with Janie.