Guest guest Posted November 17, 2002 Report Share Posted November 17, 2002 Hypothyroidism - the underdiagnosed epidemic by Ward Dean MD Why physicians won’t prescribe its safe inexpensive cure and the dilemma physicians face when prescribing natural thyroid hormone. One of the most common (but often undiagnosed) causes of a variety of seemingly unrelated symptoms, is that of underactive thyroid function, or hypothyroidism. Dr. Broda , a brilliant, intuitive physician and scientist, estimated that 40% of the adult population suffered from this condition. Hypothyroidism- the clinical picture Some of the most common symptoms caused by hypothyroidism include poor concentration, mental confusion, memory disturbances, cold hands and feet, overweight, difficult weight loss, menstrual problems, dry skin, thin hair, and low energy levels. Other symptoms include migraine headaches, hypertension, depression, hypoglycaemia, atherosclerosis, diabetes, infertility, and even acne. In his book, Hypothyroidism: The Unsuspected Illness, Dr. described over 47 symptoms that may be related to poor thyroid function. Hypothyroidism- the diagnostic failures Although many people exhibit symptoms of hypothyroidism, they usually don't receive treatment for this condition if they have normal blood test readings. Their physicians often tell them that their symptoms are due to other causes or that their problem is "all in their head". I have known many patients who were referred to psychiatrists to treat their so-called "psychosomatic" problems. However, when they were later given thyroid replacement therapy, they improved dramatically. Hypothyroidism- a better way In the 1940s, Dr. realized that the blood tests were usually inaccurate. Consequently, he developed a simple test to confirm suspected low thyroid function using an ordinary thermometer. He found that normal underarm or oral temperatures immediately upon awakening in the morning (while still in bed) are in the range of 97.8 to 98.2 degrees Fahrenheit. He believed that a temperature below 97.8 indicated hypothyroidism; and one above 98.2, hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid). Dr. recommended that the underarm temperature taken immediately upon awakening be used to diagnose hypothyroidism. Unfortunately, even today's highly sophisticated tests are no more accurate than the tests used in Dr. ' era. Therefore, I instruct my patients to take their temperature orally (as opposed to underarm) immediately upon awakening in the morning as a guide to diagnosis and treatment of hypothyroidism. At the same time I have my patients check their resting pulse rate which should be between 65-75. If a patient exhibits hypothyroidism symptoms and his temperature is below 97.8 Fahrenheit, I prescribe one grain (60 mg) of Armour Desiccated Thyroid daily. If no improvement is noted in two or three weeks, I instruct him to increase the dose by another grain. At each step, we monitor morning temperature and heart rate. If the suspected hypothyroid symptoms are still present and the temperature is still sub-normal, it is safe to continue to increase the dosage provided that the patient's heart rate goes no higher than the mid-70s, and no symptoms of hyperthyroidism are evident. (agitation, anxiety, poor sleep, tremor of hand, palpitations). Occasionally, it is necessary to go to 5 grains daily (which is full replacement therapy!)--to obtain relief of symptoms. It is not really necessary to perform periodic blood tests as I believe it is more important to treat the patient rather than treating the blood test. However, the blood tests are wise from a medical-legal perspective. Treatment of subclinical hypothyroidism with thyroid hormone is very safe. There is little risk of excessive thyroid dosage if: (1) the patient feels well;(2) the temperature remains below 98.2;(3) the pulse is less than 75 beats per minute; and(4) the thyroid function tests remain normal. (Note that most hypothyroid patients feel best with sub-normal TSH levels). Hypothyroidism- why Armour™ thyroid? Synthroid™, the most commonly-prescribed hormone for hypothyroidism, contains only one fraction of thyroid hormoneT4. T4 is normally converted by the body into T3, the active form. I believe that many hypothyroid patients are unable to efficiently perform this conversion. Armour™ thyroid, on the other hand, is a desiccated preparation of porcine thyroid, containing all thyroid hormone factorsT2, T3, and T4. I have found that it is very difficult to provide adequate thyroid supplementation with Synthroid™ without causing patients to become thyrotoxic. On the other hand, most patients who switch from Synthroid™ to Armour™ thyroid, report that they feel much better with the Armour™ product. The dramatic improvements that many of my patients have achieved on thyroid therapy often appear miraculous. It is very gratifying to hear a patient who has suffered for decades express how their lives have been totally turned around by a few cents worth of thyroid. Unfortunately, most physicians have been bamboozled by the manufacturers of synthetic thyroid hormone (Synthroid™) into thinking that the Armour™ thyroid product is an inferior, non-standardized drug. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Most patients who switch from Synthroid™ to Armour™ thyroid find that they feel much better when taking the Armour™ product. Physician’s risk of Thyroid Therapy Unfortunately, many physicians are reluctant to prescribe thyroid for patients with normal blood tests because of the bias of the medical establishment against treating hypothyroidism using Dr. ’ protocol. In fact, a number of physicians have been censured by their medical boards, and some have even lost their licenses! For anyone who has any of the hypothyroid-related symptoms listed above, I strongly recommend the books by Dr. or Dr. Langer (listed below) for a more comprehensive discussion of this subject. If you find that you are "reading about yourself," the chances are good that you may be hypothyroid, and would probably benefit by supplementation with Armour™ Dessicated Thyroid. Hypothyroidism- Books , B., Galton, L. Hypothyroidism: the Unsuspected Illness. New York: Thorruss Y. Crowell Co., 1976.Langer, S., Scheer, J. Solved: The Riddle of Illness. New Canaan, CT: Keats, 1984. Signs and Symptoms of Thyroid Deficiency Study A Study B % of 77 cases % of 100 cases Weakness 99 98 Dry skin 97 79 Coarse skin 97 70 Lethargy 91 85 Slow speech 91 56 Edema of eyelids 90 86 Sensation of cold 89 95 Decreased sweating 89 68 Cold skin 83 80 Thick tongue 82 60 Edema of face 79 95 Coarseness of hair 76 75 Heart enlargement 68 ** Pallor of skin 67 50 Impaired memory 66 65 Constipation 61 54 Gain in weight 59 76 Loss of hair 57 41 Pallor of lips 57 50 Labored breathing 5 72 Swelling of feet 55 57 Hoarseness 2 74 Loss of appetite 45 40 Nervousness 35 51 Excessive menstruation 32 33 Deafness 30 40 Poor heart sounds 30 ** Pain over the heart 25 16 Changes in back of eye 20 ** *From J.H. Means, L.H. DeGroot, and J.B. Stanbury, The Thyroid and its Diseases, McGraw Hill, 1963, pp. 321-322. __**Not reported found ALL INFORMATION IS EDUCATIONAL AND SHOULD NOT REPLACE THE ADVICE OF YOUR PHYSICIAN. The above article is copyrighted and may not be copied without the written permission of International Antiaging Systems, Les Autelets Suite A, Sark GY9 0SF, Channel Islands, UK. HOME to order International Antiaging SystemsLes Autelets Suite ASark GY9 0SFChannel IslandsGreat Britainphone: 44-870-151-4144 (Britain)contact us we do not accept telephone orders we do not ship to the United Kingdom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 17, 2002 Report Share Posted November 17, 2002 Awesome article Patty on Hypothyroiidism and also on natural thyroid replacement! You can never have too much info. Thank you , Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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