 print
version
Purchase
Thyroid  Hypothyroidism
- The Underdiagnosed Epidemic
By Ward Dean MD and
Jeff Charles
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 Barnes, 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. Barnes 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. Barnes 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. Barnes 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. Barnes' 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(tm) thyroid?
Synthroid(tm),
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(tm) 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(tm) without causing patients to become
thyrotoxic. On the other hand, most patients who switch from
Synthroid(tm) to Armour(tm) thyroid, report that they feel much better with the
Armour(tm) 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(tm)) into thinking that the Armour(tm) thyroid product is an inferior,
non-standardized drug. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Most patients
who switch from Synthroid(tm) to Armour(tm) thyroid find that they feel much better
when taking the Armour(tm) 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. Barnes' 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. Barnes or Dr. Stephen
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(tm) Dessicated Thyroid.
Hypothyroidism- Books
Barnes,
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
Hypothyroidism- IAS comments
IAS is currently offering Armour (as described
by Dr. Dean) and a desiccated thyroid supplement manufactured by VitOrgan of Germany
called Thyrium(tm). VitOrgan was founded in the 1950's by Dr. H. Dyckerdorf; he
was the "founding father" of glandular and RNA therapies, and in fact
is generally considered to be responsible for the discovery of freeze-drying (so
you can think of him every time you drink a cup of instant coffee!) As
such, VitOrgan are considered to be the "king" of glandular supplements,
having both extensive experience and an extensive range of glandular products.
The VitOrgan Thyrium(tm) is a bovine extracted desiccated thyroid supplement in
a D6 base. Whilst each tablet is 280mg in size, we estimated that its equivalency
to the Armour(tm) thyroid mentioned here by Dr. Dean is "half-a-grain"
per Thyrium(tm) tablet. It is interesting to note that the Thyrium(tm) regime
suggested by VitOrgan is 1-3 tablets three times a day (after meals and dissolved
in the mouth) to treat asthma, migraine, gout and fat loss. VitOrgan
suggest that Thyrium(tm) can be used prophylactically every 2-3 weeks for several
days at a time. Use for hypothyroidism is probably not suggested, because (like
many other countries) the Germans have approved synthetic T3 and T4 thyroid hormones
for hypothyroidism, but as VitOrgan state in their Thyrium(tm) insert "the
bio-molecular agents regenerate damaged organs and tissue and inspire the body's
self healing processes and normalise cell functions.
DISCLAIMER:
ALL INFORMATION IS EDUCATIONAL AND PROVIDED UNDER IAS TERMS AND CONDITIONS. IT
DOES NOT, AND SHOULD NOT, REPLACE THE ADVICE OF YOUR PHYSICIAN.
Last Updated:
Tuesday, August 20, 2002|
© 2002 International Antiaging Systems
Thyroid Home
Thyroid Ingredients Purchase
Thyroid print
version FULL
SUMMARY ABOUT SELECT THYROID (PDF Format)
 |
Please
note that it is required that you have Acrobat Reader installed on your system
to view the above documents.
You can download the latest version by clicking
here. |
| 
