| 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
|
