My beefs with endocrinologists pretty much center on how they manage thyroid gland concerns, though they rarely win prizes for managing adrenal issues either. I don\u2019t know any endocrinologists personally and rarely refer my patients to them. Occasionally, a patient with newly diagnosed hypothyroidism (low thyroid) will want to confirm the diagnosis with an endocrinologist. I suggest she prepare for a scolding if she\u2019s taking natural thyroid rather than the synthetic (Synthroid).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One endocrinologist over at Northwestern examined the natural thyroid pill bottle my patient brought in, dumped the contents into the trash, and wrote a Synthroid prescription.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now how could I not have a problem with that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Issue #1 Let\u2019s review: Oddly enough, endocrinologists discourage ordering tests that directly measure actual thyroid hormones (T3,T4) or that measure antibodies against the thyroid gland. These antibodies occur in a condition called Hashimoto\u2019s disease<\/a>, in which the thyroid is attacked by the immune system, leading to an underactive thyroid. The rationale is that the TSH test is sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the TSH test alone is insufficient for a couple of reasons. First, the endocrinologist is assuming the pituitary gland is functioning normally. Understand, though, that an underfunctioning pituitary cannot produce enough TSH for the thyroid to function normally. This is called secondary hypothyroidism. There\u2019s nothing actually wrong with the thyroid itself. The low thyroid is secondary to the underfunctioning pituitary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition, the so-called normal range for TSH test results has been the victim of medical flip-flopping. Some laboratories call any TSH above 5.0 low thyroid. Other labs call any TSH above 3.5 low thyroid. Not surprisingly, the group really pushing to use the TSH test only have been insurance companies, making more profit the less they spend on your care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the end, thyroid conditions are best diagnosed by listening to the patient. If a doctor listens carefully, her patient will tell her if she has an underactive thyroid by describing the symptoms that accompany it. Lab tests may confirm the diagnosis, but then again they may not. If a listening doctor is hearing her patient describe low thyroid, she should treat it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s a case history<\/u> that\u2019s typical of the many thyroid patients we see at WholeHealth Chicago each month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Linda, an accomplished woman in her late 30s, was not a happy camper. She arrived for the first time at WholeHealth Chicago certain that she had an underactive thyroid gland. Linda had read all the websites, especially Janie A. Bowthorpe\u2019s Stop the Thyroid<\/a> Madness<\/a>, and was becoming increasingly exasperated with conventional medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHere,\u201d she said, handing me a well-worn list that looked like it had been in other medical offices, \u201cI\u2019ve written down all my symptoms. I\u2019m tired and cold. My skin is flaky and my shower drain is clogged with hair. I eat barely anything, gain weight, and then can\u2019t lose it. Look at this list please. Constipation. Bloating. Heartburn. Brain fog. See my eyebrows? See?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd it\u2019s because of these\u2026\u201d she pawed through the chambers of a large satchel and extracted some papers, \u201c\u2026these goddamn normal lab tests that no one will prescribe me some thyroid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Indeed, her tests were normal. Linda didn\u2019t even have the antibodies that would lead to a diagnosis of Hashimoto\u2019s disease. There are some doctors who will now prescribe thyroid hormone based on the presence of Hashimoto antibodies alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Low basal temperature (your temperature as you emerge from sleep, before you even move from bed) has been linked to underactive thyroid for 100 years. But because conventional medicine is fixated on blood tests, measuring basal temperatures has become an under-appreciated diagnostic tool. Instructions for taking your basal temperatures are all over the internet, including here at our<\/a> WHC website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I asked Linda if she\u2019d taken her basal temperatures she replied, \u201cOf course\u2026right here.\u201d She palpably refrained from blurting out \u201cDo you think I\u2019m an idiot? Of course I took my basals!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her temperature records showed she was cold as ice, leaving no question she had an underactive thyroid. The exhausted and sluggish Linda finally smiled as she left our office and headed to the CVS with my prescription for desiccated thyroid, a completely natural thyroid product, same as the old Armour thyroid before Big Pharma mucked it up. I asked her to keep in touch by email if she experienced any problems and to come back in a month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One month later Linda was dramatically better. A little thyroid goes a long way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Issue #2 Both forms work, though for some people the natural thyroid works better than the synthetic. This is because the natural thyroid contains a bit of the active form of the thyroid hormone T3, while the synthetic, which is pure T4, requires your body to make a conversion to T3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some people convert better than others. It\u2019s as simple as that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the 1960s, use of the synthetic product, Synthroid, exploded because one of the Big Pharma companies, Abbott Labs (now called AbbVie), spread the word among doctors that prescribing Armour natural thyroid was dangerous and\/or ineffective and a sign that you weren\u2019t up-to-date. They were later fined by the FDA for this untruth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This Big Pharma lie and conventional medicine gullibility explains why patients seeking natural thyroid have so much difficulty finding a physician to prescribe it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By the way, even though Synth<\/a>r<\/a>oid<\/a> has been generic for 30 years, AbbVie decided to re-market the brand-name drug because of name recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And also, most likely, because of price. 90 tablets of brand-name Synthroid will cost you $189 ($2.00 per tablet) while 90 tablets of generic Levoxyl (completely identical product) cost $20 (22 cents per tablet).<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the drug rep visited WHC, he told us he was pleased to report that endocrinologists were \u201chappy to see Synthroid back and were switching their patients to it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Issue #3 Of course, there are always a couple of challenging situations in which a patient is clinically hyperthyroid (meaning she has all the physical signs), but has normal test results. If you\u2019re wondering, I do treat these patients for overactive thyroid in spite of their tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In typical cases of overactive thyroid, patients begin taking a couple of meds (one slows thyroid hormone production and the other reduces the symptoms of tremor and rapid heart rate) and most feel better within days. In addition, most people who have hyperthyroidism find it clears up in a year or so, at which point the meds can be discontinued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Interestingly, both traditional Chinese medicine and homeopathy speed the healing process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But endocrinologists want things done quickly and far too often suggest that you get your thyroid gland zapped with radiation to completely destroy it. If you consent to this, you are 100% guaranteed to have low thyroid for the rest of your life. Your blood will need frequent testing and your medication dose may need readjusting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve heard this sentence far too often to just let it go: \u201cThe worst mistake I ever made in my life was to allow them to destroy my thyroid gland. I\u2019ve never felt the same.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n So you can see my position. Aren\u2019t I entitled to some beefs here?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be well, My beefs with endocrinologists pretty much center on how they manage thyroid gland concerns, though they rarely win prizes for managing adrenal issues either. I don\u2019t know any endocrinologists personally and rarely refer my patients to them. Occasionally, a patient with newly diagnosed hypothyroidism (low thyroid) will want to confirm the diagnosis with an endocrinologist. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2087,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,214,2,139,209,2336,2335,130,3,51,187,34,1143,246,33],"tags":[175,1327,2056,1110,1111,429],"class_list":["post-19820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alternative-therapies","category-big-pharma-evils","category-blog","category-cardiovascular-health","category-fibromyalgia-chronic-fatigue","category-healing-touch","category-homeopathy","category-integrative-medicine","category-knowledge-base","category-m","category-mens-health","category-mental-health","category-sexual-health","category-thyroid-adrenal-sex-hormone-issues","category-womens-health","tag-fatigue","tag-hashimotos-thyroiditis","tag-hashimotos","tag-natural-thyroid","tag-synthroid","tag-thyroid"],"yoast_head":"\r\n
<\/u>Diagnosis <\/strong>Endocrinologists rely exclusively on test results to make a diagnosis of either underactive or overactive thyroid when they should be taking much more into consideration. In fact, they rely on a single test, the one that measures thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). TSH doesn\u2019t measure actual thyroid hormone levels. Instead, it measures a pituitary gland hormone that only indirectly reveals your thyroid\u2019s activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
–High TSH means your pituitary is sending out loads of TSH, struggling to stimulate your sluggish thyroid.
— Low TSH means too much thyroid hormone is present and it\u2019s turning off the action of your pituitary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/u>Endocrinologists are, and have been, suckers for Big Pharma salespeople.
<\/strong>Natural desiccated thyroid (which I prescribed for Linda) comes from the dried thyroid gland of pigs. It has been used successfully for underactive thyroid since 1891. Levothyroxine (Synthroid) is a manufactured synthetic form of one of the thyroid hormones (T4). First synthesized in 1927, it is also used successfully to treat hypothyroidism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/u>Endocrinologists aren\u2019t much better with hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid).
<\/strong>Thyroid overactivity is pretty easy to diagnose. There are several obvious physical signs (tremulousness, rapid heart rate, weight loss, nervousness) and blood test results (very low TSH, high T3, high T4) that are clear indicators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
David Edelberg, MD<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"