I was putting together some memes for my social media accounts and wrote this one below, which prompted me to write this particular Newsletter/Blog for all of you:
“I am just a fellow thyroid patient who suffered greatly at the hands of our “modern” medical system, Once I had the tools to fight back, I did”
Most Doctors, even Holistic ones, are treating thyroid patients with completely outdated data and education. Women are affected in MUCH greater numbers by thyroid disease than men. Millions are living with thyroid disease and horrible symptoms because they have not been diagnosed. Women make up 75 percent of those suffering with an autoimmune disease, and it takes an average of five years to get a diagnosis. Studies have been done that show women are less likely to be diagnosed, treated by their doctors than men are. 1, 2
Until the late 1960’s and early 1970’s Doctors used body temperature readings (Hypothyroidism causes a lowered body temperature due to its effects on metabolism), how their patients felt on their thyroid hormone replacement medication (symptoms and lack of symptoms), at the time, Natural Desiccated Thyroid (NDT) was the only option for thyroid treatment. NDT has been around since the 1800’s and used with great success, and still is! NDT contains all of the thyroid hormones (It is a glandular medication that comes from USDA’s pig’s thyroid).
The following thyroid hormones are in NDT:
T1 – There is some research that his affects brain function.
T2 – There is research that shows this affects metabolism.
T3 – The active hormone that is needed by every cell in your body.
T4 – The storage hormone that needs to convert to the active hormone T3 and to some degree, T1 and T2.
Calcitonin – Produced mainly in the Parathyroid glands, some is made in the thyroid glands and is used to remove calcium form the blood and put it back into the bones.
In the Early 1970’s Synthroid came out as the new and improved version of thyroid medication, and with it, the TSH test. In my opinion, sometimes the original way of doing things was the best way, and this is a prime example.
Synthroid (and the generic Levothyroxine) only contains the T4 hormone, the storage hormone that needs to convert to the active hormone T3 and to some degree, to T1 andT2. This is fine IF you are converting at the rate you should be, or at all! Sadly, so many thyroid patients are not converting adequately and some not at all.
No big deal you say? Testing will tell you if you are converting, right? Sadly, not if your doctor is only testing TSH and frankly, the majority of doctors are only testing TSH. The TSH is a pituitary hormone that tells the thyroid to make thyroid hormones, it does not tell you what thyroid hormones were made, or if the T4 was converted to the active hormone T3. 3, 4, 5
So how do you test to see what is actually going on?!
The following thyroid hormone tests can be extremely valuable to know the results of and finding a doctor who will run them and understands them will be one of the hardest things you will have to do as a thyroid patient:
Free T3, this is the active hormone, and we want to know exactly how much of this valuable hormone we are making!
Free T4, This is the storage hormone that has to convert to the active hormone, we need to know there is enough there to convert.
Reverse T3, this is an inactive hormone. However, the T4 convert to EITHER T3 or Reverse T3. When it is converting to Reverse T3, we are left depleted in the active hormone, T3. THIS test lets us know what is going on in conversion!
Other tests that are extremely important are antibodies, the majority of thyroid disease is due to autoimmune thyroid disease, either Hashimotos or Graves’ and in some cases, both.
Antibody tests are:
Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb) – for Hashimotos
Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPO) – for Hashimotos
Thyroid Stimulating Immunoglobulin (TSI) – for Graves’
Thyrotropin Receptor Antibodies (TrAb) – for Graves’
Another reason the TSH test is of no use once optimally medicated with thyroid hormones is, that the TSH will naturally be suppressed. The pituitary gland knows full well it does not need to tell the thyroid to make thyroid hormones, as it senses the thyroid hormones are there in the replacement medication. IF your TSH is suppressed on NO medication, it can point to a pituitary issue called Hypopituitary. 6
You need a doctor who understands the importance of T3 and that it will need to be in your treatment in some form. This doctor will also make sure that your treatment plan leaves you with NO symptoms and does not suggest that any symptoms you have are due to depression, lack of exercise or eating too much! 7
Things you might ask a doctor before making a commitment to them (remember, you pay the doctor, you can interview them to see if they are a good fit, and if they are not, you can find a new doctor!)
1. Do you prescribe Natural Desiccated Thyroid or T3 medications like Cytomel or Liothyronine? The T3 medication to be used by itself or in combination with a T4 only medication like Synthroid or Levothyroxine?
2. Do you use the labs Free T3 and Free T4 as well as Reverse T3?
3. Do you test ALL of the antibodies not just one or another? Will you continue to test them if we are working to lower them?
4. Are you willing to dose the medication(s) by the elimination of symptoms in combination with the above tests rather than the inadequate TSH?
Not every Doctor is perfect, but you are looking for the basics found above as well as one who is willing to listen and work with you. I often help my clients with their Doctor or the one I work with, to be sure they are being fully heard and that they are being properly dosed on medications (those NO symptoms are huge!)
So, what are the tools that you need?!
You need proper thyroid testing first and foremost:
Free T3
Free T4
Reverse T3
Antibody Testing:
Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb)
Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPO)
Thyroid Stimulating Immunoglobulin (TSI)
Thyrotropin Receptor Antibodies (TrAb)
A doctor who is willing to listen, prescribe the tests and medications discussed above, and one who is willing to make sure you have NO symptoms when you move on to only medication management!
It is also a good idea to either work with a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner or Holistic Nutritionist if your doctor is not well versed in gut health, blood sugar regulation, mineral, vitamin and fatty acid imbalances. These are all things that will be off in Hypothyroidism and in Hashimotos, taking medication will only replace the hormones, it will not correct the underlying issues.
Some other handy hints I have learned through my own treatment of being Hypothyroid:
When taking T3 containing medications, it is important to split dose. This means taking 2-4 doses of it per day. If taking NDT 2 doses is fine (it has long acting T4 in it). If taking T3 only, it is fast acting and should be dosed several times per day.
When taking T3 containing medications, it is important to NOT take them less than 12 hours before your lab draw, and no longer than about 18 hours. T3 is a fast-acting hormone, meaning your results would be falsely elevated if taken too soon and would be falsely lowered if taken too late.
While medications in many cases are needed to replace thyroid hormones, there are some who simply have conversion issues, or have Hashimotos, but the thyroid is still working, in those cases. It is imperative that you find the cause and repair it, to PREVENT having to go on medications! These are all things I do with my clients; I work with a Doctor who will prescribe the right medications and do the right testing for my clients, and I will help them on the gut health, blood sugar regulation, mineral, vitamin and fatty acid imbalances. In doing that, we address the causes of conversion issues as well as lowering antibodies.
Sources:
1 Women are often labeled as chronic complainers until finally diagnosed with autoimmune disease:
https://www.prevention.com/health/a26100121/misdiagnosed-women/
2 Heart attacks in women are often not diagnosed promptly, and diagnosed as panic attacks:
https://www.leeds.ac.uk/news/article/3905/heart_attacks_in_women_more_likely_to_be_missed
3 Great paper on how a suppressed TSH does NOT mean you are hyperthyroid:
“Heterogenous Biochemical Expression of Hormone Activity in Subclinical/Overt Hyperthyroidism and Exogenous Thyrotoxicosis” Rudolf Hoermann, John E.M. Midgley, Rolf Larisch, Johannes W. Dietrich PII: S2214-6237(19)30152-8
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcte.2020.100219
Reference: JCTE 100219
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214623719301528
4 T4 only medications do not mean symptom free in all patients:
Gullo, D., Latina, A., Frasca, F., Le Moli, R., Pellegriti, G., & Vigneri, R. (2011). Levothyroxine Monotherapy Cannot Guarantee Euthyroidism in All Athyreotic Patients. PLoS ONE, 6(8). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0022552
5 T4 only medications do not work for all patients:
Hoermann, R., Midgley, J. E. M., Larisch, R., & Dietrich, J. W. (2019). Functional and Symptomatic Individuality in the Response to Levothyroxine Treatment. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2019.00664
6 We need to reassess the treatment of Hypothyroidism:
Midgley, J. E. M., Toft, A. D., Larisch, R., Dietrich, J. W., & Hoermann, R. (2019). Time for a reassessment of the treatment of hypothyroidism. BMC Endocrine Disorders, 19(1), 37. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12902-019-0365-4
7 Abdalla, S. M., & Bianco, A. C. (2014). Defending plasma T3 is a biological priority. Clinical Endocrinology, 81(5), 633–641. https://doi.org/10.1111/cen.12538
A few years ago, I had defrosted chicken breasts for dinner, and ended up gathering up ingredients I had in the fridge that needed to be used up, and this recipe was born! Manchego is a sheep’s milk cheese and may be possible for those who cannot have cow’s milk.
Stuffed Manchego Chicken Breasts
Serves 4
8 thinly sliced chicken breasts (or 4 that you slice in half)
1/3 cup finely diced Manchego (I used rosemary covered Manchego for this, but you can also use Parmesan, Cheddar, any stronger flavored cheese)
1/3 cup finely diced no antibiotic, nitrate free Genoa or Hard Salami
1/3 cup chiffonade cut raw spinach
Salt and pepper to taste
Several Tablespoons of bacon fat
Dice the cheese, salami and chiffonade cut the spinach, set aside.
To chiffonade the spinach, trim off the stems, and stack a bunch of spinach leaves, roll up and slice across right to left, they unroll into long thin strips.
Lay out the chicken breasts and salt and pepper them.
Place equal amounts of the cheese, salami and spinach on each chicken breast.
Roll up each chicken breast and fasten with toothpicks (I always use 2, weather I need 2 or not, just so I know how many need to be pulled out of each when serving!)
Melt the bacon fat in a frying pan and add each stuffed chicken breast.
Cook on medium heat turning to brown evenly until cooked all of the way through (You can cover the pan and reduce heat to low once they are browned to go on to cook other things).
I like to use the rest of the spinach and sauté it in bacon fat or olive oil, with fresh chopped garlic and some sea salt. This particular night, I had some leftover potatoes and cut them in half and heated them up in the bacon fat with the chicken (once it had cooked most of the way through).
Just to show you what size approximately that you are slicing and dicing:
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You DESERVE to live a life you love with endless energy!
I help those with thyroid disease to repair damage to gut, blood sugar balance, adrenals and hormones,
so that they too, can have endless energy and truly love and live life again.
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