Hyperthyroid – Healthy.net

Balance Your Diet, Control Your Weight

Kathleen Barnes — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 21:13:33 +0000

Our Standard American Diet (SAD for short!) is anything but nourishing. High in carbohydrates and unhealthy fats, sugars, preservatives and other toxic chemicals, this diet virtually guarantees obesity and ill health.

In the name of convenience, we’ve actually sacrificed our health and even our lives.

Sure, it’s easy to stop by your favorite fast food outlet and get a burger, fries and soft drink for you, and even, for your family. It avoids the hassle of fixing dinner and perhaps buys you a precious hour of time in your stressful life. But what is the long-term cost?

Overfed and Undernourished

We live in a time when food is more plentiful and cheaper than at any other time in history. Never before have so many Americans been so overweight. Yet, because we fill up on all the wrong foods, we are woefully undernourished.

We eat too many processed foods that not only have almost no nutritional value – but they set up a cycle of cravings that keeps us coming back for more and more… and more.

It’s a dangerous addiction! These so-called “foods” are loaded with chemicals, salt, simple (i.e. non-nutritious) starches and, worst of all, sugar. It’s amazing that our bodies can glean even the most minimal nutritional requirements from this kind of diet. Often, they don’t, and we become overweight and chronically ill. For example, depressed, tired, foggy-brained and overweight women are often told by their doctors that they need Prozac. What they really need is a steady supply of real food to get their brains and bodies back on track. This is what I (Dr. Cass) see in my office all day long.

Diets Don’t Work

All of us are constantly bombarded with pitches for diet plans. It’s almost impossible to avoid them if you pick up a magazine or turn on the news. Some of these plans may help you to shed extra pounds, but unless you’ve made some basic lifestyle changes, these hard-fought losses will come right back on.

If you ask your doctor about your weight problem, you’re likely to hear the standard misinformed answer: “You need to eat less and exercise more.” That’s because most doctors are still thinking in a linear manner; that is, calories in minus calories burned equals calories that turn into fat. However, there’s far more to weight gain than that, since we all burn calories differently based on our body’s metabolic efficiency. True, you may be eating too much, not exercising enough or not doing the right kind of exercise for your needs. But there is much more to the story than that.

Start with the 8 Weeks Wellness Journal and Health Questionnaire
For free download click here. Your answers, combined with selected laboratory tests, will help you find out the source of your imbalances, and how to treat them naturally.

Discover for yourself if your weight gain is due to such problems as hormone imbalances, low thyroid, adrenal overload, blood sugar swings, food allergies, or neurotransmitter (brain chemistry) imbalances.

Don’t simply count calories. Also, use the glycemic load calculator rather than simply the glycemic index of foods. For details and a chart of foods, click here.

Most importantly, if you have weight issues, here are the facts:

You are not to blame. You likely have a physiological imbalance.
You are responsible for taking the steps you need to take to correct the problem.

Join us Thursday, March 19 for the third in our series of 8 free teleseminars for more tools for balancing your biochemistry and controlling your weight. Register now

Is iodine the secret enemy in premenstrual case?

What Doctors Don't Tell You — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 10:49:15 +0000

Re WDDTY vol 14 no 8 (p 10), women with PMS [premenstrual syndrome] may suffer not only from low thyroid function, but often from a hyperactive thyroid. One 40-year-old woman with PMS admitted that she nearly killed her little girl before a period, such was her irritability. A 30-year-old woman with a hyperactive thyroid, and PMS, had a normal thyroid gland within two to three months after drinking two cups of rosehip tea daily, and taking four to six starflower oil (borage oil) capsules a day.

A large percentage of women with PMS suffer from hyperthyroidism. So, it’s iodine that is their enemy. – Dr Anna Philippou, London

Overactive thyroid

What Doctors Don't Tell You — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 10:49:15 +0000

Q Re the December 2001 issue of WDDTY (vol 12 no 9) on thyroid problems, I was very disappointed to find that most of the discussion was on hypothyroidism whereas I suffer from hyperthyroidism (a multinodular goitre).

Having considered carefully the conventional treatment options, I reluctantly decided to go on the drug carbimazole. I now suffer badly from joint pain and have put on unneeded weight.

Can you give me scientifically proven alternatives to conventional treatment for hyperthyroidism – or maybe even a case study on ‘How I fixed my (overactive) thyroid without drugs?- PH, via e-mail

A Although hypothyroid problems usually get most of the attention, the thyroid can just as easily overheat. In that case, the gland governing your metabolic rate overproduces one or both of the thyroid’s hormones. This sets your metabolism on hyperdrive, causing many of your body’s functions to race.

As you know, antithyroid drugs are the most conservative means conventional medicine has of taming an overactive thyroid. Three drugs are commonly used: propylthiouracil, methimazole or carbimazole. All three inhibit thyroid hormone synthesis. Luckily, you have steered clear of methimazole, reputedly 10 times more potent than propylthiouracil.

Nevertheless, all three have substantial side-effects, the most worrisome of which are blood changes such as agranulocytosis, a sudden decrease in the number of white blood cells. This can cause extreme fatigue, fever and bleeding in the rectum, mouth and vagina. These drugs can also cause thrombocytopenia (reduced blood platelets), leukopenia (decreased white blood cells) and aplastic anaemia (a decrease in bone marrow ability to make white blood cells). With methimazole, there have even been reports of hepatitis and fatal liver disease.

As for carbimazole, manufacturer Roche warns that patients should be alert to the onset of sore throat, mouth ulcers, fever or other symptoms which might suggest bone marrow depression. In the event, it is important to stop taking the drug and seek medical advice immediately. Blood cell counts should be carried out, especially if there is evidence of infection.

Otherwise, this drug also causes nausea, joint pain, headache, mild gastric distress, skin rash and itching. Hair loss has been reported. Rarely, it can cause pancytopenia (a decrease in all types of blood cells) and myopathy (muscle and bone weakness). If you have had muscle pain with this drug, you should have your creatine phosphokinase levels regularly monitored (to see how well your muscles are working). Liver problems, such as jaundice, have also been reported.

You are sensible to want to try alternative therapies. So much evidence suggests that thyroid problems are due to an allergic or environmental cause that it seems sensible to remove those substances known to affect the thyroid to see if this corrects the condition before taking any medication.

Although it isn’t clear why the thyroid gland begins to overwork itself, there are many environmental causes. As we’ve already identified in these pages (WDDTY, vol 7 no 7), the big-gest cause of the epidemic of overactive thyroid is iodised table salt. This well-meant act of adding iodine, needed to make thyroid hormones, is now responsible for epidemics of overactive thyroid in many parts of the globe.

In Galicia, in northwestern Spain, where iodised salt is mandatory, there is an abnormally high incidence of hyperthyroidism, particularly among women (J Endocrinol Invest, 1994; 17: 23-7). Other studies have shown that countries like the US and Japan, which have the highest intake of iodine, also have the greatest incidence of over-active thyroid problems.

Epidemiological evidence shows that iodised salt may cause overactive thyroid even where there is an iodine deficiency. In one study, the incidence of conditions heralding the development of hyperthyroidism rose to more than 30 per cent five years after iodine supplementation (J Clin Endocrinol Metabol, 1983; 57: 859-62).

It’s also important that you avoid all the hidden sources of iodine, which is added to cough expectorants, antiseptics, certain drugs such as sulphonamide, lithium, dopamine, steroids, aspirin, the heart drug amiodarone and antidiabetic drugs, and even the contrast agents used for taking arteriograms or X-rays of organs like the kidneys. In one study of patients before and after receiving an angiogram with an iodine-containing contrast agent, a significant number of patients showed altered thyroid function for some weeks after the examination (Kardiologie, 2001; 90: 751-9).

Besides iodised salt, you should also remove other iodine-containing foods from the diet, such as kelp and Japanese seaweed. It’s essential to avoid large doses of iodine in any form, as these will crank up the production and release of thyroid hormones (Nutr Health Rev, 1996; 75: 4). This includes any multivamin/mineral supplement containing more than 100 mcg of iodine per capsule.

A number of environmental chemical pollutants can also cause the thyroid to malfunction. Resorcinol, phthalates, metoxyanthracene, polybrominated biphenyls, cyanide (the concentrated byproduct of chemical fertilisers) and chlorinated compounds such as pentachlorophenol (a wood and leather preservative) have all been shown to significantly alter thyroid hormone production (N Engl J Med, 1980; 302: 31-3; Neurotoxicology, 1991; 12: 818).

If you drink tap or well water, you should change to another source of water immediately or have a reverse-osmosis unit fitted under your kitchen sink. Also, avoid drinking out of plastic bottles, which may contain phthalate esters.

If you are taking synthetic hormones such as the Pill or hormone replacement therapy (HRT), consider coming off, as oestrogen of any variety tends to make hyperthyroidism worse (Arzneim Forsch, 1961; 11: 92).

Studies have shown that patients with an overactive thyroid often crave and consume a high level of carbohydrates (J Clin Endocrinol Metabol, 2001; 86: 5848-53). In your case, it is preferable to consume high levels of protein and a high-calorie diet to help compensate for the high metabolic rate at which your thyroid is set.

You should also consume a number of uncooked ‘goitrogenic’ foods (foods that cause goitre, an enlarged thyroid, if eaten in excess), such as the brassica family (including broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, watercress and swede), millet and soya. These foods regulate thyroid function and lower iodine levels in an overactive thyroid (Therap Unschau, 1973; 30: 734). Aim to consume about a half a head of raw cabbage per day.

You should also avoid megadosing on vitamin C, the B vitamin PABA, amino acids cystine and glutathione, and iron, all of which also affect thyroid function. Large doses of iron can cause your body to treble its output of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) (Ann Intern Med, 1992; 117: 1010-3).

If you regularly take any other herbs for other reasons, you may consider stopping as they may affect thyroxine production and absorption (Thyroidol Clin Exp, 1993; 6: 97-102).

If you are a smoker, you should quit as studies have shown a significant link between an overactive thyroid and tobacco smoking, particularly in those with eye problems (Acta Endocrinol, 1993; 128: 156-60).

Besides altering your diet and environment, you may also wish to try herbs with an excellent track record for treating overactive thyroid. Extracts of gypsywort (Lycopus europaeus) and bugleweed (L. virginicus) have good evidence of inhibiting iodine metabolism and thyroxine release (Wien Med Wochenschr, 1961; 31: 513). Be sure to opt for leaf extracts, which are more effective than root extracts (Arzneim Forsch, 1955; 5: 465).

Another herb with a natural antithyroid effect is motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca), which can reduce the palpitations and rapid heartbeat often associated with an overactive thyroid (Arzneim Forsch, 1961; 11: 830).

There are two German proprietary herbal preparations – Thyreogutt and Mutellon – that contain gypsywort and motherwort. Mutellon, which also contains the natural sedative Valeriana officinalis, has been shown to successfully manage mild cases of hyperthyroidism (Therapiewoche, 1964; 14: 1183). Other scientific evidence shows that, unlike antithyroid drugs, these herbs don’t damage or change the body’s TSH receptors (Endocrinology, 1985; 116: 1677-86).

You might also wish to try traditional Chinese medicine (Trad Chin Med, 1985; 5: 19ff). In one study, acupuncture was given to 150 patients from an area of Romania considered one of the most polluted in Europe, where hyperthyroidism was thought to have resulted from heavy concentrations of lead, zinc and sulphur powders. Ninety per cent of the patients improved, and the usual clinical signs of overactive thyroid – palpitations, bulging eyes, irritability and insomnia – also improved or disappeared (J Br Med Acup Soc, 1994; 12: 67). The points needled included LI.4, ST.36, CV.17, LR.3, PC.6 and local points such as TE.13, LI.17 and CV.22.

Moxibustion, where a concentrated herb stick is slowly burned like a cigar over certain acupuncture points, has also helped in cases of thyroiditis (J Trad Chin Med, 1993; 13: 14-8).

One study of traditional Chinese herbs showed that capsules containing jiakang ning helped to normalise an overactive thyroid (Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi, 1999; 19: 144-7).

Reading tongues

What Doctors Don't Tell You — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 10:49:15 +0000

One of the greatest and most far-reaching scandals of modern medicine has to do with the appalling ignorance of doctors about the workings of the thyroid gland.

This tiny bow-tie-shaped gland is our body’s central metabolic regulator and, when it goes awry (as it can in today’s highly toxic environment), it can cause untold mayhem. Hundreds of thousands of people – one-sixth of the over 55s, according to one survey – are walking around with undiagnosed underactive thyroid. Half of all women and a quarter of all men will die with an inflamed thyroid (J Pathol Bacteriol, 1962; 83: 255-64). This becomes all the more serious when you consider that a thyroid gland out of control can sometimes even kill you.

Indefatigable researcher Doris Jones, who has tirelessly searched for an answer to her son’s myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), has discovered copious evidence that undiagnosed thyroid problems may be one of the major elements contributing to those puzzling diseases of the 21st century like ME, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome now appearing in epidemic numbers (see Special Report, p 1).

Doctors have trouble diagnosing an underactive thyroid because they use the wrong tests. They still cling to a number of blood tests, which don’t tell them about the full state of a person’s thyroid, only about the levels of thyroid hormone circulating in the blood. These tests also can’t tell them how much thyroid hormone the body is able to use or how much is necessary to ensure an individual’s health.

To make matters even more complicated, a host of conditions and drugs can throw off a thyroxine reading. Even taking the Pill can give a false picture of the state of your thyroid.

Doctors like Barry Durrant-Peatfield have successfully diagnosed patients simply by relying on a simple, non-invasive test developed by Dr Broda Barnes, a thyroid expert, 30 years ago. Dr Barnes, who believed that many people have subtle thyroid disorders that don’t show up on any blood test, publicised a simple, accurate test for both hypo- and hyperthyroid conditions that can be done at home (Barnes B, Hypothyroidism: The Unsuspected Illness, London: Harper & Row, 1976).

Barnes’ test involves recording your basal body temperature (BBT), the body’s lowest temperature during its waking day. This is invariably when you wake up, but before you get out of bed in the morning.

The test simply entails placing a thermometer under your armpit for 10 minutes first thing in the morning before you get out of bed for several days and recording the results. (Premenopausal women need to take the test on days two or three of the menstrual cycle.) A normal reading ranges between 36.6 and 36.8 degrees centigrade (97.8 to 98.2 degrees). Anything markedly below this could signal that the individual has an underactive thyroid; anything markedly higher suggests an overactive one. Of course, a good doctor will also consider and exclude other causes of a low basal body temperature, and the BBT test is no substitute for careful and complete history-taking.

According to Dr Peatfield, this test has been ignored or derided by many practitioners and authorities. Doctors used to diagnosing on the basis of a scientific reading, like a laborary result, tend to suspect anything as simple as a thermometer reading. The tragedy is that this reliance on gadgetry is blinding medicine to the simple wisdom of Peatfield’s approach and instigating a witch hunt to round up all those doctors who refuse to diagnose thyroid disorders on the basis of blood tests.

As with most areas of medicine, space-age equipment and high-tech lab results are no substitute for having a good look at a patient and listening to his story. In order to figure out how to treat some of the most puzzling new illnesses plaguing us nowadays, doctors may have to recover some of the lost art of traditional medicine: learning again how to read the state of a patient’s tongue.

Lynne McTaggart

The Medical Detective:Hypothyroidism

What Doctors Don't Tell You — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 10:49:15 +0000

Causes of an underactive thyroid

* Iodine deficiency. This was the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the past, as the thyroid gland adds iodine to the amino acid tyrosine to create thyroid hormones. This has become rare nowadays due to iodised table salt. Yet, it can still be caused by an excessive consumption of foods that block iodine utilisation such as turnips, cabbage, mustard, cassava root, soybean, peanuts, pinenuts and millet. However, cooking usually inactivates this blocking mechanism.

* Drugs, including lithium, dopamine, steroids, some cough mixtures, sulphonamide and even radiographic contrast agents can adversely affect the function of the thyroid.

* Mega-doses of vitamin C or of glutathione can alter thyroid function.

* Prolonged use of medicinal herbs such as bladder kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana), bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosus), bugleweed (Lycopus virginicus), dulse (Rhodymenia palmetto) and sea tangle (Laminaria digitata) may bring about iodine-induced thyroid deficiency.

* Multivitamin preparations containing more than 100 mg (0.1 g) of iodine per capsule/tablet will eventually do the same thing (Nutr Health Rev, 1996, 75: 4).

* Iron supplements can bring on symptoms of hypothyroidism because iron binds to thyroxine, making it insoluble (Ann Intern Med, 1992; 117: 1010-3). And if you think taking iron will give you more energy (which you lack in hypothyroidism), you’re wrong.

* The medicinal herb ma huang (Ephedra sinica) is contraindicated in hyperthyroidism, also known as ‘thyrotoxicosis’.

Tests that work
Perhaps the best test to discover if you have an underfunctioning thyroid is the naturopathic basal body temperature (BBT) test. As soon as you wake up, place a thermometer under your armpit for 10 minutes. Supposedly normal readings are 36.6-36.8°C (97.8-98.2°F). Anything lower could be an underactive thyroid and anything higher, an overactive one. If you’re a premenopausal woman, the most accurate measurement is on the second or third day of your menstrual cycle. Remember, the BBT will slightly rise and fall just before and after ovulation.

One of the best diagnostic tools is infrared thermography – which measures temperature as infrared radiation – both for early diagnosis and control during treatment. As the thyroids lie just below the skin (on each side of the throat), they are readily visualised by thermography.

Nutritional medicine

* Supplement with zinc, and vitamins A and E, which work together to make the thyroid hormones. A deficiency in any one of these nutrients will reduce the amount of active hormones produced. Low zinc is common in the elderly, as is hypothyroidism. Supplementing with zinc reestablishes normal thyroid function in zinc-deficient hypothyroid patients (Alt Ther Health Med, 1997; 3: 78-81). Riboflavin, niacin and pyridoxine (vitamins B2, B3 and B6, respectively), and vitamin C are also necessary for hormone synthesis, and copper, selenium and zinc are necessary for enzyme conversion of T4 to T3 (Clin Sci, 1995; 89: 637-42; Bio Trace Elem Res, 1992; 33: 155-6).

* Avoid eating too much bran or bioflavonoids, both of which lower levels of circulating thyroid hormones (J Clin Endocr Metab, 1996; 80: 857-9).

* Essential fatty acids are needed for the smooth functioning of thyroid cells, and the amino-acid tyrosine (200 mg/day) is also vital for the formation of thyroid hormones, and has been used successfully to treat some cases of hypothyroidism (Alt Ther Health Med, 1997; 3: 78-81).

Alternative medicine

* The homoeopathic remedy Iodum (low potency) taken twice daily, has shown success. In one study, circulating T3 and T4 hormone levels were increased by 20 per cent and 5 per cent, respectively, in those given the remedy (Br Hom J, 1988; 77: 152-60).

* Traditional Chinese medicinal herbs have also proven effective. In one study, 32 hypothyroid patients were treated for a year with the Chinese herbal preparation Shen Lu, and compared with 34 healthy controls. Following the herbal treatment, the patients’ symptoms markedly improved, with levels of T3 and T4 nearly doubled (Chung Kuo Chung His I Chieh Ho Tsa Chih, 1993; 13: 202-4).

* Try Thyrejuv, a combination remedy of nettles, Damiana, Siberian ginseng, parsley, Irish moss, mistletoe and kelp, produced and marketed by Nutriscene UK Ltd. Although there have been no controlled clinical trials of this medication, I have found it to be effective for T3 deficiencies.

Harald Gaier

Harald Gaier is a registered naturopath, osteopath, homoeopath and herbalist based at The Health Equation, 11 Harley Street, London W1G 9PF; tel: 020 7612 9800/07917 662 042.

Thyroid problems: The link with 21st century diseases

What Doctors Don't Tell You — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 10:49:15 +0000

A scandalous lack of knowledge by doctors and an epidemic of undiagnosed thyroid problems may be behind the other growing epidemic of our times: ME

Successfully treating thyroid disorders is a tall order for any doctor. It’s vital that he not only knows about the gland itself, but also that he understands the entire endocrine system, including the complex workings of the various biochemical pathways.

Unfortunately, most medical students receive, at most, half a day’s worth of schooling in the complexities of the endocrine system. Small wonder that knowledgeable and expert practitioners able to meet the varying needs of thousands of patients are exceptionally thin on the ground.

The result is an epidemic of people walking around with undiagnosed thyroid disorders. The latest information indicates that thyroid problems may play a significant role in many of the 21st century’s most puzzling illnesses, such as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME)/chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). This is all the more serious as, in some circumstances, untreated or poorly treated thyroid problems can lead to death (Neal JM, Basic Endocrinology: An Integrated Approach, Oxford: Blackwell Science, 2000).

There is much controversy in medical circles over states of hypothyroidism, in particular where patients have normal blood tests, but show the clinical signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism. These conditions are described as ‘biochemically normal but clinically hypothyroid’.

Subclinical hypothyroidism is common, especially in elderly women. The presence of this condition or of thyroid antibodies increases the risk of developing overt hypothyroidism. The risk is even greater if both are present (BMJ, 1997; 314: 1175-8).

Screening for hypothyroidism is particularly important during pregnancy since undiagnosed hypothyroidism in pregnant women may adversely affect their fetus (N Engl J Med, 1999; 341: 549-55).

One reason that hypothyroidism so often goes undetected is the common misconception that a diagnosis of clinical hypothyroidism can be made from blood tests alone. But many conditions can change the amount of circulating thyroid hormones in the blood – everything from pregnancy, dieting and kidney problems to prescription drugs and even illness.

In such patients, thyroid function tests are virtually useless (BMJ, 2000; 320: 1332-4). Especially in elderly patients, some of whom may have pituitary tumours or hypopituitarism, testing only for TSH may be inappropriate. Unless a doctor diagnoses hypothyroidism through careful clinical examination and history-taking, the diagnosis is likely to be missed (BMJ, 2000: 321: 1275-7)

In addition, when patients are taking thyroid replacement therapy, other drugs can affect the amount needed or absorbed. A study in hypothyroid women treated with thyroxine showed that when they take oestrogen therapy at the same time, the usual doses of thyroxine may be inadequate (N Engl J Med, 2001; 344: 1743-9).

ME: the link with thyroid
Thyroid problems may be a culprit behind unexplained diseases such as ME/CFS and FMS. In most cases, the health problems experienced by these patients are part of a more basic and profound dysfunction, such as primary damage to the hypothalamus or pituitary gland through infection and/or some other insult. In Basic Endocrinology: An Integrative Approach, author J.M. Neal says that these different manifestations of thyroid dysfunction, especially those seen in hypothyroidism, require their own special treatment.

Psychiatrists have filled the major UK journals with articles postulating that ME/CFS and FMS have a psychiatric basis. In one recent report (Lancet, 1999; 354: 936-9), the authors suggest that the problems seen in conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, premenstrual syndrome, multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), CFS and FMS are all in the head.

Such a mindset ignores the established research showing that abnormalities in ME/CFS patients may be due to thyroid, adrenal and other hormonal dysfunction. E.G. Dowsett, an eminent researcher in CFS, found that 5 per cent of female ME patients suffer from thyroiditis (Hyde BM et al., The Clinical and Scientific Basis of ME/CFS, Ottawa: Nightingale Research Foundation, 1992: 285-91). Byron Hyde, the leading Canadian researcher in this field, reports that glucose and TSH tests reveal that up to half of ME patients develop thyroid problems (Proceedings of the Second World Congress on CFS and Related Disorders, Brussels, September 1999, p 60).

At the same conference, Belgian researchers showed that TSH levels, among others, were elevated in CFS patients (Proceedings, p 62). In Why ME? (Crafton Books, 1989), author Dr Belinda Dawes acknowledges that, in ME and other environmental and allergic disorders, thyroid function is disturbed, and low-dose thyroid hormone supplementation, along with other supplements, is often appropriate.

Other eminent international researchers have found that the endocrine system in ME/CFS sufferers is disrupted (Rheum Dis Clin North Am, 1996; 22: 267-84; J Psychiatr Res, 1997; 31: 69-82; Horm Metab Res, 1999; 1: 18-21). A key feature is a defect in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis (J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 1991; 73: 1224-34; J CFS, 1995; 1: 59-66). In one study, computed tomography (CT) of ME patients showed that both adrenal glands were reduced by as much as 50 per cent compared with the controls (Radiology, 1998; 209P [Suppl]: 411-2).

One reason why this thyroid abnormality is often overlooked in ME patients is that it doesn’t show up in the usual neuroendocrine tests. In one large study, the researchers concluded that these tests are inadequate for ME/CFS patients (Scott LV, The role of the HPA axis in chronic fatigue syndrome [PhD thesis], British Library, 1997).

The evidence suggests that these patients may not have a truly normal thyroid function (‘euthyroid’), but may have what is known as ‘euthyroid sick syndrome’ (J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 1997; 82: 329-34). There may be a problem in conversion from T4 to T3, a process which takes place in the liver and is facilitated by several enzymes, and requires specific micronutrients to proceed smoothly (Medicine Endocrinology 23-24-98 html, Thyroid, Lecturer Dr Blum).

Possibly the most comprehensive list of common symptoms due to hypothyroidism seen in ME/CFS/FMS/MCS can be found on the website of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, Merck Manual, Thyroid Foundation of America (http://thyroid.miningco.com/blchklst.htm?pid=2750&cob=home).

Professor Timothy Dinan, University College in Cork, Ireland, has observed an increased prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism in CFS patients. At a conference at the Royal Society of Medicine last October, he announced his discovery that, in CFS, as in other stress-related conditions, regulation of the HPA axis is abnormal and associated with diminished organ function.

In a recent randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, a well-known American team treated 72 FMS patients for subclinical thyroid, gonadal and/or adrenal insufficiency, disordered sleep, suspected neurally mediated hypotension, opportunistic infections and suspected nutritional deficiencies.

The treated group enjoyed significant improvement compared with the placebo group. Of 38 treated patients, 33 received thyroid replacement therapy, demonstrating that hypothyroidism plays an important role in FMS and CFS (J CFS, 2001; 8: 3-28). An earlier study by the same team reported similar results (Am J Med Sci, 2000; 320: 1-8). One researcher has even postulated that CFS, FMS and Persian Gulf syndrome share a common underlying cause: a magnesium deficiency plus a toxic excess of fluoride (J CFS, 1999; 5: 67-127).

Certain practitioners and researchers have treated patients with thyroid replacement therapy using either conventional synthetic thyroxine (T4) or natural thyroid hormones, such as Armour Thyroid, which contains the full complement of thyroid hormones, including the far more powerful T3. In the UK, Dr Gordon Skinner, perhaps the best known of these practitioners, proposes treating biochemically normal but clinically hypothyroid patients with low-dose thyroxine (BMJ, 1997; 314: 1764).

Skinner’s treatment has received publicity through the publication of Diana Holmes’ book Tears Behind Closed Doors (Avon Books, 1998), in which she tells of her years of being misdiagnosed before being correctly diagnosed and treated by Dr Skinner. Skinner and his team later published the results of their trials with patients like Holmes (J Nutr Environ Med, 2000; 10: 115-24).

Dr Barry Durrant-Peatfield used a similar treatment regime (J Nutr Environ Med, 1996; 6: 371-8). Until recently, he prescribed thyroid replacement therapy to all patients with clinical hypothyroidism (not just patients with CFS/ ME/FMS), with low-dose adrenal support for those who needed it. He gained a solid reputation for successfully treating many patients with CFS/ ME/FMS as well as other thyroid and adrenal dysfunctions.

As Peatfield writes in his own information booklet, ‘With the pituitary-thyroid-adrenal axis damaged, the body’s immune system cannot recover, and the sufferer is frequently ill with apparent relapses of virus illness, other general illnesses, and indeed low-grade parasitic infections.’ (Durrant-Peatfield BJ, Diagnosis and Treatment of ME).

Nevertheless, Skinner’s approach has met with considerable opposition from medical practitioners in endocrinology and clinical biochemistry. Even the medical director of the ME Association, one of two major ME/CFS charities in the UK, opposed Skinner’s treatment on the grounds that its benefits were unproven and potentially dangerous (BMJ, 1997; 315: 813-4). Dr Peatfield recently had his medical licence suspended, the latest victim of the General Medical Council’s witch hunt on doctors using unorthodox procedures (WDDTY, vol 12 no 5).

Despite the wealth of evidence of disturbed thyroid functioning and other abnormalities of the HPA axis (notably adrenal deficiencies) in ME, the medical director of the ME Association recently co-authored a booklet stating: ‘There is no evidence of disturbed thyroid gland function in ME/CFS, and the use of thyroxine supplementation in people who have normal thyroid function tests is a controversial form of treatment which carries a number of risks, including the potential complication of precipitating an Addisonian crisis in patients with hypocortisolaemia [diminished production of cortisol by the adrenals]’.

Fibromyalgia and thyroid
Much of the research on FMS patients also points to thyroid problems as a hidden cause. A recent study reported that almost all of the hormonal feedback mechanisms controlled by the hypothalamus are altered in this condition. This includes elevated levels of ACTH, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and cortisol (hydrocortisone) as well as lowered levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, somatomedin C, free triiodothyronine (FT3) and oestrogen (Scand J Rheumatol Suppl, 2000; 11: 8-12).

Studies have shown that thyroid disorders, notably hypothyroidism, and altered reactivity of the HPA axis are a common feature in FMS patients (J Rheumatol, 1992; 19: 12120-2; J Rheumatol, 1993; 20: 469-74).

Dr John Lowe has documented his experiences with FMS patients and his study of fibromyalgia in a 1260-page publication The Metabolic Treatment of Fibromyalgia (McDowell Publishing, 2000). This book effectively argues that fibromyalgia is largely caused by inadequate thryroid hormone regulation of tissue functions.

The medical regulatory bodies have produced four ‘mandates’ to serve as guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of hypothyroidism:
1. A deficiency of thyroid hormone is the only cause of symptoms and signs characteristic of hypothyroidism
2. Clinicians should not permit patients with ‘normal’ thyroid test results to use thyroid hormone
3. Hypothyroid patients should use thyroid hormones only in ‘replacement dosages’ (dosages that keep TSH within its reference range)
4. Hypothyroid patients should only use thyroxine (T4).

To help the thousands of thyroid patients who fall outside this strict definition, Dr Peatfield and other practitioners have had to resort to violating accepted medical practice, knowing their risk of suspension or revocation of their licences. Indeed, one doctor goes so far as to argue that adherence to these ‘mandates’ is itself contributory to the sudden rise of new diseases.

FMS, CFS, ME and other such syndromes may not be all in the sufferers’ heads so much as in their necks, largely the result of a low thyroid problem not properly treated.

Doris Jones

Thyroid problems: The link with 21st century diseases:Are you suffering from thyroid problems?

What Doctors Don't Tell You — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 10:49:15 +0000

Hypothyroidism: common symptoms
* Weakness; fatigue; cold intolerance; constipation; weight change; depression; menorrhagia; hoarseness
* Dry, cold, yellow, puffy skin; scanty eyebrows; thick tongue; bradycardia (slow heartbeat); delayed return of deep tendon reflexes
* Anaemia; hyponatraemia
* T4 and radioiodine uptake usually low
* TSH elevated in primary myxoedema (characteristic swelling, especially of the face, associated with hypothyroidism).

Early symptoms
* Weakness; fatigue; arthralgias or myalgias; muscle cramps; cold intolerance; constipation; lethargy; dry skin; headache; menorrhagia
* Outstanding features: thin, brittle nails; thinning of hair; pallor with slack skin; delayed return of deep tendon reflexes. Other physical findings may be few or absent.

Late symptoms
* Slow speech; absence of sweating; constipation; peripheral oedema; pallor; hoarseness; decreased sense of taste and smell; muscle cramps; aches and pains; dyspnoea (laboured breathing); weight change (usually gain, but weight loss is not rare); deafness. Women may have menstrual irregularities
* Physical findings include puffiness of face and eyelids; yellow skin colour; thinning of outer halves of eyebrows; thickening of tongue; hard, pitting oedema (swelling) and fluid leakage into the lung, chest and/or heart cavities, enlargement of the heart (‘myxoedema heart’) and joints; slow heartbeat; possible hypothermia; pituitary enlargement.

Hyperthyroidism: symptoms and signs
* Nervousness; restlessness; heat intolerance; increased sweating; fatigue; weakness; muscle cramps; frequent bowel movements; weight change (usually loss)
* Possibly palpitations or angina pectoris; menstrual irregularities; hypokalaemic periodic paralysis; possible stare and lid lag; tachycardia or atrial fibrillation; fine, resting finger tremour; moist, warm skin; exaggerated reflexes; fine hair; onycholysis (loss of nails); rarely, heart failure; possible clubbing and swelling of fingers (acropachy); osteoporosis may result from chronic thyrotoxicosis
* Men may experience decreased libido; impotence; decreased sperm count and gynaecomastia (excessive growth of mammary glands)

Thyroid problems: The link with 21st century diseases:The toxic thyroid

What Doctors Don't Tell You — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 10:49:15 +0000

At least two highly toxic substances are known to severely impair normal thyroid functioning – one is fluoride, the other is mercury. These facts are consistently ignored by orthodox medicine.

Fluoride
Since the 1930s and 1940s, fluoride has been used to treat hyperthyroidism and
thyroid tumours (Z Physiol Chem, 1937; 245: 58-65). It was then recognised that problems occurred in the liver, where most of the T4 to T3 conversion takes place. Minder and Gordonoff reported ‘an antagonism between iodine and fluorine’ (Arch Intern Pharma Codyn, 1956; 107: 374-81).

Fluorine, by far the most reactive element of the halogen group of chemicals, was found to displace iodine and inhibit iodine transport (Nature, 1959; 183: 1517). Even now, at least one drug to control hyperthyroidism (such as fluorotyrosine) is fluorine-based (Martindale, 32nd edn, 1999), as are numerous steroids (fludrocortisone, fluticasone, fluocinolone, flurandrenalone), antidepressants (fluoxetine [Prozac]) and antipsychotics (flupenthixol, trifluoperazine).

Andreas Schuld, head of Parents of Fluoride-Poisoned Children, has amassed data from many studies which clearly demonstrate that the symptoms of fluoride poisoning are identical to those of hypothyroidism and thyroid disorders (www.bruha.com/fluoride/htm/f). His latest investigations have revealed documented evidence on how fluoride mimics the actions of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), especially when fluorine particles attach themselves to aluminium in water, thereby activating certain proteins which can inhibit T3 activity in cells.

Mercury
Several studies have reported high levels of mercury in the pituitary glands of dentists, on post-mortem examination, in comparison to other areas of the brain.

Accumulation of mercury in the pituitary is of particular importance as the overall control of this gland over the production of many hormones (including thyroid and adrenal hormones) influences virtually all body functions (Levenson J et al., Menace in the Mouth?, Brompton Health, 2000).

One cited study reported that tissues containing only a small fraction of the total mercury found in the human body can contain higher concentrations of this metal than the largest organs. Examination of the pituitary and thyroid glands of mercury miners revealed the highest concentrations of mercury – greater than the levels found in their kidneys, lungs and parts of the brain.

Graves’ disease and hyperthyroidism:

What Doctors Don't Tell You — Fri, 23 Jun 2006 20:51:58 +0000

Graves’ disease and hyperthyroidism: A reader with hyperthyroidism believes her condition is linked to Graves’ disease and she is suffering from various symptoms including muscle and bone atrophy. She wanted to know what alternative treatments there were for her condition besides drugs such as Tapizole? Recommended alternative treatments include traditional Chinese medicine; acupuncture; homeopathy; nutritional supplementation; good diet (one reader has read that brassica vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, collard greens and pak choi have a regulating effect on the thyroid gland); and lifestyle changes. Whichever therapy you choose, the important thing is to not delay treatment, warns one reader. These disorders open the patient up to a “thyrotoxic storm” with serious consequences, she says. To help combat bone atrophy, a reader suggests doing some weight-bearing exercises to strengthen the bones.

Vasectomy and cancer

What Doctors Don't Tell You — Fri, 23 Jun 2006 20:51:58 +0000

Q: My son, aged 38, was diagnosed with hepatitis C about five years ago. He tried Chinese herbs and acupuncture for some months, but with little success. He was offered the then experimental chemotherapy treatment of ribavirin and interferon, which he was on for about nine months.

According to the hospital, the chemotherapy worked. Their tests showed that his liver function was normal, and the virus could no longer be detected.

However, two years on from the end of the chemotherapy, he appears to be only a little better; he has flu-like symptoms, can’t keep food down, and is very tired and depressed. His doctors can’t explain why he should still be feeling so ill when their tests say he’s ‘cured’. – JB, via e-mail

A: Hepatitis C is one of five different viruses that can attack and damage the liver. It is believed to be the most virulent liver virus of all as it can cause irreversible and potentially fatal liver scarring. Transmitted largely via the blood, it is becoming increasingly more common, with some doctors even warning of an epidemic.

The standard drug treatment used to be with interferon, an artificial version of a protein that is part of the body’s natural defence against viruses. However, interferon failed to live up to its promise, so another antiviral, ribavirin, was added to the treatment. This combination (marketed as Rebetron) has been in use for about five years, and is the only conventional treatment for hepatitis C on offer.

Rebetron is more effective than interferon alone, but its success comes at a price. Side-effects are among the worst in conventional medicine. A review listing ‘well-described side effects’ included fatigue, flu-like symptoms, blood abnormalities (such as loss of both red and white cells) and depression (Hepatology, 2002; 36 [5 Suppl 1]: S237-44).

Indeed, interferon-induced depression may be so severe that some hepatitis patients even refuse treatment (Aliment Pharmacol Ther, 2002; 16: 1091-9).

These sound very much like your son’s present symptoms and, if he were still taking Rebetron, that would explain it. But you say he stopped the treatment two years ago and yet seems to still be suffering from the apparent side-effects.

Clues may be found from three new side-effects that have recently emerged from the shadows, and all with long-term consequences. Serious lung damage has been seen with Rebetron, and found to persist long after the drug was stopped (Am J Gastroenterol, 2002; 97: 2432-40). Also, a long-term ‘muscle weakness’ has been reported to continue for as long as nine months after stopping treatment (J Viral Hepat, 2002; 9: 75-9).

Finally – and more directly relevant to your son’s case – there is also significant damage to the thyroid. A fistful of studies find that Rebetron can cause an underactive or overactive thyroid in about 12 per cent of patients (J Intern Med, 2002; 251: 400-6).

Most important of all, as one study discovered, was that ‘the development of hypothyroidism [in Rebetron patients] is significantly associated with the long-term remission of [chronic hepatitis C]’ (Eur J Endocrinol, 2002; 146: 743-9). So, the cost of a Rebetron hepatitis ‘cure’ is a long-term dysfunctional thyroid.

Thyroid hormones are the body’s energy boosters, so a deficiency due to an underactive thyroid will cause generalised tiredness, lethargy and cramps – which might explain at least some of your son’s symptoms. As more patients are treated with Rebetron, it may well be eventually revealed that his other symptoms are also the long-term result of the chemotherapy.

Rebetron may be one of those drugs where the treatment is worse than the disease. This might be acceptable if it actually worked, but the medical literature suggests a poor track record, with failure in more than 50 per cent of cases. ‘With our current best therapies, the majority of patients still do not achieve the benefits of a sustained response’, US doctors recently admitted (J Gastroenterol Hepatol, 2002; 17: 431-41).

Are there any alternatives? Liquorice root, an old Japanese folk remedy with the active ingredient glycyrrhizin, has been tested and found to be of some benefit in hepatitis C (Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol, 1999; 11: 1077-83). Also, in addition to Chinese herbs, the European herb milk thistle is often given for liver problems. Its active ingredient, silymarin, is currently being tested specifically in hepatitis C.

Some patients with hepatitis C find that St John’s wort and ginger can alleviate the side-effects of conventional treatment (Am Clin Lab, 2002; 21: 19-21).