Book Review: Stop the Thyroid Madness

For many months now, my body has been like an old car in various states of disrepair. I have been so fatigued that I couldn't accomplish much and craved naps every afternoon. Even when well rested (with a tank full of gas, so to speak), I was still putzing along at 5 m.p.h. The cold was bothering me, which seemed ridiculous since it is SUMMER. My periods are heavier and longer. My joints ache when I try to climb the stairs. I couldn't even rouse enough stamina to continue riding the exercycle for 20 minutes straight, but would stop after five or ten, to rest and drink water before finishing the brief work-out.

Of course, I began to mention these difficulties to my doctor, but they were considered to be by-products of depression. Finally, when I had an unexplained weight gain of about 15 pounds, I decided that perhaps the antidepressant was responsible for the sluggishness and the weight gain. Alas, even off of those meds, I was constantly lethargic and struggling to fit into my old clothes.

The doctor tested for thyroid and said "all tests returned normal." I requested a cortisol level test. They said, "all tests returned normal," despite the fact that I was on the very low end of the scale, taken first thing in the morning when cortisol levels should be at their highest.

Finally, the day that we left on our way to CBLI, I took those same lab results to a naturopath doctor and he quickly scanned the results and declared "hypothyroidism." He also stated that (from the results of the thorough questionairre) I have some significant hormone imbalances (probably estrogen dominance and progesterone deficiency). He placed me on Armour dessicated thyroid (which comes from a pig - yikes) and ordered a hormone lab draw on the 21st day of my cycle. Sadly, that lab draw will have to wait because I was in Wisconsin on the 21st day. I have started the medicine (as of today) and, quite frankly, am somewhat worried about this whole development, since what I read on the Stop the Thyroid Madness site indicates that Armour reformulated their drug one year ago and now patients are again struggling with meds that don't seem to adequately address the symptoms.

While at CBLI, I finally finished reading this book, Stop the Thyroid Madness, by Janie A Bowthorpe, which had been lent to me by my friend, Mary. This was a very informative book about hypothyroidism and the difficulty patients have had in obtaining appropriate treatment from within the normal medical establishments. The author claims that doctors are more influenced by drug companies than by concern for the patient and that doctors continue to dose to the tests rather than dose to the elimination of symptoms.

Of course, I still believe that I am suffering from adrenal fatigue in addition to the hypothyroidism (indeed, I wonder if I really have hypothyroidism, since some of the reading I have done regarding the hormone imbalances of perimenopause often mimic the symptoms of hypothyroidism). Bowthorpe asserts that "low-functioning adrenal glands, with resultant low cortisol, complicates hypothyroid condition."

From the sounds of things in this book, addressing the adrenal insufficiency and the hypothyroidism can help to rebalance the sex hormone issues. Although it is reassuring to know that there are others out there who have faced similar struggles, it is equally distressing to fear that one cannot trust the medical establishment to seek the answers and give the best (not necessarily the most profitable) avenue of treatment.

What amazes me, as well, is the prevalence of thyroid issues. Perhaps, I am just more attune to things like that, now that I am experiencing symptoms. But, perhaps, we are damaging our bodies by the chemicals we continue to push into our foods and environment.