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Although I have written about the two common thyroid conditions before, I have spent the past few months unearthing further information I would never have considered unless I had not been experiencing hypothyroid symptoms myself.
What I discovered is of interest to all those suffering what is described as a Cinderella of a disease, that nobody seems too interested in and believes the usual synthetic T4 medication will solve the problem.
Hypothyroidism is where the thyroid gland produces insufficient amounts of the thyroxine hormone to regulate bodily functions. The thyroid gland is found in the neck from where T4 and T3 are emitted. When the production of the hormone level drops, the pituitary gland takes over and begins to emit Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) to compensate.
You could eat the correct food, exercise regularly and avoid all stimulants but still be struck down with this condition in later life
However, this is not a long-term solution for the body and subsequently the symptoms begin (if they have not already) to affect the life of the sufferer.
In many sufferers (they can be men or women, although women predominate), taking the T4 medication is successful. However, it is not a quick fix and continual regulation of the correct dosage of the medication is required, controlled by continual blood tests.
The issues occur when the T4 medication simply doesn’t work and actually makes the sufferer feel worse. Adjusting the medication will not prove successful if the medication does not suit the patient.
Evidence is emerging showing that synthetic thyroid hormone medication is not the same as natural thyroxine. A British woman, Sheila Turner, suffered years of taking the synthetic thyroid hormone. Here are bits and pieces of her story after she began taking the medication:
“I continued to suffer bouts of fatigue, weight gain, coldness, tiredness, sluggishness, very dry skin, hair loss, constipation, menstrual irregularities, brain fog, loss of concentration, forgetfulness and depression, ankle, hand and face oedema and very severe pain in my lower back, shoulder and under both heels, which became debilitating. Worst of all, I lost both body and cranial hair and now wear a wig. I was refused a prescription of any other form of thyroid hormone replacement even though I asked.
“The pain became so severe at times that I had to lie on the floor in the lounge for two to three weeks at a time until it subsided. I was unable to raise myself to sit on a bucket when I needed to go to the toilet. I could not climb the stairs.
“At ‘normal’ times, I had difficulty getting out of bed and standing from sitting in a chair or getting out of the car. I used to drop to my knees and slowly pull myself into a standing position and wait until my back ‘settled’ before attempting to walk. Along with my hair loss, this was, perhaps, the worst of my symptoms. Not one of the treatments my doctor or osteopath offered relieved my symptoms. It was a waste of my time.
“Because the T4 medication was not relieving any of my symptoms, I decided to see a private hormone specialist, who found I was not converting the mainly inactive hormone T4 to the active hormone T3. T4 must convert to T3 through the liver, kidneys, skin brain and many other thyroid hormone receptors throughout the body.T3 is needed by every cell in your body and brain to make them function – without T3 we die.
“The private consultant gave me a prescription for one grain (60 mgs) of a natural desiccated porcine thyroid extract (NDT). NDT contains all the thyroid hormones a normal body requires, i.e. T1, T2, T3 and T4 and also calcitonin for the bones.”
Sheila goes on to explain that “the sun came out in her life” after taking NDT. Thirteen years later, she has never looked back and remains a pain-free, happy woman. She could have gone back to her life and forgotten her experience. However, she did the opposite. She began the Thyroid Patient Advocacy (TPA), which later became a registered charity, to enable the collection of funding to fight for justice in whatever way they can (visit www.tpauk.com for the full story and the results of collaboration with governments and medical practitioners).
The TPA was founded in 2007 and registered as a charity in 2010 with the aim of educating patients, students and healthcare professionals. In addition, the aim is to campaign for effective diagnosis and treatment of both thyroid and thyroid-related problems.
As a result of the work from the TPA, a survey of 1,500 hypothyroid patients showed that 78 per cent stated that they were not being helped by the T4 medication, suggesting that the drug is ineffective for the majority of those in the UK, who were diagnosed annually.
Interestingly hypothyroidism is not specifically lifestyle-related. So you could eat the correct food, exercise regularly and avoid all stimulants but still be struck down with this condition in later life. This condition is seriously life-changing.
kathryn@maltanet.net