Thyroid Problems

[lucylou]

Hi there

There are a few us on the forum with hypothyroidism so I thought I'd start this thread with a few quotes from previous posts. Hypothyroidism means your thyroid is battling to produce enough hormones and everything slows down, your metabolism is affected and yes it's very easy to put on weight and very hard to shift it.
I had a friend with hyperthyroidism and she was hot all the time, ravenous and eating everything in sight but the weight was dropping off her. People like that are not on this forum!
So if any of what I'm quoting here sounds like you and you haven't had your thyroid checked please see your doctor. You'll need to get T3 T4 and TSH blood tests done. I also have an anti-immune disease that attacks my thyroid and that's another test you could get done.

From Lyndis' Diary

I agree - the natural thyroid hormone made such a difference to me (containing both T4 & T3) and I am ecstatic to finally find a foodplan that works. There is a really good newsletter that you can subscribe to (free) that gives all the current research from a medical & holistic point of view 'Mary Shoman: About Thyroid Desease' - you will need to Google it to get the link - it is in About Health.com - or in Lil Doll's diary where I have copied it). She has dedicated the past 10 years exclusively to this subject and provides a lot of very interesting material, including finding Drs in Australia who are recommended by their patients for their approach to this condition (you could recommend your dr.) She takes Armour herself and is very happy after many years of trying other forms of medication which didn't work. It is interesting that my daughter (yes, 2 out of 3 have developed it) went to a recommended Dr in Sydney and she told her she had attended a world-wide conference on this topic and was the only Dr from Australia. There have been so many changes in the past couple of years in testing and treatment in this area, most Drs have little understanding of the topic and so many people suffer needlessly. Many people also don't realise all soy products are contra-indicated, as they interfere with the absorbtion of the hormone.

From Loulou in Lyndis' Diary

I've been reading your post abut hypothyroidism here and on another thread and I couldn't agree with you more. When it first hit me I thought I had Chronic Fatigue. But luckily i was taking my basal temperature everyday for natural fertility control and it was so low it was off the chart. I did some research which told me it was probably my thyroid and to get to a doctor. Luckily my doctor was of the wholistic persuasion and didn't just whack me onto thyroxine as other doctors since have tried to do. She did recommend that I cut down to part time work which I did for about a year.

I tried every natural alternative under the sun, kept on getting fatter and fatter, and eventually found an excellent hormone doctor who prescribed the natural thyroid replacement armour. Bitten is on it as well. I've been working full time again for almost three years however my job is a lot less stressful than it used to be. And now I'm no longer using my thyroid as an excuse to eat whatever I want whenever I want and yes the weight is coming off. When I heard that Cohen's sorts out your hormones I got interested in this diet but it wasn't until I saw the amazing results that people I met had got that I was sold, and then this forum was the clincher.

What scares me is that so many people aren't diagnosed with hypothyroidism and are being treated with anti-depressants instead. Some doctors are so lazy. I'm glad I had self diagnosed because even my doctor suggested anti-depressants at one stage. My brother and mother had recently died and I told the doctor that I thought it was grief and that I was supposed to feel it!

I have a colleague at work who is very overweight, on thyroxine and anti-depressants and not once has she questioned her doctor. it amazes me. My hormone doctor also tests me regularly for Coeliacs Disease because that is often a result of Hashimotos, which I have, and hypothyroidism. when I mentioned this to my colleague she was shocked. her mum has the same thyroid problem and had Coeliacs yet my colleague was never told that she had the potential to get it too. Didn't stop her tucking into her scones though. My doctor told me to restrict all gluten products as a precaution.

I feel so blessed to have a questioning mind when it comes to my health and now doing Cohen's I'm getting rid of the weight.

And one more from the Heart Palpitations thread once again posted by Lyndis

The whole thyroid question has been under review in the past couple of years and the parameters have been substantially reduced. Some doctors are not aware of this fact and that the latest research indicates that your thyroid can be compromised even when the test indicates it is normal. A T4 test alone is vitually useless because T4 has to convert to T3 before it can be used by the body. T4 results can be normal but the body is unable to convert to T3 or converts to an inactive T3 (reverse T3) and cannot be used.
It is worth looking at www.about.com & search for thyroid under 'health' for information. Mary Shalom sends out a very interesting newsletter with all the latest research & information re this condition - it's worth a read (Mary Shomon - About.com Thyroid Disease Guide).[newsletters@about.com].
I am passionate about this subject because I have lost so many years to it. After 18 years of being given only T4, a doctor found it was converted to reverse T3 & I was gaining little benefit. By that stage I was almost crippled with joint & muscle pain, hemorraghing, exhaustion etc which all cleared up within a week of being given a combination dose including T3. It is worth keeping your eye on it as your body has to be fighting to provide this hormone for the gland to enlarge. Some specialists regard this symptom alone as indicative of the syndrome, irrespective of the tests.
Sorry for the preaching - it is an insidious condition that effects every cell in your body so given that you have an enlarged thyroid, it is worth finding out as much as you can.

Well that's probably enough for now but if you have any questions or experiences of your own post them here. Our thyroids deserve some love and attention.

x

Loulou

[Scottie]

Hi Guys...
I have severe thyroid problems (have had for quite a few years) and I take an extremely high dose of Thyroxin. There are some really nasty side effects of having to take so much but as soon as the dose is altered I become very ill...

What I am wondering is - is there anyone on here with Thyroid probs and if so, has anyone had to reduce their medication due to a reduction in weight?? I'm thinking if my body is smaller, does it need so much medication now? I'm not due for a test for a couple more weeks..


Any thoughts?
* Scottie *

[lucylou]

Hi Scottoe


Sorry it's taken me a while to get back to you but you might find this thread interesting. http://newyouforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5442

I was told I had to have thyroxine and I refused, the combination of natural thyroid suplementation and Cohens has meant my thyroid is functioning normally now.

x

LL

[blondechick]

Hi,

I am new to these posts, but I was recently diagnosed with a severe case of hashimotos which was the catalyst for me to begin Cohen's. I am on a high dose of Thyroxine, but my specialist said that my only option was to have lapband surgery if I was to ever lose the weight. I am only 24. Cohen's has been a great experience, challenging at times, but I am glad to have made it so far, I only have about 6kgs to go and maybe will be able to adjust my thyroxine, and avoid unnecessary surgery.

[Kohinoor]

Hi blondechick,

Wow, sounds great !!

I am glad to have made it so far, I only have about 6kgs to go and maybe will be able to adjust my thyroxine, and avoid unnecessary surgery.

DO stay in touch re your results, and, if I may be so bold, with just 6Kg to go, may I ask where you started? Have you lost 20KG? 30? More?

Cohens seems to work really well for so many. Have you seen this thread yet? (Link below)
http://newyouforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5249

Koh

[Bronwyn1955]

Hi Blondechick

Have you been having blood tests to check the thyroid while you been on Cohen's? I have been on thyroxine for nearly 3 years. It is always around the top 4.3. Since Cohen's its dropped dramatically that it is now overmedicated. I now take 6 tabs a week instead of 7. Hopefully there will be a change in your medication as well.
Yes tell us where you started from and how good your journey was.

Cheers Bronnie

[Panda]

Hi all, I think with thyroid problems it's important to see a specialist and have it properly diagnosed. Even if it's not severe enough to take action or have surgery, it's important to manage it and keep and eye on it - sometimes thyroids grow so slowly you don't have to do anything except take thyroxin or Armour to keep it under control.

Fortunately my Hashimoto's is not severe. I also have multinodular goitre and the endocrinologist maintains I'm borderline hyper and therefore could flip over at any time. Given my increasing weight it was clear that a: I wasn't anywhere near hyper and b: the endocrinologists were all waiting for me to flip over so they could treat me. Lovely prospect. I've since discovered they have the same attitude towards insulin resistance - and wait for you to use up all your insulin and become diabetic because then they know how to treat you. I'm not being critical, it's just that they only practice within a narrow, well researched and proven path, and don't really take a preventative view of health problems such as these.

I think it's quite scandalous. So many people have clinical and subclinical thyroid disease, the blood tests are inadequate and the treatment is anything but preventative.

The people I have found who have Armour and will prescribe it freely in Sydney are anti-ageing physicians. They also have slightly different testing methods as often the thyroid is coupled with another condition (and which can confuse the diagnosis) - like adrenal exhaustion or even yeast allergies. I know of two or three anti-ageing physicians in Sydney. The endocrinologists hate them because they take a preventative approach. The only problem is that they are quite expensive up front, but you don't have to see them very often.

[blondechick]

Hi everyone,

I started at 97kg, I am now around 70 so only 5kg to go, but I am looking to start refeed very soon as I have begun passing out - not cool and my blood sugar appears very low, this is attributable to things other than cohens but my body needs a break for a little while. I also need to stabilise for about 4 weeks so my wedding dress will fit and not fall down whilst walking down the ailse! I have been having my thyroid checked every 4 weeks in conjunction with my cohens tests as my GP is in on this too and it is functioning perfectly which it hasn't done for about 3 years. I am very happy with my progress over the past 3-4 months, I have not deviated yet, so will finish the program as soon as my body has recovered.

[Panda]

Hi Blondechick - congratulations on have lost so much and so diligently - and well done on the improved thyroid scores - that's a lovely bonus of the program. Good luck getting well for your wedding day. You may lose more on the refeed anyway and not have to come back but go straight into maintenance.