Online Blog

http://articles.health.msn.com/id/100111195/site/100000000/

Face the fats: Some types of dietary fat are better than others

Hi all,

Just wanted to update you on my progress...yeeeeehawwwwww!!!!!!

Down to 203 lbs!!!! That is 104 lbs down since starting to see Doctor Wonderful about 2 years and 9 months ago...and 181.5 lbs down from my highest weight ever...you may remember that I had unsuccessful weight loss surgery in 1997...

I figure the reason it was not as successful as it should have been was because I was stuck on 50 mcg of synthroid when I was finally diagnosed at 350 lbs after gaining 200 lbs in a 16-18 month period after the birth of my youngest son & quitting smoking at the same time...

For several years after that I was told that I was "normal" now, so the weight should just be falling off without any effort from me...I continued to gain...slower, but still going the wrong direction...

I am sure that I probably have had this for all or most of my life, since I always struggled to lose...I was always some where smack dab between a 9 & a 14...lol always struggling and starving to get closer to the 9...but NEVER was I able...no matter how much I starved myself, to get below a 9 and that only lasted for about 5 minutes, because I decided to eat something...lol...believe me, I know how to diet...anyone else would have been anorexic if they ate like I did and exercised like the maniac that I was...

I have new pictures from halloween...I dressed for the work halloween party as BeeFuddled...lol...I even put that on my name tag...I was on the register part of the day (when they were busy) and helping to keep all the food stocked for the party the rest of the time...I quit the job at the school (after 7 1/2 years) and just recently told the place I was cleaning for to shove it...they thought I should do 2 jobs and get it done in 4 hours when it took 2 of us 3, hours each to get it all done...they offered to replace me, if I couldn't handle it...I told them to go for it and quit showing up for work...hope they had fun and got it done in 4 hours without cutting corners...this is an obgyn's office I was cleaning and they wanted me to not clean all kinds of stuff to get it done in 4 hours!!! YUK!

I got a raise ($1.00) and promotion at the hospital and am now a cook in the cafeteria, but am scheduled all over the place to get enough hours for full time...they said that the first full time opening that comes up in my dept, is mine...

I told my boss about quitting the other job and told her that if she needed anyone to help with the catering she does for the Scottish Rite Auditrium, here in town, I could use the money...so, I am working tonight doing that ($10.00 an hour, cash-we pay fed tax later), so I only went 2 days before had a new job lined up...lol

I have had a return of some of my symptoms over the summer and fall...when I heard about the armour recall, last summer, I was sure mine had to be included but the pharmacist said no...I had my most recent appt Sept 17th and they upped my dose, because of my complaints...then they called me a couple of weeks later to tell me that my numbers had really gone screwy again...and they upped me again...

I am having unexplained hives and itching again, so I am wondering if my hashi's antibodies have gone wacky...the other symptoms have eased some...the weight loss is kind of slow...I am yo-yo-ing, but then I always do, as soon as I hit a new low, I go back up about 10 lbs and then slowly come back down and lose some more...

For the most part, I feel good...still some aches and pains, but back in April 2001, when I first got on here, I was lucky if I felt like getting out of bed at all, a lot of the time...

I am very skinny on top and my waist is tiny again! It's hard to find pants that fit both my butt and my waist...I wear a belt and have to bunch up the material at my waist...now, the lower half of my body is larger and I look a lttle out of purportion...but I am losing down there, just not as fast...

My face, at times is so thin, that I look gaunt but it seems like things are always adjusting...I have dimples in my cheeks (face...lol) that I never had before!

I am wearing large (no x---well, sometimes an xl) or 14's, depending on the brand on top and about an 18 give or take, dependng on the brand on bottom...my 18 lee riders are a little loose now!!!! I had to go down a cup size in my bra, so I am losing my boobs...I didn't mind buying smaller ones in the inches around...but I have always been a double d...thing that gets me, is I have lots of fat on my butt, hips, thighs, that could be going away, but for some reason the weight loss gods are choosing to take my boobs...I look like I am sportin' a pair of tube sox!

Too bad I can't flip a switch and stop losing on top and switch to losing at the bottom, faster.

I have posted pics at my own groups and a couple of others and will try to post more...

I am now on 14 grains armour and 50 mcg cytomel...I have heard of some high doses, but this is getting ridiculous...no wonder I gained weight like I did, with needing that high of a dose...they added the cytomel back in when my ft3 kept staying lower than the normal range, no matter how much they upped my armour...

I am working out with weights again to try to build up my arms and pecs...you can actually see my bones in my collar and shoulder area...

I am also using my gazelle type of machine most every day...I figure, since I am no longer cleaning at night, I need to keep up the exercise I was getting from both jobs...

I have heard that with the insurance from the hospital, I have pretty good chance of being able to get tummy tuck/excess skin removal surgery through them and pay very little for it! hmmm...wonder about a boob lift...lol...

Hope everyone is doing great!

Hugs, Bee

Highest weight 384.5 current weight 203

http://www.drlowe.com/jcl/comentry/notransthyretin.htm

New Studies Refute an
Old Objection to T3 Therapy
Dr. John C. Lowe
In 2002, a Portuguese molecular biologist, Dr. Joana Palha, reported study findings that, although not intended to, show that an argument for using T4 alone is false. The findings should change the beliefs and clinical practice of many doctors, enabling more hypothyroid patients to get effective treatment.
Since the 1950s, some thyroid researchers believed there was only one way thyroid hormone got from the blood into the brain: by binding to a protein called "transthyretin" (trans-th§-r-tin). Transthyretin is one of three proteins that bind and transport thyroid hormone. The main protein is "thyroxine-binding globulin" and the other is "albumin."
Cell membranes have sites that strongly bind transthyretin. The binding sites are probably transthyretin receptors that are instrumental in delivering thyroid hormone into cells.[4]
The transthyretin that transports thyroid hormone in the blood is manufactured by the liver. Transthyretin that transports thyroid hormone from the blood into the brain is produced in a brain structure called the "choroid plexus." The choroid plexus is a complex outgrowth of blood vessels. Its situated just above the brain stem and below the brains fluid containing cavities called "ventricles." The plexus produces and secretes the fluid, called "cerebrospinal fluid," that the brain and spinal cord float in.
Thyroid hormone travels to the choroid plexus through the blood. When the hormone encounters the transthyretin the plexus has produced, the hormone binds to it. Then the protein transports the hormone into the brain.
T3-Binding to Transthyretin. In the 1950s, limited information led some researchers to conclude that transthyretin only transports T4 into the brain. Based on this conclusion, they believed that brain cells get their T3 only by converting T4 to T3. Some doctors adopted these two beliefs. And based on the beliefs, they wouldnt let their patients use T3 alone. These false beliefs probably contributed to conventional doctors rigid use of T4-replacement (patients use of T4 alone with their dosages adjusted by their TSH levels). All of this happened despite studies in the 1950s and early 1960 that showed T3 alone was highly effective for patients who failed to benefit from T4 alone or T4/T3 therapy.
Let me illustrate the types of problems that resulted from doctors holding these false beliefs. I used to co-treat patients with a neuropsychiatrist in Houston, Texas. More than once, he expressed frustration at an experience he occasionally had. After he prescribed T3 for depressed and cognitively-impaired hypothyroid patients, endocrinologists would switch them to T4-replacement. The endocrinologists would argue that without taking T4, the patients brain cells wouldnt have enough T3. But soon after being switched to T4, their depression and cognitive dysfunction returned. So, when the patients went back to the neuropsychiatist to complain, he switched them back to T3. Quickly, their depression and cognitive dysfunction cleared up again.
At that time, it appeared to the neuropsychiatrist and me that transthyretin must transport T3 as well as T4 into the brain. We assumed this because we trusted that the researchers were right about thyroid hormone getting into the brain only by piggybacking on transthyretin.
Dr. Pilha, author of the Portuguese studies I cite here, appears to agree with the researchers and doctors who believe that transthyretin delivers only T4 into the brain. She recently wrote that transthyretin "binds virtually no T3."
[3,p.1293] She then went further, stating that transthyretin "is not a T3 carrier."[3,p.1296]

But other researchers contend that transthyretin binds and transports both T4 and T3.

[1][2] Some of these investigators have measured how readily T4, T3, and T2 bind to transthyretin. By far, T4 binds most strongly to the protein. T3 binds to it but with 10-times lower affinity than T4. T2 also binds to transthyretin, although with 100-times less affinity than T4.[6] (An enzyme converts T3 to T2 when it removes one of T3's three iodine atoms.)

The conclusion that T3 binds to transthyretin is consistent with findings of other studies. Researchers have documented that T3 passes the blood-brain barrier and enters the brain.

[9][10][11]

One study showed that how readily T3 enters the brain depends on the shape of its molecule. The molecule comes in two shapes, right and left. We call the right-handed molecule dextro-T3 or DT3, and the left-handed molecule levo-T3 or LT3. LT3 enters the brain about three times more readily than DT3.

[7]

The T3 in products such as Cytomel and Cynomel is LT3.[8] Even in the absence of transthyretin, LT3 (along with less DT3) still readily passes the blood-brain barrier and enters the brain.

New Studies. Some doctors, as I wrote above, long denied patients the use of T3 alone because they thought that transthyretin only carries T4 into the brain. But whether the protein carries only T4 or both T4 and T3 into the brain has become an irrelevant question in view of the new studies cited by Dr. Pilha.

The researchers who conducted the studies found that transthyretin isnt essential for T4 or T3 to get into the brain. Nor is transthyretin necessary for a normal T3 concentration in brain cells. Dr. Pilha wrote that this is now shown "conclusively" by studies of mice whose cells produce no transthyretin at all.

[3,p.1292] Despite the mice having no transthyretin, they have normal amounts of T3 in their brain cells.[3][12][13]

Proteins that transport thyroid hormone through the blood also arent essential for T4 and T3 to enter tissues other than the brain. Nor are the proteins necessary to having a normal concentration of thyroid hormone in the cells. For example, humans who have no "thyroxine-binding globulin" (the major transport protein in humans) still have normal thyroid hormone regulation. The same is true of rats that have no albumin, which is their major thyroid hormone binding protein.

Some researchers used to disagree with the "free hormone hypothesis," which states that its the free thyroid hormone in the blood thats important to normal biological function. These new findings, however, show that the free hormone hypothesis is correct.

[3]

Conclusion. In a critique I wrote in 2004,

[5] I documented some disturbing findings about T4-replacement: in five studies, it left hypothyroid patients suffering from hypothyroid symptoms.[14][15][16][17][18] And in one study, patients on T4-replacement used more drugs and had an increased incidence of potentially fatal diseases.[18]

Our long line of research shows that some patients with too little thyroid hormone regulation dont benefit at all from T4-replacement or from T4/T3 combination therapy. Virtually all these patients, however, improve or recover with high enough doses of T3 alone.

On such patients behalf, we need to get word of these studies out to their doctors. I hope that doctors whove falsely believed that the brain gets T3 solely from T4 will consider the treatment implications of the study results. If so, perhaps theyll then allow their patients who respond poorly to T4-replacement or T4/T3 therapy to switch to T3 alone, the only approach likely to work for them.

References

[INLINE]
1. Robbins, J. and Rall, J.E.: The iodine containing hormones. In Hormones in Blood, Vol. 1, 3rd edtion, edited by C.H. Gray and V.H.T. James, London, Academic Press, 1979, p. 576.
[INLINE]
2. Robbins, J.: Thyroid hormone transport proteins and the physiology of hormone binding. In Werner and Ingbars The Thyroid: A Fundamental and Clinical Text, 6th edition. Edited by L.E. Braverman and R.D. Utiger, New York, J.B. Lippincott Co., 1991, pp.111-125.
[INLINE]
3. Palha, J.A.: Transthyretin as a thyroid hormone carrier: function revisited. Clin.. Chem. Lab. Med., 40(12):1292-1300, 2002.
[INLINE]
4. Schussler, G.C.: The thyroxine-binding proteins. Thyroid, 10(2):141-149, 2000.
[INLINE]
5. Lowe, J.C.: http://www.drlowe.com/frf/t4replacement/intro.htm.
[INLINE]
6. Wojtczak, A., Luft, J., and Cody, V.: Mechanism of molecular recognition. Structural aspects of 3,3'-diiodo-L-thyronine binding to human serum transthyretin. J. Biol. Chem., 267(1):353-357, 1992.
[INLINE]
7. Terasaki, T. and Pardridge, W.M.: Stereospecificity of triiodothyronine transport into brain, liver, and salivary gland: role of carrier- and plasma protein-mediated transport. Endocrinology, 121(3):1185-1191, 1987.
[INLINE]
8. http://www.kingpharm.com/uploads/pdf_inserts/Cytomel_PI.pdf.
[INLINE]
9. Mooradian, A.D.: Blood-brain transport of triiodothyronine is reduced in aged rats. Mech. Ageing Dev., 52(2-3):141-147, 1990.
[INLINE]
10. Cheng, L.Y., Outterbridge, L.V., Covatta, N.D., et al.: Film autoradiography identifies unique features of [125I]3,3'5'-(reverse) triiodothyronine transport from blood to brain. J. Neurophysiol., 72(1):380-391, 1994.
[INLINE]
11. Rudas, P. and Bartha, T.: Thyroxine and triiodothyronine uptake by the brain of chickens. Acta Vet. Hung, 41(3-4):395-408, 1993.
[INLINE]
12. Palha, J.A., Fernandes, R., Morreale de Escobar, et al.: Transthyretin regulates thyoid hormone levels in the choroid plexus, but not in the brain parenchyma: study in a transthyretin-null mouse model. Endocrinology, 141:3267-3272, 2000.
[INLINE]
13. Palha, J.A., Nissanov, J., Fernandes, R., et al.: Thyroid hormone distribution in the mouse brain: the role of transthyretin. Neuroscience, 113:837-847, 2002.
[INLINE]
14. Walsh, J.P., Shiels, L., Mun Lim, E.E., et al.: Combined thyroxine/liothyronine treatment does not improve well-being, quality of life, or cognitive function compared to thyroxine alone: a randomized controlled trial in patients with primary hypothyroidism. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., 88(10):4543-4550, 2003.
[INLINE]
15. Sawka, A.M., Gerstein, H.C., Marriott, M.J., et al.: Does a combination regimen of thyroxine (T4) and 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine improve depressive symptoms better than T4 alone in patients with hypothyroidism? Results of a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., 88(10):4551-4555, 2003.
[INLINE]
16. Clyde, P.W., Harari, A.E., Getka, E.J., and Shakir, K.M.M.: Combined levothyroxine plus liothyronine compared with levothyroxine alone in primary hypothyroidism: a randomized controlled trial. J.A.M.A., 290:2952-2958, 2003.
[INLINE]
17. Cassio, A., Cacciari, E., Cicgnani, A., et al.: Treatment of congenital hypothyroidism: thyroxine alone or thyroxine plus triiodothyronine? Pediatrics, 111(5):1055-1060, 2003.
[INLINE]
18. Saravanan, P., Chau, W.F., Roberts, N., et al.: Psychological well-being in patients on adequate doses of L-thyroxine: results of a large, controlled community-based questionnaire study. Clin. Endocrinol. (Oxf.), 57(5):577-585, 2002.

If you love something, set it free, If it comes back, it will always be
yours. If it doesn't come back, it was never yours to begin with.
But, if it just sits in your living room, messes up your stuff, eats
your food,uses your telephone, takes your money, and doesn't realize
that you had set it free...... You either married it or gave birth to
it. Christine

Linda,

Hi and welcome, I have Graves disease and had all the symptoms of being hypo. I never had the hyper, I

continually gained. In 95 I had radiation to kill off my thyroid and have struggled with it since. You say you are taking meds for thyroid. What are you taking for it? Also what did you origionally have surgery for?

Lucy

Hi, My name is Linda. I was dx. the end of Sept. after ending up in
the hospital after dealing with a high heart rate for an extended
time with not much relief on beta-blockers. I developed congestive
heart failure in May. At that time I did not know what was really the
underlying problem. I just knew I felt really bad. Some hx. here for
you also; I had surg. last Nov., developed a major infection, was on
strict bedrest for over 2 months and finally started to feel some
better when the heart failure happened in May. When I went to my
family Dr. in late Sept., she got on the phone while I was there and
demanded that another cardiologist see me ASAP as there had to
something wrong despite the first one telling me I was OK. I was on 3
different meds to try to slow my heart rate but it continued to be
120-130 at rest. As soon as I saw the new cardio. he had a fit and
sent me straight to the hospital and he is the one who ordered the
labs that showed I was hyperthyroid. He had to up my med dosage quite
high. My family Dr. said she has never had anyone on such a high
dose. I am on Coreg 50mg 2xs/d and Cardizem 240mg 1x/d. I have had
hypertension for over 2 years. It had been in control until the last
6 months or so. I saw an Endo in Indpls. and he said to go home and
do lots of reading on the internet but when I saw him the following
week he disputed alot of things I had read from members of the
support group. He gave me PTU and then I was told I did not need to
see him again for 6 weeks and not to have labs done until then. I was
very scared. I called around and found out about another Endo. who
was open to others opinnions and will let the pt. work with her. She
had labs drawn while I was there and I had only been on the PTU for 6
days and she said I could already be dropping and that depending on
the results, she may want to have tham done again in another week.
She spent over 40 minutes with me and is sending me to a nutritionist
to help me understand my new diet. I feel better having a Dr. I can
trust. I have been off work since my surgery last fall. I ran out of
medical leave time and had to quit my job. I am fighting now to get
long term disability. We are to avoid stress, but how do you when you
worry about bills, having to use all your savings and now getting
into our 401K. I have not been able to sleep for close to a year and
especially now due to worring all the time. I look forward to hearing
from others here in Ind. going thru the same thing. Thanks, Linda
mdelpha1@...

Estrogen promotes the formation of thyroid-binding proteins, lessening the availability of free thyroid hormone in the body. I believe this is why I get so fatigued during the estrogen-dominant phases of my menstrual cycle.

-Amie

Hi, I had a hysterectomy a couple years back and am on 0.15 Synthroid
and 0.05 straight estradiol patch. Is anyone else using these meds
together and what have you noticed good or bad?
Thanks.

Hi everyone,
Update on my mother, kidney removed and had a scan for cancer and scan
was clear, white spot on spine was osteoporosis. They got her up and
she fainted, blood pressure up and diabetas level down,
I gave my father cancer information but mother dosn't want anyone.
social services know and have given my father phone number to phone if
he needs any help.
shes coming home today Tuesday 18th October.
Best wishes. Christine

Hi Jim,
I can't tell you why, but I do know bruising is typical of
hypothyroid. That's how mine was initially found. Once my levels
stabilized the bruising went away.
Sherry

http://www.thyroid-info.com/topdrs/index.htm

HI YALL!!!!!
I'm CELLYBRATIN HERE!!!!! I just GOT OFF the PHONE WITH THE
DOCTOR AND
AND THA NEWS IS.......
I HAD A CLEAN SCAN!!!!! NO TREATMENT!!!!! YIPPPPPEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!
I don't hafta go back to the doctor until December 9th. I go
on Dec.7th for bloodwork to check her levels tho. HOWEVER!!!!!
Dr.Heckemeyer says I have to start her meds first thing in the
morning an IF she starts the tremors again to call her PRONTO!!!! So she
can figure out what is causing it and which meds to put me on one that
won't cause them. I've NOT had them since I've been off the meds.
I'M SOOOOoooOOO EXCITED!!!!!!!
**Huggles**
Melissa
Who is walking on cloud 9 and FEELING EXTREMELY BLESSED!!!!!

Hi,
I'm hypopituitary and need to take hydrocortisone and synthroid.
I'd been hypothyroid for a few years and with bad medical advice, was
living with it.
As a result of taking HC I began to bruise very easily althoughI have
been totally comitted to being on as low a dose as possible which is
18-20 mgs/day.
On thyroid meds my free T4 has raised from below normal 0.58 to
"normal" 1.2. I have felt no need for more HC. However, my easy
bruising has stopped. It is probably the improved free T4 but why?
Would my skin become more reilient? Would my capilaries become less
prone to shattering?
I have one other issue that needs testing but I'm curious if I can
get a prediction from group members.
My hematocrit/hemaglobin have always been too high. Will synthroid
tend to raise them further or help them normalize? There are two ways
to look at this (maybe more.) I live at 6500 feet and with reduced
oxygen hct/hgb naturally tend to elevate. With low T4, oxygen is also
less efficiently used than with higher thyroid levels... which seems
might raise hct/hgb. On the other hand, anemic people benefit from
raising thyroid levels. So...will my hct/hgh elevate or will they
drop as a result of taking synthroid? Jim

Hi lleen,
Thank's for you thought's, I'm going to see my mother on Saturday. I
think we are about 5 hours in front of you.
Will keep everyone informed how she's doing.
Christine

wow. ((hugs)) sounds like you've been through a lot lately. Thoughts/prayers that everyone comes through this all.

Hi everyone,
Hope you are all ok. Had a friend i go swimming club with who has a
sister in America. she's been staying with her for 3 months. After
floods near them she was coming back at detroit the plane got
cancelled and she got another plane. so i know what's been going on.
Ive not been on here for a while. my daughter had a
operation.problems after birth of baby he's 17 months old now.
My mother just been in to have her kidney removed they found cancer.
also white spot on her spine not sure if they got all cancer out she
may have to have chemo.
A lot of people have sent healing prayers for her because she also
has diabetas. she should have gone into intensive care. but didn't
need to.
shes back on ward on morphine and they allowed my father to see her.
The doctor's and nurses are really surprised shes doing so well. She
is 75 years old my father is 79 years old and has had thrombosis
since a hip replacent. so finding it very tiring.
Take care Christine

Hi everyone,
Hope you are all ok. Had a friend i go swimming club with who has a
sister in America. she's been staying with her for 3 months. After
floods near them she was coming back at detroit the plane got
cancelled and she got another plane. so i know what's been going on.
Ive not been on here for a while. my daughter had a
operation.problems after birth of baby he's 17 months old now.
My mother just been in to have her kidney removed they found cancer.
also white spot on her spine not sure if they got all cancer out she
may have to have chemo.
A lot of people have sent healing prayers for her because she also
has diabetas. she should have gone into intensive care. but didn't
need to.
shes back on ward on morphine and they allowed my father to see her.
The doctor's and nurses are really surprised shes doing so well. She
is 75 years old my father is 79 years old and has had thrombosis
since a hip replacent. so finding it very tiring.
Take care Christine

Hi everyone, I posted a while back looking for a good doc in the
BLoomington area, but no one knew of one.
Right now, I'm fairly convinced that my problem is a progesterone
deficiency which is throwing off my thyroid. I go hypo during the
estrogen phase of my cycle and almost hyper during the luteal phase. I
tried the birth control pill that was pushed on me by my last two
doctors, and got worse, so i'm pretty convinced this is what the
problem is. But no one will work with me on what I think is going on.
So I'm more specifically looking for a good doctor who will test
thyroid levels as well as estrogen and progesterone? And prescribes
progesterone cream. Although I live in the Bloomington area, I will
travel if I know they are good.
Thanks much,
Amie

Hello everyone! This is Cathy B. - I'm something of a lurker. I have an odd question/request. I think there are other people in this group from Fort Wayne - and perhaps some who even have my same endo?

They recently moved to another builing, and I'm seeing changes in their procedures and attitude that rather disturb me. A lot of the personnel I used to know has changed - and perhaps that's causing the changes.

If anyone else goes to Dr. K, could you contact me? Perhaps I'm making a mountain out of a mole-hill...

Thanks!

Cathy B.

I found that dairy products slow my weight loss down. Once I cut the dairy
I lost 15 lbs one month while excersizing ect. Now I am pregnant and so
that will all come back.. ha ha.. thank goodness I am nursing I will lose
the weight again. I am avoiding too many dairy products while pregnant so
that I can avoid a large weight gain. I just make sure I take in enough for
the baby and that is it. So far so good.
I avoid fake sugars as well. They do NOT help me in weight loss. Besides
that they give me migrains. So my diet is only homemade meals ( no boxed
meals or premade) No fake sugars. And a very limited dairy if any.
Oh and I have to excersize 3 time more then someone without a thyroid
problem (ughh)
If you haven't gotten pregnant yet, just wait. I am at the Dr.'s office
every 2 weeks so they can test my levels then adjust my meds.. It's crazy!!!
BUT very important. My doc said my thyroid meds were more important then
my vitamins were to my baby.
I wish ya'll lots of luck with weight loss. You will have to just try
different things to see what works for you. Just make sure you eat
something so your body has enough energy to burn it off.
Tammy

Can I get some idea of what I should be doing or not doing as a thyroid person? I have hypothyroidism and have had it for about 10 yrs.... I am taking synthroid daily (2 pills now) and since January I have been doing Weight Watchers and have lost 42 lbs but now I am at a STAND STILL not a stall not a plateu but a STOP HELP

My Card Gallery Check it Out
http://gallery.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=2696

I just wanted to respond to you ...and telling you, I am crying with you. Been there..done that...pretty much still doing it.

Are you taking any supplements? to make up for the food you are not eating?

Laura

Message: 1
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2005 10:28:44 -0700
From: "kim" <kckim@...
Subject: weight update
working for several weeks now.. 45 minutes on the bike and lifting weights
twice a day and keeping calories down especially since everything is making
my stomach cramp and burn again.. i eat a protien shake for breakfast for
lunch and make a chicken pea carrot rice pilaf thing from scratch no added
junk cept a tad salt and sometimes a tad pepper. dinner usually consists of
a plain steak.. total lost 2 pounds.. im so upset.. i havent even lost
anything this week.. i cannot be obese all my life especially in my 20's im
just plain mad today.. im severly doubting adrenal support is gonna make me
lose anything more.. wow im so mad nad hurt this is such bs

Hey, Kim,

Are you drinking 60-80 oz of water a day, and when you get through excercising, do you do stretching? This will make all the difference in the world. Also, at first, weight loss is slow because you're changing some of the fat to muscle, but, hang in there, and it will start payiing off!! Best of luck to you, Charlotte
kim <kckim@...

working for several weeks now.. 45 minutes on the bike and lifting weights
twice a day and keeping calories down especially since everything is making
my stomach cramp and burn again.. i eat a protien shake for breakfast for
lunch and make a chicken pea carrot rice pilaf thing from scratch no added
junk cept a tad salt and sometimes a tad pepper. dinner usually consists of
a plain steak.. total lost 2 pounds.. im so upset.. i havent even lost
anything this week.. i cannot be obese all my life especially in my 20's im
just plain mad today.. im severly doubting adrenal support is gonna make me
lose anything more.. wow im so mad nad hurt this is such bs

working for several weeks now.. 45 minutes on the bike and lifting weights
twice a day and keeping calories down especially since everything is making
my stomach cramp and burn again.. i eat a protien shake for breakfast for
lunch and make a chicken pea carrot rice pilaf thing from scratch no added
junk cept a tad salt and sometimes a tad pepper. dinner usually consists of
a plain steak.. total lost 2 pounds.. im so upset.. i havent even lost
anything this week.. i cannot be obese all my life especially in my 20's im
just plain mad today.. im severly doubting adrenal support is gonna make me
lose anything more.. wow im so mad nad hurt this is such bs

Hi Yall,
I apologize for not posting this b4 now but I was so wiped out when I
got home from the doctor that I mostly got on long enough to download my
mail, and almost fell asleep while doing it.
I was only at the clinic for about an hour Friday. She was a really
wonderful doctor. To start off with I lost 8 pounds. My bp was fine
too. Then I went into the room an sat there about 5 maybe 10 minutes
b4 she came in. She sat down and talked to me a few minutes to make
sure she understood my journey {as I call it} with this thyroid cancer.
Then after talking to me a bit she asked me if I remembered the amount
of RAI they give me when I had my treatment last August. I told her I
thought it was either 125 or 150 milicuries. She was really suprised
that I rememberd that much. She said most of her patients don't
remember that much. She went out of the room for a bit to look it up on
the computer to make sure and a few minutes later she came in an said
"Here is our plan"
She took me off my meds. I'll have to go back this coming Friday to
have bloodwork. Then see her the following Friday. This is to see where
my levels are.
If my levels aren't at what they need to be for the dosing I'll
have to go a couple more weeks. I was soooooooo afraid that I was gonna
get one of those type doctors that don't seem to care but she wasn't.
She was really wonderful.
After I left the clinic I walked 10 blocks to the bus terminal{I
really enjoyed the walk}, and stopped to have brunch at Taco Bell. LOL
Then did a little bit of shopping as well.
I've been off my meds. I took the last dose Friday morning. Anyway
I'm spending this next week working on trying to get things cleaned up
an organized before I start feeling like a slug.
I am gonna do my best to get caught up on this mountain of email as
well. Guess I better go so I can get a good nights rest an get started
in the morning.
**Huggles**
Melissa

Hi everyone,
hope everyone ok,
Havn't been on here for a while. My daughter been in hospital for a
operation she had a bad birth 16 months ago taken all this time to put
her right. shes a lot better now just takes time to rest.
My mother been in hospital twice sent her out a month ago couldn't find
what her pain was she went back in last week and had a CT scan and
finally found she has a growth on her kidney. wont remove part will
only grow back. so sedating her today Wednesday and will operate either
Thursday or Friday to remove whole kidney and that will take away the
pain shes in. If it's cancer will have found in time. you can survive
on one kidney. will also check her bones. as shes diabetic want to
operate as soon as possible. Shes 75 years old.
My father finding it hard to keep going to hospital has had thrombosis
since having a hip operation hes 79 years old.
Will keep you informed. Take care Christine

Dear Friends,
September 1, marks the beginning of Thyroid Cancer
Awareness Month. We invite you to join our efforts to raise awareness.
Ways to help, during September and any time:
-- Share your thyroid cancer story with others. Tell others about
the
free education and support available from ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer
Survivors' Association, Inc. Services include this e-mail group,
local support groups in 35 states, one-to-one support, and more.
www.thyca.org
--Visit the Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month web page. Download flyer
titled "About Thyroid Cancer." It describes signs and symptoms to
discuss with the physician, ThyCa's free services, and more.
http://www.thyca.org/awareness.htm
--E-mail to thyca@... with your mailing address and we'll mail
you free awareness materials to share with your friends, relatives,
community groups, and physicians.
-- Tell others about the 8th International Thyroid Cancer Survivors'
Conference in Denver, Colorado on October 21-23, 2005
http://www.thyca.org/conferences.htm
--Wear, share, and display the Thyroid Cancer Awareness Wristband,
Pin, Magnet, or other Spirit Items.
http://www.thyca.org/Spirit_Items.htm
Thank you very much for your support!
Best regards,
Jo Walker, ThyCa Volunteer,
Cherry Wunderlich, ThyCa Outreach Coordinator,
on behalf of ThyCa's Outreach Volunteers
- September is Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month
- October 21-23, 2005 The 8th International
Thyroid Cancer Survivors' Conference in Denver, Colorado
- Details at www.thyca.org
This e-mail support group is one of many free services of ThyCa: Thyroid
Cancer Survivors' Association, Inc. <web site: www.thyca.org
do not wish to belong to this group, you may UNSUBSCRIBE by
sending a blank e-mail to:

I would go to your ob/gyn and see how your other hormone levels
are. Your family doc will only push psych drugs, they are just the
thing now a days and seem to be the cure all for the docs.
Sherry

[INLINE]
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NOTE: To view the article with Web enhancements, go to:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/511609

aan allen
nou zeg dat gaat snel, nu al verschillende welkoms woorden, het is heel hart
verwarmend
bedankt
groetjes
arna

ive been feeling the same.. over all sore throat that just wont go away and
i dont have a cold

Hi, I am a newbie here, and have been diagnozed hypo for last 11
years. Currently I take 225 mcg of Synthroid 6 days per week and
112 on the 7th day.
I have so far just left this up to the family doc to take my tsh
once a year, and if i was having trouble, sometimes more.
I have lately had good tsh tests, but I am stillhaving some
irritating symptoms--the worst is mood swings, I feel like I am
going insane sometimes!
Wondered what I need to do next....do I go to this with my family
doc, or look for endocrinologist, any suggestions?
go on a low carb diet, go to a shrink, get a different scrip like
Armour or some such???
I don't even know where to start, other than the fact, I am sick of
being how I am now!
urgh!
Carrie

Hi there!
Hoping someone might be able to help. Lately I have
felt a "heaviness" in my throat and swallowing my
morning pills is strange; they seem to get "caught" in
the back of my throat.
I am 28, have Hashi's (past 5 years). I am on 2 gr. of
Armour and I have been feeling pretty good lately.
When I feel my neck, one side seems to have what feels
like a slightly larger spongy feeling. Nothing like a
knot or a huge difference; very subtle. What does a
goiter or tumor feel like?
My Armour doc can't see me for a while and my regular
doc is sick of seeing me. I am afraid to ask her to
feel it because she is so annoyed with me.
Thanks, ladies. I also get strep throat often, so it
could just be residual junk..
Any ideas?
Misty
msl5858@...
Look not mournfully into the past. It comes not back again. Wisely improve the
present. It is thine. Go forth to meet the shadowy future, without fear.
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882)

Hi Yall,
Thank you all for the prayers. I couldn't sleep last night so I got
up and got an early start to the doctor this morning. My appointment
wasn't until 10:20 but I got to the clinic at 8. Since I got there
early I went ahead an registered and was sitting in the room waiting on
Dr.Carter to come in to see me by 8:45. BOY was I in shock <BG
Anyway first thing she asked me was if I went to the
hematology/oncology on July 26. I told her no because I had no clue
that I had the appointment. She said that after talking with me on July
20th she told them to cancel that appointment and make me an appointment
with Dr.Heckemeyer {Endo}. Then I told her how I found out about the
appointment, and she told me not to worry that she would take care of it.
She also told me that Dr.Heckemeyer had told her NOT to send me to
the hematology/oncology doctor but to send me to her and she would take
care of me. Dr.Carter talked to me a few minutes then checked me out.
I told her I had a slight headache due to my sinuses, so she gave me
some perscriptions for that.
She also took me off the levothyroxine and put me on Cytomel. She
told me that Dr.Heckemeyer told her to do it. So I got it filled and
will start taking it on Friday. I have to call her because I have a
question about it. Dr.Carter told me that Dr.Heckemeyer wanted to see me
in a month and will set up the time frame for my 1 year i131 Body scan.
Oh Joy!!! I get to go HYPO again. LOL
My appointment with Dr.Heckemeyer is on September 9th. Oh yeah after all
that has been going on around here LOL I am suprised my blood
pressure wasn't thru the roof. LOL It was fine. Oh and I had lost a
whole POUND and a half. LOL
I came home and went to bed thanks to my sinus headache. I feel much
better this afternoon. THANKS again for all of the prayers.
I hope everyone is doing well.
**Huggles**
Melissa

(((((((((((Melissa)))))))))

((((((Melissa)))))))))))
You are in my thoughts and prayers....
hugs
FeistyWendy

He Brenda
Heel verstanndig dat je op zoek gaat naar een letselschade advocaat,
zeker als het om geld gaat.
Dat is volgens mij altijd zo, ze willen gewoon zo weinig mogelijk geld
betalen. Dus stel dat jij in hun spelletje zou trappen, dan zijn ze toch
mooi goedkoop uit.
Maar meisje laat je niet kisten, en schakel een advocaat in, dan laat hun
het maar voor je regelen.
Bij mij doet de tegenpartij niet moeilijk, dit verwacht ik nog wel, daarom
heb ik nu een half jaar gelden een advocaat in de arm genomen, en ik kan
je wel vertellen, het scheelt een boel stress.
Ik heb bureau PALS ingeschakeld is op basis van no cure no pay, maar deze
zit in Emmen.Dus ik weet niet of jij daar wat aan hebt.
Ik heb er geen ervaring mee, maar zegt hij dat niet om je bang te maken
meid, zodat je ook niet in hoger beroep zult gaan, maar dit kan je mooi
met je advocaat overleggen als je er een hebt.
En wat zegt je stiefschoonvader ervan dat hij dat zegt?
Ik hoop dat het je opgelucht heeft meisje, fijn he dat je hier alles
kwijt kunt.
He sterkte meid met alles, en laat je niet kisten.
Liefs Marjan

I am doing pretty well, thanks. I have some good days and some bad ones.. Dh reminded me that my bad days are equalent to my good days prior to getting medicated.That is good news.

Body building has kept me sane as I have pretty much gotten my thyoid issues under control. My is more of a tweak and go kind of thing. Doc is great, but i am finding out as i get closer to the midrange, trying to push higher, he is watching my tsh.

Do check out LCF. I'd be so lost without them!

Ileen

Morning Bekah,
Thanks for the prayers. I apologize for freaking out yesterday, I
feel better today about things. After doing a lot of thinking about it I
think what their gonna do is set up the time frame for my 1 year body
scan. Since Dr.Alele left the clinic to go north, I think they have had
to rely on the oncology doctors to help out treating the thyroid cancer
patients. I guess I was so freaked out yesterday because I had NO clue
that I had the appointment with the hematology/oncology doctor until I
had called to find out if I could post pone the appt with Dr.Carter
until next week. I wanted her to call me back also so I could ask her
a couple questions and as the receptionist was looking at my chart on
the computer she saw that I had the other appt. She said that it was
originally scheduled for the 26th but I didn't come to it. I told her I
had no idea that I had that appt because they never mentioned it to me
nor did they send me the appt sheet on it. She told me not to worry
because they set it up for the same day as my appt with Dr.Carter so I
would only make 1 trip and 1 co pay.
I know when I talked to her on the phone on July 20th she told me that
my bloodwork looked fine AND she was sending me to see Dr.Heckemeyer who
is a Endocrynologyst {sp}. So when I see Dr.Carter tomorrow I'll be
asking if she still plans on sending me to see her too. What a mess I'm
in LOL
Anyway I prayed about it yesterday and am putting it into GOD's
hands. I know He has a plan all worked out for me. I'll let you all
know what the Drs say when I get home tomorrow or early Thursday morning.
**Huggles**
Melissa

((((((Linda)))))))

My Leon(husband) is that gentle man..He had suffered a stroke 10 years ago, and has regained a lot of his abilities back.Yes, We are in Texas... love it here.

As to me....

After my second hospitalization a year ago in six weeks for some serious infections, including celluliitis, I found a wonderful dr that listens. She started me on armour.That helped me healso fast from the infections, that the drs were amazed.

I am still underdosed it seems-- on 2 grains Armour.Unfortunately it seems I have developed some other autoimmune besides hashis,hemolytic and/or pernicious anemia.Looking a great deal like lupus....rashes/fevers/pains/kidney involvement....

On a personal note....I am making a name for myself in computer graphics.

hugs

Wendy

Wendy, how wonderful to hear from you, glad your still out here in internet thyroid land.

How are you and how is your family doing? My memory is not the best, but I recall there being a very gentle loving man with a brain injury in your household, I believe I chatted with him a few times. I may have this family crossed with yours, if so, I beg your pardon. Now, last I thought, you had moved to Texas or was it North Carolina? Where are you living now?

I am thinking, dreaming actually, of getting some kind of government grant to send a questionnaire to anyone I know that has history of Thyroid Disease. I could compile the data and present it to American Thyroid Ass's (hehehe, my mean humor!) and take it to Internal Medicine groups, etc. It is all a pipe dream, but boy, it sure would be good to have the data.

Bee, thank you for having the group still up and running, pulled together all this time. It is a relief to know I can come and fit right back in where I left off.

Wendy, let us know how you are doing, what treatments you have had and how your thyroid health, as well as your overall health, has been.

~ Sociable/Linda

Hi Linda!
I have Hashimoto's as well as my mother had.. I suspect my
great-grandmother, too, as I am the spitting image of her...
hugs
FeistyWendy

I can't believe it! Rainbow_wolf2656@... also has many family
members with Thyroid Disease.
I am hoping many group members will want to discuss their family
history here on the board. Thank You to Rainbow for participating
in the poll.
My family links are as follows:
My Mothers (Kathy) Side of Family: Her Mother's (Vera) side:
1.) My Great Grandmother GRACE, hypERThyroid
2.) Her son, my Grandmother Vera's Brother, My Great Uncle LYLE,
hypERThyroid - ironically also had 73% of his thyroid removed...same
number as my I132 uptake. He witnessed the Atomic Bomb testing and
thinks perhaps that is why he became hypERT.
My Mothers Side of Family: Her Father's (Theodore) side:
3.) My Mother Kathy's half sister SHEILA, My Aunt - half blooded,
hypOThyroid with large goiter for 30 some years now
My Mothers Side of Family: Combined family from My Grandparents
(Both TED & VERA)
4.) My Mother Kathy's sister LANNETTE, My Aunt - full blooded,
Fibromyalgia
5.) Daughter #1 of Lannette, My cousin PAMELA - hypOThyroid, and
then dx'd Graves' Disease
6.) Daughter #2 of Lannette, My cousin BARBARA - hypOThyroid, her
doctors say she may have had Graves' at one time and is in remission.
7.) Daughter #1 of Barbara, My 2nd cousin ARIEL - guaranteed
hypOThyroid, the poor girl is nearly 275 and is only 14 years old
but her doctors keep saying she is fine. (Abusive Doctors)
8.) Myself, Graves' Disease, Thyroid Eye Disease, RAI induced
hypOThyroid
My Fathers Side of Family:
9.) My Father's (Ed) half blooded brother PATRICK JOHN/Johnnie as we
know him. He and his wife both are hypOThyroid while his wife also
had Diabetes. When her thyroid goes up or down, his does also. It
is not known if he had thyroid before she started with it, or vise
versa. I have heard other cases where spouses can set each other's
Thyroid Gland into motion with their own.
Now, there also is a family history of mental illness that gets more
intense and broader ranging between family members each generation,
which leads me to think there is a connection between the Mental
Health of my family members and their Thyroid conditions.
Man, I really want to be involved in a study! I think there is much
to learn about the future from our pasts.
~ Sociable/Linda

It is so great to hear from you Ileen! I am laughing, remembering when I thought your screen name said you were a loonatic, do you remember that too?

Thank you for the acknowledgement of what I have been living through. I do keep plugging away. Dr. Goding was prepared to keep me overnight in the hospital and he couldn't believe I was sitting up in recovery and talking so clearly. I know that the only reason I have so much strength to do what needs to be done with these surgeries is because people are praying for me to have strength and for my body to recover, and God is listening. I am being rewarded, greatly, through prayer.

I will look into LCF, I had completely forgotten about the site. Thank you for the contact and reminders.

How is your health doing, Ileen?

Hi Linda, wonderful to hear from you, and I didn't realize you lived in Dayton.

Perhaps we can meet in Champlin or Anoka sometime and have lunch. Contact me offline about it, we can make plans in the coming weeks.

Now, how did you find out there was a genetic flaw with your TSH receptors? Which hormone replacement are you taking?

I really like how you say it...abusive doctors. They really are abusive. How they invalidate us, how they blame something else for how we feel, how they accuse us of not caring for our own health, how they limit our treatment based on their own beliefs. Abuse/Violence absolutely!

Since leaving Matt, I have been involved in a Domestic Violence Support Group, learning what violence was/is and how to look for the signs to protect me and my children in our future. You hit it right on the money, Linda, abusive doctors. I no longer need to call them jackasses, LOL!

I would like to volunteer my body for any kind of research study, just to find out if this Graves' was genetic and if my children are likely to have it too.

My Brennan, the younger one with the Autism Spectrum Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder and ADHD and allergies, chronic constipation and sleep disorder...is now being treated with anti-psychotic medications as though he has BiPolar Disorder. He is improving and still has his behavior cycles. It looks like he really HAS BiPolar. I am very concerned about AutoImmune Disease with him.

Does anyone know of other children of parents with AIDiseases that have Behavior Disorders? I think there should be a national study for data collection on these issues. I just know I was Graves' active while pregnant with Brennan.

Thanks for the contact, Linda. I look forward to seeing you in outside in the real time world. SociableLinda@... Please add me to your address book, if I am not already there.

~ Sociable/Linda

Linda :hugs:

You sure have gone through so much, more than most can endure! I conmend your strength.

LCF (www.lowcarbfriends.com) would be a great place for you. Ton of hypo folks there. If your interested in the exercise aspect, hop on over to the muscle matter bb, at that site Many of us there too have thyroid issues and are over coming the boundries. My screen name is Inatic there :)

Now, for those of you who know about TED, you may be interested in
these details about my eyes. The largest the bulge measured was
28.5 on the left and 28 on the right. I was lucky enough not to lose
any vision from optic nerve damage. I began seeing Dr. Harrison at
the University of Minnesota in 2003. He helped me wean off of the
oral steroids and we started to inject the steroid directly into the
eye socket, below the eyeball. Often patients with AIDS have
similar procedures done. It only made an impact, the swelling going
down, one month. By the time I opted for surgery the bulge was
steady at 27.5 left and 26.5 right. I was wearing a size 40 prism
for the double vision. My left eye was turned in to my nose and my
right eye was turned upward and about 1/2 the way to my nose. I had
severe strabismus. Of course, my eye lids had not closed since
March 01. It was funny, when I first noticed seeing everything
night and day, I told Matt I must have super human powers because I
can see THROUGH my eyelids. Finally a doc clarified it for me and
said, I was seeing because my lids didn't close. He dashed away my
super human dreams, the closest I will ever become to being a hero.
And after over a year of recovery from Decompression, I am steady at
22 left bulge and 21 right. Normal is 14 to 16, per Dr. Harrison.
I struggled on and on until February 2004, when I finally set up
having Bilateral Orbital Decompression, 2 wall. I had a good
surgery for decompression, but there have been complications due to
the sinus cavity. I was excited to report that the day of surgery,
when I woke up in pain from the operation, I was not in constant
pain any more. I had not realized the impact the constant pain,
from the muscle damage in my eyes, had made on my life. Sure, it
hurt like hell from the surgery, but I didn't have that nagging
pressure of dry sand pushing my eyeball out of my head anymore.
The complication I had is that this wonderful ENT, Dr. Goding at the
University of Minnesota, did the sinus wall for the decompression.
Well, perhaps he didn't take me seriously enough when I told him I
have sinus infections every 2 to 3 months, or perhaps nobody could
have predicted this complication because we didn't know just how
much damaged muscle tissue there is on my eyes, but because that
sinus wall is not there, the muscles of my eyes...which are 3 to 4
times larger than they are supposed to be, are pushing down into my
cheek sinus cavity and closing off the air flow and function of the
sinus. This has happened extensively on the right side, which was
actually my better side for the bulge of the eyes.
The next surgery I had was Bilateral Strabismus ReAllignment with
another fantastic doctor, Dr. Stephen Christiansen, also of
University of Minnesota Eye Clinic. He performed a fantastic
reallignment of the muscles of my eyes. What they did is cut the
muscles off the back of my eyeball, and reattached them with sutures
coming through my eyeballs. After I woke up enough, we went up to
the office and they used prisms to line up my eyeballs. They did
this by wiggling the suture strings up and down, left and right,
through the eyeballs, and pulled the eyeballs straight, then
tightened the knot and clipped off the suture. My eyes healed with
the muscles in the appropriate place. I had 3 years of double
vision until this surgery in October 2004. It took about 2 months
to heal, then I experienced straight vision through April 2005, and
now these last 3 months, I have a strabismus starting in yet another
direction, meaning I need to have surgery again for the other
muscles that were not operated on the first time. I am just as
hopeful that this next surgery will work out too, but this one won't
be done until probably 2007, or when it gets bad enough to fix.
I then had Bilateral Eye Lid Recession surgery, Dr. Harrison was
able to line up my eyelids to perfection!!!!!!!!!! Nobody notices
anymore that my eyelids don't close, that my eyes are all bugged out
of my head still too much, or that I look funny. I look completely
normal. This was in January 2005.
And a week later, Dr. Goding tried performing a FESS, sinus surgery,
to fix the continued infections I am getting in the right side of
the cheek sinus. This surgery was unsuccessful.
And the most recent leg of surgery happened this past Friday, August
5, 2005. I had an image guided FESS. Dr. Goding was able to see
inside my head with his tools of the trade. He cut out my whole
cheek sinus scar tissue area, and cut out about 1-1/2 inches of
turbinate from the sinus/nose area. I should have plenty of
drainage area so the cavity can heal up properly. I still have a
cyst on the left cheek, but because this sugery was so difficult he
opted not to open up my functioning side at this time. This surgery
was expected to take 30 minutes and it took 1-1/2 hours just on the
right side alone.
I also have some anatomy problem in my neck, so I am unable to be
intibated the usual way. I require a Fiber Optic Intibation. The
anesthesiologist and I agreed on an extensive plan of how to get
this intibation done, and it took one whole hour to get the tube in
just to get me to sleep.
I tell ya, friends...I am a mess!!!!!!!!! I am recovering at home
finally, my Mother brought me to my own home to rest now. Matt has
the children for a couple of extra days. Tomorrow morning I can get
the packing out of my nose. Thank God because this is really
bothering me having this thing in my nose. Causes a lot of pressure
and I have to work at getting the drainage out ever so carefully.
Oh, and back to thyroid...my TSH has been as high as 27.91, just
about 6 months ago. I have several doctors who do not want to be
accountable to each other, nor to myself, to get the hypO under
control. I suspect my Graves' is getting worse and nearly had to
beat this latest doc over the head with a frying pan to get him to
check the TSIg. I told him that is the only way to verify the
status of the Graves'. He asked what Doctor is managing it, I
reminded him that HE is supposed to be managing it, but there really
is little to do to manage Graves' Disease. It is all up to my own
body to decide if it is going into remission or not. 4 years later
and I am not even close. Perhaps I will NEVER get to remission. I
am waiting for my labs to be mailed to me and I am hoping they will
keep me on the .200mcg of Levoxyl. This latest jackass wouldn't
check my FT3, however, because he says that is just for people with
hypERthyroid. I reminded him of how my symptoms are of greasy hair,
sweating, hot, having a movement 3 times a day, no rashes, not
sleeping...and that I was convinced the Graves' is becoming more
active again...and he STILL wouldn't do a FT3.
I am certain this got fairly jumbled around, I have just been typing
away and not really paying attention to grammar and such, nor if
what I have even typed makes sense.
I hope to be around and would like to come to chat sometimes. I am
needing support about getting my thyroid numbers down and finally
into control. Oh, and the other thing, the anesthesiologist
says...she thinks I am now diabetic. What the hell else can go
wrong?????? But I keep on laughing and going forward. It would be
easier to lay down and die, but I want to fight. I am ready to do
Protein Power with low carb lifestyle, I just need to incentive of
being accountable to someone other than myself. Anyone out there
who wants a buddy, lets chat!
~ Sociable/Linda/Pooshabi in Coon Rapids, MN.

Oh, LadyB...I can tell you are quite nervous about all this. Hold yourself tight and allow yourself to cry, name the feelings you are having, your scared. Melissa, you have been through so much with these cysts and cancer...and you keep on plugging away. Keep all of your doctor appointments, if you can afford to go, and know that we will be here for you.

I have been MIA for quite a while, now that I am recovering from the 5th surgery in 18 months, I am coming back to the group. I need support too.

I am praying for you to have the strength to hold yourself, to accept what has happened on your thyroid journey and am praying for your doctors to have the wisdom to give you straight answers through the remainder of the journey.

Have you been feeling well, other than this emotional upset?

And how are Joe, Happy, Hannah and darn, forgot his name again...the bird doing?

~ Your old pal, Linda

Hello to the group! It has been ages since I took the time to think
of myself and my thyroid health. Honestly, I have been to hell and
back so many times in the last 4 years, I often choose to act as
though there is nothing wrong...just to get through each
day/week/month/year.
Enough hiding it! I need to get some support again. And I know I
will feel tons better offering support too.
For those of you who don't know me, I am a friend of the group, was
once a very active member and am honored to be a moderator here at
Thyroid Fitness. Bee has been a rock for me since 2001.
I was diagnosed with Graves' Disease May 2001. I presented with the
Thyroid Eye Disease, had proptosis (bulging of the eyes) that got
severe very quickly. I actually started having difficulty with
recurring sinus infections at the end of December 2000 and at one
point could not even swallow my own saliva for a few days. I was
sent to an ENT, from urgent care, to ensure my throat was not
closing off and they said it was just sinus infection again. I
stayed on antibiotics for weeks. By the end of February 01, I
started having this horrible headache on the left side of my head,
up at the top of my skull. I saw my Chiropractor a few times, he
was able to make the headache go away for a day. By the 3rd
adjustment, it only lasted 5 minutes and the headache was back. By
March 01, I was describing it as though I had a huge eyeball on the
top of my head, coming out in 3D. In April 01, we started
redecorating the mobile home Matt, my husband who I am currently
separated from, owned the whole time we were married. We finally
were going to move and I wallpapered and painted the whole place, to
make it my very own home. During this time, I was not sleeping,
drank a gallon of water a day and sometimes more, got up 3 times
during the night to eat full meals, ate 6 or 7 meals a day and was
still starving...all the while losing 5 pounds a week. I just
figured it was the work on the house, and I am a large woman...I was
feeling great. Then one day my Mom said, what the hell is the deal
with your eyes? I had not noticed, but everyone else did, in a
matter of a week or 2, my eyes were bulging out of my head. I went
back to urgent care for yet another sinus infection, and asked about
bloodwork for Graves' Disease. My Mom went to work and asked around
for if anyone else had heard of your eyes bugging out like mine
were. Our boss, Gigi, has 3 friends with Graves' and knew it right
away. So I told the doctor I heard about Graves' and wondered if I
had it. Or if I just needed new glasses or was getting Diabetes.
The doc called the next day and said, DO NOT STOP AT GO, get to an
endocrinologist NOW! Within 2 weeks, I was diagnosed and started
seeing eye doctors.
At the time, my TSH was not as bad as the docs thought it should be,
I was like at 0.41. But my TSIg was in the 400's, normal is around
130 (these are the thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin antibodies).
And my I132 Uptake scan was at 73%, when normal is 10-20%. I had a
bad case of hyperthyroidism from the Graves'. I wanted to have
surgery, I didn't want to kill the whole gland, but the first
jackass I saw (Endo) said no matter if I did surgery he still would
make me do I131 Ablation to kill the whole thing off. After
debating, I agreed to have the Ablation. My lungs were filling up
with fluid, my heart was enlarging, I was falling down all the time
from my muscles getting weak, I was shaking all the time and my
heart palpitations were so bad when I laid down, I thought I was
dying. The cramps, oh my Lord, the cramps in my legs were
unbelievably painful. Now, this first jackass Endo, he was trained
at Mayo Clinic, a wonderful health care center, but rather
conservative. He did not believe in having me on Prednisone to
protect my eyes from further damage while I had the I131. I was a
classic case of needing the steroids, I presented with the eye
disease for crying out loud.
Within 3 weeks of I131 Ablation, I was turning hypothyroid. I could
tell right away. The fluid retention, the tired feeling, brain fog,
constipation, hair loss, rashes in my underarms and under my
breasts. And my hell began...gaining 8 to 14 pounds a week. I was
on 60 mg of steroids a day, attempting to slow down the swelling of
muscles behind the eyes and to dry up the fluid that was trapped
behind them. In the end, the steroids gave me Steroid Induced
Osteoporosis, and that is about it. Each time we tried to wean off
the steroid, my eyes would bulge out more. So, maybe I could say
the steroids DID help my eyes not get as bad as they could have
become.
See you on Page 2, if you chose to continue reading my intro.

Sweetheart----

You're hearing from a grandmother who had radiation on my thyroid when I was only 7, developed a cough in my 20's, and had my right lung removed in my 30's. The Dr's don't know everything, since I was given 30 days to live, and that was 22 years ago!! I know your fear, your tears, and anxiety. The moment I was in Dr's hands, I had immediate peace of mind. By the time I went to the hospital, I had all my affairs in order, yet hadn't a clue who was going to raise my son and daughter, but now am enjoying my grandchildren. If it were something very serious, you wouldn't be getting the run-a-round. You'd be getting calls from the Dr's themselves, and immediate hospitalization to get on top of it. Something serious is nothing they put off. God has a plan for us all, and listens to our prayers. This may be a wake-up call, like mine. I appreciate every sunrise and sunset, and especially my family.

God Bless You!!

Charlotte

http://www.yobserver.com/news_7707.php

TRACE ELEMENTS IN NUTRITION
By Observer Staff
Aug 6, 2005 - Vol. VIII Issue 31
COBALT, COPPER AND CHROMIUM
Trace elements are also known as micronutrients and are found only in minute quantities in the body yet they are vitally important. The quantities in which they are found are so small, that they can only be detected by spectrographic methods or by using radioactive elements.

To decide whether a micronutrient is "essential" or not, a wide variety of criteria is used, such as the presence of the nutrient in healthy tissue, if it appears in the foetus and new-borns and if the body maintains homeostatic control over its uptake in the bloodstream or tissue and its excretion.

Cobalt, copper, chromium are 3 of such essential micronutrients.

COBALT

Cobalt is part of the vitamin B 12 molecule.

It is required in the manufacture of red blood cells and in preventing anaemia.

Deficiency of cobalt

If a normal diet is followed a deficiency is most unlikely.

Dosage

The dosage is the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA), but be aware that this dosage is the minimum that you require per day, to ward off serious deficiency of this particular nutrient. In the therapeutic use of this nutrient, the dosage is usually increased considerably, but the toxicity level must be kept in mind.

In the case of microelements, such as trace elements, the amounts are very small, yet they are still important.

Toxicity and symptoms of high intake

An excessively high intake of cobalt may damage the heart muscles, and may cause an over-production of red blood cells or damage to the thyroid gland.

Other interesting points

Since cobalt is part of the vitamin B12 molecule, the function of cobalt is interwoven with that of vitamin B 12.

Food sources

Cobalt is present in pulses and vegetables.

COPPER

Copper and zinc absorption is closely related, and although copper is also needed in relatively small amounts, some discussions are under way on the optimum need of this mineral. If large amounts of copper are present, then zinc and vitamin C is reduced in the body, and vice versa.

Copper is required in the formation of haemoglobin, red blood cells as well as bones, while it helps with the formation of elastin as well as collagen - making it necessary for wound healing.

A lack of copper may also lead to increased blood fat levels. It is also necessary for the manufacture of the neurotransmitter
noradrenaline as well as for the pigmentation of your hair.

Deficiency of copper

It can be stored in the body, and daily presence in the diet is therefore not necessary. If copper is deficient in the body, iron is also normally in short supply, leading to anaemia as well as the likelihood for infections, osteoporosis, thinning of bones, thyroid gland dysfunction, heart disease as well as nervous system problems.

Dosage

The dosage is the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA), but be aware that this dosage is the minimum that you require per day, to ward off serious deficiency of this particular nutrient. In the therapeutic use of this nutrient, the dosage is usually increased considerably, but the toxicity level must be kept in mind.

About 2 mg per day is required.

Toxicity and symptoms of high intake

Toxic levels will lead to diarrhoea, vomiting, liver damage as well as discoloration of the skin and hair, while mild excesses will result in fatigue, irritability, depression and loss of concentration and learning disabilities.

Children getting too much copper may have hyperactive tendencies.

Best used with

Copper is best absorbed and utilised in the body when cobalt, iron, zinc, and folic acid is available.

When more copper may be required

Should extra zinc supplements be taken, your need for copper may be increased.

Enemy of copper

The absorption of large amounts of vitamin C, zinc can negatively influence the level of copper in the body, while large amounts of fructose can make a copper deficiency worse.

Other interesting points

Be careful of having any liquids stored in copper containers, as the liquid could have absorbed too much of the copper.

Food sources

Copper is made available from a variety of foods, such as whole grain, liver, molasses, and nuts, but water from copper pipes will also carry copper in it, and copper cooking utensils will also add more copper to be ingested.

CHROMIUM

Chromium is an essential nutrient required for normal sugar and fat metabolism and works primarily by potentiating the action of insulin.
It is present in the entire body but with the highest concentrations in the liver, kidneys, spleen and bone.

Although chromium is only required in very small amounts, our modern day diet has left many people short of chromium on a daily basis.

Chromium is required for

Chromium is needed for energy, maintains stable blood sugar levels. In co-operation with other substances, it controls insulin as well as certain enzymes. It works with GTF (Glucose Tolerance Factor) when this hormone-affiliated agent enters the bloodstream because of an increase of insulin in the bloodstream.

GTF (containing niacin, vitamin B3, glycine, cysteine, glutamic acid etc.) enhances insulin, which results in the sugars passing quicker into the cells and in that way they are removed from the bloodstream.
By stabilising the blood sugar level it also assists in regulating the cholesterol in the blood.

Natural chromium levels decline with age and so with the action of the GTF. Although chromium picolinate is readily absorbed by the body, and is one of the best types of chromium when it comes to absorption, it will only be absorbed it if there is a shortage of chromium.

Chromium picolinate has been used as a carbohydrate-burning supplement for some time and has proved very successful. (Chromium picolinate is chromium chelated with picolinate - a natural amino acid metabolite)
It is also required in synthesis of fats, protein and carbohydrates, and may assist in preventing coronary artery disease.

Deficiency of chromium

A shortage of chromium may also lead to anxiety, fatigue, glucose intolerance (particularly in people with diabetes), inadequate metabolism of amino acids, and an increased risk of arteriosclerosis.

Dosage

120 microgram per day is indicated as dosage.

Toxicity and symptoms of high intake

Because chromium is not easily absorbed (chromium picolinate is the best absorbed) and since it is lost easily in the urine, toxicity does not seem to be a problem, but dermatitis has been noted, as well gastrointestinal ulcers as well as liver and kidney damage if taken in large dosages over prolonged periods.

If you are diabetic, do not supplement with chromium, as it can make your blood sugar levels drop. Some people have reported a skin rash and light-headedness - if this occurs, stop taking the supplement and consult your medical practitioner.

Best used with

It is best taken with vitamin B 3, glycine, cysteine and glutamic acid.

When more chromium may be required

Should you be suffering from overweight, high cholesterol, exercise heavily or have sugar cravings, you might benefit from a chromium supplement.

Enemy of element

Chromium absorption is made more difficult when milk, as well as when foods high in phosphorus, are eaten at the same time.

Other interesting points

Chromium picolinate is chromium chelated with picolinate - a natural amino acid metabolite and is helpful in assisting with the loss of fat and increased lean muscle tissue. Chromium picolinate in this form is the most bio-available. Avoid chromium chloride, which is found in some supplements. It is mostly un-absorbable

Food sources

Chromium is found in eggs, beef, whole grains, brewers yeast as well as molasses.
Copyright (c) 2004 - 2005
Yemen Observer Newspaper

Hi Yall,
I'm sitting here scared out of my mind. I just called to see if
there was some way I could post pone my appointment Wednesday until next
week. I was told I wouldn't get to see Dr.Carter until October due to
their being booked up until then.
Then I was gonna leave a message for Dr.Carter to call me so I could
see if I could put it off until then they said that I needed to come in
anyway because I not only had the appointment with her BUT I had an
appointment with Dr.Ferguson {hemotology&oncology too I think} as well.
She told me the appointment was originally set up for July 26th, but I
never got the appointment sheet an told her so. She said not to worry
they went an set it up on the same day as the appointment with Dr.Carter
so I could make one trip. I told her I was glad she told me because I
never knew I had the appointment.
Last time I talked to Dr,Carter she told me that she was sending me to
Dr.Heckemeyer for thyroid stuff so that is what I asked the lady about
an she said she didn't see anything about it. So NOW I dunno what is
going on but it's got me so scared out of my mind I have been crying
since. :(
Dr.Carter told me when she called me that all of the bloodwork looked
fine, but was sending me to Dr.Heckemeyer. Maybe I am blowing all of
this out of purportion and being a nervous Nilly.
Anyway PLEASE PRAY that there is nothing else wrong an all their wanting
to do is set up the time frame for the Body scan.
**Huggles**
Melissa
{aka Nervous Nilly}

http://slate.msn.com/id/2123659/?GT1=6772

When Tush Comes to Dove
Real women. Real curves. Really smart ad campaign.
By Seth Stevenson
Posted Monday, Aug. 1, 2005, at 7:15 AM PT

Dove ad. Click image to expand.
The spot:
In print ads and on billboards, various "real women"stripped down to their plain white undiesgleefully show us their "real curves."

This campaign for Dove's new line of firming products (lotions and creams and such) is everywhere you look. The ads made their debut in last month's fashion magazines and they now grace every outdoor surface in sight. Buses, bus stops, billboards, buildingsI can't walk three blocks in my D.C. neighborhood without encountering another of these Brobdingnagian babes.

There's no doubt that the ads are striking. This is, of course, entirely a function of the casting choices. If the wardrobe, lighting, and graphic design remained the same but these ads featured gorgeous, size-0 models, no one would give this campaign a moment's thought.

But these are not models. These women have paunches. And asses. And are not pouting. Dove says these ladies range from size 4 to size 12 (it's not tough to tell which is which), and were discovered all over the country. One was working at the Gap, another was a student, a third was a barista.

When I first saw one of these smiley, husky gals on the side of a building, my brain hiccupped. Something seemed out of place. Here I was, staring at a "big-boned" woman in her underwear, but this wasn't an Adam Sandler movie, and I wasn't supposed to laugh at her. It felt almost revolutionary.

Indeed, Dove has portrayed its "Campaign for Real Beauty" as a progressive, humanitarian mission. The Dove press release plays up stark statistics on body image and the media: "Models weigh an average of 23 percent less than the average woman. Twenty years ago, models weighed an average of 8 percent less." There's a Dove Web site that features "beauty discussion boards," where women from around the world can whine about their thighs. (Frankly, I was terrified to read those boards, but I finally took a peek. Indicative post: "You go, Dove!") The site also has a link where you can donate money to Dove's "self-esteem fund" for young girls.

Dove ad. Click image to expand.
If the women in these ads lacked self-esteem, they wouldn't be up on a billboard in their skivvies. Hey, good for them. I even have a favorite Dove chick: Stacy (the student). She's the one who poses with her backside to the camera, showing off her ample bottom. I see Stacy every dayshe's on the bus stop shelter next to my house. "Check out this fiiiiiiiine bedonkadonk," she seems to say to me, grinning slyly over her shoulder. I think I may have a crush on her. But I've said too much already.

The interesting thing here is the risky bet Dove is making. Beauty-product marketing has almost always been aspirational: I wish I could look like her perhaps if I buy this lip gloss, I will! But Dove takes a wildly different approach: That chick in the ad sort of looks like me, and yet she seems really happy and confident perhaps if I buy this Dove Firming Cream, I'll stop hating myself!

In part, Dove's strategy is not unlike the Body Shop's old eco- and animal-friendly stance: Buy our products because you like them, but also because you're making a righteous statement. To buy Dove is to cast a vote for more "real curves" in advertising.

But there's a dirty little secret here. Because, in the end, you simply can't sell a beauty product without somehow playing on women's insecurities. If women thought they looked perfectjust the way they arewhy would they buy anything?

Dove ad. Click image to expand.
These Dove ads say it's cool to be round and hefty so long as your skin is taut and firm and perfect. (And, in case you're curious, Dove says these photos were not retouched at all.) But what's that, you say? You love your real curves, but you've got a little cellulite? Girl, run out and buy our hocus-pocus cream right now! Those cottage cheese thighs are vile! Dear God, cover them up!

Short-Term Grade: A. These ads are real attention getterseveryone's talking about them. On that level, they're a smashing success. Also, Dove now owns the "friend of the everywoman" angle. Smart move on their part to spot this open niche and grab it. Finally, if I can get sappy for a moment, it is sort of nice to see the unperfect have their day in the sun.

Overall Grade: D. Sadly, this is not a winning play for the long haul. If Dove keeps running ads like this, women will get bored with the feel-good, politically correct message. Eventually (though perhaps only subconsciously), they'll come to think of Dove as the brand for fat girls. Talk about "real beauty" all you wantonce you're the brand for fat girls, you're toast.

Seth Stevenson is a frequent contributor to Slate.
Images courtesy of Unilever.

Hi, same here, LOL, so now I don't eat them, as much. If any of us
find some without soy, TALK UP. I keep them, in my car, in case I get
light headed and need something to eat. Joan--- In

http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=11791

Reported August 1, 2005

Mood Foods -- In-Depth Doctor's Interview

Wendy Kohatsu, M.D., explains how foods can have a large effect on your mood and how you feel.

Ivanhoe Broadcast News Transcript with
Wendy Kohatsu, M.D., Family Physician,
Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon,
TOPIC: Mood Foods

How did you first get interested in using food to change the way you feel?

Dr. Kohatsu: It started when I was a teenager. I had pretty bad PMS, and I found that through exercise and diet I could cut my symptoms down by 50 percent. That was long before I was in medical school, and I had just learned about things on my own.

What are the things you changed about your diet that helped your PMS symptoms?

Dr. Kohatsu: I ate more whole grain, and I cut out a lot of the white flour. I also try to get the healthy fats like in like nuts. I then found out about omega-3, things like flaxseeds, much later. You also need to increase your intake of magnesium and fiber.

Why do those things effect PMS?

Dr. Kohatsu: The great thing about fiber and magnesium, which you can get in nuts, is that magnesium helps to decrease some of the cramps associated with PMS and the fiber actually helps to bind the excess estrogen. So, those are things that can actually work biochemically in your body to help.

What are some foods that have large amounts of these nutrients?

Dr. Kohatsu: Things like flaxseeds contain both omega-3 fats as well as good healthy fiber. Things like nuts, sunflower seeds and hazelnuts are rich in magnesium. Actually, a lot of the wonderful nuts that are available are high in magnesium as well as fiber.

What is the importance of B vitamins in your diet?

Dr. Kohatsu: B vitamins are great for overall health, but especially for the nervous system. So things like depression, anxiety, fatigue, PMS, they're all going to be very closely related to how the nerves function.

Can you get enough vitamins, such as B and E, just from foods, or do you need a supplement as well?

Dr. Kohatsu: If we eat a healthy diet and are very conscious about our food choices, I think people can get all the vitamins and minerals they need from a healthy diet. But it's hard because we know foods nowadays aren't grown in the same quality soil. Many people with medical conditions may need to actually supplement. Even if you don't have a medical condition, I would take a supplement. There're even some studies done recently showing that people need to eat a healthy diet and take a supplement to make sure. Taking a multivitamin is like health insurance that you can take on a daily basis.

Can you get too much of any of these vitamins or nutrients in your diet?

Dr. Kohatsu: I haven't seen anyone have problems with too much salmon or vegetables and tofu in his diet. I see a lot of problems with people who eat too much white flour, white sugar, and things like that.

What is it about protein that actually makes you less tired?

Dr. Kohatsu: The interesting thing about protein and foods that are protein-rich like tofu is that it also has iron in it. The amino acids in there seem to just increase the neurotransmitters in our brain that increase alertness and mental function.

Why do the same foods help anxiety and depression together?

Dr. Kohatsu: As a physician, I see those diseases on a spectrum. Whereas people with depression have low energy, people with anxiety almost have too much energy, but their mind is not in balance. All of these foods do help put the person in balance mentally. So the things like the B vitamins, omega-3 fats, all the things that really help your nervous system, do the best job for these conditions.

How much difference can your diet really make in how you feel? Is it so much different that maybe you don't have to go on a pharmaceutical diet?

Dr. Kohatsu: For me personally, I'd say I reduced my PMS symptoms by half. I think it depends on the person. I think it's a combination of lifestyle things. I think when people change their diet, especially I see a lot of depression and anxiety in my role as a family practice doctor, when they're keeping with their diet and doing things like exercising, those things really do make a big difference.

What tips to you have for the person who does not have depression or severe PMS, ect., but just doesn't feel healthy and energetic?

Dr. Kohatsu: A couple of tips for people in general who want to keep healthy are to make sure they give up bad fads, things like shortening, hydrogenated fats, anything with trans fatty acids. Getting into healthy fats like nuts, avocados, omega-3 oils is one big recommendation I would make.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

END OF INTERVIEW

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This information is intended for additional research purposes only. It is not to be used as a prescription or advice from Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc. or any medical professional interviewed. Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc. assumes no responsibility for the depth or accuracy of physician statements. Procedures or medicines apply to different people and medical factors; always consult your physician on medical matters.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Christine Decker
Oregon Health & Science University
3181 Sam Jackson Park Rd. L217
Portland, OR 97239
(503) 494-8231

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14907293&BRD=1291&PAG=461&dept_id=523586&rfi=6

The real story behind the Cruise-Shields controversy

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07/22/2005
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Dear Editor:
The issue in question is the prolific use of psychiatric drugs on children and adults who are having apparent difficulties in dealing with life's challenges. Brooke Shields has asserted that psychiatric drugs (antidepressants) have helped her to deal with post partum depression-a psychiatric term assigned to the complications often encountered after childbirth believed to affect a person mentally. Mr. Cruise has asserted that these drugs are unnecessary and dangerous, as they don't address the real underlying issues that are physical in nature-- hormonal imbalance, thyroid problems, blood sugar variances, and vitamin and mineral deficiencies, etc. So what's the truth- celebrity aside?
Fact: There is no physical, scientific or biological test for any mental disease. Despite vested interest claims to the contrary, the bedrock truth is there is not one single, objective test for any mental illness-none! Following the Matt Lauer interview with Tom Cruise, one psychiatrist stated that Mr. Cruise was correct in that there are no scientific tests for mental illness. Later even the president of the APA American Psychiatric Assn. (APA), Dr. Steven Sharfstein, confirmed this as fact. This is the truth-there are none.

Next, is the issue of the safety and effectiveness of psychiatric drugs. As for the safety of antidepressants, one needs only to go back a few days and read the most recent FDA warning on these drugs. They already had a suicide warning on them and are banned for use on children in the UK for increases in suicide and violence. The newest warning states that adults who take antidepressants should be closely monitored for warning signs of suicide, especially when first starting the pills or changing a dosage. Also, remember that many school shootings, such as Columbine and most recently Minnesota, involved the use of antidepressants, as well as the mother who drowned all five of her children in Texas.
Regarding the effectiveness of antidepressants, in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. (JAMA) April 10,2002 issue, tests show that antidepressants did no better than a sugar pill in alleviating depression in clinical trials.
A final fact to embrace speaks volumes for the field of psychiatry as a whole. Psychiatrists have the highest suicide rate of any profession. Not surprisingly, the majority of their suicides are committed by psychiatrists under the influence of the very drugs they prescribe their patients. Now you decide what's the truth.

Mark Palermo
Weehawken

©The Hudson Reporter 2005

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