I am into week four of my iodine experiment. No changes that can be observed, one way or another. I will continue to omit iodine from my daily regimen for the next few months, and then re-evaluate to see if further iodine supplementation is necessary. I do wish that this wasn't so difficult and that there were doctors out there sufficiently competent and not at the beck and call of the pharmaceutical industry and whom are capable of thinking not only independently, but outside the neat little hypothyroid box so that those who are subclinically hypothyroid might get the help they desperately need. The thyroid affects the whole body in so many ways; many of them subtle. You would think a doctor with a supposedly high level of education would know more than I do about this! Instead I, and others are met with this wall of resistance and reliance on a test (TSH) that has missed so many cases of hypothryoidism! So many are miserable and don't know why, are on AD's and don't need to be; all they need is proper diagnosis and proper treatment of their hypothyroidism. It is a pathetic window on how degraded our medical system is, that so many are miserable and so many doctors don't really seem to care as long as blood tests are "normal." This notion needs to be pitched and doctors need to follow their counterparts of a century ago, who looked at the patient and listened to the patient and checked their cholesterol levels also, as this can be an indicator of hypothyroidism. Instead they put patients on dangerous cholesterol drugs they don't need. A sad commentary indeed on the state of our medical system here in the USA. It could be the best in the world, and it settles for medication over diagnosis and attention to detail; detail that could tell a story in and of itself. Get to the root cause of a problem and stop medicating symptoms! Often only one medication is needed, thyroid hormone, preferably Armour thyroid, an approved medication by the FDA, plus sometimes a little adrenal help so that it works better! You don't need a lot; often a physiological dose of cortisol can make a huge difference, but balancing things is so difficult, which is why I wish there was more competence out there, and less ignorance and reliance on drug manufacturers.

Hypothyroid Children and Infants

Parents, if you have a child that seems lethargic, with very dry skin and hair that is also very dry or sparse, if your child doesn't sleep well at night (reads in bed with a flashlight like I did because I couldn't sleep!), is too tired to play outside, has trouble concentrating, seems depressed, or has weight problems on a healthy diet, or has trouble losing weight on any diet, then have this child checked out for hypothryoidism - and have your doctor run several tests, not just the stupid TSH, which is a pituitary test; TSH stands for thyroid stimulating hormone. The tests that MUST be run at FreeT3, FreeT4 and both antibody tests, to rule out Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which is autoimmune thyroid disease. I was suicidal in high school, lethargic, gained weight easily, insomniac, puffy, too tired to play outside, and had lots of brain fog, plus concentrating was very difficult. Now that I am being treated properly for my Hashi's and Hypothyroidism, it is much easier to concentrate and good things are starting to happen, but I am now almost 54 years old! It shouldn't take that long! Don't relegate your child to a lifetime of misery - I urge any parent with a child that answers the above description to see a GOOD doctor who is very knowledgeable on thyroid issues and don't take the word "normal" for an answer - get a copy of the test results with the lab ranges. Be proactive so that your children have a better shot at a much better future than the one I had; I wasn't really a good mom because I was sick. Even as a toddler I wasn't normal, per se; I gained weight very rapidly even though I was on 6 lbs. 3.5 ounces at birth, by the time I was 3 months I was larger than I should have been and puffy looking. As my problems weren't caught and diagnosed until well into adulthood, I feel it is critical for parents not to be complacent; I was nagged by both my mom and the doctor about my weight, but if my hypothyroid problems had been addressed I wouldn't have had such a big problem with it. Don't let your child's childhood be miserable as mine was; be watchful and be proactive!

Iodine Experimentation

I am experimenting with my iodine. I have eliminated the iodine for now to see if it is inhibiting my Armour. I am at 6 grains and still raising, but am puzzled because most patients can reduce their Armour dose once on iodine and that hasn't been the case for me; I keep raising because I am still hypo.

I am eating more sprouts and finding that not only are they good tasting and are nutrition powerhouses, but they are doing for me what nothing else has ever done outside of OTC meds, and that is regulate my bowels. I am regular for the first time in my entire life with no constipation while eating sprouts; the IBS is not an issue for the first time in a LONG time. Sorry if this is TMI, but someone reading this may need this information, and the purpose of this blog is so that my story may help someone else to avoid the costly mistakes that doctors have made my entire life; also mistakes I have made in diet, etc. so that my readers can profit from my history and hopefully make better choices both in choice of physician and choice of dietary lifestyle changes in order to avoid my lost years.

I have added a new project to my blog! I am showing my projects (although this is NOT all of them, LOL. I am showing the ones I am excited about recently. It was fun taking a tote someone had given me and personalizing it with embroidery designs from my extensive collection of designs! Hmmmm......I think my stash, er resource center, of designs, has finally exceeded my stash, er resource center of fabric! Hehehehe. I can shop in my my own private home store; already paid for, so no more money changing hands here!

As I continue on my journey I am playing with my iodine dosage, as I am wondering if my iodine intake is interfering with my Armour. I have reduced from 50 mgs. per day to 25 mgs. per day. I try to change only one thing at a time to see what is working for me.

I need to find a new doctor; my good doc isn't on my plan, which means I can't afford him:( so I am on the hunt for a D.O. that will be in my plan and will work with me without dictating to me. I am doing well so far on my Armour, iodine, HC and supplements, plus adding in the essential oils is going well; an ongoing process as I work up a protocol that works for me.

I constantly learn new things about Hashi's. I have had problems with hoarseness for many years without any illness present; doctors could find nothing wrong - how wrong they were! I recently discovered that the hoarseness can be one of the symptoms of a Hashi's attack! It explained so much for me. When will doctors stop masking symptoms with drugs and start doing tests, such as FreeT3 and FreeT4, plus both antibody tests? Hashi's should be tested for using both tests so that it can be at least ruled out! FreeT3 & 4 are much better indicators of thyroid function than the TSH, also.

As I continue on my journey, I am finding that the weight is finally starting to budge. That in itself is wonderful; I have tried so many diets; WW 3 times, Atkins, Blood Type, Low Carb, and some I can't remember! None worked for very long because of my under-diagnosed and severely under-treated hypothyroidism, which is now also Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. When will doctors get it? What is needed is a radical change in how hypothryoidism is looked at, diagnosed, and treated. I, and so many others, didn't and don't need to suffer with this. Children in particular don't need to suffer with this. There are so many things that can affect the thyroid and adrenals also. Soda is terrible for anyone, never mind the weight gain; it is nutritionally devoid and has other things in it. Coffee can hold you up for a while, but if you are not treated you WILL crash eventually. We need to radically change what we eat and eat to live, rather than live to eat. Fluorides, Chlorine, bromides and others in this family of poisons replace iodine in your body, which it needs to live. Fluorides are poison; they are NOT good for teeth. These substances will replace the iodine your body needs, especially for thyroid function, leaving you deficient in iodine.

We also need a change at the governmental level. The FDA is basically a facist organization powered by the Pharmaceutical Companies, who push their drugs on the citizens of this country without regards and not caring for the harm they are doing; profit is the important thing, not people. I am so tired of the grip the Pharmaceutical Companies have in this country. And the politicians from BOTH parties should be ashamed of themselves for the blood money they take from these companies, who put profit above health and whose greed is well on its way to ruining the health of many. Both Democrats and Republicans take money from these companies. Check the websites that track this sort of thing and you will be in for a shocker. Americans need to wake up. Drugs and more drugs are not the answer. They mask symptoms while leaving the root cause untreated in so many cases. Hypothyroidism being a case in point. If you are untreated hypothyroid, you may have depression, you may also have elevated blood pressure, in addition to digestive and bowel problems such as consitpation; very dry skin, hair loss, menstrual problems for women, even an inability to conceive and carry a baby. Getting the proper treatment for this one big problem can alleviate all the above by treating the root cause: hypothyroidism. You need to have blood tests for not just the TSH, but also for FreeT3 and FreeT4 as they are much more indicative of thyroid function than TSH, which is a pituitary hormone that tells the thyroid to make more thyroid hormones. What is also needed is both tests for Hashi's to eliminate it, plus a 24 hour saliva test from a reputable lab to check for adreanl function. No one deserves to spend their entire life sick. It is not in our heads; it is in our thyroids and needs attention before things get out of hand. There ARE good doctors out there; they are hard to find, but they are well worth the search.