Guest guest Posted July 24, 2005 Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 Sarah, I was thinking about trying Armour thyroid by buying it over the internet. The endocrinologist that I am seeing now is mostly a weight management specialist who makes a lot of money selling products like powdered shakes and protein bars. I can't use his products because they contain non-nutrative sweeteners, especially Nutrasweet. I have interstitial cystitis, a bladder condition, and my bladder is very sensitive to Nutrasweet. I can use some Splenda, but mostly use brown sugar or honey for sweetener. Not using much now, as I've been on a diet for six months and have lost almost forty pounds. I need to lose another forty, but the PCOS and metabolic syndrome make it much harder to lose it. Would a seller of Armour thyroid know how much I should take? I'm only on 0.01 MG of levoxyl and wondered if they had some kind of conversion table. Or, would I just have to try different amounts for a short time and see how I " feel " ? Karen Sarah wrote: Hello Karen, I, too, have a thyroid imbalance and at one time also experienced low body temperatures, also at varying times of day. I hope that TCM will strengthen your body over time and improve your health. I have found TCM to improve my response to medication, and feel I need less because I use the herbs to help rebalance all the organs, not just the thyroid. One thing which really helped me is using natural prescription thyroid medication which contains all the thyroid hormones not just T4 in a synthetic form. I originally took synthetic T3 (liothyroinine), but this was too strong for me (still some people feel better using just T3 rather than the T4 which you are on or a mixture of both--I myself never could use a T4 preparation alone as it sent my body temperatures to the basement). Still my body temperatures improved with the natural thyroid hormones which contain t4, t3, t2 and t2 and probably other substance which have not yet been identified. I am now warm all the time unless I forget a dose of my medication. I am very T3 dependent and so cannot take all my thyroid medication at once. I must take my medicationdoses at least three times a day to get the natural T3 contained in my medication and to have a more even delivery of hormones to my body. If only it was available in time release form. The other thing I found necessary to feeling better was to locate a doctor who would pay more attention to how I felt rather than to lab numbers on tests. My TSH gets really low now, but he does not panic and think I am hyperthyroid. He can tell I am not and can see I am feeling better. I think locating doctors who use symptoms (just like TCM practitioners) makes a big difference to feeling better with thyroid disease. Not an easy task I know finding these rare doctors. Sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 24, 2005 Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 Chinese Traditional Medicine , Karen Peterson <kpeterha@p...> wrote: > Would a seller of Armour thyroid know how much I should take? I'm only > on 0.01 MG of levoxyl and wondered if they had some kind of conversion > table. Or, would I just have to try different amounts for a short time > and see how I " feel " ? You need to see a MD or DO and be tested and monitored. Thyroid replacement by Armour natural or synthroid is potentially dangerous. In both cases there is the risk of thyroid building up in the body (hyperthyroidism) and problems with the heart and other things. Although Armour thyroid sometimes will work better than synthroid, there are risks like a potential allergic reaction. If your endocrinologist is not up on the potential benefits and risks of Armour thyroid, it's time to find a new endocrinologist. Being up on the risks and benefits of Armour vs. synthroid is one of the basics of endocrinology. Monitoring you includes listening to you as well as lab tests. You may also want to research the possible TCM Roots of extra weight. The most common is Qi Deficiency. Very often, allopathic doctors have it backwards. They believe that if one exercises more, the weight will come off. In some cases this does work. But if the person is Qi Deficient, the person isn't active enough because the energy simply is not there. Supplement the Qi, and the person will naturally be more active once s/he has the Qi. Also, if a person who is Qi Deficient and has a weak Spleen is forcing herself or himself to be more active, this is going to weaken the Spleen further, and the Qi Deficiency gets worse and worse. Another common factor in excess weight is Interior Wind. One of the things that can give rise to Interior Wind is Blood Deficiency. There may also be Phlegm problems. Excess appetite raises the possibility of Heat and even Fire in the Stomach. Hypoglycemia points to the possibility of Kidney imbalance as well as Spleen imbalance. There is an amazing overlap between the symptoms of hypothyroidism and Kidney Yang Deficiency. They're not the same thing, but they share a number of symptoms and both may be present. Thyroid supplementation never fully cleared up the symptoms of hypothyroidism for me. The Armour did work better in my case than the synthroid. But neither was completely satifactory. It was only when I was treated for Kidney Yang Deficiency that I began to warn up and have considerably more energy than I did. There are also cases where a person who is Kidney Yang Deficient does not respond adequately to Yang tonic herbs and herbs that warm the Interior and a small dose of thyroid replacement is needed even though the person's thyroid level is in the low normal range. You may also want to look into the Chinese idea of a balanced diet. Also, does your acupuncturist also give herbs? In some cases, herbs may be needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 24, 2005 Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 Victoria, Thank you for the information about the dangers of thyroid replacement, be it synthroid or amour. Yes, I believe I need a different endocrinologist. The current doctor, when he told me I had the worst type of metabolic disorder that exists, plus PCOS, and told me he wanted to put me on metformin, I knew he hadn't listened to me when I told him that previously on metformin I was often hypoglycemic. I told him again, and he said, " Well, I guess you just have to lose weight through diet and exercise " . I tried telling him about some of the alternative medicine I have tried and he said, " That's way beyond me, I can't even comprehend what you are talking about. " Like I said, he makes his money selling what I consider poison (Nutrasweet) to overweight people. If they can't lose the weight themselves, he then suggests bariatric surgery. That is one thing I would never do. From a TCM standpoint, I know that the less surgery you have, the better. I will look into finding a DO in my area because I am also interested in craniosacral therapy. I believe that with my yoga, acupuncture, meditation, and massage therapy, the craniosacral therapy would be very beneficial. I do take chinese herbs. They are raw herbs that I boil and make into a tea that I drink before bedtime. I believe I am up to 15 or 18 different herbs in my formula now. I go to the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, and my current practitioner is Warren Sheir. Usually, there are four or five TCM students that he is teaching, using me as the subject. I can only afford two visits per month at the moment, but I believe that it is helping. I am a very good " point model " for these students and all of my points are very painful and easy for them to find with just a light pressure. I do have Qi deficiency, Spleen, Liver, Kidney, and Gallbladder imbalance. While taking birth control continuously for treatment of endometriosis and PCOS, I developed blood stasis because I didn't have a period for 18 months. I finally quit the birth control for several months so the endocrinologist could get a baseline on my hormones, and that is when I learned about being positive for PCOS and metabolic disorder. I am now taking birth control (Yasmin) to regulate my cycle, as I was having two periods per month and getting migraines before and after each period. Now, I only get a migraine when I start my period and can usually abort them with Frovatriptan. I do take Magnesium Asporotates as a preventive and my neurologist has me on Trileptal as a preventative and sleep aid. I tried the hot pad on the ankles you suggested for better sleep and less trips to the bathroom throughout the night and it does help. We've had extremely hot and humid weather this week due to hurricane Emily making her way toward us from the east. I am sleeping on flannel sheets and find that I am kicking the covers off less than I use to (and not waking up due to cold ankles). My heating pad is warmed in the microwave for several minutes and it keeps warm for about an hour. By then, I am usually asleep and sometimes find the bag on the floor when I wake up. Thanks again for your useful information. Karen in San Diego victoria_dragon wrote: > Chinese Traditional Medicine , Karen Peterson > <kpeterha@p...> wrote: > > > Would a seller of Armour thyroid know how much I should take? I'm > only > > on 0.01 MG of levoxyl and wondered if they had some kind of > conversion > > table. Or, would I just have to try different amounts for a short > time > > and see how I " feel " ? > > You need to see a MD or DO and be tested and monitored. Thyroid > replacement by Armour natural or synthroid is potentially dangerous. > In both cases there is the risk of thyroid building up in the body > (hyperthyroidism) and problems with the heart and other things. > Although Armour thyroid sometimes will work better than synthroid, > there are risks like a potential allergic reaction. > > If your endocrinologist is not up on the potential benefits and > risks of Armour thyroid, it's time to find a new endocrinologist. > Being up on the risks and benefits of Armour vs. synthroid is one of > the basics of endocrinology. > > Monitoring you includes listening to you as well as lab tests. > > You may also want to research the possible TCM Roots of extra > weight. The most common is Qi Deficiency. Very often, allopathic > doctors have it backwards. They believe that if one exercises more, > the weight will come off. In some cases this does work. But if the > person is Qi Deficient, the person isn't active enough because the > energy simply is not there. Supplement the Qi, and the person will > naturally be more active once s/he has the Qi. Also, if a person who > is Qi Deficient and has a weak Spleen is forcing herself or himself > to be more active, this is going to weaken the Spleen further, and > the Qi Deficiency gets worse and worse. > > Another common factor in excess weight is Interior Wind. One of the > things that can give rise to Interior Wind is Blood Deficiency. > There may also be Phlegm problems. > > Excess appetite raises the possibility of Heat and even Fire in the > Stomach. Hypoglycemia points to the possibility of Kidney imbalance > as well as Spleen imbalance. > > There is an amazing overlap between the symptoms of hypothyroidism > and Kidney Yang Deficiency. They're not the same thing, but they > share a number of symptoms and both may be present. Thyroid > supplementation never fully cleared up the symptoms of > hypothyroidism for me. The Armour did work better in my case than > the synthroid. But neither was completely satifactory. It was only > when I was treated for Kidney Yang Deficiency that I began to warn > up and have considerably more energy than I did. > > There are also cases where a person who is Kidney Yang Deficient > does not respond adequately to Yang tonic herbs and herbs that warm > the Interior and a small dose of thyroid replacement is needed even > though the person's thyroid level is in the low normal range. > > You may also want to look into the Chinese idea of a balanced diet. > Also, does your acupuncturist also give herbs? In some cases, herbs > may be needed. > > > Post message: Chinese Traditional Medicine > Subscribe: Chinese Traditional Medicine- > Un: Chinese Traditional Medicine- > List owner: Chinese Traditional Medicine-owner > > Shortcut URL to this page: > /community/Chinese Traditional Medicine > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 25, 2005 Report Share Posted July 25, 2005 Hi Karen, the heating pad is a good idea, maybe if you use socks the feet will keep warm even if you kick the sheets off during sleep? marcos --- Karen Peterson <kpeterha escreveu: I am sleeping on > flannel sheets > and find that I am kicking the covers off less than I use to > (and not > waking up due to cold ankles). My heating pad is warmed in the > > microwave for several minutes and it keeps warm for about an > hour. By > then, I am usually asleep and sometimes find the bag on the > floor when I > wake up. > > Karen in San Diego > _____ Acesso Grátis - Internet rápida e grátis. Instale o discador agora! http://br.acesso./ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 25, 2005 Report Share Posted July 25, 2005 <snip> > At 40 years of age, my endocrinolgist told me my > test results for the hormone panel came back > looking like a 65 year old post menopausal woman! > > Karen What does your TCM practicioner say? If you've mentioned your TCM assessment, please refresh our memory. Penel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 12, 2005 Report Share Posted August 12, 2005 ---i would also look into a thing mentioned by edgar cayce called atomidine helps balence glands and also he mentions spinal adjustments with regard to the functioning of glands e mail me for more info pho p In Chinese Traditional Medicine , Karen Peterson <kpeterha@p...> wrote: > > Sarah, > > I was thinking about trying Armour thyroid by buying it over the > internet. The endocrinologist that I am seeing now is mostly a weight > management specialist who makes a lot of money selling products like > powdered shakes and protein bars. I can't use his products because they > contain non-nutrative sweeteners, especially Nutrasweet. I have > interstitial cystitis, a bladder condition, and my bladder is very > sensitive to Nutrasweet. I can use some Splenda, but mostly use brown > sugar or honey for sweetener. Not using much now, as I've been on a > diet for six months and have lost almost forty pounds. I need to lose > another forty, but the PCOS and metabolic syndrome make it much harder > to lose it. > > Would a seller of Armour thyroid know how much I should take? I'm only > on 0.01 MG of levoxyl and wondered if they had some kind of conversion > table. Or, would I just have to try different amounts for a short time > and see how I " feel " ? > > Karen > > Sarah wrote: > > Hello Karen, > > I, too, have a thyroid imbalance and at one time also experienced low body > temperatures, also at varying times of day. I hope that TCM will > strengthen > your body over time and improve your health. I have found TCM to > improve my > response to medication, and feel I need less because I use the herbs to > help > rebalance all the organs, not just the thyroid. > > One thing which really helped me is using natural prescription thyroid > medication which contains all the thyroid hormones not just T4 in a > synthetic form. > I originally took synthetic T3 (liothyroinine), but this was too strong for > me (still some people feel better using just T3 rather than the T4 which > you > are on or a mixture of both--I myself never could use a T4 preparation > alone > as it sent my body temperatures to the basement). Still my body > temperatures > improved with the natural thyroid hormones which contain t4, t3, t2 and t2 > and probably other substance which have not yet been identified. I am > now warm > all the time unless I forget a dose of my medication. I am very T3 > dependent and so cannot take all my thyroid medication at once. I must > take my > medicationdoses at least three times a day to get the natural T3 > contained in my > medication and to have a more even delivery of hormones to my body. If > only it > was available in time release form. > > The other thing I found necessary to feeling better was to locate a doctor > who would pay more attention to how I felt rather than to lab numbers on > tests. > My TSH gets really low now, but he does not panic and think I am > hyperthyroid. He can tell I am not and can see I am feeling better. > I think locating > doctors who use symptoms (just like TCM practitioners) makes a big > difference > to feeling better with thyroid disease. Not an easy task I know finding > these rare doctors. > > > Sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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