Guest guest Posted February 10, 2005 Report Share Posted February 10, 2005 A friend of mine was told a couple of months ago, that his thyroid was " dead " and his metabolism was slowing to dangerous levels. He has been on hormone replacement therapy and was uninterested in alternatives until he lost his job and the insurance ran out. Now he's finally interested. Extremely limited income limits his dietary choices to Ramen noodles or air. Any suggestions? thanks, Rachele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 10, 2005 Report Share Posted February 10, 2005 A friend of mine was told a couple of months ago, that his thyroid > was " dead " and his metabolism was slowing to dangerous levels. He > has been on hormone replacement therapy and was uninterested in > alternatives until he lost his job and the insurance ran out. Now > he's finally interested. Extremely limited income limits his dietary > choices to Ramen noodles or air. Any suggestions? > If his levels are approaching dangerous levels then he in not on the right amount or right type of hormone replacement medicine. His doctors are doing him a serious disservice, but then again, one doesn't expect much from doctors anyway. He needs to get copies of his labwork to see what tests his doctor is running. If the doc is only running the TSH test then he needs to run from this doctor fast!! He needs the FreeT3 and FreeT4 tests run immediately. Did he perchance have Radioactive iodine treatment for an overactive thyroid (graves disease)? If so, then he may be having a conversion problem with the medicine. Most docs will only give T4 but the body needs T4 and T3. Some people who have had their thyroid destroyed by radiation do much better with the natural replacement hormone Armour. It contains both T4 and T3. If he has hashimoto's he may have high levels of TPO antibodies which do actual damage to the thyroid gland slowly destroying it. The way to stop the destruction is to stop producing the antibodies. The " experts " really don't know why people make these auto-antibodies (which is why it is called an auto-immune disease) but probable triggers are always related to lifestyle choices. Poor diet, smoking, high amounts of fast food and iodized salt and STRESS are the biggest triggers. If he is unwilling or unable to change his diet then there probably isn't much he can do to help himself other than getting on the right dose of replacement. There are no quick fixes and he can't depend on his doctors to help in out of this jam. He needs to learn about this disease and take control of his healthcare choices. I have had Hashimoto's disease for 20 years and Graves' disease for 3 years. I participate on many thyroid boards and formally moderated one of them. I have seen thousands of people with thyroid disease and the ones who get better are those who learn, find a good doctor who works WITH them and changes their lifestyle. All three things involve doing it yourself and you can't do it for him. Unfortunately when you are seriously hypO thyroid, you feel like a slug and can't concentrate so it is hard to get motivated to make changes. It may also be why he lost his job. Mentally it is very tough. You can't live without thyroid hormone. When you make a med change it takes 6-8 weeks to get completely in your system. He needs to get his levels up ASAP. If he is as bad off as you say, he is in danger of slipping into a coma. If he has no insurance, he may need to go to the ER. The natural hormone Armour is best. Then he needs to start making those lifestyle changes that will help him. Remember, getting a handle on this isn't easy and requires WORK. No quick fixes. Monica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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