Page 34 - Summer2009

function in mood disorders, 11,16,17,18 memory loss and other mental condi- conversion to T3 in the brain cells. My suspicion
tions, even psychoses. It is known that depressed patients with low T3 is that many of Wilson’s patients, while attaining
19
levels cannot be helped to come out of their depressions by any means, JRRG SK\VLFDO WK\URLG IXQFWLRQ UHPDLQ GH¿FLHQW
including electroshock therapy, unless the T3 level is at least normalized, in the brain’s thyroid function for memory and
if not optimized to the high end of its normal range. This was a very im- mood.
portant lesson to me. Also, several psychiatric researchers, including two More recently, John Lowe, DC, has come
16
of my teachers at the University of Toronto, proved that bipolar-disordered to the fore, through published articles, as an

SDWLHQWV GR PXFK EHWWHU ZKHQ WKHLU 7 OHYHO LV RSWLPL]HG WR WKH KLJK HQG RI advocate of T3 treatment for chronic fatigue syn-
its normal range, or even slightly above its high end. And one of the best GURPH DQG ¿EURP\DOJLD LQ SDWLHQWV ZLWK QRUPDO
treatments for bipolar disorders, the mineral lithium, is known to lower thyroid function, because of what he regards as
thyroid function, especially the T3 function. T3 must be “watched like a thyroid resistance in the tissues of these patients.
28
hawk” during lithium treatment, and optimized if low. Depakote, and +H GRHV XVH DQG DGYRFDWH 7 DQG 7 FRPELQDWLRQ
other anti-epileptic drugs used in the treatment of bipolar disorders also therapy in all hypothyroid patients.
lower the T3 function in most patients, so the same advice applies. In general, it can be said that most nutri-
tional, integrative, wholistic, complementary,
“ALTERNATIVE” APPROACHES TO HYPOTHYROIDISM natural-medicine, anti-aging and alternative
%HIRUH WKH PRUH DFFXUDWH GLDO\VLV PHWKRG WHVWV IRU )UHH 7 DQG )7 SK\VLFLDQV DUH XVLQJ WKH 7 7 FRPELQDWLRQ
became available, Broda Barnes recommended a body temperature-mea- approach, UDWKHU WKDQ WKH 7 RQO\ DSSURDFK
suring approach that could give some indication of possible thyroid hypo- that is still stubbornly used and recommended
IXQFWLRQ WKRXJK WKLV LV D QRQ VSHFL¿F DSSURDFK K\SRWK\URLGLVP WKRXJK by most conventional physicians. I have some
the most common, is not the only cause of hypothermia. Temperature questions as to how diligently and regularly they
measuring was a useful tool at the time and may have enabled many cases are using the accurate blood tests mentioned
that were missed by the blood testing measurements of the day to receive above but I have no doubt, based on their reported
treatment, but now that we have the totally accurate dialysis Free-T3 and outcomes, that in general their hypothyroid
)UHH 7 EORRG WHVWV WKHUH LV PXFK OHVV QHHG IRU WKDW DSSURDFK H[FHSW DV patients are doing much better than those of the
an indicator to lay persons that they may be hypothyroid and should be conventional physicians. That is quite a lot to
investigated further for that possibility. say, considering that most of them are not endo-
Since the early 1990s, Dennis Wilson, an MD in Florida, has been crinologists or even internists, supposedly those
advocating a T3-only approach to the treatment of fatigue and low body PHGLFDO VSHFLDOLVWV ZKR KDYH ERDUG FHUWL¿FDWLRQV
temperatures that has been helpful in some patients. But it is puzzling as in, and are in charge of, the diagnosis and treat-
6
WR ZK\ KH VKRXOG HVFKHZ 7 WUHDWPHQW DOWRJHWKHU HVSHFLDOO\ VLQFH 7 RQO\ ment of thyroid conditions.
WUHDWPHQW ORZHUV WKH 7 OHYHO WR EHORZ RU DW WKH ORZ QRUPDO EORRG OHYHO DQG
DV ZH NQRZ WKH EUDLQ UHTXLUHV D JRRG EORRG OHYHO RI 7 WR HQVXUH VXI¿FLHQW PHARMA’S INFLUENCE
FURVVLQJ RI WKH FKRURLG SOH[XV EORRG EUDLQ EDUULHU E\ VXI¿FLHQW 7 IRU (YHQ PRUH XQIRUWXQDWH WKDQ WKH 7 RQO\

A SUMMARY OF THYROID MEDICATIONS

SYNTHETIC
Chemical or Generic Name Trade or Brand Names

L-Thyroxine/ Levo-Thyroxine/ T4 Levoxyl, Levothroid, Synthroid, Unithroid
Tri-Iodo-Thyronine/ Lio-Thyronine/ T3 Cytomel, Cynomel
T4/T3 Combination Medication Thyrolar (in grains, analogous to the strengths of
Desiccated Porcine Thyroid)

NATURAL
Chemical or Generic Name Trade or Brand Names

Desiccated Porcine Thyroid Extract (USP) Armour Thyroid, the original, now by Forest
(In Grains or Mg, 60mg = 1grain) Naturethroid (non-allergenic), Westhroid (both by Western Research Labs)

32 Wise Traditions SUMMER 2009