How Thyroid Experts Are Challenging Ineffective Treatments and Improving the Lives of Patients

Stop the Thyroid Madness II
Article Written by Carol Petersen, RPh, CNP – Women’s International Pharmacy
Janie Bowthorpe has become a force to be reckoned with. Her first book, “Stop the Thyroid Madness,” chronicles her return to health after decades of dealing with misdiagnoses and misguided treatments. She describes herself as suddenly becoming more alive after finding out about desiccated whole thyroid and changing from l-thyroxine (T4) treatment only. Her book can be an inspiration to anyone who struggles with reduced energy levels or never feels quite well. Bowthorpe is also the author of a blog, www.stopthethyroidmadness.com, in which she shares the huge amount of thyroid information she has discovered herself and gathered from others who she engaged through social media. Her first book is still the top selling book about thyroid issues on the store.

Bowthorpe has taken another direction with her second book (published by Laughing Grape Publishing, Dolores CO, 2014). In this volume, she serves as the editor of a collection of chapters written by practitioners who have recognized the complexity of thyroid issues. These practitioners have made large changes in their approach to recognizing thyroid dysfunction and assisting their patients to truly turn their health around.

The current standard for treating thyroid issues blessed by the society of endocrinologists is to only use one thyroid test, TSH or thyroid stimulating hormone, and then only to use one thyroid hormone, T4, to treat. After treatment, only the results of dropping serum TSH levels are used as a measure of success. Healthcare practitioners are taught that this standard prevails, while the fact that resolution of symptoms has not happened is dismissed.

Patients with thyroid disorders suffer from the fragmentation of medical care. Since thyroid hormone is needed to be active in every cell in the body, the symptoms of thyroid disease can occur anywhere. Patients can find themselves being shunted from endocrinologists to gastroenterologists, psychiatrists and more. And when the approach mentioned above with T4 doesn’t pan out, it is assumed that the problems presented are not part of thyroid disease.

This book covers an astonishing amount of material. You will find yourself highlighting and earmarking the pages and rereading chapters to reinforce your understanding. Once you have reviewed this material, you will be armed to advocate for yourself in identifying and treating the underlying problems leading to your thyroid disorder.

To illustrate the scope of this book, here are some of the areas covered:

gluten intolerance and sensitivity leading to thyroid autoimmune disorders
defects in methylation identified with DNA testing
toxic heavy metals that interfere with thyroid functioning and testing and detoxification modalities
shortages of essential vitamins and minerals that are needed for thyroid production and conversions
environmental pollutants that wreak havoc with thyroid and other hormones and how to identify and eliminate
the implications and circumstances that will cause the production of an inactive thyroid hormone called reverse T3 and how to return to production of the most active thyroid hormone T3
the pitfalls of laboratory testing and introduction of many more parameters to check thyroid activity
foods that are helpful to include in your diet and those that must be eliminated for healthy thyroid function.

A favorite chapter of mine is entitled “Why are Doctors Like That?” Reading this chapter can be enormously helpful when preparing to discuss the comprehensive information presented here with your practitioner. This material has not been taught in medical schools; only the practitioners who have challenged themselves to go further to help their patients have mastered it. You may also find practitioners who have studied and understand certain aspects of this topic, but who lack experience in the whole scope of problems affecting thyroid function. A good partner in your search for wellness should facilitate the unraveling of the mysteries underlying your health problems.

Although we live in a time when there are many more challenges to our health, we also have a wealth of information available to us. This enables us to take an active role in partnering with our health care practitioners to solve health care problems. Janie Bowthorpe is proof positive that your health can be regained. We can only admire the energy and determination that she displays by providing this depth of information to everyone.

Fantastic book written by doctors for doctors and patients. This is a ground breaking book that challenges the status quo of the treatment of thyroid and related conditions. This is a must read for doctors and patients alike.

I have both of the Stop the Thyroid Madness books and living without a thyroid they have been an incredibly helpful. This one was so well written with many Dr's and health professionals contributing, written so that I felt I could give it to my Dr in an effort to explain what protocol I was following. If you have thyroid issues this book and STTM 1 are a must have.

It has different doctors writing each chapter talking about thyroid issues and MTHF. It is good, but if you need a doctor to help you and your TSH is off, Suzy Cohen thyroid book may help more. She says like 1000X don't go by TSH...it means nothing. This book is good since it talks about iodine/MTHF and other issues affecting thyroid. Each doctor has a different way of explaining things. It has references and goes into detail on certain issues.

Sorry people, but all the information in this book is out there for free on the internet! I swear the Dr.s in the book just like to hear themselves talk(type) because in all honesty there is no real information in the book! Seriously.

Just take the time to search the net, you will be more informed and get more/better opinions for you to make decisions on.

I do not recommend this book...

UPDATE: I read the book 3 times and I just shake my head! Page after page about each individual authors background and references to all the data they sucked off the internet. Maybe 5-10 pages worth of anything. Total waste of paper. Maybe if this was digital for $2.99 it would be worth it. Sorry for being so negative but come on...