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Archived
E-mail Newsletters Fibromyalgia Research Foundation
The Metabolic Treatment
Your Guide to |
November
7, 2003 New Items: We
Need Your Help Improving Our Website, drlowe.com
October
30, 2003 New Items: Valuable
Tool for Finding Dr. Honeyman-Lowe realized that she could save time by creating a form patients would fill out as part of each reassessment. The completed form would make any symptoms of overstimulation obvious at a quick glance. Developing symptoms of overstimulation would be easy to spot by comparing a patient’s latest filled-out form with previous ones. Dr. Honeyman-Lowe developed the form, which she named "Are You Overstimulated?" The form is on page 357 of Your Guide to Metabolic Health and anyone can download or print it free-of-charge at: http://www.drlowe.com/clincare/clinicalforms/areyouoverstimulated.pdf Dr. Honeyman-Lowe and Dr. Lowe now use the form with each new patient, and it has turned out to be more useful than Dr. Honeyman-Lowe originally thought. Other doctors have confirmed this. These doctors follow Dr. Honeyman-Lowe’s advice to ignore their patients’ thyroid function test results during thyroid hormone therapy. Instead, they adjust dosages according to how patients respond to a particular dose. As studies have shown, this approach produces far superior treatment results than does adjusting dosages according to thyroid test results.[1][2] But these doctors have a grave concern: losing their medical licenses for not adjusting their patients’ dosages according to TSH test results—essentially for failing to comply with ordering more and more TSH tests. The nature of the problem is what Dr. Lowe several years ago named the "tyranny of the TSH."[3,p.87][4,p.861] A doctor may learn that more patients get well when their thyroid hormone dosages are adjusted according to their clinical responses to the hormone. But he’s afraid to use this approach in lieu of ordering TSH tests. He remembers well the publicized cases of Dr. Barry Durrant-Peatfield and Dr. David Derry. The threat is ever present that his medical regulatory board, pressured by one or more endocrinologists, may reprimand him or even suspend his license to practice medicine. The "Are You Overstimulated?" form offers some protection from this threat. The ultimate concern in medical care should be patient safety—remember the "do no harm" provision of the Hippocratic oath. Dr. Honeyman-Lowe’s form, when used properly, becomes objective documentation that a patient has not experienced symptoms of thyroid hormone overstimulation. And this is true despite dosage adjustments based on the patient’s clinical responses without regard for his/her TSH level. Having a series of completed forms in a patient’s file is one of the best ways of documenting that the patient’s thyroid hormone therapy has been harmless. This may provide your doctor with some peace of mind. It may do so by calming his fear of retaliation for failing to comply with the politically and financially motivated standard of repeatedly ordering TSH tests. References Thyroid UK's London
Conference Dr. Honeyman-Lowe and Dr. Lowe, however, weren’t present at the Conference. They were scheduled to speak in London, but they cancelled their appearance for two reasons: overwhelming evidence of grossly lax airline security in the US, and ominous information from captured Al Qaeda operatives that airliners from the US to Gatwick Airport in London are specific targets for terrorist attacks. Instead of a personal appearance, Dr. Honeyman-Lowe and Dr. Lowe gave their presentation by videotape. The tape is a slide presentation that includes some carefully-crafted illustrations by artist William Brooks, along with some footage of the doctors speaking. In the video, Dr. Lowe explains peripheral resistance to thyroid hormone and its proper treatment, and Dr. Honeyman-Lowe explains peripheral resistance to cortisol and its treatment. TELECONFERENCE: Conference attendees watched the doctors’ videotape in the morning. In the afternoon, Dr. Honeyman-Lowe and Dr. Lowe took part in a Q-&-A session by telephone. As part of the panel of thyroid experts, they answered questions submitted by members of the audience. OTHER EXPERTS AT THE CONFERENCE: Lyn Mynott, patient advocate and Chair of Thyroid UK, opened the Conference and introduced the speakers. The speakers were physicians and scientists who are experts in thyroidology and related fields. * The eminent Dr. Barry Durrant-Peatfield spoke first. He is author of the popular book The Great Thyroid Scandal, which Dr. Honeyman-Lowe and Dr. Lowe strongly recommend to anyone with thyroid disease or adrenal insufficiency. Dr. Durrant-Peatfield’s topic was the diagnosis and treatment of adrenal insufficiency in thyroid disorders, with special reference to fluorine. Retired from clinical practice, he’s a treasured member of the team at Thyroid UK. He and his companion, Jo, work diligently to further the causes of the patient advocacy organization. * Dr. John Mansfield spoke on the role of allergies and toxins in chronic disease, with special reference to mercury. Dr. Mansfield is widely known for his work in the diagnosis and treatment of allergic response. He has authored several books in this field, and he runs a busy private clinic in Banstead, UK. * Dr. Brian McDonogh’s presentation was on detecting hormonal and nutritional deficiencies through live blood analysis. He is well known in the UK for advising patients on all aspects of general medicine, especially in reference to deficiency illnesses and nutrition. Dr. McDonogh has a private clinic in Crawley, UK. * Ron Turner spoke on laboratory analysis of saliva and blood in the diagnosis of illness, with particular reference to hormone deficiencies. Ron Turner is a biochemist and runs the NPTech Services laboratory in Suffolk (UK), which specializes in the diagnosis and monitoring of hormonal disorders. * Dr. Hamar Vogelaar’s presentation was on the importance of urine testing in hormone deficiencies, with special reference to thyroid and adrenal disorders. Dr. Vogelaar is a biochemist from the European Laboratory of Nutrients in Holland. The Laboratory is known internationally for its pioneering work in the use of urine for the diagnosis of hormonal dysfunction. Dr. Honeyman-Lowe and Dr. Lowe are now working with artist William Brooks to refocus and expand their London video presentation. Within a couple of weeks, they’ll make it available on video, CD, and DVD. The new presentation will give patients and doctors an attention-holding audiovisual description of thyroid hormone resistance and its safe and effective treatment. (Information in the presentation on thyroid hormone resistance is based on Dr. Lowe’s more extensive coverage of the subject in his book The Metabolic Treatment of Fibromyalgia. Dr. Honeyman-Lowe and Dr. Lowe’s aim is to give patients a presentation that’s easy and interesting to watch and listen to. They hope this will help some patients get their doctors’ cooperation by letting them see and hear the presentation. Williams’s beautiful illustrations in the partially-animated presentation will help serve this purpose. A videotape of all the presentations at the London Conference is available from Thyroid UK. To order a copy, or for more information on Thyroid UK, contact: Thyroid UK, 32 Darcy Road, St Osyth,
Clacton on Sea, Essex CO16 8QF Classes
for Patients on Thanks in advance for letting Diane know if you’re interested in the classes. You can let her know by sending her an email at Tammy@drlowe.com or phoning her at 303-413-6003. Clinical Care
August
3, 2003 New Items: 1. 39 Most
Common Signs of Hypothyroidism 39 Most
Common Signs of Hypothyroidism The popularity of the symptom list has prompted us to now provide a
list of the most common "signs" of hypothyroidism and
thyroid hormone resistance. Signs are abnormalities that other people,
such as doctors and your loved ones, can observe and verify. Pointing out
signs to others may help persuade them that you need thyroid treatment or
that your current treatment isn’t working. We expect that this list
will help many thyroid patients. The signs list is posted at: Classes
on Self-Guided Treatment with Metabolic Rehab To get themselves well, many people now use the Internet to obtain their medicinal products, most of which are food-based and over-the-counter. By doing so, they’re taking responsibility for their own health and freeing themselves from the doctors’ incompetence. Many of the people, however, don’t know which products may be best for them. Nor do they know how best to use the products. To help them learn, we’re considering holding educational classes. In the classes, we’ll teach people the principles and practice of using the products safely and effectively, and we’ll instruct them in getting well through self-guided metabolic rehab. Soon critics will argue that rather than teaching people, we should discourage them from guiding their own treatment, and we should encourage them to leave treatment to licensed doctors. Unfortunately, the record shows this argument to be absurd. People in general could not possibly do a worse job at metabolic treatment than most doctors do. Many people have now concluded that if they're to get well, they must guide themselves through treatment, and they're doing it. We believe they can do a better job of it if taught how to do it properly, and we're prepared to teach them. Our classes will be based on our new book, Your Guide to Metabolic Health. The book is literally a by-the-numbers guide to getting well. We're hearing from more and more people that the book is serving them well in their self-guided treatment. We believe that reading the book before the classes will enable people to get more from them. It’s important to note that the relationship between those who'll attend the classes and us won’t be clinical; instead, it will be educational. Accordingly, those who attend won’t be patients; they’ll be students. Whether we begin setting up and conducting the classes will depend on people’s interest them. People who might benefit most from the classes will be those with symptoms of fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, hypothyroidism, thyroid hormone resistance, adrenal fatigue, or low adrenal function. Of course, relatives, friends, and others who care for and support people with such symptoms will also be welcome at the classes. If you’re interested in classes on metabolic health and self-guided metabolic rehab, you can help us by letting us know. Please send Peggy Myers an email at MetabolicHealth@aol.com. Giving her your city or full mailing address will help us decide which locations are best for holding the classes. Thanks in advance for your help. How
Best to Use Your Guide to Metabolic Health In the book, we’ve given all the background information most patients need to get well. The remainder of the book is a step-by-step guide to self-directed treatment. Patients who read the book before consulting with us have learned much of the background information, and they’re using the simple self-guiding method to lead themselves through their own metabolic rehab. These patients consult with us only on occasion, usually when they encounter some obstacle to their progress and need help getting past it. Most of them are more knowledgeable than other patients and usually ask more advanced questions. Because of this, we typically spend less time with them on the phone, and this reduces their consulting fees. Because of this observation, we’re encouraging patients to read the book before arranging to consult with us. It’s certainly not necessary that they do so, but we believe it’s to their advantage. To read about Your Guide to Metabolic Health, see the following website: http://www.McDowellPublishing.com/ygmh.htm $10
Discount Off Price of The Metabolic Treatment of Fibromyalgia is a companion book to Your Guide to Metabolic Health. We're proud to say that many patients have told us that they obtained a copy of the book, loaned it to their doctors, and finally got effective treatment. The discount will continue through
midnight, August 31, 2003. To read about the book and discount, see: Dr.
Honeyman-Lowe’s & Dr. Lowe’s Respective Clinic Hours Very best wishes,
July
13, 2003 New Items: 1. Dr.
Honeyman-Lowe Interview on National Radio Talk Show Monday Dr.
Honeyman-Lowe to be Interview Deborah interviewed Dr. Honeyman-Lowe two years ago about poor metabolic health and metabolic rehab. The show was a success, just as this second interview is sure to be. Deborah's show, Health-Talk Radio, is nationally syndicated and has millions of listeners. You can find a radio station in your listening area that carries the show. Just send an e-mail request with your city and state to: affiliate@healthytalkradio.com. The interview will begin at 9:15 am Eastern Time. The on-air call-in number is 800-307-3002. Dr.
Lowe Interview by In the interview, Gina asked Dr. Lowe questions about diagnosing and treating soft tissue problems. He explained that the most common soft tissue disorder is myofascial pain syndrome. This syndrome involves pain-referring trigger points in muscle and its connective tissues. He explained that well-trained clinicians can effectively treat these syndromes, promptly stopping the pain. He also talked about underlying problems that can make some patients resistant to myofascial therapy. One of the most common of these is untreated or under-treated hypothyroidism. The second interview was by Julia Calafano. Julia is a writer for the magazine titled First for Women. She was writing an article for the magazine on hypothyroidism. Dr. Lowe described for Julia the major problem for hypothyroid patients today: Ineffective treatment by conventional doctors resulting from the scientifically false beliefs of endocrinologists. He said that over the last thirty-years, the false beliefs of the endocrinology specialty have created a worldwide public health crisis. He explained to her how this happened, which he describes in great detail in The Metabolic Treatment of Fibromyalgia. He detailed how hypothyroid patients can escape the ravages of the endocrinology specialty’s approach and find effective treatment through alternative thyroid doctors. The Garlic
Cure: We've started a book review section on drlowe.com. The first book review is on "The Garlic Cure." This is an extraordinary book that we believe can benefit virtually all our readers. Read Dr. Lowe's review of the book at: http://www.drlowe.com/books/garliccure/garliccure.htm Dr. Lowe's Contribution
to the Field In their article, the authors discuss hypothyroidism and thyroid hormone resistance as major causes of fibromyalgia symptoms. They recommend that terms such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome be replaced with a new umbrella term, "chronic metabolic debilitation syndrome." They write that Dr. W.M. Ord was the first to relate symptoms of chronic metabolic debilitation, such as widespread pain and fatigue, to thyroid dysfunction. He did so in 1877 after finding in autopsies that patients with the symptoms had fibrosis of the thyroid gland. In 1899, Dr. Hertoghe successfully treated patients with the symptoms with thyroid gland extracts. In the mid-20th century, Dr. Broda Barnes popularized this treatment approach. The authors continue, "Modern work along this line has been dominated by Lowe." They explain three of his main contributions to the field: proposal of a plausible thyroid-related mechanism of fibromyalgia; finding of a high percentage of abnormal thyroid test among patients, including the TRH-stimulation test; and double-blind clinical trials in which fibromyalgia patients recovered with the use of T3. They explain, "Lowe's hypothesis of thyroid resistance grew out of efforts to reconcile the clinical disparity between the strikingly hypothyroid appearance of these patients with their normal serum thyroid hormone levels. Thus, Lowe brought the thinking of Ord, Hertogue, Barnes, and Albright forward to the turn of this century." Upon reading the article, Dr. Lowe said, "As time passes, it's steadily more widely recognized that my colleagues and I were right all along about fibromyalgia. I want to emphasize ‘my colleagues and I.’ The research and clinical work that has freed so many patients from their fibromyalgia symptoms has not been a solo venture. Jackie Yellin, Dr. Gina Honeyman-Lowe, and others have contributed to both our theoretical and experimental work, and when our work is cited, we should always receive credit as a team." Clinical Care © 2003 John C. Lowe. All rights reserved. This Center for Metabolic Health, LLC Email Newsletter may be copied and distributed subject to three conditions: (1) All text within the full document or any section copied must be copied without modification with all pages included. (2) All copies must contain the following copyright notice: "© 2003 John C. Lowe" (3) Neither this full document nor any section of it may be distributed for profit. |
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