To help patients recover their health, Dr. Peatfield has courageously subjected himself to threats of reprisal from conventional medicine, most notably from endocrinologists. But threats aren’t all that conventional medicine has subjected him to. He has had to defend himself in the past before the General Medical Council at tremendous personal cost. Despite intimidation by some endocrinologists, and difficulties with the General Medical Council, he has bravely continued to use methods that safely and effectively relieve his patients’ suffering. Now, he again faces possible suspension of his license. Many people, especially those who have recovered their health under his care, want to know why.

General Medical Council Considers Suspending Dr. Peatfield’s License

A function of the General Medical Council is to make sure doctors practice in line with current medical guidelines. The conventional guidelines for diagnosing and treating hypothyroidism are dictated by beliefs of the conventional thyroid specialty (a "sub-specialty"of the endocrinology specialty). The two main beliefs this specialty has imposed on doctors are: (1) the TSH is the only test needed to diagnose and treat hypothyroid patients, and (2) T4 (thyroxine) is the only thyroid hormone preparation any hypothyroid patients need to take.

When a doctor violates these beliefs in his or her practice, a regulatory agency such as the General Medical Council in the United Kingdom may impose punishment. (In the United States, the agencies that enforce conventional guidelines are the state boards of medical examiners.) Few doctors, however, are called to account for the heresy of violating the guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of hypothyroidism. Only high profile doctors are usually subjected to this. Dr. Peatfield is one such doctor. In fact, he is the most prominent alternative doctor in England. Little wonder, then, that he is the focus of attention of the General Medical Council. His high visibility makes the outcome of his case crucial. If his license is suspended, a paralyzing apprehension will instantly spread among less-prominent alternative doctors.

What is factual is that the conventional beliefs about the diagnosis and treatment of hypothyroidism are false propositions based on extraordinarily bad science. (See my letter to the General Medical Council.) In my opinion, the false propositions are also based partly on the corrupting influence of financial incentives. These incentives come from companies that profit from regulatory agencies forcing doctors’ to follow the guidelines. (See section of my letter to the General Medical Council addressing financial incentives in the section titled "Use of Desiccated Thyroid".)

Why Doctors Comply with Conventional Guidelines

Over the years, scores of doctors have told me they complied with the guidelines from fear of regulatory agencies. When I’ve contended that the beliefs the guidelines are based on aren’t scientific facts, many doctors have been astonished, skeptical, and vehemently disagreed. From these experiences, I’ve been impressed with the conventional endocrinology specialty’s success at intimidating and misguiding other doctors.

I have been even more impressed, however, with a psychosocial phenomenon—the successful use by many conventional endocrinologists of the power of personality to induce compliance with the guidelines. I have known a few endocrinologists who were, in their interactions with other doctors, congenial and showed the hesitancy and tentativeness about beliefs that characterize scholars. In my experience, however, the conventional endocrinology specialty harbors more arrogance, dogmatism, sense of indisputable certainty, and claim to supreme authority than any other medical specialty. My impression is that this personality profile—which is uncharacteristic of scholars and professional scientists—has done more than even the punitive powers of regulatory agencies to induce compliance by other doctors. This profile is so common among endocrinologists, and so often offensive to patients, that many patients contemptuously call the specialists "endo-criminologists."

This personality profile, while powerfully persuasive, is distinctly unscientific conduct. The conventional thyroid specialty is also unscientific in its conduct in other ways. But unscientific conduct in general and the personality profile go hand in hand. I will describe the profile, but first, let me explain the more general unscientific conduct of many members of this problematic specialty.

In stark contrast to this scientific demeanor, consider the conduct that, according to my experience and study, typifies the conventional endocrinology specialty. (I hastily add that I’m acquainted with endocrinologists who are notable but rare exceptions to this generalization.)

First, researchers within the conventional thyroid specialty have reached conspicuously illogical conclusions from studies. Some of their illogical conclusions that have damaged the public health include, but aren’t limited to, the following: (1) TSH-suppressive doses of thyroid hormone usually cause osteoporosis; (2) TSH-suppressive doses will increase threefold all patients' chances of atrial fibrillation; (3) a TSH within the reference range is proof that a patient can't possibly suffer from too little thyroid hormone regulation; (4) T4 therapy is invariably effective in treating hypothyroidism; (5) treatment with T4 is "superior" to treatment with desiccated thyroid; (6) T3 is a dangerous medication.

Second, some of their beliefs that have most damaged the public health have been based on grossly faulty research methodology. They have failed to use adequate controls in studies. They have misrepresented authoritative presumptions as factually established. And they’ve set up arbitrary definitions that have enabled them to sidestep criticisms of serious flaws in their conclusions and beliefs. This bad science discredits all beliefs of the specialty concerning the diagnosis and treatment of hypothyroidism.

Third, after having reached conclusions from studies, they have failed to properly consider them tentative—as all scientific beliefs always are. Instead, they have dogmatically promoted their conclusions as irrevocable scientific facts. They have also arrogantly disregarded reasonable and credible dissenting view of doctors and scientists outside their specialty. One way they’ve effectively disregarded these views is by using the peer review process to block their publication in mainstream journals. Intolerance of dissenting views is proper within the military and institutionalized religions, but it is utterly counter to acceptable scientific conduct.

Forth, conclusions the specialty has promoted as scientifically factual—especially regarding practice guidelines—are predictable based on the financial incentives provided by commercial interests that fund conventional thyroid research. For financial incentives to shape scientific beliefs is a gross deviation from the traditional bases of such beliefs, which were curiosity and the pursuit of truth.

The Power of Personality and the Conventional Endocrinology Specialty. Actor Anthony Hopkins once explained how he prepared himself for the role of Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the movie Silence of the Lambs. He talked of the state of mind he had to adopt to effectively play the role. The state of mind was that typical of the charismatic dictator who melts the will of others, inducing them to obsequiously yield to his will and decrees. The dictator exerts this effect by a powerful personality feature—total, absolute, unwavering certainty that he is right, that he is the sole broker of truth.

Hopkins is correct about this personality feature. It promptly dissolves most people’s resistance when in the presence of such a dictator. In his autobiography Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitler wrote explicitly about the use of this powerful personality feature. He used it as a tactic for vaporizing resistance to his political will. Historians have described many examples of Hitler exhibiting this power over others. Even many zealous opponents of Hitler, when finally in his presence, fell under his spell and, on the spot, changed to enthusiastic supporters. I trust that many who read this will recall displays of this personality feature in the offices of endocrinologists. Fortunately, many patients are strong enough that they’ve escaped the influence, left the endocrinologists’ offices, and found alternative doctors, such as Dr. Peatfield, who have relieved their suffering by violating the guidelines. Most doctors, however, fall under the spell of this personal feature and accept the pronouncements of conventional endocrinologists as pure scientific truth.

This personality feature, unquestioning trust that the guidelines are factual, and threats of punishment by regulatory agencies have impelled mainstream doctors to comply with the practice guidelines. But Dr. Peatfield has admirably refused to comply.

Conclusion

I can think of only two legitimate questions anyone should ask about Dr. Peatfield's clinical practice. First, "Do his methods of practice get enough of his patients well?" The answer to this is a resounding yes. Thousands of patients and their loved ones in the United Kingdom will testify to this. Second, "Have his methods of practice harmed patients?" The answer is no.

If, then, Dr. Peatfield gets patients well, and he doesn’t harm them, why is the General Medical Council subjecting him to possible license suspension? Because of his defiant refusal, on his patients’ behalf, to comply with the conventional thyroid specialty’s beliefs—false beliefs based on bad science, ego, medical politics, and subversion by commercial interests. It is my belief that the allegations against him are justifications contrived for punishing him for having defied an arrogant, dogmatic, tyrannical medical aristocracy. Essentially, he is being punished for having the strength of character to think for himself, the responsibility to give his patients safe and effective treatments, and the courage to face the political consequences.

Based on this view, I believe that suspension of Dr. Peatfield’s license will betoken a disregard by the General Medical Council of the health and welfare of the public. As such, the license suspension should serve to rally patients, their loved ones, patient advocacy groups (such as Thyroid UK), doctors, and scientists. I believe these people should use the force of numbers to provoke legislation and litigation that will bring an end to the horrid legacy of the conventional thyroid specialty of the past thirty years. If a social movement amasses to cause change, the political persecution of Dr. Peatfield will have served a noble purpose. I will deeply regret, however, that such a fine human being and quality doctor will have been crucified in the process.

cc: Barry Durrant-Peatfield, M.B.