Dr Lowe's Statement

[shaws]

Came across the following statement and I don't have a link for it. I thought it would be useful for some members:-

"Question: I am a physician and I treat hypothyroid patients. Partly because of your writings, some of my patients want more thyroid hormone than ordinary replacement doses. Over the past year, I've found that the higher doses usually work better. I am very concerned, however, about one thing. Many of these patients are middle-aged, deconditioned, and I assume that they have some degree of coronary artery disease. My worry is that the higher doses may cause myocardial ischemia in the patients. In your experience, is this a concern with middle-aged patients?

Dr. Lowe: As I emphasized in The Metabolic Treatment of Fibromyalgia

In most patients, then, TSH-suppressive doses of thyroid hormone don’t harm the heart. This justifies Dr. L.E. Shapiro writing in 1997, "In the absence of symptoms of thyrotoxicosis, patients treated with TSH-suppressive doses of L-T4 may be followed clinically without specific cardiac laboratory studies."[2]

Dr. Gordon Skinner recently wrote that patients with normal thyroid test results who have symptoms and signs of hypothyroidism should be permitted undergo a trial of thyroid hormone therapy. Anticipating objections, Skinner wrote, "The dangers of osteoporosis and cardiac catastrophe—particularly during a three-month trial—are sometimes quoted, but these worries are unfounded and condemn many patients to years of hypothyroidism with its pathological complications and poor quality of life."[3] A correct interpretation of the available scientific evidence compels one to agree with Dr. Skinner.

As I said, some conventional endocrinologists have grossly exaggerated the cardiac risks of TSH-suppressive doses of thyroid hormone. When doctors exercise reasonable precaution with their patients, they can safely ignore these endocrinologists’ exaggerations.

References

[1] Lowe, J.C.: The Metabolic Treatment of Fibromyalgia. Boulder, McDowell Publishing Co., 2000.

[2] Shapiro, L.E., Sievert, R., Ong, L., et al.: Minimal cardiac effects in asymptomatic athyreotic patients chronically treated with thyrotropin-suppressive doses of L-thyroxine. J. Clin Endocrinol. Metab., 82(8):2592-2595, 1997.

[3] Skinner, G.R.B., Thomas, R., Taylor, M., et al.: Thyroxine should be tried in clinically hypothyroid but biochemically euthyroid patients (Letter). Brit. Med. J., 314:1764, 1997.

[mcooper]

Thank you this is most useful , more evidence to add to the pile!

[shaws Administrator in reply to mcooper]

Considering that Dr Skinner wasn't an Endocrinologist but when the GMC called him before them (more than once) he was always found not to be doing anything wrong and the GMC could see how many attended these appearances. How could they when there was also 10,000 testimonials from the majority of his patients whose 'lives he saved'. Their statement.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/tuk_sh...

[vocalEK in reply to shaws]

Wow, this book, being sold by TUK for £17.00 (translates to $26 US), is much more expensive on the U.S. Amazon.com. $208.99

+ $3.99 shipping + $12.78 estimated tax

Ouch. I am putting in my order for the UK book.

[shaws Administrator in reply to vocalEK]

The book will be becoming much rarer and it has such wisdom which is missing in many areas these days of the computer. Back then we were diagnosed upon clinical symptoms alone and all doctors knew them but - best of all - could relieve them by providing optimal doses of NDT. (natural dessicated thyroid hormones which contain all of the hormones a healthy gland would). No blood tests required.

[Frankie777 in reply to shaws]

Hi Shaws....this is a bit unrelated, but wondering if you know why Dr Lowe took his dose at night? I tried searching and couldn't find an answer to this

[shaws Administrator in reply to Frankie777]

Dr Lowe ensured nothing (food or drinks) interfered with his uptake of T3 either before or after dose. He took 150mcg of T3 as he had 'thyroid hormone resistance'. He also stated that people who had this condition need larger doses of T3 than normal which would 'knock others off their feet'.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

[2] Shapiro, L.E., Sievert, R., Ong, L., et al.: Minimal cardiac effects in asymptomatic athyreotic patients chronically treated with thyrotropin-suppressive doses of L-thyroxine. J. Clin Endocrinol. Metab., 82(8):2592-2595, 1997.

Available here - view abstract or click on link to get PDF of full article:

academic.oup.com/jcem/artic...

[3] Skinner, G.R.B., Thomas, R., Taylor, M., et al.: Thyroxine should be tried in clinically hypothyroid but biochemically euthyroid patients (Letter). Brit. Med. J., 314:1764, 1997.

This letter is available on Page 6 of this PDF:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...