WITCH HUNT - The New Heretics - A WARNING

[Guest guest]

Dear

Member

I

am writing to you all today after just returning from a consultation with my

NHS endocrinologist who has recommended Armour for me (and has done for the

past 5 years) and which my GP prescribes.

As many

of you are aware, I was very ill whilst taking levothyroxine (125mcgs) only

therapy, being left with many symptoms, the worst being wracked with severe

lower back pain - so bad I was unable to get out of my armchair, bed or car

after sitting/laying down for a while. I also suffered with severe 'brain fog'

and short term memory, apart from the usual hypothyroid symptoms. I couldn't

tolerate levothyroxine alone because it was found I was not converting this

mainly inactive hormone to the active hormone T3. As my muscles and tissues

were not getting the T3 required, my muscles in my back were going into spasm,

causing the severe pain. I saw a private hormone specialist who started

me on natural thyroid extract (Armour Thyroid, USP) and regained my full health

- and this was the reason I first opened TPA-UK to campaign for a better

diagnostic and treatment protocol within the NHS.

Many

of you will know that recently, the Royal College of Physicians have brought

out a new guideline on the diagnosing and treatment of primary hypothyroidism. I

have pasted their Press Release below and you can check out their Statement at

the link given. It is quite appalling - the implications are horrendous for

each and every one of us.

Many

of you who have also been lucky enough to have managed to get Armour Thyroid

prescribed within the NHS will now probably no longer be able to get this.

Today, my consultant told me he has had one of the worst afternoons of his

life. He has about 15 patients on Armour and each and every one of them he is

now having to tell them he is no longer in a position where he can continue to

recommend this medication for them. He, and every NHS endocrinologist has been

sent a letter from the President of the Royal College of Physicians, telling

them they should use thyroxine ONLY as a treatment for primary hypothyroidism and

that they should not recommend or prescribe Armour Thyroid and that only

accredited endocrinologists should ever recommend T3 as this was rarely

indicated.

He

was very upset about having to tell me, and all we can do is to try the

experiment and put me back onto synthetics starting 100 mcgs levothyroxine and 20

mcgs liothyronine (T3) split twice a day. I cannot believe this is happening -

I tried to question him as to the reason all the NHS endocrinologists didn't

demand the BTA produce MEDICAL EVIDENCE to show that hypothyroid sufferers ONLY

ever needed T4 - he said he knew they should have produced evidence, but it

seems because it has come from the RCP, his, and everybody else's' hands were

tied - they have to be seen to be doing what they are told. I got the

distinct impression that if anybody rocked the boat, they would be next doctor

arraigned before the GMC.

At

first, I told him I would not go back to this regime using synthetics only

because I knew I would become ill and would continue on Armour, even though I

will now have to buy it myself (I am already buying it privately for my

husband, who is now on four grains). He accepted this, but he did say that if

they could eventually get enough patients who were taking Armour thyroid

to go down the RCP route and use only the synthetics (their route being

thyroxine ONLY), and their health started to go downhill , that they could then

report this to their MP and report it to their endocrinologist who would then

gather up all these cases and present them to the Royal College of Physicians.

That way, it might be possible to get the message over - though I am not

holding my breath…and also, how many doctors would actually do this???

He said

the only way to find the truth as to whether Armour was a better medication or

not was through clinical trials using Armour versus levothyroxine - but when I

pressed him into starting this, he said they would need the backing of their

thyroid association - yes, the British Thyroid Association… I told him

they would never agree to this, and he agreed also. I told him that we did NOT

NEED the British Thyroid Association to get ethical approval - and surely he

could get a group of like-minded practitioners around him and do this

themselves - but it would cost a great deal of money - and, again, if you

are a member of BTA (and I believe most endocrinologists are) then they daren't

do a thing without their approval.

Everything

seems rather surreal at the moment - I am scared for every sufferer of this

disease that we are being forced into taking only one thyroid hormone - and a

hormone that is mainly inactive. T4 is NOT T3 - T3 is the active hormone we

need. I am scared for myself also.

I

just sincerely hope that I can cope with the change-over to synthetics and that

Armour has made my body strong enough to do this. I will make absolutely sure

that my adrenals can cope with this. I feel SO VERY sorry for all of

those sufferers who are being left in the care of a head in the sand endoprat ,

who will refuse to even give them the correct thyroid hormone their body needs.

Once

again - THE NHS IS KILLING US!

Luv

- Sheila - who is more determined than ever to campaign for our Human Rights.

RCP:

Thyroxine is the only treatment for primary hypothyroidism

Royal college of

physicians logo for press releases

Friday,

06, Feb 2009 12:00

New guidelines on the diagnosis and management of primary

hypothyroidism state that thyroxine is the only treatment that should be given

for this condition, which is caused by underactivity of the thyroid gland.

Symptoms

include tiredness, muscle cramps and sensitivity to cold.

The

guidelines also state that the only validated method of testing thyroid

function is on blood, which must include serum TSH (thyroid stimulating

hormone) and a measure of free thyroxine (T4).

Patients,

doctors and other health professionals are worried that people are being

wrongly diagnosed and treated, due to the amount of unvalidated diagnostic

tests and 'natural' treatments which are being offered by a variety of private

individuals and companies. Wrong diagnoses and treatments can be dangerous,

either because the wrong treatment can cause serious side effects, or the true

cause of symptoms can be left undiagnosed and untreated.

The

guidelines were produced by:

-The

Royal College of Physicians, in particular its Patient and Carer Network and

the Joint Specialty Committee for Endocrinology & Diabetes

-The

Association for Clinical Biochemistry

-The

Society for Endocrinology

-The

British Thyroid Association

-The

British Thyroid Foundation Patient Support Group

-The

British Society of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes

And are

endorsed by The Royal College of General Practitioners

Professor

, Chairman of the Guideline Development Group,

said:

" " I

am delighted that the statement provides real clarity for patients and health

professionals in this important clinical area. "

Professor

Jayne lin, President of the British Thyroid Association,

said:

" This

statement, supported by a large number of patient and professional groups,

gives a clear indication to patients and their doctors how their thyroid

condition may be best diagnosed and treated. The British Thyroid Association

welcomes it as a way of ensuring that patients are provided with the highest

standard of care. "

Notes to

Editors

The

guidelines are available free to download from the RCP website here:

http://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/specialties/Endocrinology-Diabetes/Documents/

Hypothyroidism%20Statement.pdf

For

further information please contact Cuthbertson, RCP PR Manager on 020

7935 1174 ext.254.