Re: ADD/ Baron -- dyslexia

October 11, 2004

In a message dated 10/11/2004 1:18:52 PM Eastern Standard Time,

alison.ashwell@... writes:

> i think my neighbours think i am a secret drinker becuase i have

> acted so bizarrely over the past year.

>

i don't know why...but this amused me...have you told them it's just hypo?

cindi

October 11, 2004

Baron,

Thanks for your discussion about your life with ADD. I'm relatively new to

the group (3 days -- smile) and I've been learning a lot about myself and

hypo. Last night I took the plunge and ordered the generic Armour/Thyroid

from myrxforless (sp?). I'm excited at the thought of finally feeling

better -- soon. I'm a doctoral candidate with diagnosed dyslexia. I have

difficulty reading (i.e., I skip words, mispronounce words, difficulty with

verbally explaining myself, I also repeat myself a lot, etc.). I'm

terrified of giving presentations in front of an audience or presenting

papers at conferences because of my inability to read without difficulty.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone on the list is dyslexic, or know if Armour

or any of the other natural meds can/or do address such issues?

I thank you all for sharing your knowledge and experiences. It has helped

me a lot in understanding my own conditions of: wt gain, fragile/dry hair,

brittle nails, fatigue, brainfog, etc. I've suffered with these symptoms my

entire life. I'm 52 and have mild hotflashes and recently started having

night sweats. I stopped drinking coffee (darn!!!). I've looked around the

website to also buy cortisol/or isocort (I understand isocort is the more

natural product for treating the adrenals?), but I couldn't find it? Could

someone direct me to a website that sells isocort?

Again, thanks to all.

Maxine

Florida

Re: ADD/ Baron

>

> Thanks Baron,

>

> I am looking into this med for my son. What form is it in? Capsule or

pill?

> My son can't swallow pills yet, so we have to improvise.

>

> It is interesting that you couldn't tell if it worked. There is no

question

> at all that the adderall works for my son. He goes from failing to

straight

> A's overnight. It truly is amazing. He just can't sleep, and gets very

angry

> when coming off the drug. I hate that he needs it, as I had such high

hopes

> that treating his hypoT would fix everything. It did help a lot, but not

> totally. Maybe he still needs more armour.

>

> nne

strattera comes in a capsule. can he swallow those instead of pills?

the reason i couldn't tell if it worked was because i was always a

straight a student in college. having add didn't hurt my grades. i in

fact had very little trouble absorbing a lot of information with very

little effort (i did do very badly in junior college and secondary

school, though). it did hurt, however, my relationships (somewhat) and

the quality of my life. it added to my anxiety and my lack of focus,

and it also impeded my ability to work creatively in a structured

manner (i am a writer). as a result, i found myself having trouble

with the more intricate analysis my work sometimes required, and it

impeded my very short term memory. the trouble is, around the same

time i started taking it was when i got diagnosed with hashimoto's and

i had until now been having a lot of trouble finding the right doctor

to treat that. ostensibly, i couldn't tell how much of my cognitive

ability was impaired by the thyroid, or add (which i knew i had, i just

didn't know how bad it was, or if it was the thyroid interfering with

the strattera).

i do know strattera sometimes helped me sleep, or had no impact on my

sleeping ability. nor did i have mood swings from it. i believe it

has an added quality of being a slight mood elevator. it's fairly

new--i think it hit the market less than 2 years ago. at least that's

when i became aware of it.

best,

baron

October 11, 2004

maxine,

mild dyslexia is something i live with as well (if the irony is lost on

anyone that i'm a writer with dyslexia and add, it isn't on me). i

find the dyslexia worsens with fatigue and stress, and it's definitely

been exacerbated by the brain fog i've suffered from my thyroid

disease.

i expect that when i'm fully treated and operating well, much of the

dyslexic tendencies will disappear with the fatigue and the

stress/anxiety. there will probably always be a degree of it left, but

it is mild for me and i am quick enough to read ahead and catch it.

i have in the past gotten around it during presentations by

a) knowing the material very well

adopting a slightly warmer, casual approach to the presentation. as

such, i am " conversing " with the audience and not reading to them. i

find it makes them more comfortable and attentive anyway.

can i ask you something--is there a reason you're self medicating with

the armour, and looking to medicate with the isocort? is it because

you have no access to healthcare (insurance and $ reasons) or because

you haven't found a doctor on the same page as you?

best,

baron

>

> Baron,

> Thanks for your discussion about your life with ADD. I'm relatively

> new to

> the group (3 days -- smile) and I've been learning a lot about myself

> and

> hypo. Last night I took the plunge and ordered the generic

> Armour/Thyroid

> from myrxforless (sp?). I'm excited at the thought of finally feeling

> better -- soon. I'm a doctoral candidate with diagnosed dyslexia. I

> have

> difficulty reading (i.e., I skip words, mispronounce words, difficulty

> with

> verbally explaining myself, I also repeat myself a lot, etc.). I'm

> terrified of giving presentations in front of an audience or presenting

> papers at conferences because of my inability to read without

> difficulty.

> Anyway, I was wondering if anyone on the list is dyslexic, or know if

> Armour

> or any of the other natural meds can/or do address such issues?

>

> I thank you all for sharing your knowledge and experiences. It has

> helped

> me a lot in understanding my own conditions of: wt gain, fragile/dry

> hair,

> brittle nails, fatigue, brainfog, etc. I've suffered with these

> symptoms my

> entire life. I'm 52 and have mild hotflashes and recently started

> having

> night sweats. I stopped drinking coffee (darn!!!). I've looked

> around the

> website to also buy cortisol/or isocort (I understand isocort is the

> more

> natural product for treating the adrenals?), but I couldn't find it?

> Could

> someone direct me to a website that sells isocort?

>

> Again, thanks to all.

> Maxine

> Florida

>

> Re: ADD/ Baron

>

>>

>> Thanks Baron,

>>

>> I am looking into this med for my son. What form is it in? Capsule or

> pill?

>> My son can't swallow pills yet, so we have to improvise.

>>

>> It is interesting that you couldn't tell if it worked. There is no

> question

>> at all that the adderall works for my son. He goes from failing to

> straight

>> A's overnight. It truly is amazing. He just can't sleep, and gets very

> angry

>> when coming off the drug. I hate that he needs it, as I had such high

> hopes

>> that treating his hypoT would fix everything. It did help a lot, but

>> not

>> totally. Maybe he still needs more armour.

>>

>> nne

>

> strattera comes in a capsule. can he swallow those instead of pills?

>

> the reason i couldn't tell if it worked was because i was always a

> straight a student in college. having add didn't hurt my grades. i in

> fact had very little trouble absorbing a lot of information with very

> little effort (i did do very badly in junior college and secondary

> school, though). it did hurt, however, my relationships (somewhat) and

> the quality of my life. it added to my anxiety and my lack of focus,

> and it also impeded my ability to work creatively in a structured

> manner (i am a writer). as a result, i found myself having trouble

> with the more intricate analysis my work sometimes required, and it

> impeded my very short term memory. the trouble is, around the same

> time i started taking it was when i got diagnosed with hashimoto's and

> i had until now been having a lot of trouble finding the right doctor

> to treat that. ostensibly, i couldn't tell how much of my cognitive

> ability was impaired by the thyroid, or add (which i knew i had, i just

> didn't know how bad it was, or if it was the thyroid interfering with

> the strattera).

>

> i do know strattera sometimes helped me sleep, or had no impact on my

> sleeping ability. nor did i have mood swings from it. i believe it

> has an added quality of being a slight mood elevator. it's fairly

> new--i think it hit the market less than 2 years ago. at least that's

> when i became aware of it.

>

> best,

> baron

>

October 11, 2004

Maxine Downs wrote:

>from myrxforless (sp?). I'm excited at the thought of finally feeling

>better -- soon. I'm a doctoral candidate with diagnosed dyslexia. I have

>difficulty reading (i.e., I skip words, mispronounce words, difficulty with

>verbally explaining myself, I also repeat myself a lot, etc.). I'm

>terrified of giving presentations in front of an audience or presenting

>papers at conferences because of my inability to read without difficulty.

>Anyway, I was wondering if anyone on the list is dyslexic, or know if Armour

>or any of the other natural meds can/or do address such issues?

>

i'm dyspraxic [NLD] and mildly dyslexic - though with the neurological

problems that have come from being underdosed with T4 for 6 months i

have become much more dylexic than i was. Also all my accomodations

which i had learned to help me cope with things disappeared and i am

only gradually relearning to write and paint again. For a long while i

was unable to read fiction though that is improving - i stumble over

words, substitute etc

I have lost the ability to visualise, think clearly, position a line

where i want it to go, have ideas and spell . However i am sure that

with Armour this will minimise and i am hoping that tai chi and brain

gym and sheer determination will sort out the rest

--

Alison

http://www.alisonashwell.com

new work uploaded

http://www.artwanted/alisonashwell

October 11, 2004

> i'm dyspraxic [NLD] and mildly dyslexic - though with the neurological

> problems that have come from being underdosed with T4 for 6 months i

> have become much more dylexic than i was. Also all my accomodations

> which i had learned to help me cope with things disappeared and i am

> only gradually relearning to write and paint again. For a long while i

> was unable to read fiction though that is improving - i stumble over

> words, substitute etc

> I have lost the ability to visualise, think clearly, position a line

> where i want it to go, have ideas and spell . However i am sure that

> with Armour this will minimise and i am hoping that tai chi and brain

> gym and sheer determination will sort out the rest

>

> --

> Alison

> http://www.alisonashwell.com

> new work uploaded

> http://www.artwanted/alisonashwell

god, me too. and for a long time i thought i was just getting stupid.

honestly it was distressing. and i don't feel better knowing you're

suffering the same, but at least it's reassuring that it isn't me, it's

the thyroid, and that fully managing and treating this thing will bring

me back up to speed.

i've also found myself being less able to express myself articulately

than i normally can. even in day to day communications.

it's interesting you mention brain gym. my mom has been instrumental

in bringing brain gym speakers to singapore and getting the ministry of

education interested in the process. she's also a brain gym instructor

herself. they hold seminars a few times a year. she fully recovered

from her hyperthyroid with less than the prescribed amount of meds (she

did not want to go into hypo or take rai) by incorporating 20 - 30

minutes of meditation a day + tai chi/qi gong.

she says the brain gym has been a tremendous benefit to the kids with

add and adhd, as well as behavioural issues. so, maxine, if you're

reading this, look into brain gym and educational kinesiology. if

alison hadn't brought it up it would've never crossed my mind.

best,

baron

October 11, 2004

Hello Baron,

To answer your questions: is there a reason you're self medicating with

the armour?

A: As at student, my HMO choices are limited. I haven't found any (HMO)

physicians that are open to alternative medicine in this area. My primary

care physician knows little about thyroid conditions and suggest I find

another " diet! " uggh! I insisted that she give me a referral to see an endo.

She reluctanly agreed, but first had my thyroid tested. The results were

normal (I wasn't surprised). I've been waiting for a week to get the appt.

with the endo, who I suspect will not prescribe natural thyroid hormones if,

he prescribes any at all (maybe synthoid?).

Q: looking to medicate with the isocort?

Through reading and easedropping on this listserv, I've been taking notes

and it seems to be a good idea to treat the adrenals and thyroid, at the

same time. It's my understanding that they work together. I went to a

chiropractor earlier this year complaining of sharp, lower back pain. He

thought the pain was coming from my adrenals. He gave me something, S4 (not

saying what was in it) and as long as I was going back to him for the S4 --

no problem. However, he never suggested I stop drinking coffee! To make a

long story short, I am determined to focus on my health this year as a

priority. Grad school has been my focus for the past 7-8 yrs. Thank god my

health has been relatively good. However, I've gained 40lbs through the

process. I resolved at the beginning of this year, I would focus on writing

the dissertation and regaining my health (balanced wt, clearer thinking,

lowering my stress levels, etc.). Moreover, I don't have much faith in

modern medicine, when I found this group, I felt better served than

returning to my doctor who knows next to nothing about thyroid issues and

health. I guess I'm feeling desperate in wanting to feel better -- today!!

Secondly, your strategy for presenting is one I've also thought about, not

to mention the conversation style keeps me more engaged as a listener,

anyway. However, I get so nervous, even speaker in smaller informal groups.

I end up sounding scattered, in my thinking, and I start to ramble. It's not

a pretty sight (smile). Now, I've decided to teach a class in the Spring (to

undergrads)which gives me more consistent experience standing, talking in

front of a group. It's a baby step which hopefully prepares me for larger

leaps in the near future!