Detengan La Locura Tiroidea: La Revolucion de Los Pacientes En Contra de Decadas de Tratamiento Tiroideo de Mala Calidad

by Janie A. Bowthorpe

Considerado como la "biblia para el tratamiento de las enfermedades de la glandula tiroidea" este libro popular y transformador de vidas, le abrira los ojos sobre las enfermedades de la tiroides. Basado en las experiencias y sabiduria de pacientes con tiroides, de todo el mundo, Detengan la Locura Tiroidea aborda el escandalo internacional, que ha permanecido por mas de 60 anos y que involucra el uso de medicamentos que solo contienen la hormona T4, tales como el Synthroid y otros, asi como tambien el examen de la hormona TSH; ambos dejando a miles de millones de personas sin un tratamiento o diagnostico adecuados. El libro explica lo siguiente a detalle: 1) que medicamentos funcionan mucho mejor y por que, 2) que examenes de laboratorio son mejores que otros y como interpretar los resultados (ej., no tiene nada que ver con "estar dentro del rango"), 3) como un gran numero de pacientes con tiroides terminan con fatiga suprarrenal o con disfuncion del eje HHS como consecuencia del mal tratamiento de los doctores, ademas de lo que los pacientes han aprendido al tratarlos, 4) una larga lista de causas del hipotiroidismo, 5) tratamiento de punta para la Enfermedad de Hashimoto y la intolerancia al gluten, 6) por que los pacientes necesitan estar al tanto de la T3 inversa, ademas de como tratarla y 7) como descubrir y tratar los niveles bajos de vitaminas D y B12, hierro, yodo y muchas mas deficiencias que los doctores pueden pasar por alto. Este libro unico que habla de paciente a paciente, se esmera, tanto en darle la facultad a usted como paciente tiroideo, como en educar al lector, para asi llevar esta continua informacion que rompe este escandalo, a las oficinas de los doctores de todo el mundo y asi, crear el cambio tan necesario.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Medical, Self Help, Reference

370 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Mirela]

Here is an e-mail I received from my doctor about this book:

"I received a gift, from a patient, of a book about thyroid dysfunction and its treatment. It was written not by a physician or specialist but by a woman who suffered from hypothyroidism and took it upon herself to learn from other patients suffering from this disorder. She was angry and critical of the bulk of physicians who treat the disorder because she felt most physicians are wrong and that we were taught incorrectly.

The message of this author is important and I feel a compulsion to share this message with you. Basically:

Treat the patient, not the laboratory test numbers.

Most physicians are doing the wrong blood tests and don't know how to interpret them.

Most hypothyroid patients are not being given enough Thyroid to turn off their signs and symptoms. The average hypothyroid patient will require 3 to 5 grains of dessicated thyroid, and most are being under-dosed.

Patients should never be treated with pure T4 synthetic hormone. All patients should be given natural dessicated thyroid that contains T4, T3, T2, T1 and calcitonin. Pure T4 Thyroid is devoid of the active form of Thyroid which is T3. T4 is our bodies' storage form and patients must be given also the active T3 if they are to recover.

Critical to patients suffering hypothyroidism is that half of them are also suffering from adrenal fatigue. You will never recover unless you treat adrenal fatigue first.

The goals of treating hypothyroidism are:

Raise body temperature to 98.6 degrees in mid-afternoons.
Turn off all the signs and symptoms of low thyroid.
Raise the T3 level to upper third of normal range.

Treat patients who have autoimmune thyroiditis, one of the most common causes of hypothyroidism, with Thyroid.

Iron as measured by a ferritin level should be tested and supplemented if low.

The trace mineral Selenium is essential in the body's ability to convert T4 to T3. Be sure the patient has some source of supplemental Selenium.

In general, I am happy to say, we at the Center have practiced most of these principles. What we may want to do is try to raise afternoon body temperature to 98.6, try to turn off most of the signs and symptoms and elevate the T3 level to the upper one-third of normal as measured in the blood.

Many of you are on Thyroid for hypothyroidism. If we have not achieved the established goals of therapy, you may want to review your current status and see if we can improve your condition.

I think this book, Stop the Thyroid Madness: A Patient Revolution Against Decades of Inferior Treatment by Janie A. Bowthorpe, is a worthwhile read. I encourage you to get a copy. It is written to be understood by the average non-medical person."

I have a great deal of respect for this doctor, so I will certainly read the book.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings about this book.
It was informative, no denying it. However, I'm not sure I was a fan of the author's tone. She was very abrasive, anti-doctor, and defensive. Given many patients' histories of not being listened to by doctors, I can understand how many years of misdiagnosis can lead to bitterness. However, it does not make for a very inviting tone in a book. My husband is a medical student so I was really put-off by Bowthorpe's portrait of doctors as uncaring, unfeeling egomaniacs. The form letters drafted at the end of the book were especially ridiculous.
That being said, as a Thyroid patient who strongly prefers Armour over Synthroid, I have felt disrespected by doctors at times. Every single doctor I have ever been to has tried to remove me from Armour and I HAVE had to stand up for myself and defend my own decisions. When I explain, some back off and some don't. But that's just people.
This book is dense, informative and strongly opinionated. Despite my mixed feelings, I would recommend this book- especially to doctors and future doctors. I don't know if they'd be able to make it through it (I would have a hard time reading a book that constantly insults my chosen profession), because it is written especially for patients and constantly degrades doctors. However, I think the majority of doctor's opinions regarding Synthroid and Armour is a simple matter of misinformation. My husband told me that students in medical school don't even study Armour-- he wouldn't have even known what it was if I was not on it.

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stop the Thyroid Madness
Author: Janie A. Bowthorpe
Reviewed by Fran Lewis

Misinformation is really hard to counteract when you don’t realize what you are being told is incorrect. Doctors have always been considered the be all and end all when it comes to patient care. Many people never question their doctors, research their medications or find out the side effects of what was prescribed. The story you are about to hear and the information that I will relate when reviewing this book will definitely be a wake up call to everyone. As the author takes the reader on a journey back in time when she could barely stand for any period of time, work a full day without getting tired and giving up many careers due to a rapid heart rate and other physical problems you will learn what happens when someone is not properly treated for thyroid issues that can prove to be more than just weight loss or weight gain.
Lab obsessed doctors, incorrect medications, medications used and given to camouflage the real symptoms and substandard treatment are just part of what happened to this author and members of her family and maybe you too. Retelling her own story and that of her mother wish paralleled hers you will learn just what happens to a person when he/she is misdiagnosed and given the wrong treatment. Imagine thinking that you are depressed and needing counseling when you really do not. Weight gain, constantly tired and napping all symptoms of thyroid disease but in her case not properly handled. If you want to learn more about the staggering amount of lingering symptoms while on T4 only medications read page 33 and you will definitely be alarmed what you will find out and much more. The author continues with the history of these medications and there is still much more to learn as author Janie A. Bowthorpe, M. Ed. takes the reader on a journey into the world of our Thyroid Gland, its malfunctions, treatments, history and host of other vital information needed to keep you the patient, consume properly informed.

Having had both hyper and hypo thyroid issues I can attest to what happens when the wrong medications are given even at the age of ten when Synthroid was prescribed. Your life changes and so did my moods. I never ever became agitated, nasty and restless until I started taking this medication. My thyroid was underactive and I was gaining weight by the minute and always so tired I could barely move. My headaches increased and my attitude was poor. Life changes when you have a desiccated thyroid. After reading this book I wish that I had the knowledge back then to have switches to a Natural Desiccated thyroid medication. The author shares her life experiences with the reader and how she became the new and improved person she is today. Writing this book, which she dedicated to patients having this problem and undergoing T4 meds only, or TSH or any other treatment by doctors and choosing to keep patients devoid of the right care. Many just look inside their medical journals or dictionaries for the right medications to match the right illness without considering side effects, meds that contradict each other or make the situation worse. Taking medication for both forms of thyroidism I can attest to the fact that the side effects equaled the illness at times and made me wish I never heard of that gland.

The book is clear, succinct and really interesting to read and provides in-depth information from someone who experienced it all. It is patient guide for those suffering from this disorder and it defines Thyroid Madness in simple terms, as any myth that doctors tell their patients will help them. The simple one on one approach is clearly defined in a way that the reader will now become something most doctors do not want to happen: Informed.

For those of us who have experienced Hypothyroidism let me quote what the author relates as the symptoms:

Tiredness or fatigue, depression, loss of libido, constipation and weight gain as well as dry and itchy skin. But, on the flipside if you try as the author states natural treatment your energy level should increase, your libido will reignite, say goodbye to constipation, prevents insomnia help with stress management, promote weight loss and no more dry and itchy skin. Why would you want to feel tired, sick and miserable everyday if you could feel energetic, lose those excess pounds and look in the mirror and see yourself with smoother skin and silkier hair?

The author provides alternatives that work to the programs most doctors recommend. With the right treatment your body will heal and you will not have to wake up with that dreaded feeling that the world is coming to and end for you as an active person and you can start to live again. Hashimoto’s Disease is the name given to this disorder. Simply put: Underactive thyroid which causes you to gain weight which is difficult enough to handle but the rest of the symptoms are even worse are not much better as we know.

In this book the author takes the reader on her a private journey into her life and the ups, downs and many trials and ordeals she encountered all because her doctor told her “the labs were normal,” and the treatment so traditional. So, what did she do? RESEARCH! She learned about a new natural medication called Armour and low and behold a real miracle happened. Information is powerful and the Internet proved invaluable as she learned by reading a simple message board about a natural thyroid medication called Armour. Describing the history of the medication, its composition and where it came from the reader learns a lot about Armour and its origin. The author shares her experiences with Synthroid, how she managed to restore her health and the many blogs and message boards that she encountered during her journey. Helping the reader understand the definition of TSH testing, why it is not always valid and what adrenal fatigue really means in regarding this condition, the book is a virtual goldmine of information and encouragement for anyone that has gone through what the author has. Understanding Ferritin and Iodine really helped me and I wish that I had this information when I was younger before being place on medication at age ten. Pages 42 to 43 define the meaning of desiccated thyroid followed by more information that will help you understand it better. Chapter three deals with what thyroid patients have learned and Chapter four will teach the reader more about TSH. Adrenal Glands. Do not ignore those precious Adrenal Glands you need them to be on a friendly basis with you. So, if you feel anxious, nervous, problems dealing with stress, impatient, irritable, feel light-headed, shaky and have a racing heartbeat to name a few of the symptoms you might have adrenal fatigue and you need to get it taken care of. One telltale sign is salt and sweet cravings. So, what should you do? First, she sites information on why some doctors have not pointed this out to patients. Next, the author sites other factors that contribute to this problem and throughout Chapter Five she sites more information that the reader needs to learn for themselves to become informed. Page 78 is invaluable as it lists all of the symptoms of adrenal dysfunction followed by page 79which lists the tests most doctors prescribe. Added to this list is a checklist to help you assess whether you have this problem. Step Two pages 81-90 other indicators that might help you which follow. Chapter six provides outstanding suggestions for how to treat this gland and let’s not forget the Doctor Chapter, which should definitely enlighten the reader as to what not, to do and errors made. The next part of the book deals with why you might have this problem, understanding Hashimoto’s disease and different stories shared by many people having this same problem. The ten big mistakes that people make and finally putting it all together and more shared stories of people who have this disorder.

The author includes valuable information in the many addendums attached at the end of the book including resources to help the reader learn more about Armour and other treatments. The addendum that I found most valuable deals with how to understand your test results. This is an excellent resource for everyone that has ever had this problem and for doctors to read and learn from to understand that their way might not always be the right one.

Stop the Thyroid Madness: Thank you to author Janie A. Bowthorpe for sharing her knowledge, story and that of others.

I give this book: FIVE PERFECT THYROIDS: let’s stop the madness together.

Fran Lewis: Reviewer

[Lessons · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm very sorry I wasted good money on this book. The *so-called* author believes that she is helping, but in reality, it seems more like a ploy for attention. There are much better books available on dessicated thyroid meds and I would hopefully suggest you keep looking.

It did, however, lead me to her website which sells T-shirts and caps and things that no one could possibly need or want. But here again, she has that *need* to be celebrated. There is info on this site which may prove to be helpful, but it isn't her research. I know this first hand. I feel she tends to steal and plagiarize and then turns on a dime, to call it her own work. She doesn't give credit where credit is due; instead, crediting herself for work that is not hers.

I've also noticed that with any inferior review she receives on the book, she'll turn around and comment sourly along with her passe of other supporters. This in itself, is infantile behavior and it shows yet another disturbing quality. Read through the comments yourself, you'll get the picture..

There's a world of good information out there written by reputable authors who are respected for their own work. I prefer to support authentic authors.

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The bottom line is that Thyroxine doesn't even remotely have the same effect and make you feel the same, as Armour Thyroid. Standard blood tests for thyroid levels are also woefully inaccurate.

(Although mine have always tested very low since I became ill, this isn't the case for many).

As the `Stop the thyroid madness' website explains,

"The theory was that T4 would convert to the T3 needed for the body. But in nearly ALL patients on T4 meds, the T4 does NOT convert into an adequate amount of T3, leaving you with symptoms that neither you OR your uninformed doctor realize are related to inadequate treatment. In other words, healthy thyroids are NOT meant to rely solely on T4-to-T3 conversion!

But there's even more to the problem: it's called the TSH lab. Around 1973, the TSH lab test was developed. Based on a sampling of several volunteers, a so-called "normal" range was established--.5 to 5.0 (recently lowered to 3.0). But volunteers with a history of family hypothyroid were NOT excluded, leaving us with a range that leans towards being hypothyroid! In fact, the TSH RARELY corresponds to how a patient feels. There is a large majority of patients who have a "normal" TSH, even in the "one" area of the range, and have a myriad of hypothyroid symptoms.

So what's the solution? Patients and their wise doctors are returning to a medication that was successfully used from the late 1800's onward: natural desiccated thyroid hormones, more commonly known as Naturethroid, Erfa's Canadian "thyroid", Armour, etc. They are made from pig glands, meet the stringent guidelines of the US Pharmacopoeia, and gives patients EXACTLY what their own thyroids give them--T4, T3, T2, T1 and calcitonin.

Additionally, patients who are working with certain wise doctors are not dosing by the TSH. Instead, they raise their desiccated thyroid according to three criteria (and not in any particular order): 1) the elimination of symptoms 2) getting a mid-afternoon temp of 98.6 using a mercury thermometer, while maintaining a normal, healthy heart rate, and 3) getting their free T3 towards the top of the range (in the presence of healthy adrenal function).

On a T4-only medication, we have noted that the majority of patients have a less-than-optimal free T3, a mid-afternoon temp lower than 98.6, and/or the continuation of some hypothyroid symptoms for the rest of your life, no matter how high your doctor raises it."

The information given on how low thyroid output and low adrenal output relate to each other is also very helpful.

As the `Stop the thyroid madness' website and book explains,

"Cortisol is needed to distribute thyroid hormones to your cells, and if you are not making enough cortisol from sluggish adrenals, your blood will be high in thyroid hormones, producing the above symptoms. Adrenal support is used to give back to your body what your adrenals are not, which in turn allows the thyroid hormones to get to your cells."

This author has done such a brilliant job explaining these issues to patients. I can't recommend her website or book more highly and I thank her for taking the time to put this book together to help others.

In addition to this book I'd also recommend reading Dr David Brownstein's book Iodine: Why you need it, Why you can't live without it if you have any type of thyroid problems. (Iodine is an essential element. Although its main function is in the production of thyroid hormones by the thyroid gland, other organs in the body have a need for iodine in order to function normally. When thyroid levels have been shown to be low, this may be an indication that an iodine loading test may be a good idea.) Vitamin D testing is also an essential part of any thyroid treatment program, as the new version of this book explains.

If you'd like to read a bit more about some of the causes of thyroid problems and how these can be worked on in order to reduce or stop your thyroid problems then the book by Dr Sherry Rogers titled Detoxify or Die is also essential reading.

Dr Sherry Rogers explains that there are environmental, nutritional and metabolic causes of thyroid problems.

Environmental: Food allergies, chemical and mould toxicities, goitrogens from soy and other foods, and high levels of fluoride (especially in drugs such as Prozac), heavy metal and chemical contamination from things such as cadmium, mercury, PCBs, dioxins and phthalates (plasticisers). Cadmium can lower T3 but not raise TSH. It can lower thyroid function in a way that leaves the TSH test completely normal.

Nutritional: Low levels of the nutrients needed to make thyroid hormone such as selenium, zinc and iodine. Poor cell membrane function can cause thyroid problems as can high levels of trans fats.

Metabolic: Candida overgrowth and the use of NSAIDs (Celebrex and ibuprofen), can lead to a `leaky gut.' This in turn triggers the body to make antibodies that attack and destroy its own thyroid gland. This can be tested for using a thyroid antibodies test.

Other causes include virally caused damage to mitochondria, pituitary gland problems and chronic infections.

Jodi Bassett, The Hummingbirds' Foundation for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

[Adrienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book if you have any concerns about any thyroid issues. I give the content 5 stars. It has great, thorough information. That said, I give the whole book 3 stars because I thought the book itself was poorly organized. Apparently the book is not written for "beginners" but rather those who are on the madness train. It takes the author until chapter 12 to explain what T3 is and does after she has been talking about it for 11 chapters. She begins the book by explaining medications (and what you need to be taking) before symptoms, descriptions of diseases, etc.

[Verna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a revelation for me. I finally discovered a whole group of people just like me. It is the bible for a certain segment of the population who do not fit into the standard medical definition of hypothyroidism and the usual conventional treatment prescibed by doctors. After reading this book, I felt fully validated for the first time in all of my years of feeling sick with thyroid disease and not knowing what to do about it. There is a current battle raging about the use of t4 only treatments versus combination, natural thyroid for hypothyroidism. This book tells it like it is. I commend Janie Bowthorpe for finally standing up and saying, "Stop the Thyroid Madness." For those interested in this book, check out Janie's website for more STTM.(less)
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[Beth Haynes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still digesting the content of this book.
I think it could be an excellent book for both patients and doctors to do a deep dive not the complexity and interconnectedness of our endocrine system, especially the thyroid - with a couple of caveats below.
The book is clearly written, systematically and logically presented, and packed with good information. I learned a lot - and it certainly is a great resource for patients, all of whom can benefit from the knowledge presented in order to better advocate for themselves, and to be actively involved in managing their illnesses.
As a place to start, I highly recommend this book - but it's important to realize it's not the whole picture.

One major concern is that the author's unfortunate (and unfortunately too common) negative experience with conventional medicine interferes with a more objective, well-rounded presentation. Having been trained and practiced in the conventional model, I understand, and have sympathy, for the mass of medical information which must be learned, integrated and applied - often in a legal/regulatory/professional/economic environment that makes it very difficult to take the time to step back, listen to patients, and rethink everything we've have been taught. Every doctor I know went into medicine because they love and want to help people - and they are doing the best they can. A better understanding of and sympathy for the challenges and barriers doctors face today face would make it easier for patients to approach their doctors in a way that invites collaboration and partnership.

Second - the book seems to be making the case that natural desiccated thyroid always is better and that levothyroxine (Synthoid and other trade names) never works and is never the best or most appropriate therapeutic option. In my personal and professional experience, that is not the case.

If I could be confident that people would not stop their learning about hypothyroidism after reading this book, I'd be more comfortable rating it 4 stars. As it stands - it's an excellent introduction.

[Melanie Foxfire · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book saved my life. I would be disabled if I hadn't discovered this book and the community of patient advocates who support each other . if you have a thyroid disease, this is the only treatment that truly works, and it's worth fighting for!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great and informative book, but good luck finding a practitioner willing to implement any of this to help their patient towards better health.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Invaluable information but could have benefited from a couple of editors for clarity and consistency.

[John Macgregor · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better primers on yet another thing Medicine gets wrong - treatment of hypothyroid conditions.

The author (a Texas housewife) did this research & wrote this book because no doctor could tell her how to fix her thyroid condition. So she did it herself - & this is the result.

Covers the basics of self-diagnosis & self-treatment - a safer & more conservative approach that risking your health with a doctor, it seems.

Poorly written & formatted, which is a bit distracting sometimes (can't some of these indie writers at least afford an editor?), but that's a quibble: the book has proven a life-saver to thousands of readers.

If you are hypothyroid, this book distils the non-medical view pretty well - it deals with the hard science, not the mythology that has sprung up among MDs - so you would be ill-advised to ignore it before making decisions on treatment.

[Dusty Bucket · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book got me started with advocating for my own health. The enthusiasm and the rampant typos had me feeling a certain way. It's hard to grapple with how far to take the "don't trust doctors" stance. But the book was recommended by a family member who was changed for the better, and works with a doctor that references this book. I felt like the second book, written by doctors and listing double blind studies, added more concrete legitimacy I needed. But this book activated my "wellness journey" and got me thinking critically about my health in a way I never had. My doctor was very willing to switch me to NDT once I asked. I've since switched after finding my own test online and discovering my T3 was low. Waiting to see how it goes!

[Catherine James · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this in a day after many months of being a part of an online forum touting the same information. The name 'Stop the Thyroid Madness' gives away it's hysterical tone. The thing about it is, they have something there. I am sure that treatment for hypothyroidism by Thyroxine alone is insufficient based on my own reading but the authors main assertion that doctors are stupid and 'keeping us sick' is not helpful at all, even regardless of her own and her mother's sad experiences. I'm glad this book was published to help get information out there but don't be fooled into thinking it's a scientific or balanced examination.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

My doctor recommended this book and there were parts that were insightful and helpful (e.g. diet recommendations; the links between thyroid and adrenal plus thyroid and cholesterol. The challenge for me was that I am very unfamiliar with many of the terms and pretty much all of the drugs which seemed to be the bulk of the focus of the book. Right off the bat, from page 1, there seemed to be an assumption that I knew something about Synthroid, Levoxyl, and then that I had a working knowledge of T3, TSH and whatever else. I feel like I needed to study a "thyroid for dummies" book before reading this one.

[Tasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s a lot of great information in this book whether you have been recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism or you’ve been dealing with it for years. But, I do think her delivery could be a lot better instead of relentlessly attacking doctors and the overuse of “ridiculous”. It would also be more readable if it were edited as there are many grammatical errors and the line spacing is not consistent throughout.

[Cathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is all about replacing Synthroid and the like to
dedicated thyroid or NP thyroid. That is not what I was hoping for. I had to do the exact opposite of what she purports to be the best treatment of hypothyroidism. This book is not for me

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re worried about your thyroid or have been diagnosed with a thyroid issue, READ THIS BOOK.

[Michael & Photini Holverson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve struggled with how to justly review this book. Read only upon the recommendation of my midwife, this book was painful to read as I disagree with much of the content. The author is overwhelmingly against conventional doctors not giving them an inch of grace, while also being fully biased that desecrated thyroid is the end all be all. As any one thing the cure for a disease? As someone that is coming from a natural approach to healing my body/thyroid issues this book was not helpful at all. Was it informative? Yes, on a very basic introductory level. Was it well written? Barely as it was poorly cited, must reference other chapters out of order, and not thorough in my opinion. Could it be helpful in learning about the thyroid issues? Yes, if one is coming from standard conventional approaches or very new to all things thyroid. The author does have good points that we and our doctors should look at all labs not just a few, that the adrenals work closely with the thyroid so need to be considered, and thyroid effects hormones strongly. For these positive points would I recommend this book? Not likely. Read the reviews in all the different ratings before choosing to. A quick internet search would also give you many more thorough and better books to begin with.
- B

[Linda Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read the book and I get the negative tone towards doctors having experienced and am still experiencing as I try to get prescription for natural dessicated thyroid or even a correct dose amount for cytomel. Very frustrating. I had an under functioning thyroid for almost 2 years until multiple appointments determined I had a ferritin number to low for me and then I got a virus in my thyroid that killed it and now I'm in a battle to get correct medication. Very frustrating. This book has a lot of good information but you should also read the second book written by health professionals. It has a less accusatory tone and a more fact based presentation.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do pigs have to do with it? Stop the Thyroid Madness is thoroughly researched and well written. Janie A. Bowthorpe has gathered histories of hundreds of people and has compiled information that educates the reader on the thyroid itself as well as how other hormones fit in to help the thyroid work optimally. Readers learn about thyroid symptoms, adrenal dysfunction, iron levels and other imbalances in their bodies, and what to do about them when it seems that the medical profession has failed them. Highly recommended.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very educational and at times an overwhelming read. This book is packed with information about thyroid issues. medications and the author's intense dislike of doctors.
I learned a lot but I question much of what she said just due to her sheer negativity about doctors. I will need to do more research to find out if this book is truly accurate or just the skewed version of the author's experiences.

[Harri · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is probably closer to 3 stars for actual content. I don't agree with everything in it but it does support a lot of the suspicions I've had re: my thyroid and other health conditions, and gives an alternative view point to a testing and treatment regime that does not feel optimal. It loses a star for poor formatting and a rather irritating tone. I wouldn't recommend using it as a guide to your own treatment without doing further research and working with a doctor, though.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you already have a strong knowledge base of the thyroid, this book won’t present new information to you. I did really appreciate the layout of each chapter, made it very simple to find information or skip over what you don’t want to read about. I did appreciate the chapter on treating the adrenals.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reference book for anyone who is being put on thyroid meds without symptoms or for those who have symptoms and who think they may be on the wrong meds. Easy to understand for lay people and will give you enough info to continue your own research and to be your own advocate with your doctor.

[Layne · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent resource to understand thyroid function and learn how to have a learning conversation with one's physician. The chances are you will learn that your doctor doesn't know as much as you will learn. This is a book that I will re-read. There is much information to absorb.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A coworker recommended the website. I picked up the book. Looking forward to finding a doctor who will work with me on this.

[Sandra Bloom · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is one of the books that saved my life after being misdiagnosed for 10 years

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of wisdom in here that I will share with my endo.

[Samantha Street · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, Janie is a true inspiration for Thyroid Sufferers.