What a fantastic read. It gave me confidence to address this with my doctor. At 50 had a complete removal of thyroid for a small tumor. Now I fight every time I go in for a med renewal. I ask for 2 prescriptions of Synthroid having researched the seasonality of hormones in general. In winter I need more thyroid meds due to cold and dark and change in nutrition. In Summer I switch to a lower dose as the day’s lengthen and diet changes.
This has worked for me but every new doctor that I see fights me on that concept. Like I don’t know what optimizes my health.
Absolutely vital information. I can only hope that more women find doctors, integrated and functional medicine doctors and integrated medicine for mental health therapists and psychiatrists/psychologists that understand this and have access to run the labs or refer appropriately Prior to putting someone on meds and labeling them. Fantastic information. Thank you.
On one hand I love reading articles like these, and on the other it just ads to patient frustration when you know you’ve asked many of these questions and brought up many requests for certain testing or referrals - all of which are usually dismissed or mocked as “google gibberish” by the doctors you get to see in real life. 😕
That is one of the most demoralizing dynamics in modern medicine. You come in informed, you advocate for yourself, and the system responds by pathologizing your curiosity rather than engaging it. The dismissal is its own kind of harm.
The fact that you already knew the right questions means your instincts were sound. The framework failed you. That's not the same as being wrong.
Thank you so much for this. I wish every doctor would read it. I stopped seeing endocrinologists a long time ago. They had no flexibility. It was "my way or the highway." Instead, I ended up seeing integrative doctors or doctors who were open to new information and were willing to discuss symptoms and what to do about it. But labs are an issue - they often don't tell you what's going on in your cells and many doctors don't want to believe that. It's really, really frustrating.
I recently had a heated convo with my new Physician Assistant who didn't like my lab values and decided I needed to be on Synthroid, as opposed to the NDT I'd been on for 12 years.
I said "no". Actually I said "NO!!"
She claims her patients do better on Synthroid. I suspect the PA is mire comfortable with the labs of people on Synthroid.
But she was sure I was headed for a thyroid storm.
I have no clinically symptoms of hyperthyroidism. Except anxiety. I wonder why?? 😅
The trick is how to find a doctor to help.
What a fantastic read. It gave me confidence to address this with my doctor. At 50 had a complete removal of thyroid for a small tumor. Now I fight every time I go in for a med renewal. I ask for 2 prescriptions of Synthroid having researched the seasonality of hormones in general. In winter I need more thyroid meds due to cold and dark and change in nutrition. In Summer I switch to a lower dose as the day’s lengthen and diet changes.
This has worked for me but every new doctor that I see fights me on that concept. Like I don’t know what optimizes my health.
Thank you for this great information.
Absolutely vital information. I can only hope that more women find doctors, integrated and functional medicine doctors and integrated medicine for mental health therapists and psychiatrists/psychologists that understand this and have access to run the labs or refer appropriately Prior to putting someone on meds and labeling them. Fantastic information. Thank you.
On one hand I love reading articles like these, and on the other it just ads to patient frustration when you know you’ve asked many of these questions and brought up many requests for certain testing or referrals - all of which are usually dismissed or mocked as “google gibberish” by the doctors you get to see in real life. 😕
That is one of the most demoralizing dynamics in modern medicine. You come in informed, you advocate for yourself, and the system responds by pathologizing your curiosity rather than engaging it. The dismissal is its own kind of harm.
The fact that you already knew the right questions means your instincts were sound. The framework failed you. That's not the same as being wrong.
Thank you so much for this. I wish every doctor would read it. I stopped seeing endocrinologists a long time ago. They had no flexibility. It was "my way or the highway." Instead, I ended up seeing integrative doctors or doctors who were open to new information and were willing to discuss symptoms and what to do about it. But labs are an issue - they often don't tell you what's going on in your cells and many doctors don't want to believe that. It's really, really frustrating.
Excellent Read!
What a robust mechanistic system deepdive! I learned a ton about this aspect of endocrinology from you.
Because woman?
Brilliant, much-needed article. This needs to be shared widely.
I recently had a heated convo with my new Physician Assistant who didn't like my lab values and decided I needed to be on Synthroid, as opposed to the NDT I'd been on for 12 years.
I said "no". Actually I said "NO!!"
She claims her patients do better on Synthroid. I suspect the PA is mire comfortable with the labs of people on Synthroid.
But she was sure I was headed for a thyroid storm.
I have no clinically symptoms of hyperthyroidism. Except anxiety. I wonder why?? 😅