The Hypothyroidism Exercise Revolution PDF EBook Free Download The Hypothyroidism Exercise Revolution PDF EBook F | Page 18

Imagine yourself in pain and bleeding to death from a gaping wound and your doctor telling you that you’ll be fine while just sending you home with a prescription for pain meds to mask the pain. You can use all of the pain meds you want and you might feel a little better, but it doesn’t change the fact that you’re bleeding to death. The pain meds are just covering up the more serious problem. Using T4 only medication does practically the same thing. It can effectively lower TSH and mask your hypothyroidism from standard testing, but it doesn’t change the fact that you’re still hypothyroid and that your health is still suffering big time. While some people do get a little bit of help from the T4, there are typically many factors that inhibit the conversion of T4 to T3, and this oftentimes causes a buildup effect of T4 in your body. While this non-active T4 builds up, your body begins to slow down your thyroid even further in order to stop from adding even more T4, hence the worsening of symptoms in the above study. So, in the end, these T4 only medications can have a negative effect on your thyroid and you can end up even more hypothyroid than when you started. Important Note Regarding T4 Only Medication: For those who are using T4 only medication for the treatment of hypothyroidism, I do NOT recommend stopping any medication prescribed by your doctor. In some cases, this can be detrimental to your health. It is best to consult with a professional regarding the best options and how best to work with your doctor for a more effective treatment. Iodine Supplementation There are a lot of doctors and practitioners out there that highly recommend the use of iodine for hypothyroidism. This is also a subject that can be quite misleading for many. Many years ago, goiters, which are a definite sign of hypothyroidism, were primarily caused by iodine deficiency. But today this is quite rare. Most goiters today are actually a result of excessive estrogen and/or progesterone deficiency that prevents the thyroid gland from releasing its stored hormones. So, while it’s true that an iodine deficiency can cause hypothyroidism, this is rarely found today in developed countries. There are some tests out there that are still being promoted that supposedly tell you if you’re deficient in iodine for the purpose of suggesting hypothyroidism. One such test suggests that you paint a spot of iodine on your skin and if the iodine disappears quickly then this is an indicator of a deficiency. 18