Hypothyroidism and T3: Books
Purpose of this compilation
To show via excerpts from books by medical doctors and other qualified writers that using T3 (triiodothyronine) in addition to T4 (thyroxine) to treat hypothyroidism is necessary for some patients to achieve wellness.
1. Ridha Arem, MD: The Thyroid Solution (1999)
Many people continue to suffer from symptoms of low metabolism. They have difficulty losing weight, and they complain of hair loss, dry skin, brittle nails, muscle cramps, and a host of physical symptoms. These symptoms indicate that the body is not receiving exactly the right amount of T3 from the conversion of T4. Many people suffer from some degree of depression, also probably due to some extent to low T3 in the brain. [p. 285]
Arem R. The Thyroid Solution. New York: Ballantine Books; 1999.
From the inside back cover:
Ridha Arem, M.D., is Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He is also Chief of Endocrinology and Metobolism at Ben Taub General Hospital in Houston.
2. Leslie DeGroot et al: The Thyroid and its Diseases (updated in 2002)
A recent study has shown that administration of T4 replacement doses to hypothyroid rats achieving normal plasma T4 levels results in subnormal plasma T3 levels not only because of the lack of T3 secretion but also because of a decreased T3 production by D1 in peripheral tissues, since this enzyme is under positive control by T3 itself (5). This study as well as a recent clinical study (6) suggest that thyroid hormone replacement of hypothyroid subjects is done best by treatment with a combination of T4 and T3 (preferably as a slow-release formulation) in proportion to their normal thyroidal secretion. [from Chapter 3]
DeGroot L et al. The Thyroid and its Diseases. Online at www.thyroidmanager.org and regularly updated by Leslie J. De Groot, MD, and others (accessed 2003/09/02).
3. Richard Shames, MD, and Karilee Halo Shames, RN, PhD: Thyroid Power (2001)
A significant number of people might not do well, no matter what brand or dose of thyroxine they take. The best improvement some people achieve with thyroxine alone is only 60 or 80 percent of their former sense of well-being. [p. 95]
With Cytomel [a synthetic brand of T3], there is no conversion problem at all, since it is active T-3 thyroid hormone in the first place. By taking the active component, you avoid having to convert it prior to benefiting from it. [p. 97]
Shames RL, Shames KH. Thyroid Power. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc.; 2001.
From the inside back cover:
Richard L. Shames, M.D., is a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Pennyslvania Medical School....
Karilee Halo Shames, R.N., Ph.D., is a clinical specialist in psychiatric nursing and a certified holistic nurse.
Mary J. Shomon: Living Well With Hypothyroidism: What Your Doctors Don't Tell You...That You Need to Know (2000)
Thyroid patients have wasted enough valuable time not feeling well, living lives at half-speed, waiting to feel better, while doctors tell us that more research is needed. They could literally research our lives away. We already have the research findings that can help many people. And we have the anecdotal knowledge of thousands upon thousands of thyroid patients and their doctors who are able to live well with the use of T3 drugs. Thyroid patients have waited long enough. Responsible doctors owe it to their patients to carefully consider whether or not T3 will benefit their patients. [p. 154]
Shomon MJ. Living Well With Hypothyroidism: What Your Doctors Don't Tell You...That You Need to Know. New York: Harper Collins Publishers; 2000.
From the inside back cover:
Mary J. Shomon, a thyroid patient herself, writes and manages several professional Web sites on thyroid disease....She is the author of several previous books.
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