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Reasons Why Thyroid Testing Can Be Unreliable
by Jeffrey Dach MD __________________________________________
On the Phone with an Endocrinologist
Last month I found myself talking on the phone with an endocrinologist at the Cleveland Clinic explaining to him why the TSH thyroid blood test can be unreliable. He informed me I was wrong, and that he uses the TSH test as the gold standard. We agreed to disagree and parted company as friends. I have found that, in general, endocrinologists and mainstream doctors rely heavily on TSH to make a diagnosis of low thyroid.
Why Thyroid Blood Testing is Unreliable.
I recommend to you a book by Barry Durrant Peatfield, "Your Thyroid and How to Keep It Healthy". Peatfield was a general practitioner in the British National Health service who came to America and trained at the Broda Barnes Institute. He returned to England and started a thyroid private practice. His book summarizes over 25 years of clinical diagnosing and treating thyroid illness. One section of the book is devoted to the question, �Why thyroid blood tests can be unreliable�.
Here is what Dr. Peatfield says:
Quote
1) Anxiety in the medical establishment about rules and dogma has led to a slavish reliance on blood tests, which are often unreliable and can actually produce a false picture of the true situation
2) I have sadly come across very few doctors who can accept the fact that a normal, or low TSH, may still occur with a low thyroid.
3) As a result of this test (TSH), thousands are denied treatment
Endquote
Reasons why thyroid blood tests are flawed:
1) They measure hormone levels in the blood. What we really want to know is tissue levels, not blood levels.
2) The blood tests do not measure cellular receptor hormone resistance.
3) The blood tests do not measure conversion block. Some patients cannot convert their inactive T4 to active T3.
4) The thyroid tests do not account for adrenal insufficiency.
5) Paradoxical low TSH may occur with a low thyroid function.
These sentiments are shared by the teachings of Broda Barnes MD, and I fully endorse the Broda Barnes Institute and recommend their web site, Broda Barnes, M.D. Foundation. The director, Patricia Puglio, is a great resource and is available by phone to answer questions and offer suggestions. Here is her contact information:
Patricia A. Puglio, Director
Broda O. Barnes, M.D. Research Foundation, Inc.
PO Box 110098
Trumbull, CT 06611
(203) 261-2101 - phone
(203) 261-3017 - fax
patricia@brodabarnes.org
www.brodabarnes.org
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Vitamin D Prevents Colon Cancer and Breast Cancer
Update on Vitamin D Research
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Here is the latest information on recently published Vitamin D studies, courtesy of John Cannell MD:
Freedman DM, et al. Prospective Study of Serum Vitamin D and Cancer Mortality in the United States. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2007 Oct 30; [Epub ahead of print]
What Dr. Freedman discovered is that patients with the lowest Vitamin D level were four times more likely to die from colon cancer, suggesting, as Ed Giovannucci has, that colon cancer may be exquisitely sensitive to vitamin D.
Another large epidemiological study appeared about breast cancer the very next day.
Abbas S, et al. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and risk of postmenopausal breast cancer - results of a large case-control study. Carcinogenesis. 2007 Oct 31; [Epub ahead of print]
In the above study, 1,394 women with breast cancer were case-controlled with a similar number of women without breast cancer. The women with breast cancer were three times more likely to have low vitamin D levels. That is a lot of women who may be dying during next year's breast cancer awareness month.
Both of the above studies were epidemiological, not randomized controlled trials. Of course a randomized controlled trial has already shown a 60% reduction in internal cancers in women taking even a modest 1,100 IU per day of vitamin D. (see below, Lappe)
Lappe JM, et al. Vitamin D and calcium supplementation reduces cancer risk: results of a randomized trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Jun;85(6):1586-91.
What is interesting is the difference in the response of the Canadian Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society. The Canadian Cancer Society has advised all Canadians to take 1,000 IU Vit D per day - not enough but a good first step - and for immediate additional large scale clinical trials. The Canadians simply performed a risk/benefit analysis. What is the risk of treating vitamin D deficiency versus what are the potential benefits? They quote the American Food and Nutrition Board, which says 2,000 IU/day is safe for anyone over the age on one to take, on their own, without being under the care of a physician. If there is little or no risk, then the next question is what are the potential benefits of treating vitamin D deficiency? This is not quantum mechanics.
The Canadians acted because the Canadian government knows it could save billions of dollars by treating vitamin D deficiency.
If wide spread treatment of vitamin D deficiency became the rule, ask yourself, "Who would be helped and who would be hurt."
First ask yourself that question about Canada and then about the USA. Remember, in Canada, the government directly pays for its citizen's health insurance; in the USA, private insurance is the norm.
In Canada, the government is realizing they could save billions if vitamin D deficiencies were treated. In the USA, a large segment of the medical industry would be hurt, some anti-cancer drug manufacturers would have to close their doors, thousands of patents would become worthless, lucrative consulting contracts between industry and cancer researchers would dry up.
For providing the above information, my thanks goes to:
John Cannell, MD
The Vitamin D Council
9100 San Gregorio Road
Atascadero, CA 93422
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An Aspirin-a-Day to Prevent Heart Disease?
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A good friend was taking aspirin as recommended by his cardiologist as a prevention for heart disease. After a few years on aspirin, he recently noticed blood in the urine (hematuria) which stopped after discontinuing the aspirin. A full urological workup was negative for cancer, so his cardiologist suggested he restart the aspirin. Bleeding is a well known adverse side effect of long term aspirin consumption.
That brings us to the question, what is the evidence for using aspirin for heart disease prevention?
Perhaps the best discussion of this topic is done by Joel Kauffman PHD in his book, Malignant Medical Myths. Read this chapter at this article.
It turns out that the PHS 89 study which is the one commonly quoted for supporting the use of aspirin, yet it showed no significant difference in mortality for the aspirin group compared to placebo. Isn't total mortality the important end point? Here is the data table (below).
Notice that total deaths in the aspirin group were 217 and in the placebo group 227. This difference did not reach mathematical significance considering there were 22,000 participants.
 
The above Table 1 is reproduced from PHS 89.
PHS 89 was a massive study on 22,071 male physicians, half taking 325 mg of �aspirin� every other day. PHS 89 showed that total deaths in the aspirin group over the 5-year period of the study were 4% fewer total deaths than in the placebo group (P = .64); thus the difference was not considered significant.
A big reduction in fatal MIs of 69% (P = .004) was countered by nearly equal increases in the totals for sudden death (P = .09), stroke, and other cardiovascular deaths. Using the end point of life extension, not MI, there was hardly any benefit from taking aspirin. PHS 89 used Bufferin, which contains magnesium. Magnesium itself may be beneficial in preventing heart disease.
Once again, after reviewing the evidence we find that advocating aspirin for primary heart disease prevention is more hype than substance. There are other more effective stragegies for primary prevention of heart disease which are listed on my heart disease web page.
Jeffrey Dach MD
4700 Sheridan Suite T
Hollywood FL 33021
954 983-1443
www.jeffreydach.com
www.drdach.com
www.naturalmedicine101.com
www.truemedmd.com
Jeffrey Dach, M.D. BLOG TrueMedMD disclaimer
(c) 2007 Jeffrey Dach MD All Rights Reserved | |
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Jeffrey Dach, M.D. TrueMedMD
Catalog of NewsLetters
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(1) My Vitamins Are Killing Me by Jeffrey Dach MD !!!
(2) Stroke Prevention and Vitamin C by Jeffrey Dach MD
(3) Testosterone Risks and Benefits by Jeffrey Dach MD
(4) Medical School Days and SSRI Research by Jeffrey Dach MD
(5) Iodine and Breast Cancer Prevention by Jeffrey Dach MD
(6) Hypothyroidism Part One by Jeffrey Dach MD
(7) Hypothyroidism Part Two Thryroflex by Jeffrey Dach MD
(8) Guard Your Daughter from Gardisil, Virginia Tech Rampage Seung-Hui Cho by Jeffrey Dach MD
(9) Orthomolecular Medicine Meeting in Toronto 2007 by Jeffrey Dach MD
(10) B12 Deficiency by Jeffrey Dach MD
(11) Rachel Carson and Silent Spring by Jeffrey Dach MD
(12) Vitamin D Deficiency by Jeffrey Dach MD
(13) Andrew Weil AARP, and Human Growth Hormone HGH by Jeffrey Dach MD
(14) Michael Moore's SICKO by Jeffrey Dach MD
(15) Blood Pressure Pills for Hypertension, When to Treat? by Jeffrey Dach MD
(16) Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) by Jeffrey Dach MD
(17) Protect Your Family From Bad Drugs by Jeffrey Dach MD
(18) Roger Federer, Race Horses and Pulsed ElectroMagnetic Devices by Jeffrey Dach MD
(19) Vaccination, Autism Link, Real or Imagined? by Jeffrey Dach MD
( Catalog of Articles Published on Hank Barnes World,
You Bet Your Life, by Jeffrey Dach MD
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(1) Lipitor and "The Dracula of Modern Technology" by Jeffrey Dach MD
(2) Osteoporosis, Bisphosphonate Drugs and Toulouse Lautrec by Jeffrey Dach MD
(3) Prozac, Paxil and SSRI Drugs - Part One by Jeffrey Dach MD
(4) Prozac, Paxil and SSRI Drugs - Part Two by Jeffrey Dach MD
(5) Max Essex and Virological Failure in the NEJM by Jeffrey Dach MD
(6) The Origins of HIV by Jeffrey Dach MD
A Medical Article that I Published in 1980:
(7) Dach J, Patel N, Patel S, Petasnick J. Peritoneal mesothelioma: CT, sonography, and gallium-67 scan. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1980 Sep;135(3):614
Jeffrey Dach, M.D.
Member of the Board of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine
Board Certified by the American Board of Radiology
4700 Sheridan, Suite T
Hollywood Fl 33021
office phone 954-983-1443
www.jeffreydach.com
www.drdach.com
www.naturalmedicine101.com
www.truemedmd.com
______________________________________________________________
Don't forget to visit my web site for more information, and we you might like to attend one of our free seminars on Wednesday Nights. Please call for reservations for the seminar, though.
Do you have a testimonial, or a question for the newsletter? Send it in via email reply.
Sincerely Yours
Jeffrey Dach, M.D.
4700 Sheridan Suite T.
Hollywood, Fl 33021
954-983-1443
www.jeffreydach.com
www.drdach.com
www.naturalmedicine101.com
www.truemedmd.com
______________________________________________________________
Dr. Dach is Board Certified by the American Board of Radiology and a member of the Board of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine. He has 25 years experience in the Memorial Hospital System as an interventional radiologist. His current practice focuses on Bio-identical hormone supplementation for men and women, menopause, andropause, HGH, testosterone, natural thyroid and the use of natural substances rather than drugs in the appropriate setting.
Conflict of Interest Disclaimer: We receive no money from the pharmaceutical industry or from the NIH. We do not sell any products to the public at large. We do however, make available selected nutritional supplements to our office clients at a small markup to cover our costs.
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(c) 2007 all right reserved Jeffrey Dach MD disclaimer | | |
I am taking Armour thyroid 30mg/day, and am having problem with my hair falling out in large amounts. What can help? I have very healthy diet and exercise.
I am a 39 yr old woman on thyroid med for 3 years. My hair is better in the summer months. Vit D problems?
TS from California
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Dear TS from California,
Hair Loss in women is a common problem presenting in our clinic and most of the time is related to a low thyorid condition.
When hair loss continues in spite of adequate thyroid replacement, this may suggest that low adrenal function is the issue, and we investigate with the 4 sample salivary cortisol test. A useful book is Adrenal Fatigue by Wilson which outlines treatment protocols.
Of course, nutritional supplementation is important, in order to provide the correct nutrients for excellent hair growth.
This program includes an amino acid blend, chelated minerals, Vitamin C, and a good multivitamin.
warmest regards,
Jeffrey Dach md
www.drdach.com
disclaimer
Reply to this
I have hashimoto's thyroiditis treated with armour thyroid 120 mg daily, androgel 5 mg, and daily vitamin/mineral supplement supertwin by twinlab, and methlycobalamin sublingual b-12 1000mcg daily.
I feel great.
I am interested in hgh and what age should this therapy be considered I am currently 38.
I am impressed on your knowledge on these particular subjects
Thank You
JK from NY
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Dear JK,
Thanks for the email inquiry,
HGH, also called human growth hormone therapy is FDA approved for children of short stature to allow them to grow, and is also FDA appoved for adults who have adult growth hormone deficiency as demonstrated by testing criteria.
Please see my article
http://jeffreydach.com/2007/06/24/dr-andrew-weil-aarp-and-human-growth-hormone-hgh-by-jeffrey-dach-md.aspx
Also see this article describing criteria for prescribing growth hormone, and optimal ranges for adults of variuos ages.
http://www.cenegenicsfoundation.org/library/Guidelines_hGH_Rx_on_LH.pdf
warmest regards,
Jeffrey Dach md
www.drdach.com
disclaimer
Reply to this
I have been struggling with being over-weight for all of my life, and I believe it is my thyroid.
However, I have been to doctors and they have done blood tests and they say my thyroid is ok.
I have been on many weight loss programs and will lose 10-15 lbs then I won't budge.
Please reply. thanks.
KA from Florida
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Dear KA,
We hear this story repeated on a daily basis, again pointing out that thyroid testing can be unreliable for many people.
warmest regards,
Jeffrey Dach md
www.drdach.com
disclaimer
Reply to this
My name is ND, and I live in Bogota Colombia.
On the About.Thyroid.com-Info page, I find information about you.
Since two years ago, I consume synthroid but now I am begining to feel it side effects, so my doctor prescribe me armour thyroid, to buy these pills in USA I have to have an order from a Dr in USA.
I can you send my prescription from Colombia and perhaps you can prescribe me the armour throid hormone, if you think natural thyroid hormone is also OK , I can also buy it.
Please tell me, I can send you my information and so I can buy it with a friend in Florida
Cordially
ND from Colombia
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Dear ND from Colombia,
Call the office next time you are in Miami, and we will be glad to take care of you.
warmest regards,
Jeffrey Dach md
www.drdach.com
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Reply to this