Kathy from Maine wrote: Now I can’t find a doctor who will do the tests.
And
Monet wrote: …the doctors have been refusing to do the proper testing.

This is not an ad for them because I’m a member, but not otherwise affiliated: but the Life Extension Foundation (www.lef.org) will sell you the paperwork to get whatever blood (and other?) tests you need. I’ve done D3, all the thyroid tests, all the various blood lipid etc. tests, c-reactive, testosterone, and other tests. Their prices are great, and they refer you to a couple of local blood labs to have the blood drawn. (They mail the results to you, and to your doctor if you ID one.) (On their site: Click on Products, then Blood tests for the complete list of tests and pricing.)

Here’s my tale about LEF.org: I’m on Armour (have been for a couple years). My refills ran out (with *really bad* planning on my part: It was a Monday, I had pills enough till Thursday!!), so I called my doc’s office to get them to call the prescription in again. They refused, since I had not had a blood test in a year. (EEK!) Should I try to get the LEF lab order mailed to me and then get the blood drawn (at one of several local labs they refer me to) and then wait for the results (and thus run out of pills)? Or just have my doc write the lab order? I decided not to risk the timing, and picked up the lab order at his office on my way to the lab. Three tests: TSH, T3 and T4 –- OUCH! it came to $395!!! (I have no insurance…) Put it on AMEX {sigh}, got home, looked up the pricing on LEF.org –- $83 –- TOTAL for ALL THREE tests!!

I did not go back and try to hassle my doc to lower his pricing; I don’t want to get him annoyed, since he’s quite willing to prescribe as I ask (Such as Armour, and hydrocortisone for my adrenals: I’ll comment on them on another thread, Dr. Mike) , and it was my own fault for not checking ahead on my prescription refill. So, I consider paying off those ungodly fees to be my punishment for carelessness!

Then,
Dr. Mike wrote: MD takes Iodoral daily. It takes a while to build up decent levels.
And
Judy B wrote. :For a less intrusive way to supplement iodine, you can paint regular iodine in a 1”x1″ (or so) patch on your skin.

I’ve been taking Iodoral for even longer than Armour. (The Iodoral lifted a brain fog I did not even know I was under!) A couple years ago, just before xmas, I ran out and, fearing my order might get lost in the seasonal package-overload at the Post Office, I decided to wait till the new year to re-order. (Oh and, I learned much later, LEF sells it for slightly below retail!) Within a couple days of running out, I started having hot flashes. (I was around 51 at the time.) The pills came and the very day I started taking them again, the hot flashes quit completely. My doc said, when I reported it, “Well, you know, LOTS of body tissues use iodine and iodide…” (Yeah, I knew that, but I didn’t KNOW that! )

As for painting it on your skin — while a possibly dubious way to test (the actual testing experiments I’ve read have been equivocal) — it is an okay way to get some iodine into your body! Just be really careful NOT to let it touch anything you don’t want stained until it is well-and-truly dried!

Thanks, Dr. Mike for being such an amazing support to all of us sufferers out here!

Glad to be of help.

You might try Dr. Jay Wortman. He’s in your area.

I was wondering about Iodine (since Dr. Davis blogged recently about it) and I had NEVER known or thought about iodine, ever. So, I came to my tried, true and trusted site “Protein Power” and found in one of these 144 comments your reply:

“Go to Amazon (through this site, of course ) and get some Iodoral. It’s a good iodine supplement. I plan a post on iodine deficiency and iodine supplementation soon.”

I will be ordering this; thank you. Waiting on that post about Iodine! Now I’m all interested and want to hear your say!

Iodine is important and many, if not most, people are deficient. I’m working up to the post on it, I promise.

But my point in terms of this post is that Victoria is correct. Oprah is not dealing with her thyroid issues. There are a number of people who have tried to contact her about this without success. She has followed that Dr. Christine whoever’s approach on this and the woman is just wrong. If Oprah is hypothyroid, it doesn’t matter if she followed the low carb diet perfectly. She would still not be able to lose weight. And she would feel fatigued and likely have other symptoms as well, regardless of her diet. Further, Synthroid may not be the answer either, though most doctors, especially endocrinologists, will insist this is the only treatment. I know I would not take anything other than Armour.

And for anyone who is curious, I have practiced a low carb diet off and on for over 40 years, and steadily for the last 4 years. I have a pretty good understanding of both issues.

Thanks for this blog, I really enjoy it.

Manheim is known for her role on the tv show “The Practice.” She currently has a role on the tv show “The Ghost Whisperer.”

Cherry Jones can be seen as the first female U.S. President on “24″ this season.

Pam Grier is currently a regular on “The L Word” on Showtime. She was in several “Blaxploitation” films in the 70’s. Quentin Tarantino cast her as the title character in “Jackie Brown” in the late 90’s.

Thanks for the update. I’ve never watched any of these shows, so I wouldn’t know.

Interesting…I don’t know a single one of these women. Not that I don’t know them personally, I wouldn’t know who they were if they walked up and kissed me.

Any suggestions?