There is an epidemic of thyroid deficiency problems that has descended upon the United States and now affects almost 6 out of every 10 people, especially as we age. The most obvious manifestation of hypothyroidism (thyroid hormone deficiency) is in the slowing down of metabolism causing a condition where people have low body basal temperature and find it very difficult to lose weight. Hypothyroid people are almost always overweight and have trouble keeping warm. The thyroid is also a master gland that keeps other hormones in balance so, when proper thyroid output diminishes, other glands start to get off balance as well.
But even more worrisome is that people with low thyroid function are denied the protective functions of thyroid hormone against heart disease and cancer?the nation?s two biggest killers. Dr. Richard Pooley, one of the foremost medical doctors who champions the writings of the late endocrine pioneer Broda O. Barnes, believes that thyroid deficiency, in combination with adrenal problems accounts for many of the chronic health problems people face. As a heart surgeon Dr. Pooley said he never saw a heart patient who didn?t show symptoms of having hypothyroidism. Barnes believed that many common diseases, including heart disease, cancer, depression, arthritis, diabetes, the common cold, tonsillitis, ear infections, apparent laziness in children, various menstrual disorders, and skin disorders, were all caused or exacerbated by hypothyroidism.
Dr. Barnes developed and promoted a diagnostic test for thyroid function that became known as the “Barnes Basal Temperature Test”. You place a digital thermometer in the armpit immediately upon waking while still lying in bed, and after waiting 10 minutes press the ?on? button and read the temperature. Barnes considered a measurement of 97.8 ?F (36.6 ?C) or below to be highly indicative of hypothyroidism, especially when hypothyroid symptoms are present.
But getting your doctor to accept that persistent health problems may be related to low thyroid is an uphill battle because doctors use blood tests for thyroid that give faulty results. In all but the most extreme cases, thyroid blood tests show normal thyroid hormones even when a person is hypothyroid. In contrast, except for a few rare exceptions, the low basal temperature test is never wrong?and costs almost nothing.
I bring this up because you can?t just run out to your local doctor and expect to get properly treated for thyroid deficiency, even after you?ve confirmed it by the basal temperature test and a host of symptoms. Even if your establishment trained doctor were to accept the low basal temperature evidence, they always want to prescribe Synthroid?a synthetic thyroid hormone that is not as effective as nature thyroid extract. Since even natural thyroid extracts require a prescription, you are stuck trying to find a doctor who has been educated in Dr. Barnes? techniques.
That?s where the Broda O. Barnes Research Foundation comes in. It is the only educational organization actively teaching doctors how to fix America?s thyroid epidemic. It holds regular seminars for doctors and other health professionals and keeps a list of doctors and nurse practitioners who have been trained to properly diagnose and treat hypothyroidism.
The foundation charges a modest fee for this information for those seeking a local doctor who has attended one or more of their seminars. Other than that, the foundation has few income sources, and it just isn?t enough to sustain the work of the foundation. That is why I?m making an appeal to my subscribers to help out the foundation on a regular basis, if you can. I myself have mild hypothyroidism and have benefitted greatly from the work of the Barnes Foundation. Without proper thyroid function assisted by the proper dosage of natural thyroid hormone, I wouldn?t be able to handle the heavy load of stress that I do in keeping all of you informed in life.
So, please help by first, temperature testing yourself for hypothyroidism and second, giving to the Barnes Foundation that keeps this life-saving information alive. I never give to any of the well financed cancer and heart disease organizations that are forever begging for money because they are only interested in finding synthetic drugs cures, and refuse to test for natural cures that offer more promise and less side effects. Let?s support one of the great organizations that can really make a difference.
To help out, you can send a check to the Barnes Foundation, P.O. Box 98, Trumbull, CT 06611, or if you wish to donate by credit card call director Pat Puglio at telephone number 203-261-2101 or FAX number 203-261-3017. [END]