One of the key hormones contributing to health effects with both fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome is thyroid.
Many of you have had your levels checked and you have been told it is normal. If you are overweight, cold, fatigued, losing hair, brain fog, have dry skin/dry heels and ridged fingernails, then this is untrue.
This why you need a "detective doctor" who will search deeper for your underlying conditions. There should be at least six tests drawn for an evaluation of thyroid including Reverse T3! They are
"There is no one to blame. There is simply taking action!"........Wm. Marcus Spurlock, MD Dr. Spurlock presently works in Dallas, TX treating people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Bio-Identical Hormone Deficiences and Environmental Illnesses. He has been doing this work exclusively for the last 9 years. In the fall of 2011 he opened a new health center; please visit his website, which is where he posts education beyond what is sprinkled at Lumigrate. http://www.renewedvitalitymd.com/ [1] Through a total body approach, the treatments he and his team provide are 85-90% successful in returning patients to their previous health potential. You can see his complete vitae in Lumigrate's forum "About Our Writers" (link: http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/my-vitae-wm-marcus-spurlock-m... [2]), and the majority of his contributions on Lumigrate are in the FMS/CFS/CPain section, where you'll see a forum which includes his name: http://www.lumigrate.com/forums/health-issuesdis-eases/fibro... [3].
Links:
[1] http://www.renewedvitalitymd.com/
[2] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/my-vitae-wm-marcus-spurlock-md
[3] http://www.lumigrate.com/forums/health-issuesdis-eases/fibromyalgia-chronic-pain-and-chronic-fatigue/exhaustion
[4] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/thyroid-detective-doctors-clues-lead-you-way#comment-1318
[5] http://www.itcpharmacy.com
[6] http://www.lumigrate.com/catalog/seminars
[7] http://www.lumigrate.com/forums/health-issuesdis-eases/thyroid-dysfunction-hypothyroidism-underdiagnosed/treated
[8] http://www.lumigrate.com/forums/introduction-lumigrate-lg-101/podcasts-listen-computer-or-itunes-has-lumigrate
[9] http://twitter.com/lumigrate
[10] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/thyroid-detective-doctors-clues-lead-you-way#top
[11] http://www.lumigrate.com/user/login?destination=node/824%23comment-form
[12] http://www.lumigrate.com/user/register?destination=node/824%23comment-form
[13] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/thyroid-detective-doctors-clues-lead-you-way#comment-1320
Comments
I very much appreciate your coming by Lumigrate to share the 'bullet points' and quick 'down and dirty' about what you suggest providers check with patients, and what you suggest patients ask their providers 'order' for them to check about their thyroid status. I suggest people follow the links to your website or to your vitae here on Lumigrate and consider having you become one of the providers on their "YOU" team (see home page model for "The Lumigrate You Model"). Sometimes that is possible, sometimes it is not.
I've learned a great deal through the Internet from you about thyroid and naturally, from meeting in person when you assessed me. The color of the bottom of my feet, the shape of my tongue... all 'clues'. I had been diagnosed and treated for a handfull of years before you saw me, but the last year beforehand, I'd had an averse reaction to a thyroid compounded I had made when the Armour shortage/outage occurred and had it tested and it was off/low by about 50% on T3 and about 50 (but high) on T4. NO WONDER I felt so much better WITHOUT the prescribed and (in my opininion) inferiorly compounded thyroid. But that naturally, was not 'ideal', just 'better than being done badly'. Sad but true, it doesn't always get done best/right all the time. Then we must persist!
I very much appreciate that when turned me onto ITC Compounding and Natural Wellness Pharmacy ( www.itcpharmacy.com [5] ). for many reasons, including that they've educated me about a whole level of quality assurance and testing to be certain what is in the product they're providing is accurate, that I have renewed confidence in the compounding pharmacy 'business' done WELL (which is more expensive and provided by those who have been in 'the biz' longer but that does not necessarily preclude others: I suggest you meet with the pharmacy you select or speak with them as close to 'in person' as you can and decide for yourself your comfortability and confidence in them and proceed from there.
Naturally, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that Lumigrate launched with an hour of video about this important topic, a seminar which is free to download and comes with the files in a variety of ways to print out the handouts, titled Hypothyroidism: Misunderstood, Misdiagnosed.... Missed!', by Scott Rollins, MD, a Grand Junction-based leader in the integrative medicine movement, where Lumigrate was housed in our first, formative year in 2008-early 2009.
It is a pleasure to integrate on Lumigrate local (to me) information with nationally known experts such as you, Dr. Spurlock. I hope that it benefits many who come to Lumigrate to learn about all things related to integrative medicine, including the ubiquitous fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome! I know your information here to set up to PRINT, or EMAIL or phone/discuss with providers by the people, providers and public alike, will benefit.
~~ Mardy
Link to the video is at Videos tab here at Lumigrate.com and is at: www.lumigrate.com/catalog/seminars [6]
Also, look in our forums for one titled 'hypothyroidism' which has a lot of adjunct information, including a nice piece from ITC's pharmacists and is at: www.lumigrate.com/forums/health-issuesdis-eases/thyroid-dysfunction-hypothyroidism-underdiagnosed/treated [7]
We also have two podcasts from ITC Pharmacy that talk about their history and then more specifics related to what they specialize in related to wellness related to thyroid, the gut/immune system, and 'all that' at: www.lumigrate.com/forums/introduction-lumigrate-lg-101/podcasts-listen-computer-or-itunes-has-lumigrate [8]
Live and Learn. Learn and Live Better! is my motto. I'm Mardy Ross, and I founded Lumigrate in 2008 after a career as an occupational therapist with a background in health education and environmental research program administration. Today I function as the desk clerk for short questions people have, as well as 'concierge' services offered for those who want a thorough exploration of their health history and direction to resources likely to progress their health according to their goals. Contact Us comes to me, so please do if you have questions or comments. Lumigrate is "Lighting the Path to Health and Well-Being" for increasing numbers of people. Follow us on social networking sites such as: Twitter: http://twitter.com/lumigrate [9] and Facebook. (There is my personal page and several Lumigrate pages. For those interested in "groovy" local education and networking for those uniquely talented LumiGRATE experts located in my own back yard, "LumiGRATE Groove of the Grand Valley" is a Facebook page to join. (Many who have joined are beyond our area but like to see the Groovy information! We not only have FUN, we are learning about other providers we can be referring patients to and 'wearing a groove' to each other's doors -- or websites/home offices!) By covering some of the things we do, including case examples, it reinforces the concepts at Lumigrate.com as well as making YOU feel that you're part of a community. Which you ARE at Lumigrate!
Hi, I've transferred a question from our facebook page (Lumigrate: Fibromyalgia) from one of our 'customers' at Lumigrate to "put it out there" for our experts to answer if they wish. Thank you in advance for reading and if you answer, doing so; this is very helpful related to education for people and it is very much appreciated ~~ Mardy
Live and Learn. Learn and Live Better! is my motto. I'm Mardy Ross, and I founded Lumigrate in 2008 after a career as an occupational therapist with a background in health education and environmental research program administration. Today I function as the desk clerk for short questions people have, as well as 'concierge' services offered for those who want a thorough exploration of their health history and direction to resources likely to progress their health according to their goals. Contact Us comes to me, so please do if you have questions or comments. Lumigrate is "Lighting the Path to Health and Well-Being" for increasing numbers of people. Follow us on social networking sites such as: Twitter: http://twitter.com/lumigrate [9] and Facebook. (There is my personal page and several Lumigrate pages. For those interested in "groovy" local education and networking for those uniquely talented LumiGRATE experts located in my own back yard, "LumiGRATE Groove of the Grand Valley" is a Facebook page to join. (Many who have joined are beyond our area but like to see the Groovy information! We not only have FUN, we are learning about other providers we can be referring patients to and 'wearing a groove' to each other's doors -- or websites/home offices!) By covering some of the things we do, including case examples, it reinforces the concepts at Lumigrate.com as well as making YOU feel that you're part of a community. Which you ARE at Lumigrate!