medications (sinus, allergy, thyroid, blood pressure)

[carolfarewell]

I would like to know what the problem is with getting natural armour thryroid medication versus the synthetic medications that i am unable to take.

[karen_s]

You ask a very good question. Check out this link - it is a very interesting read for anyone with hypothyroidism and does provide an explanation about why they all push Synthroid:
What's WRONG With These Doctors? - Thyroid Disease - 6/1/98

[emilybh]

karen_s is right on target. People HAVE to begin to understand that conventionally trained medical doctors who are trained in Allopathic Medicine have little to offer those with chronic and degenerative diseases such as a Thyroid dysfunction. By definition, they are trained to treat SYMPTOMS only with drugs or surgery. This training is VERY NARROW and EXTREMELY LIMITING for those that go to medical doctors for treatment for chronic and degenerative diseases where if treated by practitioners of NATURAL medicine, would have a much better chance of not only relieving their symptoms, but regaining their health and eliminating the condition altogether. This is because practitioners of natural medicine are trained to look for and eliminate CAUSES of disease. Once the CAUSE is eliminiated, so is the disease.

It also helps to understand the BUSINESS side of the two approaches. One is expensive and could last the rest of your life and could cause numerous side effects bringing on additional health problems. The second is inexpensive and could help you get your full health back. Obviously the first method is the more profitable BY FAR which is why people are herded like sheep to do that and dissuaded from doing anything else.

Keep in mind, health care in the USA is all about the MONEY -- first and foremost. Why recommend that a patient go see a Naturopathic Doctor who could cure the problem by helping the patient understand and treat the cause and sgtrengthen his immune system... when the medical doctor could stand to make thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars off the patient during his lifetime, treating the SYMPTOMS of his condition (especially if that is all he is trained to do in medical schools)?

This is why it is CRUCIAL for people to being to understand what kinds of doctors are appropriate for what kinds of conditons. Medical Doctors Forte are ACUTE imminent life or death situations ( vomiting blood, terrible wounds, accidents, etc). If you have six months or more to live, the Naturopath is the best bet.

[bluedevilz]

Originally Posted by emilybh

karen_s is right on target. People HAVE to begin to understand that conventionally trained medical doctors who are trained in Allopathic Medicine have little to offer those with chronic and degenerative diseases such as a Thyroid dysfunction. By definition, they are trained to treat SYMPTOMS only with drugs or surgery. This training is VERY NARROW and EXTREMELY LIMITING for those that go to medical doctors for treatment for chronic and degenerative diseases where if treated by practitioners of NATURAL medicine, would have a much better chance of not only relieving their symptoms, but regaining their health and eliminating the condition altogether. This is because practitioners of natural medicine are trained to look for and eliminate CAUSES of disease. Once the CAUSE is eliminiated, so is the disease.

It also helps to understand the BUSINESS side of the two approaches. One is expensive and could last the rest of your life and could cause numerous side effects bringing on additional health problems. The second is inexpensive and could help you get your full health back. Obviously the first method is the more profitable BY FAR which is why people are herded like sheep to do that and dissuaded from doing anything else.

Keep in mind, health care in the USA is all about the MONEY -- first and foremost. Why recommend that a patient go see a Naturopathic Doctor who could cure the problem by helping the patient understand and treat the cause and sgtrengthen his immune system... when the medical doctor could stand to make thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars off the patient during his lifetime, treating the SYMPTOMS of his condition (especially if that is all he is trained to do in medical schools)?

This is why it is CRUCIAL for people to being to understand what kinds of doctors are appropriate for what kinds of conditons. Medical Doctors Forte are ACUTE imminent life or death situations ( vomiting blood, terrible wounds, accidents, etc). If you have six months or more to live, the Naturopath is the best bet.

What people have to understand is that the majority of "naturopathic" medicine is quackery at its core....

Allopathic MD's are NOT trained in symptomatic mangement only and that is utterly ludicrous to suggest....

The idea that folks should bypass traditional medicine for the quackery that is naturopathic care for chronic illness and disease states is not only misguided but dangerous...

How this relates to the original poster's question is beyond me....do you really believe ND's offer a "cure" for hypothyroidism? Using Armour or other T3/T4 replacement therapy is doing the EXACT same thing as Synthroid....you don't CURE the condition, you replace the lacking hormone

[PinkString]

I will pick natural over traditional any day. All a regular doctor does is medicate medicate medicate since that is all they learn in medical school from pharmaceutical companies.

[bluedevilz]

Originally Posted by PinkString

I will pick natural over traditional any day. All a regular doctor does is medicate medicate medicate since that is all they learn in medical school from pharmaceutical companies.

Really, so when you went to medical school you were taught by pharmaceutical representatives?

I have yet to see a medical school course taught by the pharmaceutical manufacturers.....

[TouchOfWhimsy]

In my experience, medical doctors do tend to treat symptoms. Once I was suffering from headaches, and my doctor said, "well, these are the painkillers that are available." When my daughter had hives (and we didn't know what caused them), the ped's answer was "try Zyrtec." When my son had eczema, his pediatrician suggested using a hydrocortisone cream. Three doctors, three bandaids. No one bothered to look for the CAUSE of the problems (sinus trouble in my case, allergy to milk proteins in my son's case, and we still don't know what my daughter is sensitive to...), they just wanted to throw some pills at us.

I don't know if that's issue with the thyroid problem... I have no idea what treatments/causes could be, I'm just sharing my own experience.

As for pharm. reps, no, of course they don't teach the med school classes, but they do offer LOTS of incentives to doctors to use and prescribe their medications. I used to work in the medical field and I saw it all the time: reps taking doctors out for lunch, offering everything from trips to models of the body systems to pens and notepads.

[*Danielle*]

Originally Posted by beanandpumpkin

In my experience, medical doctors do tend to treat symptoms. Once I was suffering from headaches, and my doctor said, "well, these are the painkillers that are available." When my daughter had hives (and we didn't know what caused them), the ped's answer was "try Zyrtec." When my son had eczema, his pediatrician suggested using a hydrocortisone cream. Three doctors, three bandaids. No one bothered to look for the CAUSE of the problems (sinus trouble in my case, allergy to milk proteins in my son's case, and we still don't know what my daughter is sensitive to...), they just wanted to throw some pills at us.

I don't know if that's issue with the thyroid problem... I have no idea what treatments/causes could be, I'm just sharing my own experience.

As for pharm. reps, no, of course they don't teach the med school classes, but they do offer LOTS of incentives to doctors to use and prescribe their medications. I used to work in the medical field and I saw it all the time: reps taking doctors out for lunch, offering everything from trips to models of the body systems to pens and notepads.

The reps and incentives are begining to be a thing of the past. Many hospital systems are outlawing that.. The entire health system my husband works for does not participate in that at all. You will get fired if you do. That is system wide...All doctors affiliated with that health system are under the same rules.

That said, your the one who picked the 'band-aid doctors'... IF YOU DON'T ADVOCATE FOR YOUR OWN HEALTH, NO ONE WILL. If you stand in your doctors office and accept the prescription he hands you, that is your fault, not his. If you decline the prescription and demand further testing...kudos for you. It is like people quiver in a doctors office in fear of asking for what they want and think is right. It makes no sense to me. They work for you, you pay them for service...why would you not accept anything other then the service you want?

As for natural treatments....if you find some that work, great. They do the exact same thing as a federally tested medicine....treat symptoms. But symtpoms are what makes people feel bad.... I would prefer the medicine I take come with a paper telling me in detail what it is, side effects etc etc. Also, traditional medicines have been tested for safety. I am not saying all are safe, but you know alot more about their safety/dangers then with a natural treatment...and I will only take a medicine after all of my other medical options have been tried.

[TouchOfWhimsy]

No, I did not accept the prescriptions (actually, I did for my son, not knowing at the time that eczema was caused by allergies). That's not the point. The point is that doctors should not treat ANY of their patients like that... some people DO treat their doctor's word as gospel, especially older people who may have been raised that doctors, teachers, etc, are in positions of authority and should not be questioned.

Many natural treatments are used to treat the underlying condition, just as there are allopathic methods of treating underlying conditions. Many allopathic medications are based upon natural substances... Penicillin, for example, is made of a naturally occuring mold. The thing is, if someone is given a high blood pressure medication, for example, then they are treating the symptom. Once they stop taking the pills, the hypertension comes back. If they lose weight, eat well, exercise, etc, then that is treating the actual illness. Part of eating well might include eating eggplant or taking supplements that help regulate blood pressure, which is all well and good, and is meant to be used along with taking care of the body properly.

If doctors (and all other healthcare professionals) would say "look, you are 100 lbs overweight, and you smoke a pack of cigarettes per day. This medication might prolong your life, but honestly, you need to take better care of yourself," then that might make a difference. I have a friend who is nearly 300 lbs and smokes, who was just put on high blood pressure meds by her doctor, who said not one word to her about her lifestyle. Hello!! Bandaid solution!

I hope you're right about the pharm reps not being allowed to court doctors. In such a hospital, though, they really don't have those posters about different ailments on the wall with a little "Merck" in the corner? I hope that is the case!

[*Danielle*]

Originally Posted by beanandpumpkin

No, I did not accept the prescriptions (actually, I did for my son, not knowing at the time that eczema was caused by allergies). That's not the point. The point is that doctors should not treat ANY of their patients like that... some people DO treat their doctor's word as gospel, especially older people who may have been raised that doctors, teachers, etc, are in positions of authority and should not be questioned.

Many natural treatments are used to treat the underlying condition, just as there are allopathic methods of treating underlying conditions. Many allopathic medications are based upon natural substances... Penicillin, for example, is made of a naturally occuring mold. The thing is, if someone is given a high blood pressure medication, for example, then they are treating the symptom. Once they stop taking the pills, the hypertension comes back. If they lose weight, eat well, exercise, etc, then that is treating the actual illness. Part of eating well might include eating eggplant or taking supplements that help regulate blood pressure, which is all well and good, and is meant to be used along with taking care of the body properly.

If doctors (and all other healthcare professionals) would say "look, you are 100 lbs overweight, and you smoke a pack of cigarettes per day. This medication might prolong your life, but honestly, you need to take better care of yourself," then that might make a difference. I have a friend who is nearly 300 lbs and smokes, who was just put on high blood pressure meds by her doctor, who said not one word to her about her lifestyle. Hello!! Bandaid solution!

I hope you're right about the pharm reps not being allowed to court doctors. In such a hospital, though, they really don't have those posters about different ailments on the wall with a little "Merck" in the corner? I hope that is the case!

What do you want her doctor to do? Go to her home and move her body for her? I am sure your friend has been told that her hypertension is because of her body size and lifestyle. You can't just let her be hypertensive it causes long term damage to her vessels. So if you relieve that symptom, you are actually helping her vessels function as normally as possible even though she does not lose weight and stops smoking...It has to be treated though,,,if it is severe enough and goes untreated and she continues to be overweight and smoke, then she will die.... So what is it?? Treat her or not?? Maybe treated in conjunction with lifestyle change that she is ultimately responsible for. You can not possible blame her doctor because she is obese. Are you seriously telling me she has no idea that hypertension is caused from being over weight? Does she really need a doctor to tell her that? Maybe she should have lost her weight and changed her lifestyle and then went to the doctor for her problem if she is concerned about treating the symptoms only. It sounds like to me she wanted the bandaid...

And, for most serious illnesses it is the symptoms that make people feel uncomfortable. It is the symptoms that people want to be relieved from. That is why they feel bad and make the appt in the first place. The high fever, vertigo, soreness, cough...that is what people want to be relieved from. Bottom line, you have to make your doctor work for you. If he doesn't, you have to find a new one.