Dr. Gordon comments on Thyroid Issues
By Linda on Jan 31, 2011 in F.I.G.H.T., Hormones
There is an epidemic of patients who need thyroid support! The attached shows how thyroid can protect pregnancies from untoward outcomes.
Nonetheless, the current January 2011 Townsend Newsletter reports that the Oregon Medical Board is attacking a licensed MD there for prescribing thyroid when the T4 and TSH target levels they are insisting on were not present. They are ignoring all of the overwhelming clinical evidence that the patient needed and was benefited by the thyroid prescription.
This is very sad since subclinical hypothyroidism is EPIDEMIC in our toxic world. Just consider the levels of Fluorine and Bromide present today that induce iodine deficiency in our population, as one cause of suboptimal thyroid function. For many other causes please consider owning the $300 new text on Nutritional Medicine by Alan Gaby with nearly 30,000 references behind it.
But look at this report. How many miscarriages or other pregnancy problems would be eliminated if doctors were not living in fear of their medical licenses? If they read Broda Barnes’ book on Thyroid Disease later reviewed by Dr Stephen Langer and then the book, Hypothyroidism Type 2 by Mark Starr that brings the rationale for diagnosing borderline or subclinical hypothyroidism into clear focus.
We should err on the side of more thyroid support for patients since there are so many contributors to low thyroid function instead of putting doctors in harm’s way for practicing real medicine.
Garry F. Gordon MD,DO,MD(H)
President, Gordon Research Institute
www.gordonresearch.com
Excerpt:
OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether levothyroxine (LT4) treatment has beneficial effects on IVF results and pregnancy outcome in infertile patients with subclinical hypothyroidism undergoing IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
DESIGN: Prospective, randomized trial.
SETTING: University-affiliated infertility clinic.
PATIENT(S): A total of 64 infertile patients with subclinical hypothyroidism, defined as an elevated serum TSH level associated with a normal free T4 level and without frank symptoms of hypothyroidism.
INTERVENTION(S): Patients were randomized into an LT4 treatment group or control group. For the LT4 treatment group, 50 μg LT4 was administered from the first day of controlled ovarian stimulation for IVF/ICSI.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Results of IVF and pregnancy outcome.
RESULT(S): There were no differences in patient characteristics between the two groups. Total dose and days of recombinant human FSH used for controlled ovarian stimulation were also similar. The number of grade I or II embryos was significantly higher in the LT4 treatment group than in the control group. There was no significant difference in the clinical pregnancy rate per cycle between the two groups. However, the miscarriage rate was significantly lower in the LT4 treatment group than in the control group. Embryo implantation rate and live birth rate were significantly higher in the LT4 treatment group. In the control group, both thyroid peroxidase antibody and thyroglobulin antibody levels were significantly higher in the miscarried subgroup than in the delivered subgroup.
CONCLUSION(S): LT4 treatment can improve embryo quality and pregnancy outcome in subclinical hypothyroid women undergoing IVF/ICSI.
