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| Table of Contents |
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| Index (Click on S, T, G) |
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S = Introduction |
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T = Chapters |
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G = Doctors' Comments |
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What Can Be Done?
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Chapter 10 |
What Can Be Done? |
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| The links below are Section Bookmarks for this chapter |
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People usually go to the doctor when they are being bothered by a medical problem
which they cannot easily solve on their own. When addressing such a problem,
the doctor may consider the possible causes of the problem and the alternative
approaches in addressing it. Pros and cons, risks and benefits of each alternative
are weighed in deciding how to proceed. In patients suspected of suffering from
Wilson's Temperature Syndrome, because there is no explanation with blood tests or otherwise
to account for the patient's classic presentation and complaints, there are
several alternative approaches.
1. Non-treatment
2. Alternative treatment including behavioral and dietary changes
3. Definitive treatment, when necessary, with Wilson's T3 Protocol
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Some people may wonder why Wilson's Temperature Syndrome is so common.
They may be surprised that so many people could suffer from such a condition.
Yet these same people may not be surprised that people bleed when they are cut
with a knife. It is not at all unexpected that if a person is cut with a knife
that he might bleed. It's a normal response, but it may not be very desirable.
Great measures have been taken to counter this "normal" response such as bandages,
sutures, blood banks, surgeries, etc.
In like manner, some may say that it is normal for people to
become depressed, tired, irritable, headachy, forgetful, and have trouble sleeping
during periods of significant physical, mental, or emotional stress. Yet again,
there is a difference between normal and desirable, especially when the response
persists inappropriately even after the stress has passed. Even in the midst
of the stress, the response is not necessarily favorable or adaptive but may
be deleterious. If a person gets cut with a knife, they bleed, and if a person
is sufficiently pulverized from stress, they can likewise be "injured," leaving
them with a persistently impaired system. If one is bleeding from a knife wound,
the wound might stop bleeding on its own, heal up eventually and leave a scar.
On the other hand, if the wound is sutured, treated with antibiotics and dressed
with bandages, it may be less likely to develop an infection, it may heal more
quickly, and it may leave less scarring. If the wound is severe and left untreated,
it may not heal by itself, and the patient could bleed to death.
So the choice of treatment approach can certainly affect the
outcome. Likewise, with Wilson's Temperature Syndrome, how the problem is addressed can
certainly affect the outcome. It can be left untreated, and if it is not too
severe, it may resolve spontaneously without treatment returning to normal after
the stress is over, leaving very little persistent impairment ("scarring"),
if any. If the condition is more severe and is left untreated, more persistent
impairment may result and the body's system may not return to normal on its
own without definitive intervention. In severe cases, definitive intervention
may be disappointing, just as it is sometimes not possible to fully restore
the function of a person who has been injured in a severe auto accident. However,
the definitive WT3 protocol can sometimes prevent a WTS sufferer from losing decades
of productivity and quality of life.
It is "normal" for women to go through menopause later in life
and develop hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and increased bone loss, but that
doesn't prevent intervention from often being desirable and appropriate. Female
hormones are often given routinely to post-menopausal woman because it is felt
that intervention frequently favorably affects outcome. Wilson's Temperature Syndrome is
not usually life-threatening, just as menopause is usually not life-threatening.
However, proper intervention can make all the difference in a person's life;
and getting it treated, perhaps more than any other medical problem, may make
all the difference in our society as a whole. Getting it treated can have everything
to do with eventual outcome.
The symptoms may be seemingly unrelated until they get better
simultaneously with the WT3 protocol. Many times patients state that they didn't
fully realize how badly they were feeling until their symptoms were alleviated.
They frequently state that, "Now I remember what it feels like to be normal
again."
Occasionally patients will state that the resolution of a secondary
symptom has proven to be more beneficial than the resolution of their primary
complaint. For example, a patient with fatigue, migraines, PMS, depression,
dry skin, dry hair, constipation, fluid retention, insomnia, inappropriate weight
gain, and others might state prior to treatment that the primary complaint is
fatigue. But when all of the symptoms resolve, the patient might later
report that the resolution of the migraine headaches has actually had a larger
impact on his life. This is frequently because the patients themselves can sometimes
not fathom that the symptoms could get better together. They may not be able
to picture that a particular symptom, such as migraines, might resolve. However,
seeing is believing. Many patients state that one really can't appreciate one's
good health and normal functioning until its gone, and sometimes they don't
realize how bad off they were until their normal health and functioning is restored
with the WT3 protocol.
Considering the information presented thus far in this book
it is hard to understate the tremendous impact that WTS can have on a person's
life. Once developed, Wilson's Temperature Syndrome can, after a period of time, resolve
on its own; but in other instances, it can persist for 20,30,40 years or more.
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Alternative Treatment Including Behavioral And Dietary Changes
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Considering the origins of Wilson's Temperature Syndrome, it stands to
reason that there may be non-medical alternatives in its management. If emotional,
mental, or physical stress can lead to the development of Wilson's Temperature Syndrome
or can aggravate it, then the elimination of stress from one's life might be
a good place to start. Of course, eliminating destructive stress is one of the
great secrets of life. A certain amount of stress is unavoidable, and in some
cases it may actually help us grow stronger and more adept at overcoming obstacles.
But when the stress is overwhelming, then "injury" can result.
Considering the reduction and/or elimination of stress from one's life as an
alternative treatment of Wilson's Temperature Syndrome calls to mind a fascinating case
history. It is very interesting because prior to seeing this patient I was in
the habit of suggesting to people to eliminate stress when they asked me about
what they could do to correct Wilson's Temperature Syndrome without medical treatment. As
I would review the alternative measures that one might implement, I would include
that one could "completely eliminate stress out of his life." With that they
would frequently look at me with a look on their face as if to say, "Yeah, right,
who is ever going to be able to completely eliminate stress out of their life?"
Sometimes I would jokingly say, "Yes, if you didn't have any job concerns or
family concerns, and you lived in the Bahamas and you walked, ran, swam at the
beach or exercised all day, and you ate pineapple, fruit and practiced good
nutrition all day long and relaxed, then you would
probably be much better."
Coincidentally, much later, the patient with the following
case history came to my office. She had many complaints including fatigue, depression,
fluid retention, PMS, irritability, itchiness, dry skin, dry hair, and inappropriate
weight gain. One of the things that troubled her, however, was something that
she could never understand. There was a brief period of time in her life that
lasted approximately two years in which she did not suffer from these complaints.
Prior to these two years, she had developed Wilson's Temperature Syndrome and, among other
things, had quite a bit of difficulty with maintaining her weight. But then
she went through that two year period of time losing 60 to 80 pounds, no longer
having a tendency to gain weight inappropriately. Then after that two year period
was over, she suddenly began gaining weight inexplicably (with no increase in
dietary intake or decrease in activity) and gained all of her weight back. She
couldn't understand how she could possibly feel badly and have a weight problem,
then feel well with the weight problem resolving on its own, and then all of
a sudden feel poorly again and have a weight problem again out
of the blue. After a careful history and questioning, a very interesting pattern
became apparent. The patient had undergone a stressful living situation which
started her Wilson's Temperature Syndrome. At the beginning of the two year period she also
underwent a life-style change. What had happened, believe it or not, was that
her husband who was in the military, had been transferred to the Bahamas.
He was stationed on a military base, and while they were there, the utilities
were paid, their food was paid, their rent was paid, as were all their other
necessities of life, including clothing and other needs. She had spent a great
deal of time on the beach lying out in the sun. Notably, she did not get an
excessive amount of exercise, but she did rest a lot. And she remembers eating
more at that time than she had previously or afterwards. When the two years
ended, she and her husband moved back to the states and once again needed to
concern themselves with living expenses and other problems associated with daily
living. Without an increase in her appetite or dietary intake and without a
decrease in her physical activity, her symptoms returned as did her weight problem.
This patient's case clearly illustrates how Wilson's Temperature Syndrome can sometimes
come and go under periods of stress and relaxation respectively.
The body can also be prompted to leave the conservation mode and return to
the productivity mode by leading it to think that certain important things need
to get done. The conservation mode is not productive and not favorable when
it prevents the human body from protecting himself from predators; and when
it prevents him from hunting, obtaining food, and building a shelter for his
family and for himself. So if a patient can mimic the physical activity that
would be required for a human to protect himself from a predator (to flee or
to fight), and the level of physical activity that would be required in hunting
game and building shelters, it may be possible to coax his body to return back
to the productivity mode. The body may pull out of the conservation mode and
return to the productivity mode if it is persuaded to realize that it is necessary
for survival. In other words, a good moderate exercise
program, even 12 to 15 minutes at a time, 2, 3, or 4 times a day, especially
after meals, may be enough to encourage the body's metabolism to come up out
of, and stay out of the conservation mode. This can be accomplished by walking,
swimming, treadmill, exercise bike, or similar activities.
Since Wilson's Temperature Syndrome is, among other things, a coping mechanism
for starvation gone amuck, it is easily understandable why patients often do
better on hypoglycemic-type diets. Hypoglycemic dieters are characterized by
small frequent meals, usually six small meals a day rather than the usual three.
These diets are usually higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates than other
diets; that is, they are higher in meats such as chicken and turkey as well
as others and include eggs, tuna fish, and other sources of protein. They have
less carbohydrates such as potatoes, bread, fruits, vegetables, and refined
sugars such as cookies, candy, cakes, etc.
I sometimes describe a very simple diet for people to follow
that involves eating from these different groups. The protein group includes
tuna fish, yogurt, cottage cheese, chicken, turkey, fish, and even beef and
pork. The carbohydrate group includes bread, cereal, potatoes, pasta, crackers,
rice, and preferably should be of the less refined variety. The fruit and vegetable
group includes, of all things, fruits and vegetables. To make it easy, I suggest
that the patient trace a silver dollar and two nickels. I recommend that patients
eat foods from the three groups in those proportions. A "dollar" size
of protein, a "nickel" size of carbohydrates and a nickel size of fruits and
vegetables six times a day. Some patients may do better with a little less protein
than this, and it can be adjusted. One patient with a classic story for Wilson's Temperature Syndrome was able to correct her symptoms and return back to normal merely by
changing her eating habits and using a hypoglycemic type diet. She was able
to have her symptoms of Wilson's Temperature Syndrome disappear with her metabolism returning
back to the productivity mode.
The benefit of hypoglycemic diets are interesting from several
different perspectives. First, it can be pointed out that foods that are higher
in protein have higher "biological" value than carbohydrates. To illustrate
the principle of biological food value, let us consider a typical food chain.
If one considers a field of grain, that grain might be harvested and consumed
directly in the form of carbohydrates by people; or the grain may be first be
consumed by pigs, cattle, and chickens, and in turn the chickens, cows, and
pigs might then be consumed by the humans. Because the cows and pigs feed on
the grain, they are higher up in the food chain than grain, with humans being
at the very top. Because the pigs and cows are higher in the food chain, they
are considered to have a higher biological value than does grain. One reason
is that since the cows and pigs feed on the grain and burn up the calories of
that grain in their daily activities and in the development of their bodies,
quite a bit of grain can be consumed in the raising of those domestic animals.
For argument's sake, let us suppose that a human can survive
on the grain harvested from a two-acre field for a period of one year, subsisting
only on that grain. Let us suppose that a pig would require 1 1/2 acres and
a cow 3 acres. Let us suppose that one cow and two pigs would be necessary to
sustain that same person for the period of one year if that person subsisted
only on the meat of the 2 pigs, and the cow. Then, if he subsisted on grain
alone, he would account for only two acres of grain in a year's time. However,
if that same person were to subsist on one cow and two pigs, he would account
for six acres of grain. So more acreage of grain would be necessary for the
sustenance of one person, the higher up in the food chain he eats.
So it can be said that the cow and two pigs have a greater
biological value because as sustenance for a person they represent six
acres of grain, as compared to the two acres of grain a person would consume
if he ate the grain directly. It is an interesting consideration to me because
it seems to me that if conditions became severe (famine), then less grain might
be "wasted" on domestic animals and more grain would be consumed directly by
people, in order that the available harvest and food would go farther in feeding
them and there would be enough food to go around. It would seem that under such
conditions the people would live less "high on the hog." They would probably
eat more beans and rice and grains rather than the biologically "costly" meats
and proteins.
This causes me to wonder if diets high in carbohydrates and low in protein
do not send a signal to the body that times might be hard, encouraging the body
to enter into the conservation mode. I wonder too if diets higher in protein
and lower in carbohydrates signal the body that times are plentiful, and by
keeping a little bit of food on the stomach all day (with six meals a day) the
body might have less incentive (won't think it's starving) to enter into the
conservation mode, and indeed might be more prompted to enter into the productivity
mode. This may partly explain why hypoglycemic diets are very helpful for WTS sufferers. Second, some of the symptoms of Wilson's Temperature Syndrome are consistent
with symptoms of low blood sugar, for example, night
sweats that wake a person in the middle of the night, clamminess, lightheadedness,
shakiness, headaches, and even anxiety.
Patients have noted that these symptoms are sometimes improved
in the short run by drinking a glass of orange juice or having something to
eat. It is interesting that many diabetics have noticed that when their
blood sugars are low, their body temperatures are low and when their blood sugars
are higher, their body temperatures are higher. Hypoglycemic diets may be
helpful in these patients to the extent that they help prevent low blood sugar
levels and, therefore, help prevent lower body temperature patterns.
Patients suffering with Wilson's Temperature Syndrome occasionally suffer
from intense and previously unfamiliar cravings for sweets. The low body temperature
patterns might affect the function of enzymes involved in glucose metabolism
which may result in lower blood sugar levels which might contribute to sweet
cravings.
Another observation is that WTS sufferers frequently do most
poorly on a diet regimen that might put more of a strain on blood sugar levels
namely; not eating anything all day and just eating dinner at night right before
going to bed. Interestingly, many patients with WTS , especially those who work
have fallen into this very eating pattern - which is not preferable.
As an aside, many times a patient's predisposition towards
having these symptoms of hypoglycemia has been resolved with normalization of
body temperature patterns with the WT3 protocol. The WT3 protocol may help
eliminate hypoglycemic tendencies by limiting blood sugar fluctuations by limiting
temperature fluctuations.
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Definitive Treatment with the WT3 protocol
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If T3 therapy is not done properly, patients can waste a lot of time and money (on visits
and medicine) without even knowing it. We use the term Wilson's T3 Therapy (the WT3 protocol)
to distinguish our protocol from other ways doctors give T3 medicine.
The WT3 protocol for Multiple Enzyme Dysfunction due to low
body temperature patterns is directed towards normalization of body temperature
patterns in order to relieve the symptoms of MED. In many cases the symptoms
of MED have been seen to be almost inseparably related to body temperature patterns.
The WT3 protocol can often very effectively, predictably, reproducibly,
and comfortably influence body temperature patterns. The symptoms of MED and
body temperature patterns have frequently been seen to remain persistently improved
even after the WT3 protocol has been discontinued. So the WT3 protocol can be useful as
a symptomatic (addressing the symptoms) and/or a therapeutic (correcting the
underlying problem) intervention for the symptoms of MED due to low body temperature
patterns especially when due to Wilson's Temperature Syndrome. This book contains a good
description of the treatment for Wilson's Temperature Syndrome but any doctors, or patients
for that matter, that are actually pursuing the treatment of Wilson's Temperature Syndrome
are referred to the Doctor's Manual for Wilson's Temperature Syndrome (currently in its
6th Edition). Over a year was spent carefully revising it. It contains the treatment
protocol in full detail, including the answers to all the questions that come
up with the WT3 protocol. There's an illustration on almost every page, 8 case
studies, 12 pages of management flow-charts, and lists of the important points
and questions, and their answers (you can read it here
for free online). When this book and the first edition of the
manual first came out, the response was overwhelming. There are over a thousand
doctors treating this now. It became immediately obvious that I would not be
able to personally assist every doctor or patient with the protocol. But perhaps
only WTS sufferers themselves, felt any more acutely than I, the need for me
to make my experience available to other doctors. So I poured it into the Doctor's
Manual. The protocol is finite, and it's in there.
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The proper treatment for decreased thyroid system function
in any given patient certainly depends on the underlying cause. As discussed
previously, there are several causes of DTSF, low body temperature patterns,
and the symptoms of MED, and more than one cause can be present at the same
time. DTSF can be caused by a hypothalamic problem, hypopituitarism, hypothyroidism,
and Wilson's Temperature Syndrome.
Hypopituitarism and hypothyroidism both result in deficient
production of T4, which is the raw material the body uses to produce the active
thyroid hormone T3. In such cases the treatment of choice is T4 because of its
long half-life (which helps provide steady T3 levels), once-a-day administration,
and usefulness in the treatment of such cases. Patients with hypopituitarism
and hypothyroidism may, however, suffer with Wilson's Temperature Syndrome at the same time.
In such cases, T4 therapy may not be adequate because impaired conversion of
the T4 supplementation to the active compound T3 may prevent sufficient normalization
of body temperature patterns, and, in some cases, can even feed the vicious
cycle of Wilson's Temperature Syndrome.
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Let us consider the case of a perfectly healthy (no symptoms
of any kind), 35-year-old woman who suddenly develops classic signs and symptoms
of DTSF due to hypothyroidism (low thyroid gland function), demonstrated
with blood tests showing T4 levels below the lower limits of normal and TSH
levels being above the upper limits of normal. The patient is started on T4
therapy (the treatment of choice for decreased gland function) with many
of her symptoms improving and many of the symptoms resolving completely. The
T4 therapy is used to return the blood test levels to their normal ranges in
the hopes of eliminating all of her symptoms completely. Unfortunately, even
upon normalization of the blood test levels, and even after months and years
of T4 therapy, the symptoms of DTSF, which first appeared with the development
of her hypothyroidism, are still not resolved completely and the patient's function
still remains quite unsatisfactory. The symptoms persist, even after T4 therapy
has been used to correct the T4 and TSH blood test levels to within normal limits.
So the T4 therapy might replace the T4 that the body is not producing in sufficient
levels to bring the T4 level on the blood test back up within the normal range,
and satisfy the pituitary gland resulting in normalization of TSH test levels,
but the patient may still have symptoms of DTSF. So blood tests aren't always
extremely predictive in how well a patient is going to feel with treatment and
how well the thyroid system will be returned back to normal. The reason
for this is obvious, because, again, where the "rubber meets the road" in the
thyroid system, is not in the pituitary gland, nor the thyroid gland,
nor the blood stream, but at the level of the thyroid hormone/ thyroid hormone
receptor interaction at the level of the nuclear membrane of the body's cells.
Therefore, just because circulating raw material (T4) levels
have been changed through the use of T4 supplementation to the satisfying of
the pituitary and thyroid hormone blood tests does not necessarily mean that
adequate levels of T3 are being provided to the active site of the thyroid system.
To think so is a little like thinking that one can tell how fast a car is traveling
based on how far down the gas pedal is pressed. The pedal may be pressed down,
but whether a car is traveling 55 MPH depends also on how well the engine is
combusting the fuel, what gear the car is in, and whether it is going up or
down hill. Some cars cannot travel 55 MPH no matter how far down the gas pedal
is pushed. So a patient can have normal blood tests all day long and still have
classic signs and symptoms of Wilson's Temperature Syndrome or DTSF.
This explains some blood test abnormalities and responses to
treatment which many people apparently think are not possible. For example,
it is commonly thought that elevated T4 levels and low TSH levels necessarily
indicate excessive thyroid system function. Most people think that such blood
test findings should correlate well with symptoms of hyperthyroidism (excessive
thyroid gland function). However, I have seen patients with elevated T4 levels
and low TSH levels who showed the classic signs, symptoms, and presentation
of Wilson's Temperature Syndrome, and whose symptoms of WTS or DTSF resolved quickly and
easily with the WT3 protocol. This situation can be seen in both patients who
are on no thyroid medication and, especially in patients who are being treated
with T4 therapy prior to presentation. In fact, many times patients will come
to my office being treated with T4 medicine with T4 levels being above normal
in the 15 to 18 range, when the normal range is between 4 to 12. They also sometimes
have exceptionally low TSH levels (thyroid stimulating hormone) indicating almost
complete suppression of their pituitary gland and, therefore, their own thyroid
gland function by the T4 medication they are being given by mouth. Such blood
test findings would usually lead a doctor to conclude that if the patient is
having any complaints that they necessarily would be due to hyperthyroidism.
But sometimes these patients have classic signs and symptoms of decreased
thyroid system function and respond very well to weaning the patient's excessively
high T4 supplementation and to the administration of the WT3 protocol. So even
though the patients have more than enough T4 floating around in their blood
stream according to their blood test levels, they may still lack sufficient
levels of the active thyroid hormone at the level of the nuclear membrane of
the cells due to impaired T4 to T3 conversion.
Actually, impaired T4 to T3 conversion can be made worse with
T4 therapy. If a patient cannot convert the T4 produced by their own body
very well, then it is likely that they will not be able to convert effectively
T4 given by mouth. In such cases, T4 can actually feed the vicious
cycle which leads to Wilson's Syndrome. That is, if more T4 is given to the
body and that T4 cannot be properly converted to T3 either, then more T4 will
be shunted towards RT3 which may result in further competitive inhibition of
the enzyme 5'-deiodinase, leading to further T4 to T3 conversion impairment.
In fact, some of the most severe derangements of the thyroid system that I have
seen are in patients who seem to have been pushed too far in the wrong direction
with the wrong thyroid hormone medicine, namely T4. The RT3 levels are frequently
more elevated in these cases than in other cases of Wilson's Temperature Syndrome. Frequently,
these patients will also have the highest RT3/T3 ratio. So non-judicious use
of thyroid hormone supplementation may feed the vicious cycle of Wilson's Temperature Syndrome
rather than reverse it.
I'm not saying that T4 medication is not sometimes a preferable
and excellent method of treatment. I'm just saying that it is not always
the treatment of choice. And, in every case the choice of thyroid hormone medication,
how it is started, how it is adjusted, how it is monitored, and whether or not
it should be changed, depends on the underlying cause of the patient's DTSF.
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Of course, one approach to alleviating Wilson's Temperature Syndrome is
to address and eliminate possible contributing causes or factors. If Wilson's Temperature Syndrome is made worse under conditions of severe stress, one may seek to eliminate
such conditions. If periods of starvation, excessive dieting, or certain kinds
of diets send signals to the body that times are "tough" and that the body should
enter into the conservation mode, then one may also seek to change those conditions
when possible. If elevated levels of RT3 serve to perpetuate the vicious cycle
of Wilson's Temperature Syndrome, then one may seek to decrease the levels of RT3 in a person's
body. RT3 is produced by the body from T4, so one way of reducing the levels
of RT3 is by reducing the levels of T4. Of course, lowering T4 levels results
in a decreased supply of raw material with which the body may make T3. However,
the body's T3 levels can be supplemented with T3 taken by mouth.
One may decrease T4 levels by decreasing the levels of thyroid
stimulating hormone which regulates the body's production of T4. The body's
thermostat (pituitary gland) decreases TSH production when there is a certain
amount of T4 and/or T3 already present in the system. So TSH production can
be decreased when the body itself produces a certain level of T4, when
it produces a certain level of T3, or when it produces certain levels of T4
and T3.
Likewise, the body's production of thyroid stimulating hormone
can be decreased when a certain amount of T4 is added to the system by
mouth, when a certain level of T3 is added to the system by mouth, and
when certain levels of T4 and T3 are added to the system by mouth. Interestingly,
when T4 is added to the system by mouth, decreased TSH levels and increased
T4 levels may result. However, when T3 is added to the system by mouth,
there may result decreased levels of TSH and decreased levels of T4.
In either case, the body still has a source for the critical thyroid hormone
T3. How adequately those sources are being utilized, however, depends on how
adequately the body is converting the T4 to the critical T3, and how sufficiently
and steadily the T3 is being supplied by mouth and absorbed by the system.
The WT3 protocol by mouth can accomplish two things at once. It
can provide sufficient levels of T3 at the active site to generate adequate
body temperature patterns while reducing TSH production, thereby
reducing T4 production, thereby reducing Reverse T3 production, thereby decreasing
the impairment of T4 to T3 conversion by decreasing competitive inhibition for
the converting enzyme. This is important because it can provide for a "resetting"
of the system, thereby improving the body's chances of being able to once again
properly convert T4 to T3.
As an analogy, we can consider the function of a seat belt.
If a person's seat belt "catches" before it can be fastened when it is only
half-way across the person's lap, then, try as he might, he will not be able
to pull the seat belt any further in order to fasten it until he first lets
it go backwards. The seat belt mechanism is reset by disengaging the component
that is preventing further advancement. This is accomplished by letting the
seat belt be retracted to its starting position.
Likening the thyroid system to this analogy, one component
that can hinder the return of a temporarily impaired conversion of T4 to T3
back to normal is the transient elevation of RT3 levels that can result from
the impaired conversion. This may lead to a vicious cycle which causes the system
to be "stuck" in a position in which there is insufficient conversion of T4
to T3 (this cannot be easily be detected with blood tests). But in order for
this conversion to be increased, it must first be decreased in order to "reset"
the system by decreasing T4 levels and thereby, decreasing RT3 levels in order
to disengage the component that is preventing further advancement. Then when
the treatment is weaned, the T4 to T3 conversion can return to more normal levels.
The only difference between the analogy of the seat belt and the thyroid system
is that the WT3 protocol is not only useful in "resetting" the system, but also
in providing necessary levels of T3 for adequate, if not ideal, functioning
in the meantime.
Another example that can be considered in understanding the
rationale for the WT3 protocol, is the example of the use of birth control
pills in patients with irregular periods. There are times when women begin having
irregular periods. Their periods can be out of synchronicity, excessively heavy,
too light, or skipped completely. In such cases female hormone blood tests and
other tests are often found to be completely normal. The only indication that
there is a problem is that the woman notices a change in the pattern of her
menstrual cycles which she feels is inappropriate and undesirable. Upon careful
history and examination, her physician may agree that the symptoms she describes
are inappropriate and undesirable. Without any tests available to determine
the underlying problem the doctor often suspects a female hormone imbalance.
Based on that suspicion, every day, many such patients across the country are
given a therapeutic trail of birth control pills by their doctors in an attempt
to "regulate" their menstrual irregularities. These patients can sometimes be
"cycled" on birth control pills for several months causing their female hormone
system and menstrual cycle to fall into a normal pattern again. After the system
has been placed into a normal pattern again, the patient may be weaned off the
birth control pills and enjoy a persistent improvement and normalization of
her menstrual cycles.
This is the same goal of therapy for DTSF due to Wilson's Temperature Syndrome.
If a patient's thyroid system is inappropriately stuck in the conservation mode,
then the patient may be cycled on proper thyroid hormone treatment to again
establish the proper pattern and balance for a period to time. Then when a patient
gradually weans off the medicine, the responsibility of normal thyroid system
function is returned to the body gradually, and the patient is frequently able
to enjoy persistent improvement and normalization of the system even after thyroid
medication is weaned.
When birth control pills are given to women with irregular
periods, their own female hormone system function decreases to a great extent,
if not completely, while the birth control pills are taking control of the system.
Once the proper pattern has been set or the female hormone system has been "regulated",
the birth control pills can be weaned in the hopes that the patient's body can
maintain the newly reset proper pattern on its own once again. In that same
way the WT3 protocol can be used to take control of the thyroid system for a time,
and set it into a proper pattern. When the body temperature patterns have been
normalized, then the WT3 protocol can be weaned in the hopes that the body can
maintain the newly set proper balance once again on its own by gradually returning
the responsibility of proper thyroid system balance back to the body.
So no matter where the problem is located in the thyroid hormone
system, whether it is in the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, thyroid gland, conversion
of T4 to T3, or even in the thyroid hormone receptors, the bottom line of therapy
is always to adjust the medication in the thyroid hormone system in such a way
as to provide a sufficient and desirable pattern of interaction between the
thyroid hormones (primarily T3) and the thyroid hormone receptors at the nuclear
membrane of the cells of the body.
If the problem is in the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, or
thyroid gland, resulting in insufficient production of T4, then T4 supplementation
can be given to provide sufficient raw material for the body to make the active
thyroid hormone T3. In this way T4 supplementation can indirectly produce sufficient
T3 stimulation of the receptor sites, to generate normal body temperature patterns
(providing the body can adequately convert the raw material T4 to the active
thyroid hormone T3). But if the problem is in the conversion of T4 to T3 and
the body is already having difficulty converting its own T4 to T3, then it often
has difficulty converting T4 given by mouth (which again can actually worsen
the thyroid hormone imbalance responsible for Wilson's Temperature Syndrome). So, many times
T3 supplementation is preferable in treating patients with Wilson's Temperature Syndrome,
since not only can it provide the T3 necessary for thyroid hormone receptor
interaction, but it can also reverse the imbalance of the thyroid hormone system
that may have caused the impairment to begin with.
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The WT3 protocol Helpful For Many
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It is really hard for anyone to understand how debilitating
Wilson's Temperature Syndrome can be until they have experienced it personally or have been
closely associated with someone that has suffered from it. It is so common that
there are a whole lot of people who could benefit from the WT3 protocol just
as there are a whole lot of people who benefit from taking aspirin, birth control
pills, female hormone replacement therapy, blood pressure medicine, and others.
Some wonder, "How could so many people benefit from the same
medicine? Shouldn't different people need different medicines?" Giving the WT3 protocol
to a Wilson's Temperature Syndrome sufferer can be similar to giving insulin to a diabetic.
If one is treating diabetes, then one frequently prescribes insulin; and when
one treats Wilson's Temperature Syndrome, one frequently prescribes liothyronine (T3). Diabetics
are frequently deficient in insulin and therefore, are supplemented with insulin.
Wilson's Temperature Syndrome patients are frequently deficient in T3 and are frequently
best supplemented with T3. And, if it is very common, a significant portion
of the population may benefit from the WT3 protocol at one time or another in their
life. Just as many of us have sustained injuries that "needed stitches" to better
treat the wound and promote healing, many of us have and will sustain "injuries"
that may "need T3" to reverse the impairment and promote the return of normal
functioning.
The WT3 protocol is a tool that can be commonly used to make all
the difference in a person's life. It is not candy and should not be taken for
the fun of it, nor is it completely without risk. But when used properly, it
can produce benefits that many patients have considered to be in the "miracle"
category. The treatment is not intended to elevate anyone's level of metabolism
or thyroid system function above normal, but to bring it back up to
normal. The WT3 protocol is not intended to "burn the candle at both ends"
and make someone able to perform at above normal levels. Thyroid hormone medication
is not "speed" and excessive levels do not cause a person to feel well, high,
or above normal, but actually results in side effects and decreased benefit.
Thyroid hormones don't have their action specifically on the nervous system
but on the cells of the body, in general.
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The treatment in this section is not the treatment of choice
for all causes of decreased thyroid system function, just Wilson's Temperature Syndrome
(due to an impairment in the conversion of T4 to T3). Proper treatment of DTSF
depends, in every case, on the underlying cause and this chapter describes only
the preferred treatment for Wilson's Temperature Syndrome.
As described more fully in Chapters 4 and 6, the following
1. Past Medical History including previous surgeries,
reproductive history, current medical problems, and the like.
2. Family History in terms of thyroid, cardiovascular and other problems
is also important.
3. Current Medicines considered in terms of how they may interact
with thyroid medicine, and in terms of whether or not they might be contributing
to the symptoms, if not the problem.
4. Patient's Complaints, when they started, and under what circumstances
they improved or worsened are also important. When the symptoms come on
together, it is more likely that they are related.
5. Body Temperature Patterns are extremely useful in helping to predict
whether or not a patient's symptoms may respond to the WT3 protocol.
6. Nationality or heritage can be like the icing on the cake.
If no other apparent cause of the symptoms can be found, then one might consider
the WT3 protocol. Useful tests for this purpose include multichemistry tests,
complete blood count, EKG, and even ANA, SED rates and possibly others when
indicated. Thyroid hormone blood tests (including T4, TSH, Total T3 RadioImmuno
Assay (RIA), Total RT3 RIA) are recommended to rule out other obvious causes
of DTSF, and as a baseline to which later tests can be compared.
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Because of the daily cycles (and monthly in women) in body
temperature, I recommend that it be taken three times a day, three hours apart,
beginning three hours after awakening three days in a row, at times other than
ovulation or immediately premenstrually. Once treatment has been initiated,
however, I recommend that the body temperature patterns should be monitored
every day even at ovulation and premenstrually. It should be remembered that
although these are typical patterns, there are people whose body temperatures
do not follow these patterns. Special attention should be made to the patient's
body temperature patterns in relation to the pattern of their presenting complaint.
For example, if the patient feels worse in the morning, what happens to their
temperature pattern at that time? And if they feel worse at 3 o'clock, what
happens to their temperature pattern at that time? And if they feel worse two
days before their period what happens to their temperature during those two
days?
Dr. Barnes' basal temperature test involves taking the body
temperature under the arm prior to getting out of bed each morning. It is often
suggested that it be taken especially on the third day of the period when body
temperatures are supposed, by some, to be most normal.
Since I am mainly concerned with the symptoms that these patients
complain about, I am more concerned about the body temperature patterns at the
time their symptoms are most disturbing. If the patient's complaints affect
their productivity primarily during the bulk of the day, preventing them from
functioning normally at home or at work, then I am more concerned about their
body temperature patterns during the bulk of the day. If their complaints are
more severe in the morning or evening, then I may be more interested in the
body temperature pattern at those times. However, there are two more reasons
that I usually recommend that patients take their body temperatures more during
the bulk of their day, or what should be their most productive hours. One
is that most Wilson's Temperature Syndrome sufferers' symptoms take their toll in terms
of productivity, especially during the "productive" hours during the bulk of
the day (even though the symptoms may be worse in the morning until the body
temperature rises as the patient "warms up"). The second reason is that
if the patient's body temperature runs low when measured several times a day,
several hours apart, during the bulk of the day when the body temperatures are
usually at their highest ( as compared to low body temperature readings taken
in the morning when body temperatures are usually lower), then it is
even more likely that the patient's body temperature patterns are abnormally
low. By taking several temperatures during the bulk of the day when the temperature
is usually at its highest, it is felt that the results may be more meaningful,
with few false positives.
It should be remembered that one temperature by itself doesn't
mean a thing, since body temperatures normally fluctuate at different times
under different conditions. However, body temperature patterns can be
quite useful. I like to look at body temperature readings the way one looks
out over an ocean to determine whether it is choppy or calm or whether it is
high tide or low tide. Certainly the level of the body temperature is important
with both "low tide" and "high tide" being capable of causing symptoms. When
the body temperature patterns are "choppy" or unsteady, symptoms may also result.
Preferably, the body temperature pattern should be normal and steady to provide
maximal enzyme function and efficiency. One cannot determine by looking at the
crest of one wave whether it is high tide, low tide, choppy, or calm. One must
look out over the whole ocean to get a feel for the marine conditions. Likewise,
one cannot tell by one body temperature reading the nature of a person's body
temperature patterns, but one may get a feel for them by looking over all the
body temperature readings.
Patients' body temperatures are usually higher in the doctor's
office (like pulse and blood pressure readings presumably because of nervousness).
Because they are frequently higher, and because one body temperature by itself
does not tell very much, body temperature readings taken in the doctor's office
are not very useful. Patients are often already aware that their body temperatures
run consistently below normal. They have been told by nurses in hospitals or
doctor's offices that their temperatures run unusually low, that the "thermometer
must be broken", or asked by the nurses, "are you alive?"
Many times WTS sufferers will come down with a cold or flu,
feel feverish, and measure their body temperatures expecting high temperatures,
only to find that their temperatures are not very high and may actually be below
normal. WTS sufferers frequently indicate that temperatures that might not be
considered significant in most people indicate severe illness for them. They
equate a temperature of 99.4 for them to be like a fever of a 102 or 103 for
other people who are just as sick. They often say, "I have to get sick to run
a normal temperature," or, "If I run a temperature of 99.6 then I've got
to be really sick." Patients are often surprised when they follow their
body temperature patterns to see how low, and sometimes how erratic their body
temperatures do run. Some patients who feel hot all the time and sweat easily
are astounded to find that their body temperatures never get above 97.8 (8/10th's
of a degree below normal).
Digital thermometers can be less accurate when their batteries are low or
when they've been dropped 5" or more. But due to environmental legislation,
glass/mercury thermometers are becoming less available ( click here for an alternative). The important thing
is to see the change in the patients' temps with treatment. So if using digital,
patients should make sure to replace the batteries as needed (changed every
two weeks?), and to not drop their thermometers. Temperatures should be taken
at least 15 minutes after eating or drinking and should be taken for at least
4 to 5 minutes when using a glass thermometer. Fortunately, body temperature
patterns end up being of great predictive value in the monitoring of the WT3 protocol.
I consider daily temperature ranges of 2 to 3/10th's of a degree to be consistent
with a relatively steady body temperature pattern. Some patients, however, are
surprised to find that their body temperature patterns can fluctuate from 1
to 2, or even 3 whole degrees. Most patients that I treat typically present
with body temperature patterns averaging about 97.8 degrees, although symptoms
can be caused by temperatures closer to 98.6 degrees. Some patients have temperatures
between 96 and 97.8 degrees. A few have body temperatures less than 96 degrees,
and I have seen some patients with body temperatures that can go as low as 93
degrees at times.
The best indicator that a patient's symptoms are related to
their temperature pattern is that when the patient takes the right kind of thyroid
medication, in the right way, to get their body temperature pattern up to 98.6
degrees, and if the patient's complaints resolve within two days to two weeks,
then that is a pretty good indicator that one is on the right track. If the
patient's symptoms remain gone and his body temperature remains in the 98.6
degree range even after the WT3 protocol has been discontinued, then that is a pretty
good indicator that some persistent correction has been effected. This is what
is known as a therapeutic trial.
In a sense, everything in medicine, as discussed previously,
is a therapeutic trial. One never knows how a patient will respond to high blood
pressure medicine, asthma medicine, ulcer medicine, or antibiotics until they
are administered and the patient's response evaluated. In many ways, medicine
is far less of an exact science than some people make it out to be. The patient's
response to treatment helps to more firmly establish the diagnosis of the patient's
presenting problems and complaints. So, just like everything in life, physicians
can only do the best they can with what they have, going about their business
with the best tools available, working on correcting problems.
In spite of the fact that there are few medical problems that
respond to treatment as predictably as Wilson's Temperature Syndrome, the particulars of
the patients' response to treatment vary tremendously. The clinical patterns
and presentation of the classic signs and symptoms of Wilson's Temperature Syndrome, and
the body temperature pattern, can be extremely predictive and can predict favorable
response to therapy in 95% of cases. There are few problems in medicine that
can respond as predictably and reproducibly as Wilson's Temperature Syndrome can to
the WT3 protocol. In this sense, the clinical pattern of presentation or clinical
picture and body temperature patterns are extremely accurate and valuable tests.
Nevertheless, as in all medical therapies, the treatment itself may be the test
that best helps determine whether the diagnosis was correct. If the patient
responds well to a specific therapy directed at the cause, then it is more likely
that the suspected cause was indeed the cause of the patient's complaints, and
it is more likely that the therapy resolved their complaints by successfully
addressing this cause, particularly if the symptoms remain resolved even after
the therapy has been discontinued.
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Potential Risks And Benefits
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Before starting the WT3 protocol as with any other medical therapy,
one must first consider the potential risks and benefits. One can increase
the chance of benefit and decrease the risk by ruling out other obvious causes
of the patient's presenting complaints. Some of the more important things
to rule out are Addison's Disease (adrenal insufficiency), Cushing's Disease
(excessive glucocorticoid), congestive heart failure, anemia, leukemia, atrial
fibrillation, irregular heart rhythms, lupus, Sjogren's Syndrome, and others.
It is important to rule these conditions out as well as possible and to think
of these things when considering treatment for Wilson's Temperature Syndrome because some
of these conditions can get worse with thyroid hormone treatment. This is especially
true of Addison's Disease, for example, which is sometimes characterized by
severe abdominal pain. These conditions are really quite rare, but are, nevertheless,
important to consider.
Let us now consider more specifically the risks of the WT3 protocol. Thyroid hormones
have been continually present in every person's body since birth. Adequate thyroid
hormone levels are necessary for survival. If someone is living, they necessarily
have T3 in their blood stream and if they are not on any medication, then they
have T4 in their blood stream as well. Unlike most other medications, thyroid
hormones are found in nature and in every person's body. This helps explain
why there has not been a reported incident of anyone having an allergic reaction
to thyroid hormone medication. Most other medicines, however, are designed by
men in laboratories, are foreign, and are different from the molecules that
are produced by the body naturally. For this reason, it is unlikely that thyroid
hormones have many long term side effects. It is unlikely
that thyroid hormones can directly damage tissues such as the brain, lungs,
heart, or other tissues, since these tissues have been exposed to the very same
hormone since birth. Thyroid hormones have been on the market for over 40 years
and have not been shown to increase the chance of a person developing cancers
or other unusual reactions in patients who have been treated with thyroid hormones
for several decades. In fact, patients are frequently told, once they have been
diagnosed as having DTSF, that they will need to take thyroid hormone medication
"for the rest of their lives." Thyroid hormone medication has been seen to be
tolerated well enough and to be sometimes necessary to take daily for the rest
of one's life.
There have been some studies recently to show that patients
in their later years who are being replaced with T4 supplementation levels that
are so high that the TSH level is below the lower limits of normal over a period
of years (even ten years), may have a higher degree of bone loss or osteoporosis
as compared to patients who are not on thyroid hormone medication. However,
that these patients TSH levels were suppressed significantly, indicates that
they might have been taking excessive levels of T4 supplementation. We have
already discussed how some patients' thyroid systems can be pushed too far in
the wrong direction with too much T4 supplementation. The cause of bone loss
in these patients has not yet been determined and body temperature patterns
have not been taken into account, and it may be that these patient's thyroid
systems were not being properly monitored and regulated.
Thyroid hormone supplementation cannot be properly monitored
if body temperature patterns are not taken into consideration. Just because
the patients' T4 levels were excessive does not necessarily mean that they were
getting sufficient levels of the active hormone T3. T4 is the thyroid hormone
preparation most often prescribed for long-term maintenance therapy and is generally
considered to be quite benign (not harmful). Of course, T4 is not the physiologically
active thyroid hormone, T3 is. T4 has to be converted to T3 before it has its
action. So essentially, T4 is "T3 waiting to happen." Therefore, in a sense,
when one takes T4, one is taking T3, thus the WT3 protocol does not expose the body
to any substances that T4 therapy doesn't. The effects of T4 and the WT3 protocol
on the body differ mainly in the extent to and the steadiness with which they
provide the body with the physiologically active thyroid hormone T3. These effects
can be maximized through the use of correct pharmacological principles. Also
T3 and T4 therapy can be judiciously combined in certain cases to take advantage
of the effects of each.
One interesting study showed that when some people are born
with out thyroid function, they can sometimes be supplemented with T3 instead
of T4. One such person was raised entirely on T3 medication and never had any
T4 in his body during his entire life. By the age of 26, he had grown and developed
normally.
The more substantive risks of thyroid hormone therapy are
more short term rather than long term. They are more due to the indirect
effects of the medicine (on blood pressure and pulse), than they are due to
direct tissue damage. If every medicine has a risk and I were to assign
one for the WT3 protocol, then I would say that if a person was on the verge of having
a heart attack or stroke anyway, changes in his or her blood pressure or pulse
could aggravate the situation like the straw that broke the camel's back. Other
factors that fall into the same category include: getting into arguments, driving
in heavy traffic on the interstate, and many other types of medicine (such as
caffeine, alcohol, decongestants, blood pressure medications, and others). If
a person already has a tendency towards having an irregular heart rhythm (of
which he or she is already aware, or that can be seen on an EKG), then the WT3 protocol
might increase that patient's chances of having irregular heart rhythms. If
a patient is not on the verge of a heart attack or stroke, then it would be
hard to see how the WT3 protocol can bring them there, since it is a hormone that
has been well tolerated in his/her body since birth.
The WT3 protocol is generally extremely well tolerated, and
when used with proper care and consideration, it is usually quite easily managed.
When properly managed, one does not expect any drastic problems because one
makes no drastic changes. The medication is started at extremely low levels
and increased in very small increments, so that if the patient does develop
any complaints, they usually come on gradually, not all at once. It is important
to take the medication on time and as directed.
Another important thing to remember is that not every doctor
currently understands the WT3 protocol or Wilson's Temperature Syndrome. It is important
not to stop thyroid hormone medicines (especially T3) abruptly.
There is quite a bit of mythology about the thyroid
system and thyroid hormone supplementation. This is easy to understand considering
the difficulty available tests have had in predictably and reproducibly measuring
the function of the thyroid system ( in relation to signs and symptoms
of DTSF). Some say that once on thyroid therapy, always on thyroid therapy,
but this is not necessarily true. Some say that taking thyroid hormone medication
will cause a person's gland to atrophy and that the gland will be ruined so
that he will always need thyroid therapy. That some patients will need to take
thyroid hormone medication for life is true, especially those patients who no
longer have a thyroid gland. However, not all patients on thyroid medication
will have to take it forever. And temporarily suppressing the gland does not
mean that the gland will be ruined. I have seen many patients who have been
treated with T4 therapy for years (even 20 and 30 years), with their TSH levels
all the while being at or below the lower limits of normal (which indicates
that their pituitary gland's secretion of TSH had been suppressed by the T4
medication resulting in almost complete suppression of the patient's thyroid
gland). These patients sometimes present, nevertheless, with classic signs and
symptoms of DTSF in spite of being on years of T4 therapy. With careful weaning
of T4 therapy and administration of the WT3 protocol, the patients' cause of
DTSF (concurrent Wilson's Temperature Syndrome) can often be reversed with resolution of
their symptoms of MED with normalization of body temperature patterns. Upon
gradually weaning the WT3 protocol, these patient's thyroid gland production of
T4 can often resume again on its own for the first time in 20 to 30 years (especially
in cases in which the patients' original diagnosis was based on less than solid
evidence - which is often the case). These patients are sometimes able to wean
off the WT3 protocol and maintain normal body temperature patterns and resolution
of the symptoms of MED on their own. If a thyroid gland can function normally
after being suppressed for 20 or 30 years, it is hard to imagine a normal thyroid
gland's function not resuming after being suppressed for two weeks, two months,
or even two years. There is no medical literature that demonstrates that suppression
of the thyroid gland with thyroid hormone supplementation can result in permanent
damage to the thyroid gland. In the approximately 5, 000 cases that I have treated,
I have never seen it happen. Of course, I suppose in medicine anything that
can happen does happen, and therefore, thyroid hormone supplementation
should not be taken casually and should only be taken if it is decided by the
patient and the doctor that the potential benefits outweigh the potential risks.
Then one might consider a therapeutic trial of the WT3 protocol.
It is understandable how the body and thyroid gland tolerate
thyroid hormone supplementation so well when one considers that the thyroid
system is not a static system but a dynamic one. The thyroid hormone levels
are constantly being adjusted by the body to accommodate different circumstances.
So if the thyroid system can adjust to drastically different physical and environmental
changes, and then can adjust back to normal once those changes have passed,
it is easy to see how the thyroid system can adjust back to normal after "artificial"
adjustments have been exerted on the thyroid system for a time with thyroid
hormone supplementation.
The potential side effects of thyroid hormone treatment
are very similar to the symptoms of DTSF. This is because the symptoms are "thyroid"
symptoms. If the symptoms are treated properly, then they will improve.
If they are improving with treatment for a time and for some reason the treatment
is not done properly or other problems occur, then the symptoms that have improved
might begin to get worse again. So in that sense, they might be considered side
effects from the treatment. In other words, if the system is affected properly,
the symptoms get better and if the system is being affected improperly, the
symptoms can get worse again and in that sense be considered "side effects."
That is why many patients can have many of the "side effects" prior
to treatment that are correlated with treatment such as shakiness, lightheadedness,
hot flashes, fever blisters, weakness of the legs, panicky feelings, fatigue
especially after a meal, jitteriness, diarrhea, constipation, sweating, dizziness,
leg cramps, etc. If a patient should develop any symptoms or side effects
from the treatment, it is an indication that the thyroid hormones are not adjusted
properly and that the medication needs to be adjusted.
Thyroid hormone therapy should not be considered a "no
pain, no gain" treatment. There is no point in "toughing out" any sensations
that might remotely be considered side effects of therapy, because ideally,
the symptoms are supposed to only improve with absolutely no complaints. Again,
any complaint that is in any way suspected to be related to the medicine
should be considered an indicator that the thyroid hormone treatment might be
less than ideally adjusted. The side effects, like the symptoms, can be caused
by body temperature patterns that are too low, too high, or unsteady.
The medication should not be stopped abruptly. One might wonder what
effects such an action would have. If patients stop their the WT3 protocol abruptly,
nine times out of ten, they will not be able to tell the difference. Five times
out of one hundred, the patient may notice being more tired and achy; about
one time out of a hundred, the patient may become significantly more tired,
lightheaded upon standing, clammy, aware of low blood pressure,
and have other such symptoms for several days and even a few weeks. So it is
not advisable to stop the medicine abruptly.
Most of the patients that I treat have normal thyroid hormone
blood tests (which is typical of Wilson's Temperature Syndrome), and, by far, the majority
of them get better with treatment. In previous chapters the limitations
of the thyroid hormone blood tests have been thoroughly discussed. Suffice it
to say that thyroid hormone blood tests can be misleading, having a large number
of false negatives in the evaluation of DTSF and the symptoms of MED. Most of
the patients that I treat have normal blood tests much the way patients with
migraines, premenstrual syndrome, depression, irregular periods, and infertility
frequently have normal blood tests. Of course, patients are treated for migraines,
depression, and PMS every day because many doctors understand that our medical
technology is not exhaustive. They understand that there are still more things
that are unknown than are known.
How does the doctor know when a patient is suffering
from the symptoms they are describing, which happen to be consistent, for example,
with the clinical picture of migraine headaches? The only way he has of knowing
that a patient is suffering from such complaints is because the patient says
so and because the doctor believes the patient. Since there is no "migraine-o-meter,"
the doctor is left to make a provisional diagnosis and begin therapeutic trials
in an effort to alleviate the patient's condition. The same situation holds
true for depression and the administration of antidepressants which are among
the most widely prescribed medicines in the world. Doctors are doing the best
they can with what they have, and by approaching the problems of migraines,
depression, and PMS analytically, doctors have been able to relieve untold anguish
and misery. It seems very strange then, that the limitations of blood tests
and medical technology are so well recognized in certain areas of medicine,
while the results of tests seem to be unduly considered cut-and-dry, conclusive,
exhaustive, and infallible in others. Perhaps it is because thyroid hormone
blood tests can be useful in identifying some of the causes of
DTSF. But we must not jump to the conclusion that necessarily means that they
can identify all causes of DTSF.
With all of our knowledge, advancements, technology, and sophisticated
tests, we sometimes lose sight of the fact that tests are only as valuable as
they are useful in predicting the outcome of therapy and directing treatment
to make patients' problems better (which is the real goal of medicine). The
value of a test isn't always best measured by how difficult the test is to perform,
how much it costs to make or develop the machine used, or how expensive the
test is to obtain. Just because a test is extremely complicated, sophisticated,
and expensive, doesn't necessarily mean that it is extremely useful, predictive,
or valuable in addressing certain problems. Wilson's Temperature Syndrome signs and symptoms,
their clinical presentation, and body temperature patterns aren't expensive,
complicated, or technologically highly sophisticated, nevertheless, they are
extremely valuable in helping to predict who will and who will not respond to
the WT3 protocol, and in helping to direct that therapy. Often objective (from
tests) information has more predictive value than subjective (from the patient)
information in the diagnosis and treatment of medical problems. However, in
the diagnosis and treatment of Wilson's Temperature Syndrome, information obtained from
the patient ends up being extremely predictive.
For example, if a patient has a classic presentation of Wilson's Temperature Syndrome, it is easy to predict that a patient has a low body temperature pattern
and is likely to respond to the WT3 protocol. In fact, if I see 200 patients
with a classic presentation of Wilson's Temperature Syndrome, less than one would have a
normal body temperature pattern (running 98.6 degrees on average). In fact when
a patient relates to me a classic presentation of Wilson's Temperature Syndrome, I will
often tell them, "I know your body temperature runs low, have you ever noticed
that?" In many cases the patients are already aware that they have consistently
low body temperature patterns, but in some they are not. A few patients having
classic presentations for Wilson's Temperature Syndrome have gone home and measured their
body temperatures and found that their body temperatures were averaging normal
or above. To such patients, after making sure that they were not taking their
temperatures at the time of ovulation or just prior to their menstrual cycles,
I have made the comment: "That means your thermometer is broken and you should
check your temperature with another thermometer." These patients are often astounded
when they go home and find that sure enough, their body temperature patterns
do run consistently below normal when measured with another thermometer. I have
been so bold as to make such statements because in a patient with a classic
presentation of Wilson's Temperature Syndrome, there is more chance that the patient's thermometer
is broken than there is that the patient has a body temperature pattern that
runs consistently normal or above. Patients with classic signs, symptoms,
and presentations of Wilson's Temperature Syndrome will notice an unequivocal improvement
in their symptoms with the WT3 protocol in 95% of cases. There are very few
medical problems that respond as reproducibly and predictably to treatment (with
or without technologically sophisticated testing) as does Wilson's Temperature Syndrome
respond to the WT3 protocol. DTSF symptoms that come on after a major stress
associated with low body temperature patterns and normal thyroid blood tests
are almost pathognomonic for Wilson's Temperature Syndrome. Pathognomonic is a medical term
that means that it is specifically distinctive or characteristic of a disease
or pathologic condition; denoting a sign or symptom on which a diagnosis can
be made.
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If blood tests and physical examination reveal no other good
explanation for the patient's classic signs and symptoms of DTSF, then one may
suspect an impairment in the conversion of T4 to T3 thyroid hormones and one
may consider a therapeutic trial with the WT3 protocol. The goal of the WT3 protocol is
really made up of two subgoals.
1. Feel well while on the WT3 protocol.
2. Remain well after the WT3 protocol has been discontinued.
These subgoals can be achieved separately or concurrently. During the course
of treatment, the symptoms may resolve, but that doesn't necessarily mean that
they will stay resolved after therapy is weaned. Sometimes several cycles of
treatment are necessary in order to have the symptoms resolve and remain resolved
even after the WT3 protocol has been discontinued. Sometimes the symptoms resolve
only after the WT3 protocol is discontinued. This is because the accomplishing
of each subgoal is predicated upon a different factor. The first subgoal is
predicated upon providing sufficiently normal and steady T3 levels to provide
sufficiently normal and steady body temperature patterns to maintain normal
enzyme activity, to eliminate and prevent the symptoms of MED characteristic
of DTSF due to Wilson's Temperature Syndrome. The second subgoal is predicated upon reversing
the imbalance leading to impaired T4 to T3 conversion well enough that the body
can maintain, on its own, proper thyroid system function once the WT3 protocol
has been discontinued. The WT3 protocol accomplishes this goal by reducing competitive
inhibition at the level of 5'-deiodinase by systematically reducing RT3 levels,
and possibly by establishing a new pattern or new balance in the body's overall
system by indirectly effecting changes in other systems such as the female hormone
system, adrenal hormone system, glucose metabolism system, and others (rope
and ring analogy, see chapter 2).
Sometimes RT3 levels can be lowered to reduce their inhibition
of T4 to T3 conversion, even though the artificial levels of T3 have not been
stabilized sufficiently to completely eliminate the symptoms of MED. Yet, in
such cases, with the underlying impairment corrected and the body's own thyroid
system function being restored as the WT3 protocol is gradually discontinued, the
symptoms of MED may resolve more going off the WT3 protocol than they ever
did while on the WT3 protocol. This demonstrates that the body's own system
can be "reset" to function properly on its own, even if the artificial T3 therapy
could not be stabilized well enough (during a treatment cycle) to eliminate
or prevent the symptoms of MED in the meantime. Usually both subgoals can be
accomplished concurrently, but it should be remembered that they are not inseparable.
It is fortunate that, in almost all cases, the two subgoals can be accomplished
at the same time.
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Let us take a moment to discuss different types of thyroid medications available.
Some medicines contain only levothyroxine (T4), while others contain
only liothyronine (T3), while still others contain a combination of T4
and T3. A distinction can also be made between thyroid medicines that
originate from animal sources, and those that are made synthetically. In thyroid
hormone supplementation, it is important that each dose of the same strength
of medication given contain extremely similar amounts of the medication to help
provide normal and steady levels. Medications prepared from animal sources are
not considered to have as much consistency as compared to synthetic preparations.
Consistency is particularly important in the WT3 protocol. T3 medication is prepared
synthetically. With
the WT3 protocol, steadiness and consistency are everything
and I recommend the use of a special
T3 preparation that incorporates a sustained-release agent or vehicle used in
many sustained-release medicines on the market. It is to be taken every 12 hours.
To review, T3, T4, and RT3 look exactly the same, the way 3
keys look exactly the same except having one notch that's different (see diagram
2-3). The interesting thing is that RT3 has no activity at all, T4 has a little
activity, and T3 has four times more activity than T4 at the active site. Interestingly,
T4 is converted to T3.
It takes 7 1/2 days for 50% of a certain amount of T4 to be
degraded by the body, giving it a "half-life" of 7 1/2 days. The half-life of
T3 is shorter than that of T4 being only 2 1/2 days. Since T3 is four times
more active and is a third as long acting, and since the whole goal of the WT3 protocol
is to provide normal and steady T3 levels to the active site in order
to provide normal and steady body temperature patterns, it becomes apparent
that the WT3 protocol is most effective when done in a precise manner. T4 medication
having such a long half-life needs to be taken only once a day and can provide
steady levels of T4 and T3. Unfortunately, as pointed out previously, Wilson's Temperature Syndrome sufferers who have a hard time converting their own T4 to T3 often
cannot convert T4 medication sufficiently to provide sufficient levels
of T3 at the active site in a sustained manner, nor in a manner that could help
reverse the vicious cycle that contributes to persistent T4 to T3 conversion
impairment. T4 is usually not helpful in the treatment of Wilson's Temperature Syndrome
because it is not useful in systematically reducing RT3 levels, and because
improvement of WTS symptoms with T4 medication is usually short-lived (usually
about 3 months, if achieved at all). Increases in T4 therapy are then required
to maintain the improvements, thereby, often feeding the vicious cycle rather
than helping to reverse it. In fact, further increases in the T4 therapy can
then even begin to make the WTS symptoms worse.
T4 medicine is a very good medicine, and is the treatment of
choice for the other causes of DTSF. But since it is not generally useful in
accomplishing the two subgoals of treatment for Wilson's Temperature Syndrome, the WT3 protocol
is the treatment of choice. The whole trick to the WT3 protocol is to keep the
levels of T3 steady. This requires some care, consideration, and effort
considering the short half-life of T3. Most doctors seem to think of thyroid
hormone medication in terms of weeks and months, possibly because it takes weeks
for T4 medication to provide a "steady state" or prescribed level of T3. However,
T3 can be thought of in terms of minutes, days, and weeks since it can start
being absorbed into the body within 35 to 45 minutes after the dose and can
begin having an effect at the nuclear membrane receptors soon thereafter. This
is especially true with the WT3 protocol since it is already "active" and does not
need to wait around to be activated by the body.
Available medical resources suggest that T3 levels are more
steady when patients are given T4 than when T3 is given directly, and that side
effects are more likely when T3 levels are unsteady; yet they also suggest that
T4 medication and T3 medication both be given once a day. This does not even
make pharmacological sense. Normally, T4 is converted to T3 a little at a time,
thousands of times around the clock 24 hours a day. Is it any wonder
that this steady supply of T3 can't be closely approximated with T3 given only
once a day, or even several times a day? Is it any surprise that T3 levels
may be more unsteady when T3 is supplied only once a day as compared to thousand
of times around the clock? Perhaps this is one reason why the usefulness of
T3 has been overlooked for so long and it may be why the WT3 protocol is sometimes
considered to be somewhat prone to causing side effects. Of course, all medicines
are prone to being less useful and more likely to cause side effects when taken
in ways that do not make pharmacological sense.
There is nothing inadequate about T3 as a medicine or as a
molecule, apparently only our understanding and application of it has been inadequate.
In fact, it is one of the most important and useful of all medicines, and is
a molecule the body can't live without. There are some studies and people that
have "concluded" this and "determined" that about T3, the way one can look through
the wrong end of a pair of binoculars and "conclude" that they are not useful
for seeing long distances. It is amazing how using something correctly can make
all the difference in the world.
Some patients can tolerate the WT3 protocol given in single daily
doses, some tolerate doses taken twice a day, some three time a day. However,
in my experience, taking all patients as a whole, I feel that instant-release
T3 medicine should be taken at least every three hours, six times a day, consistently
by the clock in order to decrease the chances of side effects, and to increase
the chances of benefits. A new approach, however, involves incorporating
T3 into a sustained-release vehicle used in many sustained-release medicines
on the market. It is intended to be taken every twelve hours and to deliver
a little T3 thousands of times over a 12-hour period to provide a more steady
supply of T3. When taken twice a day, such a preparation is designed to provide
a more steady supply of T3 24 hours a day. So it is easy to understand why
such a preparation is far more effective in the treatment of Wilson's Temperature Syndrome
than instant-release T3. Since the possible side effects of T3 are most
often related to unsteady T3 levels, it is easy to understand also, why there
are far less side effects with the WT3 protocol incorporating a sustained-release
vehicle as compared to instant-release T3, and why it is much better
tolerated. The T3 incorporating a sustained-release vehicle needs to be taken
only twice a day as compared to six times a day, which makes it far easier for
the patients to take the medicine properly, and on time. Such a preparation
incorporating a sustained-release vehicle is not being mass-produced on the
market, but is being custom made or "compounded" by some pharmacists with a
special interest in compounding (for example, Medaus).
There are a few (approximately five percent of patients) who
do respond better to instant-release T3 than the T3 in sustained-release vehicle.
However, by far most patients respond far more quickly, far more completely,
and with far less side effects to a T3 preparation incorporating a sustained
release vehicle. In fact, the incidence and severity of side effects of the WT3 protocol
can be reduced approximately 20-fold through the use of such a T3 preparation,
as compared to instant release T3.
Many medications such as antihistamines, asthma medicines,
blood pressure medicines, and many others have proven to be much more efficacious
and better tolerated when administered in slow-release or time-release preparations
that maintain more constant delivery and blood levels. Considering the importance
of steady T3 levels, it is understandable why T3 in a sustained-release vehicle
would prove to be much more efficacious and better tolerated than instant release
T3. For this reason, I use, almost exclusively, such a preparation taken by
mouth every 12 hours in the patients that I treat for Wilson's Temperature Syndrome. It
is important that the such a preparation be taken by mouth every 12 hours, 30
days a month, at the same time every day. If a patient misses a dose by an hour,
he or she will probably notice no side effects and might conclude, therefore,
that the timing of the dose doesn't really matter. However, I always recommend
to my patients that if they want the medicine to work exceptionally well, then
they should take the doses right to the minute, not even three minutes late.
It is also best that the preparation be compounded with great care and precision.
I even recommend using a timer that automatically goes off every 12 hours. Because
being off 20 minutes here, and 30 minutes there can add up over a period of
a couple of weeks decreasing the potential benefits. Restoring the potential
once decreased can take two weeks or more and may require cycling.
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However, as soon as the initial doses are given, the body begins
to make less T3. So more T3 can be given by mouth to continue the effect to
bring the body temperature up to normal, and again the body may make less. And
again, then more can be given, and the body may make less. Interestingly, this
process also serves the purpose of resetting the system by diminishing T4 levels
and, therefore, RT3 levels. When the body temperature is brought up to a normal
level, the T3 dose does not need to be increased any further. In most cases,
the patient's body temperature can be brought up to average close to normal
on less than 150 micrograms per day (dosing discussed later this chapter). With
the initial dose of T3 adding additional T3 to the body, the body temperature
may be raised closer to normal. But when the body compensates by making less
T3, the body temperature may drop back down somewhat and the next incremental
increase of T3 can be given.
Different people compensate at different rates. The recommended
starting dose is 15 micrograms per day and the incremental increases are also
recommended to be 15 micrograms per day. On average, most people will compensate
to a 15 microgram incremental increase of T3 in the system within three or four
days. However, some may take up to three weeks to compensate in a reproducible
way to such an incremental increase. Some may compensate to a 15 microgram increment
in one day, and some may even compensate within hours. The more quickly a person
compensates to incremental increases of the WT3 protocol, the more difficult it is
to maintain very steady levels of T3 and, therefore, very steady body temperature
patterns. Three-week compensators, on the other hand, are usually very easy
to manage.
Sometimes, the body can compensate to supplemental the WT3 protocol
in such a way that the body temperature can actually drop instead of going up,
because of over-compensation. This presents a situation that is similar
to wanting to cross a street that has quite a bit of water in the gutters. If
you do not want to get wet, then you should run fast enough and jump high enough
to clear the water, or not jump at all. Because if you are too tentative, go
too slowly, and don't jump high enough, then you run the risk of getting wet.
So it is best to either take control of the system and to get the job accomplished
or to not affect the system in the first place. The WT3 protocol should not be undertaken
for the fun of it, but only when it is determined that the person's function
and quality of life is so impaired and unsatisfactory that the potential risks
are outweighed by the potential benefits. The WT3 protocol should only be undertaken
in a deliberate way to accomplish a specific objective. the WT3 protocol should be
administered in a very precise manner and never in a casual manner.
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It might be remembered that "the deeper the water, the deeper
the waves," and the higher the dose of T3 taken, then greater the tendency for
T3 levels to be unsteady. But since steadiness is everything, then it is easy
to understand why the people that always do the best are the ones that are lucky
enough to get their body temperature patterns up to normal on the smallest amount
of medicine. People who have been "out of bounds" further and longer may require
larger doses to reset their systems. If a person has only had Wilson's Temperature Syndrome
for six months, it is generally easier to restore them back to a normal pattern
more quickly with less medicine than those who have suffered for twenty years.
Interestingly, age, sex, and weight do not seem to be very predictive in determining
who will and will not require larger doses. The dose required does vary tremendously,
but is usually large in patients whose condition is more severe and more long
standing. Lower doses are easier to keep steady which increases the chances
of benefit, and decreases the chances of side effects. If a person does happen
to need more T3 than is contained in the lower doses to reset the system, then
one may always be gradually weaned off the medicine and restarted on the T3
therapy again. This process is known as "cycling" and is extremely helpful.
Usually with each cycle, smaller T3 doses are needed in order to maintain normal
body temperature patterns, and to further reset the system; so that the patient
can get closer and closer to normal on less and less T3 medicine until, ideally,
the patient is weaned off the WT3 protocol completely.
With each cycle requiring less medicine, T3 levels and body temperature patterns
become progressively more steady and the patient's symptoms are frequently more
improved and the treatment is better tolerated with each cycle until eventually,
hopefully, the patient is able to stay normal even after the WT3 protocol has been
discontinued. This cycling process can be repeated, as necessary, from time
to time during a patient's life if the conversion impairment returns after a
major stress. However, once it has been reset, the sooner the Wilson's Temperature Syndrome
relapse is treated, the easier it is to correct. If caught early, it can be
more easily "nipped in the bud" such that if an initial treatment lasted six
months, a subsequent treatment after another significant stress, say two years
later, may only take a week if the syndrome is recognized quickly and addressed
early enough in the proper manner. We have talked already about how much more
beneficial it is that the medicine be taken precisely on time. This is to keep
the T3 levels as steady as possible. There is a principle known as steady state.
When one begins to take a certain dosage of medicine, there is a period of time
over which the level continues to build until it steadies out at a certain level.
When the medicine reaches this certain level it is said that steady state has
been reached. In most cases, it takes 5 1/2 half-lives for a medicine to reach
steady state. For liothyronine, which has a half-life of 2 1/2 days, steady
state is reached in approximately 14 days. So when the dosage is changed or
interrupted in some manner, it may take two weeks in order for the medicine
level to "steady down" again (a significant consideration primarily in this
and other medicines that work best when levels are very steady). In practice,
I have seen evidence that the level sometimes continues to become more and more
steady on the same dose when taken consistently with greater and greater benefit
derived not over just two weeks, but sometimes even up to six weeks. It seems
to settle into a groove, so to speak, when taken precisely on time, consistently,
day after day. It may be that associated changes in systems other than thyroid
contribute to the settling effect. Any aberration in the dosage is usually tolerated
without complaints, however, it may send "ripples" through
the body's T3 levels the way ripples are sent through a water bed when one taps
the edge. Considering these things, and considering the fact that steadiness
is so important in the WT3 protocol, it cannot be over-emphasized how much more effective
the WT3 protocol is when administered and taken precisely. The more carefully
it is done the better it works. Preciseness is important because the loss of
potential will come on without warning since one can lose a whole lot of potential
before one's T3 levels are unsteady enough to cause any side effects.
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T3 Dosing, Steadiness Is Everything
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1. Since the less T3 one takes, the easier it is to keep T3
levels steady and the less chance there is of side effects, it is best to begin
with a small dose in the neighborhood of 15 micrograms per day (7.5 mcg by mouth
ever 12 hours).
2. Since the half-life of T3 is short (2 1/2 days), and since
side effects may result from T3 levels that are too low, too high, or unsteady,
it is critically important that the medication be administered in the right
dose and in a steady fashion.
3. Since the goal of the WT3 protocol is to normalize body temperature
patterns and to resolve the symptoms, if the goal is reached by using the starting
does of 15 micrograms per day, then the starting dose can be continued as maintenance,
or may be discontinued in the hope that a persistent correction has been effected.
These two alternatives can be considered at any time during treatment once the
goals of treatment seem to have been reached. This is true even if the average
body temperature is less than 98.6 degrees, but persistent resolution is more
likely with body temperature patterns averaging closer to 98.6 degrees.
One may wonder how soon the WT3 protocol can begin to be weaned once
the goals seem to have been reached. If a person's body is going to compensate
to a certain dose it will probably compensate within one day to three weeks.
So there is probably no benefit in waiting longer than three weeks, and, the
WT3 protocol may sometimes be weaned successfully much earlier than three weeks.
In fact, the shortest period of time that I have seen it take to pull a patient
with a classic presentation of Wilson's Temperature Syndrome from the conservation mode
back into the productivity mode is ten days start to finish. The patient was
able to raise her body temperature patterns up to normal within days of initiating
the WT3 protocol, was able to quickly resolve her symptoms of Wilson's Temperature Syndrome,
and was able to wean off the medication by the tenth day, enjoying a persistent
correction in her symptoms and body temperature patterns. She has been fine
ever since (approximately two years).
Sometimes the smallest starting dose is not enough to accomplish
the goals of treatment, namely to normalize body temperature patterns and to
bring the patient out of the conservation mode and return the patient to the
productivity mode. So progressively larger doses can be given to accomplish
the resetting of the thyroid system. However, the only reason to use higher
doses is so that one can be cycled onto lower doses. By gradually weaning off
the WT3 protocol, the responsibility for supplying the body with T3 is gradually
given back to the body. With the levels of RT3 having been decreased, as well
as other possible changes in the body having taken place, it is hoped that with
decreased inhibition at the site of 5'-deiodinase, that the body will be able
to better convert the T4 produced in its thyroid gland to the active thyroid
hormone T3. Fortunately, this is often the case and when the body can produce
sufficient levels of T3 through conversion of its own T4, it can generally do
it quite steadily (often more steadily than can be accomplished with medication
taken by mouth). If and when the body "tries its wings" again at T4 to T3 conversion
and enjoys a persistent benefit, but not a complete resolution of its Wilson's Temperature Syndrome symptoms, then subsequent cycles can be implemented in an attempt to
systematically, step by step, return the body fully to the productivity mode.
The first cycle I often refer to as the "reset cycle" since it is usually there
that the bulk of the work can be accomplished. Subsequent cycles remind me of
"fine tuning".
4. 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit measured orally is considered to
be normal body temperature under normal circumstances. Since the resolution
of the symptoms correlates with normalization of body temperature patterns,
and since the effects of a dosage level of the WT3 protocol can be evident within
hours and can be maximal within days, then if the symptoms have not satisfactorily
resolved with the starting dose and the body temperature is averaging below
98.6 and the patient is not having any side effects, then the daily dose may
be increased by an increment of approximately 15 micrograms per day up to the
next level of 30 micrograms per day. Since the risk of treatment increases with
increased side effects, the dosage should not be increased if the patient is
suffering from side effects (which is an indication that the medication may
not be adjusted properly).
5. If at any time the patient does have any side effects, the
patient may be weaned gradually off the WT3 protocol. If the temperature rises
significantly above 98.6 degrees, for example to 99 degrees, the patient may
be reduced gradually on the WT3 protocol.
6. If the symptoms are not significantly improved, the temperature
is averaging normal at 98.6 and there are no side effects, the patient may be
weaned off the T3 medicine. In a case like this, the T3 levels often steady
down as the patient weans off the WT3 protocol with the symptoms resolving only after
the patient's therapy has been weaned. If the patient's symptoms are not sufficiently
improved with the body temperature averaging around normal and the patient is
without side effects, it is probably because of unsteady T3 levels.
7. If the symptoms are not sufficiently improved, if the body
temperature average remains below 98.6 degrees, and if there are no significant
side effects, the daily dosage may be increased every one to three days in small
increments (15 micrograms per day) until: (a) the symptoms are gone; (b) the
body temperature averages normal; (c) there are side effects; or (d) levels
of 150 to 200 micrograms per day are reached. The higher the dose, the higher
the chances of side effects and there is usually little benefit in increasing
the dose higher than 150 to 200 micrograms per day. It is usually better to
wean off the medicine and then start it again (after at least a couple of days
of rest), since sometimes the body temperature cannot be brought up to normal
in one step no matter how much T3 is used, much the same way a car cannot be
jacked up with one push on the tire iron no matter how hard that push is.
8. At this stage, the WT3 protocol may be weaned and restarted or
cycled. By cycling, the patient usually is able to achieve more normal temperatures
on lower T3 doses. The closer the body temperature pattern gets up to normal
with previous cycles the more likely it is that less medicine will be needed
to reach the same temperatures with subsequent cycles. This can be thought of
as being like a car jack: if the weight of the car is pushed up high enough,
it can catch on the next step up. However, if it is not lifted high enough,
then it may slide back down to the level it is currently occupying. The less
the T3 dose, the more steady the T3 levels, the more effective the treatment,
and the less the side effects. The more normal the temperature, the more effective
the treatment and the less the side effects.
To wean, the daily dosage may be decreased in small increments,
for example, 15 micrograms per day at a time, at intervals necessary to prevent
a drop in temperature (generally in intervals of about two to ten days). As
it turns out, patients are able to increase their body temperature with the WT3 protocol,
often enjoy their body temperatures remaining close to the new increased level
even while weaning off the WT3 protocol. The trick to weaning off the therapy
in a way that permits correction to remain effective, is to wean slowly enough
that the temperature does not drop again. For obvious reasons, this is not best
attempted or easily accomplished under periods of extreme physical, emotional,
or mental stress (since stress often started the problem to begin with). Patients
are frequently able to wean off T3 by 15 micrograms per day, every two days
on average. Some have to wean off by 15 micrograms-per-day-increments every
four days and some have to go off every seven to ten days because if they go
faster than that their temperatures will drop. If the patient's symptoms resolve
or remain resolved completely after T3 is weaned, then the WT3 protocol need not
be restarted. Usually the less a patient's body temperature drops, the less
medication will be needed in the next cycle to bring the body temperature up
closer to normal. Sometimes with each cycle, the patient may enjoy a decrease
in the necessary dosage. It is common for patients to need only a 7th, a 10th,
a 20th, or a 25th of the amount of medicine in the second cycle to accomplish
the same as, or more than, in the first.
9. In cases where complete resolution of symptoms have not
been effected by way of the first cycle of the WT3 protocol, a second cycle may be
implemented. This is especially called for if the symptoms are positively effected,
if there was a net improvement in the symptoms from the first cycle, and if
there was a net change in the body temperature pattern. Almost always the patient
is able to achieve more normal body temperature patterns on less medicine than
the first cycle. This represents progress and this progress can be continued
until the patient is able to come closer and closer to normal (with symptoms
and temperature) on less and less T3 until the symptoms resolve and remain resolved
off the WT3 protocol.
One may wonder how much time there should be between cycles.
One purpose of weaning off a cycle is to let the body's own T3 production build
back up and steady down. This usually takes place within two weeks after a cycle
has been discontinued and there would be little added benefit in waiting longer
than two weeks. As it turns out, patients can generally tell when T3 levels
are steady and when they are unsteady, a patient may have a nondescript feeling
of being a little "off the mark" and the patient is often able to tell when
that feeling is gone once T3 levels become steady again. So a patient does not
necessarily need to stay off the T3 for two weeks between each cycle. If the
patient never noticed any sensation of unsteadiness while on the WT3 protocol,
then the next cycle can be initiated after two or three days of the previous
cycle (and after any sensations of unsteadiness have passed if they were noticed).
The more time between cycles, the more time the foundation has to steady down,
but one does not want the treatment to last unnecessarily long.
10. The treatment can be employed in the fashion described
above anywhere along the path from the beginning of the first cycle to the ending
of the last cycle. For example, if the patient is happy to feel normal again
for the first time in years, is not having any complaints, and is not anxious
to rock the boat, then the patient need not wean the WT3 protocol. If body temperature
patterns are normal and steady, and the patient is not having any complaints,
they may be maintained on the WT3 protocol for a time. Patients have been known to
take thyroid medication for decades (even T3). If the patient feels satisfactorily
improved and the body temperature patterns have been normalized, the WT3 protocol
can be gradually weaned if the patient would like to see if a persistent correction
has been effective. Or, if the patient's symptoms are quite a bit improved but
not completely resolved, the patient may:
(a) continue the process of increasing and decreasing the therapy
in an attempt to improve the level of correction;
(b) stay on the same dosage level in an effort to maintain
the same degree of correction to not "rock to boat" by taking the chance of
possibly having side effects on higher doses or by possibly losing ground by
weaning off the medication (this alternative is frequently useful during periods
of time when the patient is faced with severe stress such as family or business
problems), or;
(c) weaning off the medicine in the hopes of being able to
maintain the achieved level of correction until the treatment can be pursued
again at a later time (useful, for example, when a patient needs to go out of
town for many months). The problem usually gets worse in stages over time and
can frequently get better in stages over time as well.
11. Not only have the WT3 protocol cycles been used to coax the body
temperature to more normal levels, but they have also been used in cases where
the average body temperatures were at a normal level but were too unsteady,
for the purpose of attempting to make them more steady. Thus, the WT3 protocol can
also be implemented as a stabilizing influence on unsteady body temperature
patterns, and can thereby, sometimes resolve symptoms of DTSF. This situation,
however, is extremely rare. If the two subgoals of the WT3 protocol for Wilson's Temperature Syndrome
include going gradually up and down on the WT3 protocol to: 1. Feel well while on
the WT3 protocol, and 2. Remain well after the WT3 protocol has been discontinued; then
one might wonder when one goes up and when one goes down on the WT3 protocol. Again,
the only thing better than feeling well on medicine is feeling well off
medicine. A rationale follows:
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One can think of the WT3 protocol as the road that leads to a distant city. Along
that road might be two or three beautiful cities. While passing through these
cities on the way to one's final destination, one might appreciate them to the
extent that one might prefer to stay a few days in each town, rather than driving
straight through to the final city. Such decisions can be made based on available
time, condition or quality of the intermediate cities, road conditions, resources
(e.g., money), and priorities. Some people may prefer to drive straight through
to the final destination while others may prefer to make the trip in several
stages. So too are there many options in the progress of the WT3 protocol.
The ultimate goal or destination
for most Wilson's Temperature Syndrome sufferers is normalization of body temperature patterns
which are then maintained by their own body even after the WT3 protocol has been discontinued.
Some patients might have their reason to "drive straight through" to obtain
that destination (for example, they might not like taking medicine and may prefer
to stop taking the medicine as soon as is humanly possible, or they may be planning
to move away in the near future and may want to try to achieve their goal if
possible within the time period available). Others might have greater short
term needs like the tired and hungry traveler who stops for a time in a closer
city to eat, recuperate, and sleep on his way to his more distant, more desirable,
final destination. Some Wilson's Temperature Syndrome sufferers, having obtained a certain
level of improvement in their symptoms, may prefer not to change therapy for
a time, even though their improvement is less than complete. They may have felt
so badly for so long and may be so glad to feel halfway normal for the first
time in years, that they may not want to "rock the boat" for a time. Usually,
however, after they have "rested and recuperated" for a time, they gain the
confidence and desire to proceed from "city to city" a step at a time, getting
closer and closer to normal on less and less medicine, enjoying more and more
improvement in the symptoms with less and less chance of side effects until
ideally, the process is complete with the patient being normalized and remaining
so even after therapy has been discontinued.
"Road conditions" are also an important consideration. A patient
may be in the midst of starting a new business, selling his house, moving, and
taking care of his hospitalized mother's affairs, all at the same time. Under
such conditions, it may be preferable not to add to the patient's challenges
by making a lot of adjustments in his the WT3 protocol, especially if the preoccupying
conditions are not expected to last very long. It is sometimes better to weather
out the storm in one city before proceeding to the next one. The goal of T3
therapy is to use the treatment to artificially reset the system while providing
sufficiently normal and steady levels of the WT3 protocol. The body is given the opportunity
to maintain naturally what has been accomplished artificially. This cannot
always be accomplished in one step or "cycle."
There can be setbacks in progress. Since stress and starvation
are some of the things that can precipitate Wilson's Temperature Syndrome in the first place,
they can also impair the body's ability to maintain naturally what has been
established artificially. So again, if the patient is satisfactorily improved,
then it might be preferable for him to weather out the conditions of stress
and/or starvation (or perhaps significant dieting or exercise) before proceeding
to his final destination.
Let's suppose a patient who has been staying in a "city" wherein
her symptoms are improved, but her temperature is around 98.0, chooses to move
on the next "city". Since the patient is more likely to need less medicine with
the next cycle the closer her body temperature approaches 98.6, if the patient
is not having any complaints, it may be preferable to increase the WT3 protocol
in an attempt to "punctuate" the cycle by attempting to bring her body temperature
pattern up closer to 98.6 prior to weaning. Of course, the WT3 protocol may be
weaned if the patient develops any side effects, if the temperature goes above
98.6, or if the symptoms are not satisfactorily improved even if the temperature
is averaging 98.6. Cycling and getting on less T3, is generally the
"road" that leads to the final destination.
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Typical Responses To the WT3 protocol
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These principles may make it easier to understand typical patterns
of response to the WT3 protocol:
1. When patients begin the first cycle of the WT3 protocol, they
sometimes feel better in the first week of treatment than they do as the cycle
proceeds. This is understandable since in the beginning, the WT3 protocol is building
upon the steady foundation of the body's T3 with temperatures closer to normal
being achieved with relatively small doses which are easier to keep steady.
But as one increases the dosage in working towards the subgoals of therapy,
the more one takes, the harder it is to keep it steady, and so understandably
the improvement in the symptoms may not remain as great.
2. Some patients notice more improvement in their symptoms
of MED as they wean off a cycle of the WT3 protocol than they ever did going
on. This is understandable since the body sometimes maintains naturally
the level of body temperature achieved artificially more steadily than
was accomplished artificially.
3. Different levels of improvement can be achieved with subsequent
cycles. For example, a patient may achieve 60% resolution of his or her symptoms
with the first cycle with the symptoms remaining persistently improved to a
60% degree even after the therapy has been discontinued. Then sometime later
with a second cycle, the level of improvement may be brought up to 75%, which
may persist even after the cycle has been discontinued. And still another cycle
may bring the results up to 90% resolution of the symptoms. However, at any
time, if the patient is faced with significant stress or starvation conditions,
then the level of improvement may relapse back down to, say, 40% resolution.
4. The symptoms of MED are improved by the body temperature
being more normal and steady. The balance of these two
factors determines the level of correction of the symptoms. Patterns that are
less normal but more steady may result in increased benefit as compared to patterns
that are more normal and less steady. But patterns that are both normal and
steady are most preferable and most likely to result in a correction of the
symptoms of MED.
5. It is difficult to compare the body temperature patterns
of one person to another to predict the degree of improvement of MED symptoms.
The body temperature of one person compared to himself, however, can be quite
useful in predicting improvement in the symptoms of MED. For example, if
a patient's body temperature patterns become more normal and more steady with
the WT3 protocol, one can expect an improvement in the symptoms of MED even if the
patient's body temperature patterns are not as normal and not as steady as the
body temperature patterns that were necessary to alleviate the symptoms of some
other patient.
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Balancing With Other Systems
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We have described the inertia of the body's systems by using the example of
a ring with ropes tied to it, with each rope pulling with a different tension
such that all the tensions in the ropes balance out in such a way that the ring
maintains a certain position. In those simple analogies, we have imagined the
balancing of only a few forces. However, we can see that there are many systems
in the body and many forces at work that influence the overall balance or position
of the body. So rather than just a few ropes or forces at work, there are actually
many more, a few of which we have mentioned (female hormone, adrenal hormone,
thyroid hormone, glucose metabolism, stress, body shape, diet, exercise, medications,
etc.).
Frequently, the overall balance can be favorably normalized
with the WT3 protocol. The WT3 protocol can seemingly "pull" the thyroid system
and consequently even other body systems and forces into a new balance or position.
This "settling" may explain why symptoms sometimes continue to improve even
after steady state has been reached (in about two weeks) or even up to six weeks
or more.
Theoretically, the overall balance could possibly be manipulated through the
manipulation of other systems other than the thyroid system. the WT3 protocol may
be so much more useful, effective, reproducible, and predictable because of
the fewer number of variables involved. Just as it is easier to turn on
a light switch with one end of a ruler while holding the other end, than it
is to turn on that switch using a segmented bamboo toy snake that flops or "writhes"
when one holds it out by the tail against gravity. The greater the number of
variables or "segments" the more difficult it is to control a tool in the accomplishing
of a specific purpose. The female hormone system, for example, involves progesterones
and estrogens that go up and down independently, at different times of the month.
There are many different forms of estrogens and progesterones on the market,
both separately, and in different combinations. Such a complicated set of variables
would be, to say the least, extremely difficult to manage effectively, even
if the female hormone system could be manipulated to change the overall balance
of the body.
Since the overall balance of the body's system can usually be restored to a
desirable position with the WT3 protocol, when progress seems to get "stuck"
in terms of a lack of continued improvement in the symptoms of MED during the
process of cycling, one might look for "opposing" forces that may be resisting
further progress. Referring to the diagram below, one may see in the first situation
that if the forces are arranged in this first way then changing the tension
in one rope might more easily change the position of the ring than if the ropes
or forces are arranged in the second way. Since in the second situation there
may be more direct opposition to progress.

Thus, if progress in the resolution of the symptoms of MED is progressing predictably
and then all of a sudden seems to get "stuck", then one might look for systems
in which tensions can be changed to decrease resistance to improvement. For
example, one might consider decreasing a woman's female hormone dosage when
she is being treated with female hormones. The patient might be able to make
dietary changes that can better maintain favorable blood sugar levels such as
with a hypoglycemic diet. Life style changes may be effected to alter the stress
levels. Likewise, exercise activity, body shape (through weight changes), and
the doses of other medications can sometimes be manipulated in such a way as
to permit further progress and normalization of body temperature patterns and
functions. Of course, some of these measures can, and many times should be,
implemented from the start of the WT3 protocol as part of the overall plan of action.
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The information outlined in this treatment section of the book
is intended as a general overview. The specifics of treatment cannot be reviewed
in complete detail because they are outside the scope of this single book. The
information here is not intended to be considered exhaustive but is intended
to show the reader that there are definitely approaches that can be taken to
alleviate and often correct Wilson's Temperature Syndrome. Of course, the WT3 protocol
outline in this book cannot and should not be attempted without the supervision
of a physician. Despite the space limitation of this book it would probably
be helpful to include a few more details:
1. T3 is a temperature tool. Taking the WT3 protocol does
not alleviate the symptoms of MED. Achieving more normal and steady body
temperature patterns with the WT3 protocol frequently alleviates the symptoms of MED.
T3 is not the answer, it is a tool one may use in order to accomplish a certain
purpose. T3 is not a "cure-all" but it can be very useful in correcting an imbalance
in a vitally important system that can affect virtually every function of the
body. One cannot begin to hope for ideal functioning of one's health unless
he has adequate thyroid hormone system function.
2. Wilson' Syndrome sufferers who are being treated for hypothyroidism
deserve special consideration. Hypothyroidism can cause DTSF through inadequate
production of T4 from the thyroid gland, while Wilson's Temperature Syndrome can result
in DTSF because of impaired conversion of the T4 to the active thyroid hormone
T3. Some patients presenting to a physician with hypothyroidism may have their
hypothyroidism or low T4 production detected with thyroid hormone blood tests
which are usually very useful for this purpose. Normally, hypothyroidism is
corrected with T4 supplementation to the satisfying of these thyroid hormone
blood tests, causing them to return to the "normal range." In many cases, this
may also resolve the patient's DTSF since the patient may be able to adequately
convert the T4 supplementation given by mouth into T3.
As mentioned previously, the patients who do the best are the
ones who are able to get their temperatures closer to normal on lesser amounts
of T3 because, the lower the amount of T3, the easier it is to keep it steady.
However, the more T4 and RT3 that may be competing with T3 at the active site,
the more T3 that may be necessary in order to overcome that competition to provide
more normal body temperature patterns. If less T4 and RT3 were present, then
less T3 would be needed, since less competition would be present.
One can reduce RT3 levels by reducing the levels of T4, its
source. To decrease T4 levels, one may decrease T4 supplementation. T4 supplementation
may be weaned from .05 - .10 milligrams per day, per week, until the T4 supplementation
has been discontinued for a time. Of course, as the T4 supplementation is discontinued,
levels of T3 drop as well which can result in increased symptoms of DTSF. Generally,
it is preferable to withhold T3 supplementation for approximately seven to ten
days after T4 supplementation has been discontinued, especially if there is
not a worsening of the symptoms of DTSF. This is to allow levels of T4 and RT3
to decrease. If while the T4 therapy is being weaned, the symptoms of DTSF do
worsen, then low levels of T3 supplementation may be initiated to sustain T3
levels while T4 therapy is being weaned.
It is usually best not to increase the WT3 protocol in an attempt
to normalize body temperature patterns and to diminish the symptoms of
DTSF until approximately the tenth day after T4 therapy has been discontinued,
but only to prevent a worsening of the symptoms of DTSF in the meantime.
In this way, one may be able to avoid inadvertently increasing the WT3 protocol
to higher levels than would otherwise be necessary (lower T4 and RT3 levels
resulting from the weaning of T4 therapy lower the competition against T3 for
the active site so that less T3 is required to overcome it and provide more
normal body temperatures). By staying on lower levels of the WT3 protocol in the first
place, one may avoid having to go through as many cycles of the WT3 protocol.
Cycles of the WT3 protocol can sometimes take from two weeks to two
months each. Thus, by only increasing T3 dosage levels to prevent increased
levels of DTSF symptoms while T4 therapy is being weaned, one can often be as
far along in a few weeks as he otherwise would be in six months. Of course,
in Wilson's Temperature Syndrome sufferers who also happen to be hypothyroid one must restore
T4 therapy as each cycle of T3 is weaned and after the patient's Wilson's Temperature Syndrome
has been corrected (since they don't produce T4 sufficiently on their own).
At the beginning of each cycle of the WT3 protocol in such patients, T4 therapy should
again be weaned before the WT3 protocol is used to pursue normalization of body temperature
patterns. So hypothyroid patients who still suffer from the symptoms of DTSF,
in spite of adequate T4 therapy because they are also suffering from Wilson's Temperature Syndrome, can often be helped. Ideally, such patients can be cycled on and off
T4 and the WT3 protocol until eventually their Wilson's Temperature Syndrome can be corrected
and they may be placed back on T4 therapy and retain resolution of their symptoms
of DTSF. In fact, many times they can often feel better on less T4, after T3
therapy, than they ever did on more.
3. T4 Test Dose. The competition between T4 and
T3 for the thyroid hormone receptor can be used handily in the management
of side effects of the WT3 protocol. Side effects from 12 hour sustained-release
the WT3 protocol (most commonly mild achiness, fluid retention, mild headaches, fatigue,
and occasionally edginess) usually are related to unsteady levels of T3 resulting
in unsteady body temperature patterns, leading to unsteady multiple enzyme function.
Let us remember that T4 is about three times longer acting and is four times
less active than T3. A small dose of the longer-acting, and, in a sense, more
stable T4, can be used to dilute the influence of the more powerful T3
at the level of the active site, thereby, making the thyroid hormone influence
at the thyroid hormone receptor more steady. A T4 test dose can decrease
the side effects that a patient may be having from unsteady levels of the WT3 protocol.
Interestingly, it can do it in about 45 minutes. This is possibly because
it does not take long for a dose of T4 to be absorbed from the stomach into
the blood stream and to be distributed to the cells of the body, thereby, having
its stabilizing effect. In this respect, T4 can almost be thought of as a wet
blanket, compared to T3. Many times patients are quite astonished by how quickly
and completely their side effects can resolve after a small dose of T4. This
may be on the order of approximately 15% to 20% of the number of micrograms
of T3 the patient is currently taking each day. For example, 12.5 micrograms
(.0125 milligrams) of T4 (e.g. 1/2 of the smallest strength of Synthroid...a
new pair of toenail clippers are handy for cutting them in half) may be given
to a patient who is currently having some side effects on 30 to 37.5 micrograms
of the WT3 protocol incorporating a sustained-release vehicle being taken twice a
day.
Although T4 is much more stable, it should be remembered that
it can sometimes feed rather than reverse the vicious cycle that leads to Wilson's Temperature Syndrome. It should also be noted that it is often not favorable to take the
T4 therapy if it is not necessary for side effects, because it can sometimes
block what one is trying to accomplish with the WT3 protocol. The T4 dose is best
taken only as needed for side effects. If the side effects resolve quickly within
one or two hours of the dose, it is more likely that the patient did need the
dose of T4. So the dose of T4 might only need to be taken once, possibly every
three days, or only every week or so, but preferably not more often than once
a day.
If the thyroid hormone influence cannot be easily and sufficiently
steadied with doses of T4, then the patient should be gradually weaned off the
the WT3 protocol and perhaps started on another cycle. Incidentally, some patients
do quite well with a combination of both continuous T4 and the WT3 protocol, and a
few respond better to instant release the WT3 protocol than to sustained released
the WT3 protocol. So in every case, the choice of therapy and dosing considerations
must be made based on individual patient response and laboratory findings.
4. In light of the information contained in this book, thyroid
hormone therapy that does not take into consideration body temperature patterns
is not being done correctly.
5. Likewise, considering that Wilson's Temperature Syndrome can be precipitated or made
worse by starvation conditions, the use of dietary approaches
such as crash diets, low calorie diets, very low calorie diets, and protein
sparing modified fasting liquid diets, without regard to body temperature patterns,
in patients already suffering from symptoms of MED, can not be considered prudent.
As many people are becoming increasingly aware, these measures can cause or
worsen a patient's symptoms of MED, leaving the patient to gain all of their
weight back and then some. One such measure of dieting or "starvation" may precipitate
persistent DTSF due to the patient developing Wilson's Temperature Syndrome, then the patient
can be left with debilitating physical and functional problems that can have
a profoundly adverse impact on the person's life. Proper diet and exercise certainly
are very important. And dietary systems or tools (such as certain liquid diets)
do have their favorable uses. It is only inappropriate to use such tools without
taking into consideration, on an ongoing basis, a patient's body temperature
patterns and symptoms that may be related to MED, DTSF, and Wilson's Temperature Syndrome.
These symptoms can be revealed through careful questioning of the patient as
part of the monitoring of his dieting process.
6. Symptoms of low blood pressure such as lightheadedness, clamminess, increased
heart rate, and shakiness may often actually be due to low blood
sugar levels. Such symptoms can frequently be alleviated by eating a little
something to bring up blood sugar levels, such as a piece of chicken, cheese
and crackers, or orange juice. Refined sugars, such as candy, are usually not
preferable since they may result in a rebound drop in blood sugar levels due
to the body's reaction to the sugar in the candy. Patients with Wilson's Temperature Syndrome
seem to have unstable blood sugar levels which can go too high when they are
high and too low when they are low. This can be alleviated through a hypoglycemic
diet and also through normalization of body temperature patterns.
7. Since mental and physical stress can lead to precipitation
of the symptoms of MED and Wilson's Temperature Syndrome, it is recommended that one should
approach diseases associated with mental stress, such as anxiety and depression,
while bearing in mind the patient's body temperature patterns. Likewise, when
addressing patients who are undergoing severe physical stress such as recovering
from car accidents, major surgery, severe infections, or the like, one should
always bear in mind the patient's body temperature patterns, since it can have
a profound influence on how he will recover. This may be especially important
in cases where a patient's recovery could go either way, being balanced on the
verge of life and death, such as in intensive care units and in critically ill
patients. In such circumstances, consideration of body temperature patterns
can literally mean the difference between life and death.
8. If a patient taking the WT3 protocol is scheduled to undergo surgery,
then considering the short half-life of T3 and the potential for unsteady blood
levels, it is usually advisable for the patient to gradually wean off the WT3 protocol
before the surgery. the WT3 protocol may be resumed once the surgery has been
completed. It is important, however, to give adequate time for the weaning process
so that the T3, body temperature, blood pressure, etc. are not dropped abruptly
just prior to surgery.
9. Drug interactions - Since T3 is a substance that
is normally found in every person's body, if a particular medicine does not
have an adverse chemical reaction with the T3 already inside a person's body,
then it will not have a direct chemical reaction with the T3 medication taken
by mouth. So, any drug interactions are usually not due to direct chemical reaction
between T3 and other medicines but because of indirect effects. T3 can affect
a person's temperature, blood pressure, and pulse. In some instances, these
effects can be additive, such as with antihistamines, decongestants, antidepressants,
asthma medicines, etc. The body normally becomes accustomed to the WT3 protocol by
making certain compensatory changes. Some medicines (such as beta blockers)
may affect the body's ability to compensate or "get used to" the WT3 protocol. Other
medication such as cortisone, progesterone, estrogens, certain anti-inflammatory
medicines, and the like, can oppose the purpose of the WT3 protocol, thereby, making
it less effective.
10. Thyroid medicine is pregnancy category A, which
is the safest category for medicines that can be taken during pregnancy. As
a matter of fact, it is usually recommended that thyroid hormone medication
not be stopped during pregnancy. In some cases, the thyroid hormone supplementation
is important in helping the woman to conceive the pregnancy and to maintain
it to full term. However, due to the short half-life of T3, I recommend that
patients who become pregnant on the WT3 protocol should gradually wean off the WT3 protocol,
mainly because if for some reason they were denied access to their medicine
abruptly, they might have problems with their pregnancy. Fortunately, many women
with Wilson's Temperature Syndrome do their best when they are pregnant.
11. The WT3 protocol can be symptomatic (used to treat the
symptoms), therapeutic (used for a time to correct the underlying problem),
used as a maintenance therapy (to maintain an effective correction through
the use of continued administration of the medicine), and used as prophylaxis
(used intermittently to prevent relapse of Wilson' Syndrome, especially during
short periods of extreme stress typical of conditions that have precipitated
relapses previously).
As mentioned previously, the considerations discussed in this chapter about
the treatment of Wilson's Temperature Syndrome are relatively thorough, but are not nearly
exhaustive. Greater details on treatment considerations in various other illnesses
and situations is outside the scope of this book. The treatment protocol is
explained in full detail in the Doctor's Manual for Wilson's Temperature Syndrome.
the WT3 protocol should usually be monitored every two to six weeks by a physician
in person, and more frequently, if necessary, by phone (and in person, if necessary).
Monitoring should be more frequent initially until one can more fully predict
a patient's response, and may be less frequent later in therapy. Although the
information presented here is not exhaustive, an effort was made to give enough
information to demonstrate that the thyroid system is far more dynamic than
it is generally considered to be, and that thyroid medication can be thought
of in terms of minutes and days, rather than weeks and months. Thyroid hormone
therapy can be adjusted to accomplish much good, and can even make all the difference
in a person's life. It should not be considered in terms of merely putting a
patient on a certain dosage to see how they do, and leaving the patient on that
particular regimen indefinitely regardless of whether or not their symptoms
are greatly benefited. To adapt a phrase from The Annals of Internal Medicine
article of December, 1977, entitled Thyroidal and Peripheral Production of
Thyroid Hormones, that applies both to the information presented in the
article and the information presented in this book: This new information
has forced a reassessment of long held views of the thyroid system and has profound
clinical implications as well (To say the least!).
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