Your Guide to Metabolic Health

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Your Guide to Metabolic Health
By Dr. Gina Honeyman-Lowe and Dr. John C. Lowe

Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Mcdowell Pub Co (June 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0974123803
ISBN-13: 978-0974123806

Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk

In contrast to people with poor metabolic health, people with good metabolic health are able to handle stress, and they're resistant to sickness and disease. They possess the physical vitality and mental vigor to fully engage in all aspects of life-they have the energy, stamina, and well-being to work, play, eat, and sleep with ease. Common causes of poor metabolic health are well understood. By controlling or eliminating these causes, most people can improve or recover their metabolic health. Dr. Honeyman-Lowe and Dr. Lowe describe the necessary steps in this concise "how-to" book.

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"To the patients whose improvement or recovery vith metabolic rehabilitation inspires us to continue our work on behalf of the millions who still suffer from poor metabolic health.

And, to the patient advocates and alternative doctors who diligently and couragerously work to relieve human suffering by correcting conventional doctor's false beliefs."

Your Guide to Metabolic Health
By Dr. Gina Honeyman-Lowe and Dr. John C. Lowe

Table of Contents

Foreword
Introduction

• Readers in One of Three Circumstances
  - Working Without a Doctor's Help
  - Working With a Minimally Cooperative Doctor
  - Working With a Collaborative Doctor
• Making Your Guide to Metabolic Health Understandable
• How Best to Use This Book
• The Ultimative Reference Book - The Metabolic Treatment of Fibromyalgia

SECTION I
UNDERSTANDING METABOLIC HEALTH

• Chapter 1. Slow Metabolism: Cause of the "New Diseases"
  - Common Misconception About Our Work
  - Why Our Work Is Misunderstood
  - Why You Should Understand Fibromyalgia - Even If You Don't Suffer From It
  - What Patients With Defferent Diagnoses Have in Common
  - Why Different Symptoms and Different Diagnoses
  ---
• Chapter 2. Metabolic Rehabilitation (PDF 70 KB from Web.archive.org)
  - What You're to Measure
  - Responses to Treatment That Health Care Practitioners Can Evaluate
  - Metabolism-Slowing Factors: What You Must Change to Improve Your Symptoms
  
  1. Under-Regulation by Thyroid Hormone
  2. Too Little Cortisol
  3. Sex Hormones Imbalance
  4. Nutritional Deficiences
  5. Unhealthy Diet
  6. Chemical Contaminants
  7. Low Physical Fitness
  8. untreated Physical Problems
  9. Troublesome Drugs
  - Taking Advantage of Your Increased Metabolic Capacity: Essentail Parts of Metabolic Rehab
  - Patients Likely to Stay in Poor Metabolic Health
  - Patients Likely to Fully Recover Rapidly
  - Getting Well Merely Trough Lifestyle Practises
  - Summary
  ---
• Chapter 3. Numbers Count
  - Graphing Your Symptom Score
  - A Typical Hypothyroid Patient
  - More Than Graphing
  - Summary

SECTION II
HOW TO OPTIMIZE YOUR METABOLIC HEALTH

• Chapter 4. Wholesome Diet
  - Typical American Diet
  - Refined Carbohydrates
  - Nutritional Deficiences
  - Caveman Diet
  - Caveman Diet and Fibromyalgia
  - Fat: Good anmd Bad
  - Foods Rich in Arachidonic Acid
  - Mediterranean Diet
  - Nuts
  - Arachidonic Acid: A Good Fat in Small-Enough Amounts
  - Balance With Omega-3 Fatty Acids
  - Low Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Hypothyroidism
  - Animal Meat and Good and Bad Fats
  - Protein
  - Animal or Vegetable Protein
  - High Protein / High Fat Diets
  - The Atkins Diet
  - Protein Supplements
  - Carbohydrates: Refined and Complex
  - Refined Carbohydrates
  - Complex Carbohydrates
  - Whole Grains: Wholesome - But Harmfull in Excess
  - Low-Calorie Diet
  - Vegetarian Diet
  - Fiber
  - Headaches From Stretching og the Colon
  - Autoimmune Diseases and Proteins From the GI Tract
  - Direct Effects of Inadequate Thyroid Hormone Regulation of the GI Tract
  - Troughly Digesting Proteins: The First Way to Stop or Prevent the Absorption of Dietary Proteins Into Your Blood
  
  - Relax When You Eat
  - Throughly Chew Food
  - Protein-Digesting Enzymes and Beatine Chydrochloride
  - Ingesting Enough Fiber: The Second Way to Stop og Prevent the Absorption of Dietary Proteins Into Your Blood
  
  - Supplementing with Bran
  - An Advantage of Getting Fiber From Food: Avoiding Adrenaline-Induced Symptoms
  - Fiber and Thyroid Hormone Work Together to Keep Cholesterol Normal
  
  - How to Tell When You're Getting Enough Fiber
  - High-Nutrient Convenience Foods as Supplement to a Wholesome Diet
  - Organic Foods
  - Liquids
  
  - Getting Enough Water Each Day
  - Water, Eating and Retention
  - Why No One Should Drink Tap Water
  - Clean. Filtered Water
  - Water Treatment Methods
  - Soft Water
  - Spring Water
  - Soft Drinks
  - Aspartame
  - Fat and Weight Loss and Thyroid Hormone Dose
  ---
• Chapter 5. Nutritional Supplements: Vitamins, Minerals, Trace Elements, and Other Substances
  - Vitamins
  
  - Vitamins and Enzymes
  - Vitamins and the Use of Thyroid Hormone
  - B Complex Vitamins
  
  - Vitamin B1, Thyroid Hormone and heart health
  - Antooxidants
  
  - Vitamin C
  - How Much and How Often
  - How Much Vitamin C Should We Take?
  - Can We Get Enough Vitamin C in a "Good" Diet?
  - A Precaution When Increasing Your Vitamin C Intake
  - How Often Should We Take Vitamin C?
  - Trace Elements
  - Minerals
  
  - Calcium
  - Magnesium
  - Potassium
  - Sodium
  - Nutrients and Other Agents to Take for Tissue Damage
  
  - MSM
  - Glucosamine Sulfate
  - Bromelaine
  - Doses of MSM, Glucosamine, Vitamin C and Bromelain
  - Optimal Vitamin and Minerals Intake
  - Understanding the Difference Between Optimal Nutritional Intake and the Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs)
  - "Too Many Pills to Swallow"
  
  - Multi-Vitamin-Mineral Supplements
  - "I Can't Afford All the Supplement Listed in the Table"
  - A Precaution All Petients Should Heed
  ---
• Chapter 6. Herbs
  - Dosages of Herbs
  - St. John's Wort
  - Kava-Kava
  - Valerian Root
  - Gingko
  - Ginseng
  - Echinacea and Astragalus
  - Caution in Your Use of herbs
  ---
• Chapter 7. Safely Getting Well with Thyroid Hormones
  - Most Hypothyroid Patients Dissatisfied With T4-Replacement Therapy
  - Two Major Sources of Under-Regulation by Thyroid Hormone
  
  - Hypothyroidism
  - Cellular Resistance to Thyroid Hormone
  - Deciding Whether a Patient is Hypothyroid or resistant to Thyroid Hormone
  
  - Deciding if a Patient is Hypothyroid
  - Deciding if a Patient is resistant to Thyroid Hormone
  - Optimal Improvement With Thyroid Hormone Therapy
  - Other Responses to Treatment the Patients Can Evaluate
  
  - Pulse Rate and Blood Pressure
  - Basal Body Temperature
  - Body Temperature May Not Change
  - Tissue Responses to Thyroid Hormone That Your Therapist or Doctor Can Monitor
  
  - Puffiness og Skin and Connective Tissue in Muscles
  - Achilles Reflex Speed
  - Responsiveness of Trigger Points to Treatment
  - Realistic Perspective on the Safe Use of Thyroid Hormone
  
  - Needless Worry Over Potential Harmfull Effects of Thyroid Hormone
  - Osteoporosis
  - Heart Problems
  - Acute Adrenal Crisis
  - Relieving Thyroid Hormone Overstimulation
  - Important Points to Bear In Mind
  
  - Mean the Patient is Hyperthyroid
  - Use of T4 is the Least Effective Approach to Thyroid Hormone Therapy
  - Potential Harm From Too Low a Dose of Thyroid Hormone
  ---
• Chapter 8. Cortisol, Pregnenolone, and DHEA
  - Some Causes of Decreased Adrenal Reserve
  
  - Decreased Adrenal Reserve From Hypothyroidism or Thyroid Hormone Resistance
  - Acute Adrenal Crisis
  
  - Testing Adrenal Cortex Function
  - ACTH Stimulation Test
  - Daily Variations in Salivary Cortisol Levels
  - Physiologic Doses of Cortisol
  - How to Take Cortisol to Correct Decreased Adrenal reserve
  - Precautions
  
  - How to Take Cortisol
  - Allergic reactions
  - Proper medication
  - Potassium Supplements
  - Licorice and Cortisol
  - Pregnenolone
  
  - Supplemental Pregnenolone
  - DHEA
  
  - Benefits of DHEA
  - DHEA and Androgens
  - Note: Thyroid Hormone, Growth Hormone and Injuries
  - DHEA Dosage
  ---
• Chapter 9. Female Hormones Balance
  - Sex Hormone Problems Due to Under-Regulation by Thyroid Hormone
  - Reduced Estrogen and Progesterone and menopausal Symptoms: Natural Process or Health Problem?
  - Testing for Hormone Imbalances
  - Treatment of Sex Hormone Imbalances
  
  - Conventional Hormone Replacement Therapy
  - Inadequate Thyroid Hormone regulation: A Cause of Sex Hormone Imbalances
  - Natural Alternatives to HRT
  
  - Natural Progesterone
  - Natural Sources of Estrogen
  

  Soy Isoflavones
  Gamma Oryzanol
  Herbs
  - Bioidentical Estrogen
  - Vitamin E
  - Diet and Exercise
  ---
• Chapter 10. Exercise to Tolerance
  - Benefits of Exercise to Tolerance
  
  - Relaxation and Reduced Pain
  - Exercise and Anxiety
  - Exercise and depression
  - Exercise and Mental Abilities
  - Easier Menstrual Periods and Menopause
  - How to Exercise
  
  - Exercise Intensity That Doesn't Worsen Your Symptomes
  - Baby Steps First and Gradual Conditioning
  - Need for Exercise to Tolerance
  - Avoid Overdoing It
  - Don't Ride When You Can Walk: Don't Walk When You Can Run
  - Do Exercise You Will Do
  - Types of Exercise
  
  - Warm Water Exercises
  - Horizontal rest
  - Toning Exercise (Resistance Training)
  - Posture and Toning Exercises
  - Aerobics
  - Walking
  - Running
  - Bicycling
  - Stretching
  - Yoga
  - Caution
  ---
• Chapter 11. A Good Night's - or Day's - Sleep
  - Harm From Too Little Restfull Sleep
  - Insomnia: A Feature of Poor Metabolic health That Can Worsen Its Symptoms
  
  - Faster Brain Wave Intrusion Into Slower Waves During Sleep
  - Metabolic Status
  - Sleep Brain Waves of Hypothyroid and Fibromyalgia patients: The Same
  - Why Hypometabolic Patients Have Disruption of Sleep
  - How to Get a Good Night's - or Day's - Sleep
  
  - Developing Good Sleep Hygiene
  - Avoiding Environmental Sleep-Disrupters
  - Identifying and Treating Sleep-Disrupting Medical Problems
  - Adopting a Wholesome Diet
  - Avoiding Indigestion
  - Abstaining From Sugary Foods
  - Low Intake of Foods High in Arachidonic Acid
  - Eating a Complex Carbohydreate Food Before Bed
  - Nutritional Supplements
  

  B Complex Vitamins
  Calcium and Magnesium
  Tryptophan and 5-Hydroxytryptophan
  Herbal Sleep Aids

  - Hormones
  

  Thyroid Hormone
  Taking Too Much Thyroid Hormone

  - Melatonin
  - Pregnenolone
  - Female Sex Hormones
  - Cortisol
  - Relaxation and Strress reduction
  

  Hot Baths
  Emotional and Psychological Issues

  - Exercise to Tolerance
  - Lying Down: Shutting Off the Nerve Bombardment of Your Brain
  - Clinitians Who Provide Physical Treatment
  - Caffeinde and Sleep
  

  Two Constructive Ways of Using Caffeine

  - Drugs as Sleep Aids
  

  Diphenhydramine
  Hypnotics
  Beta-Blockers
  Antidepressants as Sleep Aid

  - Alcohol and Sleep
  

  Liquid Interference With Sleep

  - Special Circumstances
  ---
• Chapter 12. Avoiding Chemical Contaminants
  - Food Constituents
  - Commonly Prescribed Drugs
  - Dioxins and PCBs
  - How Dioxins and PCBs Disrupt the Thyroid System
  - Dioxins, PCBs and Problems With medical Specialists
  
  - Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids
  - Chlorine and the Thyroid Gland
  
  - Chlorine and Bath, Hot Tub and Swimming Pool Water
  - Cigarette Smoking
  
  - Thiocyanate From Cigarettes
  - Smoking and Graves Disease
  - Protecting Yourself Despite Official Assurances
  ---
• Chapter 13. Physical Treatments
  - Myofascial Therapy
  
  - Ultrasound
  - Chiropractic Care
  
  - Spinal Adjustemts
  - Spinal Subluxations
  - Massage
  - Certified Myofascial Trigger Point Therapists
  - What Kind of Physical Treatment Not to Have
  - Making Sure You're getting Effective Physical Treatment
  ---
• Chapter 14. Coffe and Caffeine
  - What Patients Have Taught Us About Caffeine Use
  - Caffeine and Pain
  - Caffeine Can Worsen Some People's Pain
  
  Excess Caffeine Sensivity
  Abruptly Stopping Heavy Caffeine Use
  Breast Pain
  - Pain-Reducing Effects of Caffeine
  - Other Benefits of Using Caffeine
  
  - Improved Mood
  - Energy and Alertness
  - Mental Ability
  - Athletic performance
  - Our Advice on Caffeine Use

SECTION III
OBSTACLES TO YOUR RECOVERY: GETTING PAST THEM

• Chapter 15. Troubleshooting
  - First Step in Troubleshooting
  - Two Main Categories of Obstacles to Recovery
  - Obstacles Involving Lifestyle Praktices
  
  - You Don't Think You've Improved at All
  - Not Engaging in Necessary Lifestyle Praktices
  - A Conscious Choice Not to Take Advantage of the Full Treatment Protocol
  - Not Improving Enough From Lifestyle Practices Alone
  - Obstacles Related to the services of Health Care Praktitioners
  
  - Troublesome Drugs
  

  Narcotics
  Beta-blocking Drugs
  Tricyclic Antidepressants
  Cold Medicines, Decongestants and Diet Drugs
  - Disorders Other Than Hypometabolism
  ---
• Chapter 16. Other Obstacles to Your Recovery
  - When Your Family Isn't Helping... or Worse
  - Too Little Knowledge of Your Disorder
  - Support Gropups and Internet News Groups
  - Managed Care
  ---
• Chapter 17. A Final Word: Hope and Commitment

References (406)

Forms

- Symptom Severity Scales (PDF Source: Drginahoneyman.com)
- Symptom Graph (PDF Source: Drginahoneyman.com)
- Are You Overstimulated? (PDF Source; Drginahoneyman.com)

Resources
Glossary
Index

[Anisa]

• Chapter 16. Other Obstacles to Your Recovery
  - When Your Family Isn't Helping... or Worse

When Your Family Isn't Helping... or Worse

Your family may not go along with the lifestyle changes you must make to improve your metabolism and your health. Or, worse, they may give you a rough time for making the changes. Sadly, it's common for a patient's family to ridicule her. Some family members try to make the patient feel guilty for spending too much time on herself instead of constantly meeting their needs or demands.

If you insist that your family make lifestyle changes with you, they may resist just because you're demanding the changes. They may even consciously or unconsciously sabotage your efforts to improve your health. You're likely to get better results by serving as an example to them. When they see you improving, they may be inspired to make the health-inducing changes you have made. We've learned through watching some of our own loved ones that accepting them as they are - although still setting an example for them - is the most productive and peaceful choise.

Some spouses, partners, family members, or friends feel threatened when a patient begins to feel better and has more energy to pursue interests that may, or may not, include them. In such instances, the status quo is being upset. If you find yourself in this situation, allow time for the involved loved ones to adjust to your improving health and expanding vision of what your life can be. Hopefully, they will adapt in their own time if you're patient with them. Be sure to explore and share common interests with them as well. This may help them see that their fears aren't justified - that your recovering your health doesn't mean a loss to them.

When some patients recover from chronic illness, their families need the help of a psychotherapist or counselor to adjust constructively to resulting changes in family dynamics. If this is the case with your family, we encourage you to view finding solutions through professional help as a sign of commitment and strength.

If your loved ones can't or won't give you support, search for a supportive recoveru-oriented group - or form your own. But if you search for one, be wary: some groups can do you more harm than good (see section below titled "Support Groups and Internet News Groups").

Når din familie ikke hjælper... eller værre

Det kan ske, at din familie ikke støtter de ændringer i kost og levemåde (livsstil), du må indføre for at forbedre dit stofskifte og dit helbred. Eller værre, din familie vil muligvis endda sabotere disse ændringerne. Det er desværre almindeligt at patienten bliver latterliggjort af sin familie, og at nogle familiemedlemmer direkte forsøger at få patienten til at føle sig som egoist, der bruger for meget tid på sig selv, i stedet for konstant at opfylde deres behov eller krav.

Hvis du gerne vil have at ændringer af kost og levemåde bliver til et fælles familieprojekt, kan det ske at familien nægter bare fordi de føler sig udfordret af dit ønske (eksempler: "vi spiser udmærket", "vi behøver ingen vitaminer", "bare man får varieret kost...", "kosttilskud er fup..."/red.). Familien kan endda - bevidst eller ubevidst - sabotere din indsats for at forbedre dit helbred. Du har bedre chance for at trænge igennem, ved selv at tjene som et eksempel for dem. Når de ser dig blive bedre, kan det inspirere dem til at foretage samme ændringer du har foretaget. Ved at opleve nogle af vores egne [syge] pårørende, har vi lært at et accept af dem som de er, samtidigt med selv at forblive et godt eksempel - er den mest konstruktive og fredelige måde at nå til enighed på.

Nogle ægtefæller, partnere, familiemedlemmer eller venner føler sig truet, når en patient begynder at føle sig bedre og har mere energi til - med eller uden dem - at genoptage sysler og interesser. I sådanne tilfælde bliver status quo ophævet [og familien kan opleve det som en trussel]. Hvis du selv havner i denne situation, giv de involverede pårørende tid til at vænne sig til den nye dig, og til at tilpasse deres forestilling om hvordan dit liv kommer til at se ud fremover. Forhåbentlig vil de tilpasse sig forandringerne i deres eget tempo, hvis du er tålmodig. Glem ikke at dele og dyrke sammen med dem [dine og deres] fælles interesser, idet det kan hjælpe dem til at indse, at deres frygt for at familien går i opløsning af forandringer i kølvandet på din bedring, er ubegrundet.

Familier til kronisk syge, der opnår en bedring, har i flere tilfælde brug for hjælp fra en psykoterapeut eller familievejleder, til at hjælpe familien at tilpasse sig den nye situation.

Hvis dine pårørende ikke kan eller ikke vil støtte dig, søg efter en bedring-orienteret støttegruppe - eller opret din egen. Dog vær på vagt, når du søger blandt allerede eksisterende støttegrupper: visse af dem kan skade dig mere, end gavne (se afsnittet nedenfor med titlen "Støttegrupper og Internet-grupper").

[Anisa]

• Chapter 16. Other Obstacles to Your Recovery
  - Support Groups and Internet News Groups

Support Groups and Internet News Groups

We advised above that you be wary in looking for a support or Internet discussion group. We'll explain why you should be cautious.

Whether it's wise for a patient to take part in a support or Internet news groups depends on what the group offers. Leaders and members of some groups focus so much on the health problem it self that they never get around to considering solutions. I spoke to one group whose questions after my presentation were concerned solely with referrals to disability lawyers. I explained that we focus on helping patients recover rather than get disability. This appeared to fall on deaf ears.

Leaders of some groups encourage patients not to try "alternative medicine doctors". Instead, they argue that patients should wait for conventional medical researchers to learn the cause end cure of the illness. Patients who follow this advice have a long wait.

You may not have noticed, but conventional medical researchers - especially those at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) - don't discover the causes and cures for diseases. The money for not finding them is simply too good. Medical heretic dr. Robert S. Mendelsohn MD said in the late 1980's: "Doctors at the NIH and CDC are the Keystone Cops of modern medicine. And that's why they haven't solved a health problems in the fifty years of their existence."

It is, in fact, those "alternative medicine doctors" some group leaders caution patients to avoid who most often find the causes and cures of diseases. And they're the doctors who provide effective treatments. You'll find, however, that most support groups affiliated with national medical organisations strive to discourage patients from considering alternatives to the failed conventional medical approach. The group leaders often dictate which speakers patients get to hear and what educational materials are at hand for them to read. Essentially, these leaders usurp the patient's right to decide for themselves and function as mind control agents on behalf of the national medical organizations.

If you want to see how the traditional support groups works, watch the movie "Lorenzo's Oil" (see Resources). It's a true story that's fascinating and amazing. And it couldn't be more informative about the role traditional support groups serve for conventional medicine.

If you search for a support group in your hometown, or you surf on the Internet for a new group, look for one that is recovery-oriented. If a group focuses on how to be a better patient, how to live with and "sooth" the symptoms of your disorder, or how to navigate the legal system to qualify for disability, we believe you'll be better off whithout it.

Bear in mind, however, that it may be hard to find recovered patients in a support group. Once most patients recover, they become busily engaged in their lives and have little or no motivation to attend support groups. This fact, in our view, diminishes the value of most of those groups.

Støttegrupper og Internet-grupper

Vi har rådet dig til at være forsigtig med valget af support- eller Internet-diskussionsgruppe. Her er forklaringen.

Om det er klogt af en patient at tilmelde sig en bestemt supportgruppe på Internettet afhænger af, hvad gruppen tilbyder. Stiftere, admins og brugere i visse grupper fokuserer så meget på selve helbredsproblem [forbundet med en bestemt sygdom], at de aldrig når at komme videre og frem til at overveje løsninger. Jeg har afholdt et foredrag i en gruppe, hvis spørgsmål efter min præsentation drejede sig udelukkende om anbefalinger af sagførere med speciale i sociale ydelser for handikappede. Selv om jeg forklarede udførligt, at vi hellere fokuserer på at hjælpe patienterne til bedring, og til at komme sig af sygdommen, end vi ønsker at hjælpe patienter med at opnå et handicap-status - lod det til, at jeg talte for døve ører.

Stiftere og admins i visse supportgrupper opfordrer medlemmerne til ikke at opsøge u-konventionelle læger. I stedet er de fortalere for, at patienterne venter på at de konventionelle medicinske forskere opnår kundskab om årsager og behandling af sygdommen. Medlemmer der følger denne vejledning kommer til at vente længe.

Du har måske ikke bemærket, men konventionelle medicinske forskere - især dem der er tilknyttet de nationale sundhedsmyndigheder og de medicinske institutioner - opdager ikke årsager til, endsige udvikler sædvanligvis IKKE kure for sygdomme. Den personlige vinding ved ikke at finde dem er simpelthen for stor. Den berømte "medicinsk kætter" dr. Robert S. Mendelsohn MD sagde i slutningen af 1980'erne: "læger ansatte i de nationale sundhedsstyrelser og forskningsinstitutioner er Keystone Cops i den moderne medicin, og det er grunden til at de ikke har løst helbredsproblemer i de halvtreds år disse institutioner har eksisteret". ("Keystone Cops" er et udtryk der står for inkompetence/red.)

Det er i virkeligheden, de ukonventionelle læger, der ofte finder og udvikler en effektiv behandling, nogle støttegruppestiftere/admins advarer patienterne mod. Du vil opleve, at de fleste støttegrupper tilknyttet de konventionelle lægelige organisationer og nationale sundhedsmyndigheder stræber efter at afskrække patienterne fra at overveje alternativer til de mislykkede konventionelle medicinske behandlinger. Ledelser i disse konventionel medicin-afhængige støttegrupper dikterer hvad og hvem medlemmerne bør lytte til og læse, og i det væsentlige, fratager disse grupper patienterne deres ret til selvbestemmelse samt udøver tankekontrol på vegne af de nationale medicinske organisationer.

Hvis du ønsker at se, hvordan de traditionelle støttegrupper fungerer, se filmen "Lorenzo's Oil" (se Resources ). Det er en sand, fascinerende og forbløffende historie, og kunne ikke være mere informativ om de traditionelle støttegruppers*) rolle i konventionel medicins tjeneste.

Hvis du søger efter en støttegruppe i din hjemby, eller surfer på internettet for at finde een, se efter støttegrupper der er bedring-orienterede. Hvis en støttegruppe har fokus på at lære dig at blive en bedre patient, og hvordan du kan leve med og "lindrer" symptomerne på din sygdom, eller hvordan du bør navigere i systemet for at opnå sociale ydelser eller invalidepension, da mener vi, at du vil være bedre tjent med ikke at være medlem af sådan en støttegruppe.

Blot hav i tankerne, at patienter der har genvundet deres helbred kan være svære at finde i støttegrupperne. Når de fleste patienter har genvundet helbredet, får de travlt med deres eget liv og har ringe eller ingen motivation til at deltage i støttegrupper. Det er vores opfattelse, at denne omstændighed forringer værdien af de fleste af disse grupper.

*) Det er måske alligevel ikke så enkelt at sammenligne med vores patientgruppe - hypo-patienternes, fordi vores traditionelle supportgrupper består af de syge og dermed er vi meget mere udsatte for at blive styret af den konventionelle medicin, hvorimod i eksemplet "Lorenzos Oil" var det to patientgrupper i konflikt med hinanden - de raske (friske) pårørende, var netop i stand til at gennemføre deres forehavende (finde en behandling), uanset og på trods af modstanden fra den konventionelle lægestand trofast flankeret af den tilknyttet patientgruppe, som først til sidst har opgivet modstanden mod den nye behandling. Tilsvarende ville aldrig kunne lade sig at gøre indenfor vores egen, hypothyreose-patientgruppe, fordi vores pårørende er lige så ressourcesvage og initiativforladte som vi selv er... Os syge på grund af vores sygdom. Hvorimod kun guderne ved hvorfor vores pårørende er så sløve. Af den grund, kun bedring-orienterede supportgrupper har en reel nytteværdi for vores hypothyreose-patientgruppe, og af denne type findes kun een i Skandinavien - guess where and who