 "Describes the many health problems associated with hypothyroidism" | 2010-02-18 |
| - Reviewed By Always Asking Questions from Pennsylvania |
The thyroid is a gland (part of the endocrine system) located in the neck just below the Adam's apple. Barnes writes:
"It is the thyroid which controls metabolism--the process by which food is transformed into energy and many vital chemical changes take place. Minute thyroid secretions...are responsible for much of the body's heat production. They help maintain the circulatory system and blood volume. They are necessary for muscle health. They heighten sensitivity of nerves. Every organ, every tissue, every cell is affected by the hormone secretions of the gland."
Hypothyroidism is the name given to a diseased state wherein the thyroid does not produce adequate hormones. Common symptoms of hypothyroid are:
* Insensitivity to cold, especially of the hands and feet
* Dry, coarse or puffy skin
* Dry, brittle nails and hair
* Hair loss
* Fatigue
* Constipation
* Weight gain
* Menstrual irregularities
* Depression
* Muscle weakness
* Brain fog (fuzzy thinking)
* Loss out outer third of eyebrow
This book is an excellent resource for understanding the health problems that can occur when the thyroid gland is not functioning properly. Barnes share many examples of patients he has treated and the affects low thyroid function has on diseases such as hypertension, TB, arthritis, heart attacks, infertility, heavy menstrual flow, infectious diseases, slow wound healing, behavioral problems, diabetic complications, on and on.
Of particular interest were Barnes's clinical observations that when hypothyroid was corrected, blood pressure and cholesterol levels dropped, and diabetic complications and heart attacks were significantly reduced compared with the general population whose thyroid health was not addressed. Also interesting are the historical references in this field.
What this book does not address is how to restore your own thyroid through dietary or nutritional supplementation, and there's very little written about adrenal fatigue or the role of iodine in thyroid health. The author's only treatment plan seems to be thyroid hormones. As the book is several decades old, it also cannot discuss the latest debates in testing thyroid function or natural vs. synthetic hormones. Barnes's method of testing thyroid function is by recording basal temperatures and taking patient histories, which is helpful for those who suffer from low thyroid but whose blood work comes back negative for hypothyroidism.
Despite these limitations, Barnes had great success treating his patients and improving their quality of life. This is an excellent book for understanding the numerous health problems that can occur or be exacerbated by low thyroid function. |
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 "The real way to evaluate hypothyroidism." | 2009-12-01 |
| - Reviewed By D. Stephen Hollis from Auburn, Alabama |
I read this book 2 years ago. I suspected I had hypothyroidism for years but the tests were negative. For the 4th time I talked a doctor into testing them again when I told them about this book and my low body temperature. The T3 and T4 were normal but the TSH was slightly elevated. I started on 1/2 grain of Armour thyroid and increased it incrementally over a year to 4 grains. My temperature is a little low, BUT:
1) my horrible life long constipation problem is gone in 3 days.
2) my sinus infection of 30 years duration cleared in 3 months.
3) my migraine headaches that were severe for many years disappeared.
4) my sleep apnea went away, and I dream for the first time in 20 years without a C-PAP
5) my hypertension of 150/105 on 3 strong hypertensive drugs X2 daily, now 105/65 without anything, but thyroid.
6) my anxiety and depression is gone
7) I have type II diabetes, thyroid does not help this but Dr. Barnes points out that the complications of hypothyroidism are the same as those of diabetes. In about 2000 hypothyroid patients, his diabetics had none of the complications of diabetes. This is incredible. Controlling hypothyroidism eliminates the complications of diabetes.
I am a lasik surgeon and I think it is sad that our doctors are addicted to lab tests and have forgotten how to be a clinician. To find a doctor who has read this book is amazingly rare. This is the most important book I have read in my lifetime.
D. Stephen Hollis, MD
Auburn, Alabama |
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| "amazing" | 2009-11-05 |
| - Reviewed By One of His Daughters from Whidbey Island, WA |
| It is amazing to me that this physician researched this so many years and that it is not known by so many in the medical community. The information contained in this book needs to get out to the public so that our health care system begins looking for root issues and not just treating symptoms. |
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| "Ditto: The Hypothyroid Bible" | 2009-08-11 |
| - Reviewed By I like it raw from Los Gatos, CA |
| This book still fits with the 21st century regardless of what others are saying here. Dr. Barnes was not motivated by money or big business as many doctors are today. Some medical problems are really just not that complicated and Dr. Barnes shows us that. In the last 50 years we have had an explosion of diseases (20th century diseases they are called) and doctors have invested in hospitals, labs, and even drug companies. There was a time when a BMR, a thermometer, and a check-off sheet of symptoms were all you needed to diagnose thyroid disease. But of course doctors don't make money using a thermometer do they? They make hundreds and hundreds of dollars on every lab test they order; so came the era of lab tests. I don't know about everyone else but there is something wrong with a healthcare system that is profit oriented. After all, if we get better, then doctors will go broke. Dr. Barnes was a true giant of medicine; an honest man who looked to find a way to help countless numbers of people to live a better life. His methods for treating hypothyroidism still stands today. I know because they are the only thing that has worked for me. My doctor has treated me for years using Dr. Barnes method; I only bought this book out of my respect for the man who has really saved my life. And most of all this book is easy to read and you will have an excellent understanding of thyroid disease when you are finished. |
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| "Fantastic books which needs to be better known" | 2009-07-20 |
| - Reviewed By J. Smith from Seattle, WA |
| This is a fantastic book which eradicates the mystery behind many different conditions. I read the 1-2 star reviews and I can see how narrow people think narrowly. You can't think narrowly and read this book. It also helps to have read other books on health and nutrition. I can't say the thyroid is the end-all to every physical problem but one thing for sure, it is often overlooked and not very understood by modern medical doctors. Sorry, they just don't get it. |
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| "It was everything I needed it to be." | 2009-06-30 |
| - Reviewed By Janny H. Hazelaar from San Francisco |
| I ordered this book for someone else as a gift. I needed for it to be in good enough condition, and it was. It also arrived in a timely manner. I'm just glad I could find this book for below new price, and that it saved paper by buying a used copy. I already own a copy of this book myself, and found it one of the best on the topic, so I want for those of my friends who I think need to, to read it as well. |
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