Homeopathy and Hyperthyroidism
This post was sent to me via e-mail:
I wanted you to post this account of my Hyperthyroidism on your blog. People need to understand that homeopathy DOES work. If it was not for homeopathy I would no longer have a thyroid and I would be on medication for the rest of my life.
In October of 1997 my Dr. diagnosed me with hyperthyroidism. She had done a blood test and my TSH was low and my T3 and T4 were 4 times normal. She was angry with me because I decided to see my homeopath. She warned me I could have a “thyroid storm” and blow out my heart. She finally agreed, but she wanted to monitor me every couple of weeks.
I went to my homeopath and related my symptoms: Ravenous and extreme hunger, I was eating constantly, but losing weight. I lost 20 pounds in two months. I was experiencing extreme heat. I could go outside in freezing temperatures with no coat and it would feel refreshing! It was hard to sit still. I was constantly doing something. I was extremely restlessness and with anxiety. I felt like I was constantly buzzing around the house. I felt as though I would jump out of my skin. I had a hard time sleeping. I could not sleep very long, but when I slept it was the sleep of the dead. I was agitated at the least little thing. I was irritable and impatient with the kids, my husband, the people in the grocery store! I was snapping at everyone and it was just not like me at all. I was afraid because it was like this thing was taking me over. I was afraid it was going to kill me.
My thyroid was tender and swollen.
My homeopath suggested I take the remedy Iodum in a 200c potency, two times 6 hours apart.
One week later I was so much calmer. I was able to sleep longer at a time and I was a lot less restless. The heat and my appetite had reduced and I was less irritable and more patient. I went to see my Dr. 2 weeks later and she was impressed by the improvement in my symptoms, but wanted to check my blood levels. The first blood test results the TSH was still low, but the Thyroxine was significantly reduced. My Dr. wanted another blood test in two weeks.
Two days later I started feeling the symptoms coming back I was hot, restless and agitated. I called my homeopath and her suggestion was to re-dose with the Iodum 200c one time. I did and with in a day I was feeling much better again.
The results of the next blood test, 2 weeks later, were better. The TSH was rising and Thyroxine was still dropping although neither was within normal range.I called my homeopath with the results, but with in two days my symptoms began to return again. We thought the relapse of the symptoms might have something to do with getting my blood drawn, so my homeopath decided I should take the remedy with in a couple of hours of the testing. That worked very well and by January of 1998 my blood levels had returned to normal and I was symptom free. My Dr. was completely amazed and has never question my use of homeopathy since. To this day I have not had any recurrence of the hyperthyroid symptoms and life is good!!
Goodscience Weblog 
I recenty had an opportunity to speak with Dana Ullman, author of “The Homeopathic Revolution: Why Famous People & Cultural Heroes Choose Homeopathy,” and Doctor of Homeopathy, who explained the remarkable healthcare that homeopathic medicine can provide to individuals. More than just an “alternative” medicine, homeopathy has been proven to help in healing in a variety of health ailments.
Great blog – Thanks for sharing and please feel free to comment back.
Holistic Junction
February 14, 2008
This is a wonderful testament to homeopathy and there are MANY others like this. I can give many examples of homeopathy helping me in a profound and wonderful way. Thanks for posting this.
bewaiwai
February 14, 2008
……….oh dear. Haven’t we been through why anecdotes aren’t acceptable evidence?
gimpy
February 16, 2008
Well, not acceptable for you but for me yes. I’m interested in people and their experiences. Not second hand gossip that is on most of the skeptic sites but real people talking about real experiences with homeopathy. This is a wonderful testament to homeopathy. And there are many more…
bewaiwai
February 17, 2008
It does amaze me how homeopaths still cling to anecdotes despite their obvious shortcomings.
The point is that anecdotes are nothing but second hand gossip. There are two many facts that are missing that are required to make any anecdote convincing. What would have happened without treatment? What diagnosis and prognosis was there. What were the full range of treatments being taken? What other contributing factors were there?
People get better on their own. The body is amazing. People’s minds, however, are easily fooled. We cling to beliefs we want to be true rather than beliefs that can be demonstrated by evidence.
A simple question to Goodscience: do you understand why anecdotal evidence is problematic? Or do you think it is thoroughly reliable?
le canard noir
February 17, 2008
Modern Science has yet to identify how homeopathy remedies work. In 1921 bacteria was first discovered through the invention of microscope and scientist said the cause of certain diseases are due to certain bacterias. And thats that. However, in 1930s they invented electron microscope and walla, the spanish flu was found to be caused by virus. And you however, must keep an open mind to homeopathy because eventually people like you out there who say placebo, anecdotal and whatever not are missing the boat to natural healing. One other thing, my cat had skin disease, losing a lot of his fur….I gave Sulphur 30c one dose and in two weeks time, the fur grew back and his coat was looking much healthier than even before he got the skin problem. Placebo you say?
Anonymous
August 17, 2010
Modern Science has yet to identify how homeopathy remedies work. In 1921 bacteria was first discovered through the invention of microscope and scientist said the cause of certain diseases are due to certain bacterias. And thats that. However, in 1930s they invented electron microscope and walla, the spanish flu was found to be caused by virus. And you however, must keep an open mind to homeopathy because eventually people like you out there who say placebo, anecdotal and whatever not are missing the boat to natural healing. One other thing, my cat had skin disease, losing a lot of his fur….I gave Sulphur 30c one dose and in two weeks time, the fur grew back and his coat was looking much healthier than even before he got the skin problem. Placebo you say?
H/Dr Richard
August 17, 2010
Ah sending out more canards, black canard! (See dictionary.com- canard meaning: An unfounded or false, deliberately misleading story.)
It just shows your ignorance of clinical medicine. You are approaching all of medicine as if were a closed scientific experiment in a test tube rather than the reality which is dealing with human beings.
You have no idea what healing really is and you are not an expert in it so don’t comment about this kind of positive testament to actually healing and not simply controlling a disease. Leave your canards to those about your faulty and close minded grade school science.
I’ll take this wonderful human story about a positive benefit from homeopathy to your closed minded science from your basement computer any day.
bewaiwai
February 17, 2008
Wow bewaiwai, I have no idea who you are, but I have yet to see you positively contribute to a discussion. Personal attack looks like how you argue. Lighten up and debate.
My questions still stand.
lecanardnoir
February 17, 2008
Gimpy and Andy, I realize that in your view and others like you, insist on “evidence”. I completely understand why the two of you do not find this post acceptable because it is “anecdotal”. But not all people think the way you do, nor do they agree with you. It is those people that this blog is intended to address. There are millions of people in the world that are not interested in your particular standard of what good medicine is and what it is not. What they are most interested in are RESULTS. I have talked to the Dr. who over looked this hyperthyroid case and she agrees it was the remedy that had effect. She was the one that monitored it with blood tests, which I have seen. There was no other medical intervention, nothing else to impact the hyperthyroidism. You may say it was self limiting, you may say it was placebo effect, but the people that were directly involved in the case know it was the effect of the remedy.
goodscience
February 17, 2008
I am not sure you have really answered my question Goodscience. You have told me that you accept anecdotal evidence and even appear to privilege it, but you have not really told me why this is more reliable than my way of looking at the world or acknowledged that there may be problems with anecdotal evidence. I think this is interesting stuff.
I think it is also unfair to suggest that I am not interested in ‘RESULTS’. I do not doubt that the person in the anecdote is better. I am glad of that. The key question is why is that person better? By answering the question, we may be able to repeat what was done knowledgeably.
You call yourself Goodscience, but all good scientists have realised the importance of objective evidence since the enlightenment. Subjective authority leads to false knowledge. Courts of Law do not convict on the strength of uncorroborated testimony. They look for supporting, more objective evidence. It is rare for a court just to take someones word for it, no matter how sincere and reliable they may appear, especially in serious cases. Illness is serious too. Should we not hold ourselves to the same standards? Do you think judges and scientists are wasting their time and we can tap into truth purely through subjective accounts?
You say ‘the people that were directly involved in the case know it was the effect of the remedy’. But how can they? How can anyone know such a thing? No one is blessed with infallible insight, are they? Whilst there is the distinct possibility that the illness may have been self-limiting, or some other unknown factor played a role, such ‘knowledge’ must be highly provisional. The fact that millions of people do rely on anecdote to form their world views in no way proves homeopathy. It just suggests that lots of people do not think scientifically.
To understand better, I can only really repeat the form of my question. Do you not think that anecdotes can be false, mistaken or illusory? How do you protect yourself from being fooled by misleading testimony?
lecanardnoir
February 18, 2008
It is interesting that you bring up the analogy of a court of law. It is true that they will not convict without objective supporting evidence and unfortunately the guilty at times go free. There are times Andy, when something is true, but for what ever reason you can not prove it. Homeopathy is in a scientific grey area. Apparently we cannot entirely prove that it works to everyone’s satisfaction, but I have supervised scientific homeopathic (no, it is not an oxymoron) provings and when the provings were finished and the remedies were applied based on the information collected during the provings, the remedies were completely effective. There are hundreds of studies proving homeopathy is effective, but they do not satisfy you and your group of skeptics. To be honest Andy, no matter what the homeopathic community could do to prove its effectiveness, I doubt you would accept it, because you cannot get your head around the science of it.
goodscience
February 18, 2008
When there is not good evidence to convict someone in a court of law and the suspect walks free, that does not mean that they did the crime but the court could not prove it. It could mean that they were innocent.
It is just not true that you could not convince me that homeopathy works. I would just need to see an experiment where biases and the scope for cognitive errors were minimised. I think it could be quite easily done as I have said on my web site – mix up six >12C remedies. Ask a homeopath to decide which remedy was which, by re-proving or some other method, such as R Roys analysis. Use as many homeopaths as you like, any method you like. As long as you are blinded. That would prove it to me. A simple test and no one can do it because homeopathy is just using simple sugar pills – all remedies are alike and have equal effect – placebo.
lecanardnoir
February 18, 2008
Andy,
Well, it is interesting you bring up the “court of law” argument. You and Gimpy, from reading your posts are prosectuters, “crown counsel” and not impartial judges. You’ve confused your role. Your posts are always of negative or contradictory argument against homeopathy but presented in a PROSECUTORIAL fashion.
In other words, all your posts come from a place of prosecuting homeopaths and homeopathy and you have maintained a consistent negative belief just like a crown prosecutor must do. At times it is even inquisitorial since you do not allow for any reasonable doubt such as an impartial judge should do or that would be presented in a real court of law.
This reasonable doubt consists of studies, albeit in your view poor ones, that do show some effect, (Chest journal etc.) and the 100,000’s of individuals that have had clear benefit from homeopathy including myself and the individual above suffering from a severe thyroid problem.
Your prosecutorial ways gets to the point of nonsensical- as in this thread of this discussion. On the one hand, you state that medicine is serious and scream “alternatives are dangerous” and on the other, as in this thread, you claim that a life threatening thyroid storm can be avoided by “getting better on their own” as you state above and as you say in contravening argument “The body is amazing”. (By the way, I agree with you on this!)
My posts about you are a culmination of reading your unfettered free prosecutorial reign on the internet in regards to alternative health and homeopathy. What I would like to see is not a totalitarian view of medicine- that only one style of medicine is acceptable but to respect others for their choices and not prosecute them for their choices. I think homeopaths such as on this blog and others, have done an admiral job of presenting reasonable doubt from your court of law point of view and in fact from my perspective more- exciting proof about homeopathy’s efficacy and safety.
bewaiwai
February 18, 2008
Andy, I am not interested in conducting a study that you have designed. One, because you do not understand the principles of homeopathy and two, I will not invest my energy in proving anything to your group of skeptics. I engage in these discussions in hopes of enlighten people and to let them know there is choice. My time is better spent evolving homeopathic science.
goodscience
February 18, 2008
goodscience – my test is simply a request for homeopaths to demonstrate that they can do what they say they can do. How they do it is none of my business. But it is a fair request. You are free to do anything you like as long as you are blinded. You can suggest any method or protocol to make it as easy as possible. I want you to succeed.
However, I fear that you and other homeopaths’ attempts just to appeal to masses will mean the end of homeopathy. There are people now like NICE wanting to see the evidence. When Prince Charles Council for Natural Health fails, maybe the House of Commons Science Select Committee will delve closer than they ever have. You will only have yourselves to blame if you produce nothing. NICE are unlikely to receive anecdotes like the above.
Go for it. Start providing the evidence. You could change my mind. Can anything change yours?
lecanardnoir
February 18, 2008
Andy, I have read over and over on many blogs your “suggested” trial, I am still not interested. Homeopathy IS effective, but as of yet the science to prove it beyond a doubt has not been developed. But believe me there are homeopaths all over the world working on it. There is nothing for me to change my mind about. I see homeopathy work every day. I know it is effective, safe and profound and one day Andy, you will too.
goodscience
February 18, 2008
I am not holding my breath. We have had 200 years for homeopaths to come up with the goods. In the meantime, real science understands what happened 1 twintillionth of a second after the Big Bang, how simple life forms evolved into all we see around us, what atoms are and what they are made of, how continents float around on the surface of the earth and why ants co-operate with each other.
How much longer do you need?
lecanardnoir
February 18, 2008
Frankly, I do not understand the difference between “science understands what happened 1 twintillionth of a second after the Big Bang, how simple life forms evolved into all we see around us, what atoms are and what they are made of, how continents float around on the surface of the earth and why ants co-operate with each other.”, and the research of homeopathy. It is all about discovering the secrets of the universe. You have to admit that the science of homeopathy has had tremendous opposition and as a result less money and fewer scientists doing the research. If homeopathy had the kind of support “EBM” has had over the decades, we would no doubt have your evidence.
goodscience
February 18, 2008
Andy,
I’m now sorry I called you a prosecutor- you are now acting like a PERSECUTOR and a fundamentalist religious one at that. What fundamentalist dribble you spout: “real science understands what happened 1 twintillionth of a second after the Big Bang” etc. etc. At least this year’s theory holds for you and makes you certain!
This is sounding very inquisitorial- the Catholics said the same thing with the same certainty about the world around them. If I am not mistaken there are a few contentions about how things work around us Andy and mostly amongst scientists. And there are some better equipped scientists, medical researchers, medical doctors than you who believe without a doubt that homeopathy works. Do they not practice the REAL science. Many of those have their names on the very papers that you disparage in your persecutorial zeal.
But this is my answer to you, which I’m sure you and your cohorts will get a kick out of- it is in a like fashion to your religionism- but it is spiritual- a prayer for you.
For Andy, the black duck:
“May the Spirit bless you with tolerance coming from the depth of your soul and the insight to perceive homeopathy’s wondrous ability to cure sick people.
I know Andy that you are going to be an important person for the positive spread of homeopathy that will help mankind and manifest the Spirit of health and healing.”
And here is a blessing for you Goodscience:
” May your light and dedication continue to shine forth like a beacon to those needing such a wonderful medical art and science as homeopathy. You are a wonderful special person and that shines through here on this blog and through your wonderful works, true cures and deep understanding of what it is to heal someone.”
“May homeopathy be the first choice of the majority of those in the world- good homeopathy that has the spiritual and scientific depth and understanding to cure ailments in their full extent including the underlying primary spiritual causes.”
bewaiwai Hanu Hanu
bewaiwai
February 18, 2008
goodscience – the difference between the science I talked about and the ‘science’ of homeopathy is that biology, astrophysics, chemistry, geology have achieved things. They have built predictive models with huge explanatory power that are supported by a vast collection of evidence.
Homeopathy cannot even demonstrate its basic premises. There is no experimental dose-response curve that would support the law of minimum dose. ‘Like cures Like’ has not been explained by biology or even shown how it might be plausible. Provings have been shown to be fatally methodologically weak (Lewith et al). No one can repeatably tell the difference between a potentized remedy and an ordinary dilution (or my challenge would be simple). No experimental evidence exists for miasms or a vital force. The better the RCT, the less likely it is to support an above placebo response. Homeopathy has failed to become mainstream and is hidden in the margins of healthcare, pandering to essentially well people. Homeopathy has given no insight into how human biology works. It has failed to demonstrate a reliable effect on any named disease. It has failed to prove it can increase the life expectancy of anyone, to reduce child mortality, to prevent dangerous diseases from killing people. Homeopaths cannot even agree on what homeopathy is. Classical, progressive? Can you use machines? One pill at a time? Many?
Two hundred years of no progress.
It is a risible catalogue of scientific and humanitarian failure.
lecanardnoir
February 19, 2008
Quantum physics has long proven that there is no such thing as objective science. Every situation is affected by its observer… Acupuncture was long belittled by scientists, some of whom continued to do so after operations using scupuncture anasthesia were filmed in controled conditions. Science is now starting to discover how it works and disproving the doubters… Quantum physics is confirming that things said by mystics about the nature of the world 2 or 3,000 thousand years ago are true… Science doesn’t have a monopoly on truth.
quantumbanana
November 10, 2009
Andy, I do believe your post is anecdotal!! I am also surprised that you would bring up “the enlightenment”. That was nothing but a political deal between Descartes and the Catholic Church. Could it be that that your stance is political as well?
goodscience
February 19, 2008
Hello,
Thanks for sharing your story. I am also being diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. I have some of the symptoms that your shared in your story. I am not that interested in allopathic medicine. Could you please let me know how I can contact you to talk more about the problem and the treatment.
Regards,
Anil.
Anil
October 27, 2009
I am not sure you know what anecdotal means!
lecanardnoir
February 19, 2008
Anecdotal; adjective
Definition:
Based on anecdotes or hearsay:
Consisting of or based on secondhand accounts rather than firsthand knowledge.
“Two hundred years of no progress. It is a risible catalogue of scientific and humanitarian failure.”
This statement Andy is certainly anecdotal. This is your opinion and it shows your ignorance of homeopathy.
goodscience
February 19, 2008
An anecdote is different from an opinion.
That is my firm opinion and I can back it up with verifiable evidence.
Can you counter it? Can you show me how homeopathy has advanced in the past 200 years? What advances in human knowledge has it spawned? What improvements in peoples lives has it given birth to?
PS Anecdotes will not do!
Andy Lewis
February 19, 2008
Hi. I am very interested in your story. Can I contact you via email? I’ve been on thyroid for years and would love to get off of it.
Anonymous
May 8, 2008
I cannot believe that this is a real argument btween real people.
I have seen many health problems that needed surgery being cured by homeopathy. For instance I had my tonsils removed as I was constantly getting fever. My son was going through a simialr problem when we consulted a homeopath. Luckily for him it got cured without any surgery. I know cold is uncurable by medicine but I know my very bad cold just disappeared just like that in a matter of hours when I used homeopathy. I think it is more to do with experience tha to do with logical or scientific arguments.
Chiranjeevi
October 17, 2008
Hello,
I was wondering if I might be able to speak with you about your experience with hyperthyroidism? I am waiting to hear back about my blood test…If you have time would you mind e-mailing me? Or is there any way I could e-mail you? I would really rather not post discussions on this blog. Thank you very much!
Cat
June 20, 2009
Good for you for listening to your inner voice and doing homeopath. Mostly, having the patients & courage in conveying to your Dr. the alternative choice we all have in health care. Homeopathy is amazing.
Linda Buehring
September 7, 2009
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. 🙂 Cheers! Sandra. R.
sandrar
September 10, 2009
People who question homeopathy’s scientific credentials are missing the point.
Allopathic medicine may be good for certain quantifiable, extreme illnesses that need immediate attention and for trauma based injuries. But it has failed in dealing with many chronic conditions and can actually hurt your health.
It can be a band-aid at best, when it treats only symptoms, and at worst, inflames an illness or causes other long term health problems. Kind of like robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Also, a lot of allopathic medicine is being administered without much science to back it up either or junk science. Just because a study is done doesn’t make it accurate. Especially, if there is a predetermined outcome. There are lies, damn lies, and then there are statistics.
And then there is a false attribution of the lowering of infectious diseases to modern medicine, as these were all in decline, even before pill popping became the rage(and was forced on the masses) and homeopathy was still popular, due to sterilization.
It’s pretty obvious now that drugs are created to make money.
Many pharmaceuticals contain poisons and have horrible side effects, because the body wasn’t made to process them. So it is rather hypocritical to call out homeopathy for supposedly not adhering to “science.”
Healing is as much of an art as a science. Allopathic medicine has discredited itself in many ways and people are going to back to folk medicine and with “what works.” Can you blame them?
I would trust anecdotal evidence over a doctors recommendation. I think at this point, it is a better source, since there are so many horror stories coming from modern medicine.
These are the same people who put a plethora of needles into a newly born baby and call that “science.”
ya think
November 30, 2009
This is so great! My mother has Graves disease, and was treated via radioiodine and has taken medication for 20 years now. Lately, I have noticed unexplained weight loss, and a feeling of agitation. I haven’t had any heat sensitivities, so it might be nothing, but I want to go to the doctor and get checked out. I looked up Graves disease on wikipedia, and then looked up the medication that is used to treat it, and it reduced me to tears. I feel so much less afraid to go to the doctor now that I know there are alternatives!
Anonymous
January 21, 2010
Hi, I have really bad case of GRAVE disease and my doctor is pushing me to take radioactive treatment, I really don’t want to do that – cause for the rest of my life I would have to take drugs. Please help me if you have any good ideas about alternative medicine. Paloma
paloma
January 22, 2010
Your story is the first one I have heard that something really helped you with the hyper thyroid. I have the same problem for years. I can’t tolerate the medication they won’t do radioactive iodine or surgery with my thyroid so high. I am in So. California do you know of any homeopathic doctors in this area. I am in orange county. Thank you
Marcia
Marcia
April 22, 2010
Hello Marcia, There are many GREAT homeopaths in California. There are a many web sites that you can research to find a homeopath nearest to you. Here are a few:
North American Society of Homeopaths; http://www.homeopathy.org/
The National Center for Homeopathy; http://www.homeopathic.org/
Council for Homeopathic Certification; http://www.homeopathicdirectory.com/
goodscience
April 22, 2010
Thank you for sharing the websites with me. I will try to find a homeopathic doctor through them.
Marcia
marcia roberts
November 4, 2010
your article on hyper-thyroidism and homeopathic treatment is very interesting to me as I cannot tolerate the drugs the doctors prescribe to me. How can I find a homeopathic doctor that is as experienced as the one in the article?
Marcia
September 24, 2010
Thank you I will try to find a homeopathic doctor and will get back with you on the results.
Marcia
Marcia
September 24, 2010
What an interesting story. I have had major problems for years with hyper-thyroid/graves disease. I can’t tolerate the drugs to treat it and I have developed severe osteoperosis/osteoarthritis and many other horrile things and am in a wheel chair as a result of it. My tsh level is at zero. I have always wanted to try homeopathic because I have heard it is easy to tolerate. But finding a good homeopathic dr. has been a real problem. I wonder if trying the Iodum would be worth a try. Did you have any side effects from it? I have became so sensitive to almost everything because of the thyroid.
Marcia Roberts
marcia roberts
November 4, 2010
thanks a lot for sharing it. I have hyperthyroid but mild. After reading you I went to homeopathic. She gave me Iodium 200c, first once in a week and now she said take it twice a week. My symptoms is getting better, but I am afraid to take blood test. My doctor said I should wait till 3 months to see the result. It has been almost a month that I am taking hemopathic. May be I will do the test to see how is it working. Please pray for me. was you on any resisted diet while your treatment, or are you careful about now what are you eating?
Nilofar Abdul Sattar
October 11, 2011
Very nice post. Perhaps this may be called anecdotal evidence of it occurred just once. But I have seen many cases of hyperthyroidism successfully treated with homeopathy in my practice. Just recently, one woman who refused to accept the offer of getting treated on endocrinal therapy was referred by the endocrinologist for homeopathic treatment to me. She is now fine with the treatment within just 2 months of treatment with all her thyroid hormone levels normalized. It is certainly not a miracle cure but the constitutional and totality-based approach of homeopathy. The subjective symptoms are the first to respond while the objective symptoms follow not much later!
Dr Shreya Deshpande
February 15, 2012