Most of them are mercury poisonned but don't know yet or do not want to recognize it. They have a very dogmatic view. They [censored] the endocrinology establishment of being dogmatic but boy do they have a doctrine themselves. However, some of the stuff they say is true. Better a combo T4+T3 hormone if you are hypothyroid than a T4-only protocol.

However, I must object to your post about growing a dependency on thyroid hormones. Maybe it's true for cortisol, I don't know, but not for thyroid. When you are hypothyroid, YOU NEED to take your supplements, FOR LIFE, or else you will have a very miserable and painful life and you might go into myeodemous coma and die. Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. I was not in good shape. I won't go into the details but hypothyroidism is a very serious condition with LOTS of symptoms.

[color:"blue"]The reason they constantly up their dose is because they like the buzz they get in the first few days of dosage raise.[/color] Thyroid hormone has a systemic effect and probably causes the adrenals to function more or maybe it has an effect on the Central Nervous System (dopaminergic or seratonergic effect). The cause is unknow and not all individuals respond the same. You might give 50 mcg Synthroid (T4) to someone and it's as if you've given him/her a sugar pill. Me? Raise my thyroid meds and I'll be hypomaniac, lots of energy, lots of concentration, lots of motivation, lots of creative yet delusional ideas. Maybe it's a mercury-iodine interaction. Maybe the affinity of iodine with mercury pushes some mercury away from the CNS and allows neurotransmitters to function better. After the hypomanic episode follows a grand mal : depression. But after a while things restabilize for the better, especially when the proper dose is reached.

I discovered that I was resistant to levothyroxine (T4) and that I needed lots of T3. Mercury disables the enzymatic mechanism that allows T4 to be converted into T3, the most active thyroid hormone.

After a year and half of dosage fidling I got tired and finally concluded to try chelation. Alas, many at the STTM Forum, that you speak of, are still trying to re-arange their dosage. They are stubborn. To each his own. Now I'm getting better with chelation, but I would not and cannot stop my thyroid medication regimen.

Adrenal fatigue is true, my adrenals were not producing enough cortisol, DHEA-s and Testosterone, but the levels went back up 6 months after thyroid hormone supplementation. Are my adrenal hormones perfect? I'm still investigating. One problem leads to another. I can imagine that some of them have trashed their adrenals because hypothryoidism was diagnosed to late and the damage is important. But it's not the case of everyone and as my endocrinologist said, the adrenals come back up with thyroid hormone supplementation. He made it clear it was better to get the thyroid back on track and not start messing around with the adrenals, unless it is absolutly necessary. So again, it might be the case of some of them. They might need cortisol supplements or DHEA-s supplements. I must say I found all their discussions on the matter VERY complicated and they never seem to be able to keep a constant regimen as to regards of the adrenals hormone. It's one of the reason I didn't jump in the bandwagon.

Furthermore, it has been my observation that the people on these forums, the moderators I mean, have a hard time understanding that once the Free T4 and Free T3 levels have been stabilized back into optimal range, you need to stay at that dosage and stop changing it. Thyroid hormone takes time to exert its full effects on the body : 8 to 12 weeks for T4 and as much as 3 weeks for T3. On the STTM Forum, some moderators and the site administrator argues 4 weeks for T4 and immediate action for T3. It's absolute non-sense!

It's possible that some of them are stuck with an Attention Deficit and concentration problems and can't seem to make the difference between "brain fog" (thyroid) and attention deficit (ADD/ADHD, caused by mercury). So, when they reach optimal levels, they are dissapointed and they get stuck thinking it's the thyroid causing the problems because gosh, the buzz you get when you raised the dosage made you feel so good, it's gotta be the thyroid, right? No, it's not. It could be mercury poisonning. But keep in mind that low Testosterone levels can also cause concentration and cognitive problems. Medecine is not a straight "A to B" voyage.

It's there life. They made me lose time, but they also enabled me to get my hands on some interesting facts. In the end, you are the only one responsible for your life. I found the help of God more usefull than anything else : He gave me lots of precious knowledge in my meditation and prayer sessions.

Some nuances are always left out in the dark. Only the One that brought Light can guide you throught them.