Sanford Siegal - Is Your Thyroid Making You Fat: The Doctors 28-Day Diet that Tests Your Metabolism as You Lose Weight

The information herein is not intended to replace the medical advice of your physician. You are advised to consult your health-care professional with regard to matters relating to your health, and in particular regarding matters that may require diagnosis or medical attention.

Copyright 2000 by Sanford Siegal

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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First eBook Edition: November 2009

Originally published in hardcover by Hachette Book Group.

ISBN: 978-0-446-57115-9

Dr. Siegal deserves to be commended for prescribing thyroid hormone the way he does and for having the courage to write about it.

Alan R Gaby, M.D., past president of the American Holistic Medical Association and author of The Patients Book of Natural Healing

Supplemental natural thyroid is often the Rosetta Stone of good health and should not be overlooked or underestimated. IS YOUR THYROID MAKING YOU FAT? makes a valuable contribution to the thyroid literature.

Stephen E. Langer, M.D., president of the American Nutritional Medical Association and author of Solved: The Riddle of Illness&M

IS YOUR THYROID MAKING YOU FAT? brings to light many heretofore unappreciated aspects of the dynamic between thyroid activity and a number of maladies.

Dennis Gage, M.D., F.A.C.P., former acting director of the Obesity Center at St. Lukes-Roosevelt Hospital

...

My doctors told me that there was nothing wrong with my thyroid, but I just couldnt lose weight. Dr. Siegal found that my thyroid was underactive. After I started taking the natural thyroid, the weight seemed to fall off. I followed his diet and went from 184 pounds to 122 in about six months. Ive got a new body.

Virginia Brunson

I was losing my hair, I had chills, and I was so worn out, I couldnt get my work done. I wasnt losing any weight until Dr. Siegal started me on the thyroid medication. No one ever told me I had that problem. Not only did the weight start coming off, but all these other problems went away. Im not at my goal yet. I cant wait to get there.

Elaine Lyons

No one ever found a thyroid problem. Thank goodness Dr. Siegal realized what the problem was. Ive lost 65 pounds. I dont even recognize myself when I look in the mirror. I cant believe it!

Myra Garcia

I went to Dr. Siegal last July because of his reputation for getting weight off his patients. I never dreamed that my other problems might be helped. I started taking thyroid hormones in August and I no longer have those horrendous mood swings. I sleep better, and best of all, Im losing weight steadily.

Cindy Kirsh

...

If after youve read this book, taken all the tests, filled out the checklists, kept track of your temperature, and tried his 28-day eating test, you dont think you got your moneys worth Id besurprised. Dr. Siegal also gives strong arguments for the use of natural thyroid supplementation as opposed to the use of synthetics.

Amy Shellase

This book is great I am giving it to my daughters to read, as they have a similar problem as me and are getting fed up with doctors who only go by lab results. Thanks for giving me some hope and having the courage to speak out against the establishment. Wish there were more like Dr. Siegal.

Roslyn Hodgins, Hammondville, NSW, Australia

As a doctor of pharmacy candidate and published reviewer of medical literature, I am in constant contact with patients who complain that their doctor dismisses a metabolic problem as the cause of their obesity. While hypothyroidism certainly is not the cause of all obesity, Dr. Siegal makes a very convincing argu ment that, for many, it may beThis book offers hope to those who dont overeat but cant seem to lose weight on any diet.

S. Hileman, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Many people helped write this book; in a sense, thousands. They are the patients Ive known for the last forty years.

Of the more recent contributors, I sincerely thank: my wife, Lyndol, for keeping my enthusiasm manageable; my friend, Peter Nguyen, for allowing me access to his knowledge of the biological world; my friends, Carmen and Greg Anderson, for their sage advice; my editor, Rick Horgan, for keeping me focused; my agent, Barbara Lowenstein, for her encouragement; my copy editor, Karen Thompson, for possessing the eye of an eagle; my son Marc Siegal, for making incomprehensible databases comprehensible; another son, Matthew Siegal, for his treasure chest of suggestions; a third son, Jason Siegal, for his critical input; and two great people, Cindy Hernandez and Beth Geisler, for dedicated slavery.

by Alan R. Gaby, M.D.

In this book, Dr. Sanford Siegal argues that hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) is a common condition that is frequently overlooked by the average doctor. While conventional medicine relies primarily on blood tests to diagnose hypothyroidism, Dr. Siegal points out that these tests are unreliable and often fail to detect the problem. Siegal further differs from most doctors by recommending the use of desiccated thyroid, an extract from animal thyroid glands that modern medicine has repeatedly labeled obsolete.

While most doctors are strongly opposed toor even horrified bythe idea of giving a potent hormone to people whose blood tests are normal, my own clinical experience with more than a thousand thyroid cases unequivocally confirms Dr. Siegals observations. Moreover, while only about 30 percent of patients can tell the difference between desiccated thyroid and the most frequently prescribed form of thyroid hormone (levothyroxine), those who can tell the difference nearly always prefer the natural preparation.

The symptoms of hypothyroidism are well known and include fatigue, depression, constipation, cold hands and feet, dry skin, fluid retention, slow thinking, weight gain, menstrual irregularities, and an increase in serum cholesterol. Although these symptoms can have many different causes, Ive found hypothyroidism to be one of the most common causes. And yet, approximately 85 percent of my patients whose symptoms improved (often dramatically) with thyroid treatment had normal thyroid blood tests, including TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone).

The idea that blood tests often fail to detect hypothyroidism is not as far-fetched as it might seem. By analogy, many diabetics require injections of insulin, even though the level of this hormone in the bloodstream may be normal or above normal. This phenomenon is known as insulin resistance. While there is plenty of insulin circulating in the blood, the hormone receptors on cell membranes are inefficient in responding to insulins message. As a result, some diabetics require higher-than-normal concentrations of insulin in their bloodstream in order to achieve a normal insulin effect. Thyroid-hormone resistance is also known to occur, although it is thought to be a rare condition. However, it is possible that a more subtle form of thyroid-hormone resistance is present in a relatively large proportion of the population. If that is the case, then some individuals would need to maintain their thyroid hormone level near the top of the normal range in order to feel well. While the existence of subtle thyroid-hormone resistance has not been proven, it could explain the dramatic results seen by Dr. Siegal, myself, and hundreds of other doctors who diagnose and treat hypothyroidism on clinical grounds.