by goldilocks » Sat Feb 25, 2012 5:47 pm
No drugs for me.
There was only one time in my life when I took a prescription drug. About 9 years ago I was diagnosed with Graves' Disease (autoimmune hyperthyroid disease). I experimented with quitting gluten since I read they were connected, and within two weeks my hyper symptoms that I'd had for over a year all cleared up and never returned. Then the suppressing antibodies became dominant. I read that these often take longer to clear up, so I was expecting this. I stuck it out for a while without meds, but after a few months I couldn't take it, and persuaded my doctor to give me the lowest possible dose of synthroid. I took this for about 6 months, until I felt that I was feeling kind of hyper again, then tapered off and quit. Since that time, every time I test my blood my thyroid levels are normal, and this summer I checked and had no trace of antibodies either - yay! Gluten-free works for me.
At the same time I got the Graves' Disease diagnosis, I found out that my cholesterol was 300 (!!!) My doctor wanted to put me on drugs, but I resisted, and started eating a starch-based McDougall style diet. When I checked again my cholesterol had dropped to 174. My doctor said she'd never seen anyone lower their cholesterol so much, so fast, without using drugs. I asked her if now she would at least tell her other patients that she had seen someone do this, and suggest they change their diets before just going on drugs, but she shrugged it off and said no one would do it. Sigh.