A Medical Mystery: Thyroid Hormones, Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia
Summary: * Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia look very like Hypothyroidism. * Thyroid Patients aren't happy with either the diagnosis or treatment of Hypothyroidism. * It is possible that lots of FMS/CFS cases are 'something wrong with the thyroid system that doesn't show up on laboratory hormone level tests'. * It's possible that it's not too difficult to fix these CFS/FMS cases with thyroid hormones. * I believe that there may have been a stupendous cock-up that's hurt millions. * Less Wrong should be interested, because it could be a real example of how bad inference can cause the sciences to come to false conclusions, as well as a good practice problem for the things we really care about. Edit: I found a possible answer here: http://lesswrong.com/lw/nbm/thyroid_hormones_chronic_fatigue_and_fibromyalgia/ I do not believe it, because I do not understand it, but contemplation of it seems to be enlightening. In particular, the problem is much broader than I originally thought. A summary of the argument in the first two posts, together with links to lots of evidence in the literature: http://lesswrong.com/r/discussion/lw/nef/the_thyroid_madness_core_argument_evidence/ And this is pretty much proof, I think: http://lesswrong.com/lw/nhs/the_thyroid_madness_two_apparently_contradictory/ At this point, I think I'm as confident as I can be without some sort of formal trial (so 25% maybe?) But certainly, if you're suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Fibromyalgia/Major Depression/Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or any of the many similar disorders which just seem to be different names for 'hypothyroidism with normal TSH', I reckon this is worth trying! I have done, and it worked for me. For about four months now... Original Post: I believe that I've come across a genuine puzzle, and I wonder if you can help me solve it. This problem is complicated, and subtle, and has confo
This is a great story Miranda. Well written. It catches something.
--
Honestly it's not that bad. When I was born they told me I would live forty years or so, and then decay into uselessness and ugliness and die; and back then there was also the ever present possibility of getting evaporated in a nuclear armageddon that nobody wanted but that seemed fairly likely to happen at some point.
Even back in the 1970s the whole situation was clearly horribly unstable and not going to go well long-term. We never had much of a chance, or any more agency than yeast in a barrel have. A different race might have done better, but we... (read more)