My Health and Personal Rights

I remember being about 5 years old and standing in line at school for my drink of "orange juice" that vaccinated me against polio, and another line where I stolidly presented my left arm for an enormous four-pronged shot, the imprint lasting for many years.  It was some concoction of popular vaccines in the day (okay, early 1960s).  School-wide eye and ear exams, as well as vaccinations, were highly valued as benefits of the public school system.  I knew, even then, that it was not right.  Some children fainted, were excused, or had bad reactions later.  As part of a society that had beat smallpox and dyptheria, our parents were proud.
Even out in the hinterlands of Massachusetts, our water system was treated with flouride. That nobody asked whether there were any side-effects to swallowing this teeth enamel-strengthening substance surprises me.  As a child, I could only wonder if the reason lay beyond my limited powers of logic.
Now I have fifty or so years of questioning and listening and trying to make sense of things.  Fifty years of researching, breaking things down and rearranging them, putting real information into context that is useful and interesting...I am look at the flouride and the old vaccines, and wondering if we should not be learning something from them.
Mammography causes radiation.  Despite the prescribed limit of 2 rads, we usually need 3 pictures (at least).  That's 6 rads!  Now, in one exam, we have a 1 in 2000 risk of getting cancer from the mammogram.  But that factor stays the same no matter how many you get.  So if you have 15 mammograms over 15 years, you have a 1 in 133 chance of getting cancer from the mammogram itself.
It's simple math, like credit card interest.  And, like credit card companies, it's something the medical industry (and its overblown parasite, the medical insurance industry) don't want us to know.  And what I've found is they are very effective at eliminating their competition.
Almost nothing is available on the Internet about the dangers of mammography since 1997 - 16 years ago!  I did however find support on holistic care sites which describe the factors involved in radiation and breast cancer.  For me, this is encouragement to continue investigating treatments for my non-life-threatening issues and to keep questioning the prescribed methods and vague diagnoses of medical professionals who are not trained to aid me in gaining physical and emotional wellness.
My current concern and interest is hypothyroidism. I was diagnosed with lower than acceptable numbers about 8 years ago and have been taking a very small dose of Levothyroxin ever since.  I went to a new doctor recently, and the clinician taking my medical history made a comment about every woman over the age of 50 having hypothyroidism.  That got me to thinking.
I know lots of women "my age" and they are a mixed bag.  Size, ancestry, habits, occupations, outlooks, and personal relationships - all different.  I asked around.  They, too, were taking a thyroid T4 medication.  Then my Mom, who has had a variety of problems, was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and prescribed a low dosage of T4.  I ask myself: can this be right for everyone?  Is everyone suffering the same symptoms, taking the same cure, and experiencing the same relief?  And what about curing hypothyroidism - does that ever happen?
My doctor talked about reducing my cholesterol, getting more exercise.  Changing my life to avoid stressful situations.  All very good tips - for anybody, in any situation, anywhere in the world.  He is a nice guy, my doctor, but he is not an expert on menopausal women with professional careers and hypothyroidism.  Recently I decided to do some research on my own.
I have also been diagnosed with depression.  When I expressed confusion at this about ten years ago, and reminded the psychiatrist that I had been diagnosed with anxiety ten years earlier, he commented "Depression and anxiety go hand in hand."  I was so impressed I didn't question this until many years later, when I began to wonder whether I was on the path to a cure, or a life-long treatment.
Time to take a time-out, and see what symptoms I am really suffering from, and what specifically can boost my system to eliminate them.
My symptoms are not life-threatening.  I have a full-time profession career.  I have been married over 30 years old to a man I adore.  I have an adult daughter preparing for her Masters degree.  I have a home, a cat, a small personal artisan business.  I love to write, and I am a fan of history.  I believe we need to look to our past to understand where we are and to decide where to go.  I take my medical care very seriously, and I work with professionals to keep up to date with the results of tests and objective observations.  So working with my own therapy is under serious constraints and considerations.  Not to mention my family and friends love me and understand me well enough to help me when I need it.
That said, my new journey is one of exploring my body and my spirit in the context of the world I live in .  The vaccinations and mammography questions are just that - questions.  As are the TSH tests used to determine hypothyroidism.  These tests are not conclusive.  The medications are not the most effective. But more importantly, there is no indication of getting well - of recovering from the illness of hypothyroidism.  Yet, it is possible to manage, even cure, thyroid diseases.  Some alternative treatments are pretty weird, like taking dessicated thyroid tissue. But what if I told you it has a significantly higher rate of success in combating hypothyroidism than the conventional prescribed regime?
Going further, I learned that hypothyroidism can cause depression...not surprising, since it cuts off the blood supply to the brain.  That the right hypothyroidism treatment can ease depression. anxiety, and a host of other problems.  And that the thyroid hormone is behind all those symptoms of menopause you've been experiencing!  But I am taking medication for depression as well as hypothyroidism, and they are prescribed by different doctors, from the results of completely different tests.  If the doctors are not working together, how can you expect the medications to?  It is up to me to determine the real symptoms of my medical issues and to address and monitor them.  For that, I need information, both professional and personal.
Step  1 is to eliminate all medications and supplements from my diet.  I am trying natural, alternative supplements and solutions, one at a time, while monitoring specific symptoms (both causes and side-effects).  I am looking for a prescription of foods, activities, and attitudes to cure my health problems from the inside out.  I look forward to sharing what I find, whether effective or laughable, and letting you know my progress through this journey we call life.