HEALTH NETWORK

Treatment Guidelines

 

Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome
Treatment Guidelines:  Excerpts from From Dr Wilson’s manual
T3 Dosing, Steadiness Is Everything
  1. Since the less T3 one takes, the easier it is to keep T3 levels steady and the less chance there is of side effects, it is best to begin with a small dose in the neighborhood of 15 micrograms per day (7.5 mcg by mouth every 12 hours).
  2. 2. Since the half-life of T3 is short (2 1/2 days), and since side effects may result from T3 levels that are too low, too high, or unsteady, it is critically important that the medication be administered in the right dose and in a steady fashion.
  3. 3. Since the goal of the WT3 protocol is to normalize body temperature patterns and to resolve the symptoms, if the goal is reached by using the starting does of 15 micrograms per day, then the starting dose can be continued as maintenance, or may be discontinued in the hope that a persistent correction has been effected. These two alternatives can be considered at any time during treatment once the goals of treatment seem to have been reached. This is true even if the average body temperature is less than 98.6 degrees, but persistent resolution is more likely with body temperature patterns averaging closer to 98.6 degrees. One may wonder how soon the WT3 protocol can begin to be weaned once the goals seem to have been reached. If a person’s body is going to compensate to a certain dose it will probably compensate within one day to three weeks. So there is probably no benefit in waiting longer than three weeks, and, the WT3 protocol may sometimes be weaned successfully much earlier than three weeks. In fact, the shortest period of time that I have seen it take to pull a patient with a classic presentation of Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome from the conservation mode back into the productivity mode is ten days start to finish. The patient was able to raise her body temperature patterns up to normal within days of initiating the WT3 protocol, was able to quickly resolve her symptoms of Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome, and was able to wean off the medication by the tenth day, enjoying a persistent correction in her symptoms and body temperature patterns. She has been fine ever since (approximately two years). Sometimes the smallest starting dose is not enough to accomplish the goals of treatment, namely to normalize body temperature patterns and to bring the patient out of the conservation mode and return the patient to the productivity mode. So progressively larger doses can be given to accomplish the resetting of the thyroid system. However, the only reason to use higher doses is so that one can be cycled onto lower doses. By gradually weaning off the WT3 protocol, the responsibility for supplying the body with T3 is gradually given back to the body. With the levels of RT3 having been decreased, as well as other possible changes in the body having taken place, it is hoped that with decreased inhibition at the site of 5′-deiodinase, that the body will be able to better convert the T4 produced in its thyroid gland to the active thyroid hormone T3. Fortunately, this is often the case and when the body can produce sufficient levels of T3 through conversion of its own T4, it can generally do it quite steadily (often more steadily than can be accomplished with medication taken by mouth). If and when the body “tries its wings” again at T4 to T3 conversion and enjoys a persistent benefit, but not a complete resolution of its Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome symptoms, then subsequent cycles can be implemented in an attempt to systematically, step by step, return the body fully to the productivity mode. The first cycle I often refer to as the “reset cycle” since it is usually there that the bulk of the work can be accomplished. Subsequent cycles remind me of “fine tuning”.
  4. 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit measured orally is considered to be normal body temperature under normal circumstances. Since the resolution of the symptoms correlates with normalization of body temperature patterns, and since the effects of a dosage level of the WT3 protocol can be evident within hours and can be maximal within days, then if the symptoms have not satisfactorily resolved with the starting dose and the body temperature is averaging below 98.6 and the patient is not having any side effects, then the daily dose may be increased by an increment of approximately 15 micrograms per day up to the next level of 30 micrograms per day. Since the risk of treatment increases with increased side effects, the dosage should not be increased if the patient is suffering from side effects (which is an indication that the medication may not be adjusted properly).
  5. If at any time the patient does have any side effects, the patient may be weaned gradually off the WT3 protocol. If the temperature rises significantly above 98.6 degrees, for example to 99 degrees, the patient may be reduced gradually on the WT3 protocol.
  6. If the symptoms are not significantly improved, the temperature is averaging normal at 98.6 and there are no side effects, the patient may be weaned off the T3 medicine. In a case like this, the T3 levels often steady down as the patient weans off the WT3 protocol with the symptoms resolving only after the patient’s therapy has been weaned. If the patient’s symptoms are not sufficiently improved with the body temperature averaging around normal and the patient is without side effects, it is probably because of unsteady T3 levels.
  7. If the symptoms are not sufficiently improved, if the body temperature average remains below 98.6 degrees, and if there are no significant side effects, the daily dosage may be increased every one to three days in small increments (15 micrograms per day) until: (a) the symptoms are gone; (b) the body temperature averages normal; (c) there are side effects; or (d) levels of 150 to 200 micrograms per day are reached. The higher the dose, the higher the chances of side effects and there is usually little benefit in increasing the dose higher than 150 to 200 micrograms per day. It is usually better to wean off the medicine and then start it again (after at least a couple of days of rest), since sometimes the body temperature cannot be brought up to normal in one step no matter how much T3 is used, much the same way a car cannot be jacked up with one push on the tire iron no matter how hard that push is.
  8. At this stage, the WT3 protocol may be weaned and restarted or cycled. By cycling, the patient usually is able to achieve more normal temperatures on lower T3 doses. The closer the body temperature pattern gets up to normal with previous cycles the more likely it is that less medicine will be needed to reach the same temperatures with subsequent cycles. This can be thought of as being like a car jack: if the weight of the car is pushed up high enough, it can catch on the next step up. However, if it is not lifted high enough, then it may slide back down to the level it is currently occupying. The less the T3 dose, the more steady the T3 levels, the more effective the treatment, and the less the side effects. The more normal the temperature, the more effective the treatment and the less the side effects. To wean, the daily dosage may be decreased in small increments, for example, 15 micrograms per day at a time, at intervals necessary to prevent a drop in temperature (generally in intervals of about two to ten days). As it turns out, patients are able to increase their body temperature with the WT3 protocol, often enjoy their body temperatures remaining close to the new increased level even while weaning off the WT3 protocol. The trick to weaning off the therapy in a way that permits correction to remain effective, is to wean slowly enough that the temperature does not drop again. For obvious reasons, this is not best attempted or easily accomplished under periods of extreme physical, emotional, or mental stress (since stress often started the problem to begin with). Patients are frequently able to wean off T3 by 15 micrograms per day, every two days on average. Some have to wean off by 15 micrograms-per-day-increments every four days and some have to go off every seven to ten days because if they go faster than that their temperatures will drop. If the patient’s symptoms resolve or remain resolved completely after T3 is weaned, then the WT3 protocol need not be restarted. Usually the less a patient’s body temperature drops, the less medication will be needed in the next cycle to bring the body temperature up closer to normal. Sometimes with each cycle, the patient may enjoy a decrease in the necessary dosage. It is common for patients to need only a 7th, a 10th, a 20th, or a 25th of the amount of medicine in the second cycle to accomplish the same as, or more than, in the first.
  9. In cases where complete resolution of symptoms have not been effected by way of the first cycle of the WT3 protocol, a second cycle may be implemented. This is especially called for if the symptoms are positively effected, if there was a net improvement in the symptoms from the first cycle, and if there was a net change in the body temperature pattern. Almost always the patient is able to achieve more normal body temperature patterns on less medicine than the first cycle. This represents progress and this progress can be continued until the patient is able to come closer and closer to normal (with symptoms and temperature) on less and less T3 until the symptoms resolve and remain resolved off the WT3 protocol. One may wonder how much time there should be between cycles. One purpose of weaning off a cycle is to let the body’s own T3 production build back up and steady down. This usually takes place within two weeks after a cycle has been discontinued and there would be little added benefit in waiting longer than two weeks. As it turns out, patients can generally tell when T3 levels are steady and when they are unsteady, a patient may have a nondescript feeling of being a little “off the mark” and the patient is often able to tell when that feeling is gone once T3 levels become steady again. So a patient does not necessarily need to stay off the T3 for two weeks between each cycle. If the patient never noticed any sensation of unsteadiness while on the WT3 protocol, then the next cycle can be initiated after two or three days of the previous cycle (and after any sensations of unsteadiness have passed if they were noticed). The more time between cycles, the more time the foundation has to steady down, but one does not want the treatment to last unnecessarily long.
  10. The treatment can be employed in the fashion described above anywhere along the path from the beginning of the first cycle to the ending of the last cycle. For example, if the patient is happy to feel normal again for the first time in years, is not having any complaints, and is not anxious to rock the boat, then the patient need not wean the WT3 protocol. If body temperature patterns are normal and steady, and the patient is not having any complaints, they may be maintained on the WT3 protocol for a time. Patients have been known to take thyroid medication for decades (even T3). If the patient feels satisfactorily improved and the body temperature patterns have been normalized, the WT3 protocol can be gradually weaned if the patient would like to see if a persistent correction has been effective. Or, if the patient’s symptoms are quite a bit improved but not completely resolved, the patient may:

 

(a) continue the process of increasing and decreasing the therapy in an attempt to improve the level of correction;
(b) stay on the same dosage level in an effort to maintain the same degree of correction to not “rock to boat” by taking the chance of possibly having side effects on higher doses or by possibly losing ground by weaning off the medication (this alternative is frequently useful during periods of time when the patient is faced with severe stress such as family or business problems), or;
(c) weaning off the medicine in the hopes of being able to maintain the achieved level of correction until the treatment can be pursued again at a later time (useful, for example, when a patient needs to go out of town for many months). The problem usually gets worse in stages over time and can frequently get better in stages over time as well.
11. Not only have the WT3 protocol cycles been used to coax the body temperature to more normal levels, but they have also been used in cases where the average body temperatures were at a normal level but were too unsteady, for the purpose of attempting to make them more steady. Thus, the WT3 protocol can also be implemented as a stabilizing influence on unsteady body temperature patterns, and can thereby, sometimes resolve symptoms of DTSF. This situation, however, is extremely rare. If the two subgoals of the WT3 protocol for Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome include going gradually up and down on the WT3 protocol to:
1. Feel well while on the WT3 protocol, and
2. Remain well after the WT3 protocol has been discontinued; then one might wonder when one goes up and when one goes down on the WT3 protocol. Again, the only thing better than feeling well on medicine is feeling well off medicine.

 

Time Frame Of Treatment

 

One can think of the WT3 protocol as the road that leads to a distant city. Along that road might be two or three beautiful cities. While passing through these cities on the way to one’s final destination, one might appreciate them to the extent that one might prefer to stay a few days in each town, rather than driving straight through to the final city. Such decisions can be made based on available time, condition or quality of the intermediate cities, road conditions, resources (e.g., money), and priorities. Some people may prefer to drive straight through to the final destination while others may prefer to make the trip in several stages. So too are there many options in the progress of the WT3 protocol. The ultimate goal or destination for most Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome sufferers is normalization of body temperature patterns which are then maintained by their own body even after the WT3 protocol has been discontinued.Some patients might have their reason to “drive straight through” to obtain that destination (for example, they might not like taking medicine and may prefer to stop taking the medicine as soon as is humanly possible, or they may be planning to move away in the near future and may want to try to achieve their goal if possible within the time period available). Others might have greater short term needs like the tired and hungry traveler who stops for a time in a closer city to eat, recuperate, and sleep on his way to his more distant, more desirable, final destination. Some Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome sufferers, having obtained a certain level of improvement in their symptoms, may prefer not to change therapy for a time, even though their improvement is less than complete. They may have felt so badly for so long and may be so glad to feel halfway normal for the first time in years, that they may not want to “rock the boat” for a time. Usually, however, after they have “rested and recuperated” for a time, they gain the confidence and desire to proceed from “city to city” a step at a time, getting closer and closer to normal on less and less medicine, enjoying more and more improvement in the symptoms with less and less chance of side effects until ideally, the process is complete with the patient being normalized and remaining so even after therapy has been discontinued.

“Road conditions” are also an important consideration. A patient may be in the midst of starting a new business, selling his house, moving, and taking care of his hospitalized mother’s affairs, all at the same time. Under such conditions, it may be preferable not to add to the patient’s challenges by making a lot of adjustments in his the WT3 protocol, especially if the preoccupying conditions are not expected to last very long. It is sometimes better to weather out the storm in one city before proceeding to the next one. The goal of T3 therapy is to use the treatment to artificially reset the system while providing sufficiently normal and steady levels of the WT3 protocol. The body is given the opportunity to maintain naturally what has been accomplished artificially. This cannot always be accomplished in one step or “cycle.”

There can be setbacks in progress. Since stress and starvation are some of the things that can precipitate Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome in the first place, they can also impair the body’s ability to maintain naturally what has been established artificially. So again, if the patient is satisfactorily improved, then it might be preferable for him to weather out the conditions of stress and/or starvation (or perhaps significant dieting or exercise) before proceeding to his final destination.

Let’s suppose a patient who has been staying in a “city” wherein her symptoms are improved, but her temperature is around 98.0, chooses to move on the next “city”. Since the patient is more likely to need less medicine with the next cycle the closer her body temperature approaches 98.6, if the patient is not having any complaints, it may be preferable to increase the WT3 protocol in an attempt to “punctuate” the cycle by attempting to bring her body temperature pattern up closer to 98.6 prior to weaning. Of course, the WT3 protocol may be weaned if the patient develops any side effects, if the temperature goes above 98.6, or if the symptoms are not satisfactorily improved even if the temperature is averaging 98.6. Cycling and getting on less T3, is generally the “road” that leads to the final destination.

Ripples
Patients can usually manage ordinary fevers due to colds or flu’s in the usual way (without changing the T3 dosage) if being maintained well on a certain level of the WT3 protocol. Remember that each change in the dose of T3 causes ripples the way a tap on the edge sends a ripple through an entire water bed, and these ripples can last for up to two weeks or more before settling down. These ripples may not be noticed in any side effects, and maybe not even in the body temperature patterns, but may be detected in terms of lost potential benefit.

Typical Responses To the WT3 protocol
These principles may make it easier to understand typical patterns of response to the WT3 protocol:

  1. When patients begin the first cycle of the WT3 protocol, they sometimes feel better in the first week of treatment than they do as the cycle proceeds. This is understandable since in the beginning, the WT3 protocol is building upon the steady foundation of the body’s T3 with temperatures closer to normal being achieved with relatively small doses which are easier to keep steady. But as one increases the dosage in working towards the subgoals of therapy, the more one takes, the harder it is to keep it steady, and so understandably the improvement in the symptoms may not remain as great.
  2. Some patients notice more improvement in their symptoms of MED [Multiple Enzyme Dysfunction] as they wean off a cycle of the WT3 protocol than they ever did going on. This is understandable since the body sometimes maintains naturally the level of body temperature achieved artificially more steadily than was accomplished artificially.
  3. Different levels of improvement can be achieved with subsequent cycles. For example, a patient may achieve 60% resolution of his or her symptoms with the first cycle with the symptoms remaining persistently improved to a 60% degree even after the therapy has been discontinued. Then sometime later with a second cycle, the level of improvement may be brought up to 75%, which may persist even after the cycle has been discontinued. And still another cycle may bring the results up to 90% resolution of the symptoms. However, at any time, if the patient is faced with significant stress or starvation conditions, then the level of improvement may relapse back down to, say, 40% resolution.
  4. The symptoms of MED [Multiple Enzyme Dysfunction] are improved by the body temperature being more normal and steady. The balance of these two factors determines the level of correction of the symptoms. Patterns that are less normal but more steady may result in increased benefit as compared to patterns that are more normal and less steady. But patterns that are both normal and steady are most preferable and most likely to result in a correction of the symptoms of MED [Multiple Enzyme Dysfunction].
  5. It is difficult to compare the body temperature patterns of one person to another to predict the degree of improvement of MED symptoms. The body temperature of one person compared to himself, however, can be quite useful in predicting improvement in the symptoms of MED. For example, if a patient’s body temperature patterns become more normal and more steady with the WT3 protocol, one can expect an improvement in the symptoms of MED even if the patient’s body temperature patterns are not as normal and not as steady as the body temperature patterns that were necessary to alleviate the symptoms of some other patient.

Balancing With Other Systems

We have described the inertia of the body’s systems by using the example of a ring with ropes tied to it, with each rope pulling with a different tension such that all the tensions in the ropes balance out in such a way that the ring maintains a certain position. In those simple analogies, we have imagined the balancing of only a few forces. However, we can see that there are many systems in the body and many forces at work that influence the overall balance or position of the body. So rather than just a few ropes or forces at work, there are actually many more, a few of which we have mentioned (female hormone, adrenal hormone, thyroid hormone, glucose metabolism, stress, body shape, diet, exercise, medications, etc.).
Frequently, the overall balance can be favorably normalized with the WT3 protocol. The WT3 protocol can seemingly “pull” the thyroid system and consequently even other body systems and forces into a new balance or position. This “settling” may explain why symptoms sometimes continue to improve even after steady state has been reached (in about two weeks) or even up to six weeks or more.
Theoretically, the overall balance could possibly be manipulated through the manipulation of other systems other than the thyroid system. The WT3 protocol may be so much more useful, effective, reproducible, and predictable because of the fewer number of variables involved. Just as it is easier to turn on a light switch with one end of a ruler while holding the other end, than it is to turn on that switch using a segmented bamboo toy snake that flops or “writhes” when one holds it out by the tail against gravity. The greater the number of variables or “segments” the more difficult it is to control a tool in the accomplishing of a specific purpose. The female hormone system, for example, involves progesterones and estrogens that go up and down independently, at different times of the month. There are many different forms of estrogens and progesterones on the market, both separately, and in different combinations. Such a complicated set of variables would be, to say the least, extremely difficult to manage effectively, even if the female hormone system could be manipulated to change the overall balance of the body.
Since the overall balance of the body’s system can usually be restored to a desirable position with the WT3 protocol, when progress seems to get “stuck” in terms of a lack of continued improvement in the symptoms of MED during the process of cycling, one might look for “opposing” forces that may be resisting further progress. Referring to the diagram below, one may see in the first situation that if the forces are arranged in this first way then changing the tension in one rope might more easily change the position of the ring than if the ropes or forces are arranged in the second way. Since in the second situation there may be more direct opposition to progress.
Thus, if progress in the resolution of the symptoms of MED is progressing predictably and then all of a sudden seems to get “stuck”, then one might look for systems in which tensions can be changed to decrease resistance to improvement. For example, one might consider decreasing a woman’s female hormone dosage when she is being treated with female hormones. The patient might be able to make dietary changes that can better maintain favorable blood sugar levels such as with a hypoglycemic diet. Life style changes may be effected to alter the stress levels. Likewise, exercise activity, body shape (through weight changes), and the doses of other medications can sometimes be manipulated in such a way as to permit further progress and normalization of body temperature patterns and functions. Of course, some of these measures can, and many times should be, implemented from the start of the WT3 protocol as part of the overall plan of action.

 

Remain Normal After Treatment?
Who are most likely to be able to remain normal after the WT3 protocol has been discontinued? Those who have more sturdy metabolisms, and who enter the conservation mode less easily. Those who enter into the conservation mode more easily, earlier in life, and with less provocation (especially common in certain nationalities) generally have a more difficult time maintaining more normal body temperature patterns after therapy has been discontinued. And they may relapse more easily when they are able to maintain normal temperature patterns for a time. The closer a person is able to return to a normal or ideal level of functioning and physical condition, the more likely they are to be able to maintain naturally body temperature patterns. “The further in bed you are the harder it is to fall out.” And, of course, those who are under conditions of stress and/or starvation might more easily relapse and have more difficulty maintaining body temperature patterns naturally.Important Details The information outlined in this treatment section of the book is intended as a general overview. The specifics of treatment cannot be reviewed in complete detail because they are outside the scope of this single book. The information here is not intended to be considered exhaustive but is intended to show the reader that there are definitely approaches that can be taken to alleviate and often correct Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome. Of course, the WT3 protocol outline in this book cannot and should not be attempted without the supervision of a physician. Despite the space limitation of this book it would probably be helpful to include a few more details:
1.   T3 is a temperature tool. Taking the WT3 protocol does not alleviate the symptoms of MED. Achieving more normal and steady body temperature patterns with the WT3 protocol frequently alleviates the symptoms of MED. T3 is not the answer, it is a tool one may use in order to accomplish a certain purpose. T3 is not a “cure-all” but it can be very useful in correcting an imbalance in a vitally important system that can affect virtually every function of the body. One cannot begin to hope for ideal functioning of one’s health unless he has adequate thyroid hormone system function.

2.   As mentioned previously, the patients who do the best are the ones who are able to get their temperatures closer to normal on lesser amounts of T3 because, the lower the amount of T3, the easier it is to keep it steady. However, the more T4 and RT3 that may be competing with T3 at the active site, the more T3 that may be necessary in order to overcome that competition to provide more normal body temperature patterns. If less T4 and RT3 were present, then less T3 would be needed, since less competition would be present.

Wilson’ Syndrome sufferers who are being treated for hypothyroidism deserve special consideration. Hypothyroidism can cause DTSF through inadequate production of T4 from the thyroid gland, while Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome can result in DTSF because of impaired conversion of the T4 to the active thyroid hormone T3. Some patients presenting to a physician with hypothyroidism may have their hypothyroidism or low T4 production detected with thyroid hormone blood tests which are usually very useful for this purpose. Normally, hypothyroidism is corrected with T4 supplementation to the satisfying of these thyroid hormone blood tests, causing them to return to the “normal range.” In many cases, this may also resolve the patient’s DTSF since the patient may be able to adequately convert the T4 supplementation given by mouth into T3.       

One can reduce RT3 levels by reducing the levels of T4, its source. To decrease T4 levels, one may decrease T4 supplementation. T4 supplementation may be weaned from .05 – .10 milligrams per day, per week, until the T4 supplementation has been discontinued for a time. Of course, as the T4 supplementation is discontinued, levels of T3 drop as well which can result in increased symptoms of DTSF [Decreased Thyroid System Function]. Generally, it is preferable to withhold T3 supplementation for approximately seven to ten days after T4 supplementation has been discontinued, especially if there is not a worsening of the symptoms of DTSF [Decreased Thyroid System Function]. This is to allow levels of T4 and RT3 to decrease. If while the T4 therapy is being weaned, the symptoms of DTSF do worsen, then low levels of T3 supplementation may be initiated to sustain T3 levels while T4 therapy is being weaned.

It is usually best not to increase the WT3 protocol in an attempt to normalize body temperature patterns and to diminish the symptoms of DTSF [Decreased Thyroid System Function] until approximately the tenth day after T4 therapy has been discontinued, but only to prevent a worsening of the symptoms of DTSF in the meantime. In this way, one may be able to avoid inadvertently increasing the WT3 protocol to higher levels than would otherwise be necessary (lower T4 and RT3 levels resulting from the weaning of T4 therapy lower the competition against T3 for the active site so that less T3 is required to overcome it and provide more normal body temperatures). By staying on lower levels of the WT3 protocol in the first place, one may avoid having to go through as many cycles of the WT3 protocol.

Cycles of the WT3 protocol can sometimes take from two weeks to two months each. Thus, by only increasing T3 dosage levels to prevent increased levels of DTSF[Decreased Thyroid System Function] symptoms while T4 therapy is being weaned, one can often be as far along in a few weeks as he otherwise would be in six months. Of course, in Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome sufferers who also happen to be hypothyroid one must restore T4 therapy as each cycle of T3 is weaned and after the patient’s Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome has been corrected (since they don’t produce T4 sufficiently on their own). At the beginning of each cycle of the WT3 protocol in such patients, T4 therapy should again be weaned before the WT3 protocol is used to pursue normalization of body temperature patterns. So hypothyroid patients who still suffer from the symptoms of DTSF, in spite of adequate T4 therapy because they are also suffering from Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome, can often be helped. Ideally, such patients can be cycled on and off T4 and the WT3 protocol until eventually their Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome can be corrected and they may be placed back on T4 therapy and retain resolution of their symptoms of DTSF. In fact, many times they can often feel better on less T4, after T3 therapy, than they ever did on more.

3. T4 Test Dose. The competition between T4 and T3 for the thyroid hormone receptor can be used handily in the management of side effects of the WT3 protocol. Side effects from 12 hour sustained-release the WT3 protocol (most commonly mild achiness, fluid retention, mild headaches, fatigue, and occasionally edginess) usually are related to unsteady levels of T3 resulting in unsteady body temperature patterns, leading to unsteady multiple enzyme function. Let us remember that T4 is about three times longer acting and is four times less active than T3. A small dose of the longer-acting, and, in a sense, more stable T4, can be used to dilute the influence of the more powerful T3 at the level of the active site, thereby, making the thyroid hormone influence at the thyroid hormone receptor more steady. A T4 test dose can decrease the side effects that a patient may be having from unsteady levels of the WT3 protocol. Interestingly, it can do it in about 45 minutes. This is possibly because it does not take long for a dose of T4 to be absorbed from the stomach into the blood stream and to be distributed to the cells of the body, thereby, having its stabilizing effect. In this respect, T4 can almost be thought of as a wet blanket, compared to T3. Many times patients are quite astonished by how quickly and completely their side effects can resolve after a small dose of T4. This may be on the order of approximately 15% to 20% of the number of micrograms of T3 the patient is currently taking each day. For example, 12.5 micrograms (.0125 milligrams) of T4 (e.g. 1/2 of the smallest strength of Synthroid…a new pair of toenail clippers are handy for cutting them in half) may be given to a patient who is currently having some side effects on 30 to 37.5 micrograms of the WT3 protocol incorporating a sustained-release vehicle being taken twice a day.

Although T4 is much more stable, it should be remembered that it can sometimes feed rather than reverse the vicious cycle that leads to Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome. It should also be noted that it is often not favorable to take the T4 therapy if it is not necessary for side effects, because it can sometimes block what one is trying to accomplish with the WT3 protocol. The T4 dose is best taken only as needed for side effects. If the side effects resolve quickly within one or two hours of the dose, it is more likely that the patient did need the dose of T4. So the dose of T4 might only need to be taken once, possibly every three days, or only every week or so, but preferably not more often than once a day. If the thyroid hormone influence cannot be easily and sufficiently steadied with doses of T4, then the patient should be gradually weaned off the the WT3 protocol and perhaps started on another cycle. Incidentally, some patients do quite well with a combination of both continuous T4 and the WT3 protocol, and a few respond better to instant release the WT3 protocol than to sustained released the WT3 protocol. So in every case, the choice of therapy and dosing considerations must be made based on individual patient response and laboratory findings.

4. In light of the information contained in this book, thyroid hormone therapy that does not take into consideration body temperature patterns is not being done correctly.

5. Likewise, considering that Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome can be precipitated or made worse by starvation conditions, the use of dietary approaches such as crash diets, low calorie diets, very low calorie diets, and protein sparing modified fasting liquid diets, without regard to body temperature patterns, in patients already suffering from symptoms of MED, can not be considered prudent. As many people are becoming increasingly aware, these measures can cause or worsen a patient’s symptoms of MED, leaving the patient to gain all of their weight back and then some. One such measure of dieting or “starvation” may precipitate persistent DTSF [Decrease Thyroid System Function]. due to the patient developing Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome, then the patient can be left with debilitating physical and functional problems that can have a profoundly adverse impact on the person’s life. Proper diet and exercise certainly are very important. And dietary systems or tools (such as certain liquid diets) do have their favorable uses. It is only inappropriate to use such tools without taking into consideration, on an ongoing basis, a patient’s body temperature patterns and symptoms that may be related to MED, DTSF, and Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome. These symptoms can be revealed through careful questioning of the patient as part of the monitoring of his dieting process.

6. Symptoms of low blood pressure such as lightheadedness, clamminess, increased heart rate, and shakiness may often actually be due to low blood sugar levels. Such symptoms can frequently be alleviated by eating a little something to bring up blood sugar levels, such as a piece of chicken, cheese and crackers, or orange juice. Refined sugars, such as candy, are usually not preferable since they may result in a rebound drop in blood sugar levels due to the body’s reaction to the sugar in the candy. Patients with Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome seem to have unstable blood sugar levels which can go too high when they are high and too low when they are low. This can be alleviated through a hypoglycemic diet and also through normalization of body temperature patterns.

7. Since mental and physical stress can lead to precipitation of the symptoms of MED and Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome, it is recommended that one should approach diseases associated with mental stress, such as anxiety and depression, while bearing in mind the patient’s body temperature patterns. Likewise, when addressing patients who are undergoing severe physical stress such as recovering from car accidents, major surgery, severe infections, or the like, one should always bear in mind the patient’s body temperature patterns, since it can have a profound influence on how he will recover. This may be especially important in cases where a patient’s recovery could go either way, being balanced on the verge of life and death, such as in intensive care units and in critically ill patients. In such circumstances, consideration of body temperature patterns can literally mean the difference between life and death.

8. If a patient taking the WT3 protocol is scheduled to undergo surgery, then considering the short half-life of T3 and the potential for unsteady blood levels, it is usually advisable for the patient to gradually wean off the WT3 protocol before the surgery. the WT3 protocol may be resumed once the surgery has been completed. It is important, however, to give adequate time for the weaning process so that the T3, body temperature, blood pressure, etc. are not dropped abruptly just prior to surgery.

9. Drug interactions – Since T3 is a substance that is normally found in every person’s body, if a particular medicine does not have an adverse chemical reaction with the T3 already inside a person’s body, then it will not have a direct chemical reaction with the T3 medication taken by mouth. So, any drug interactions are usually not due to direct chemical reaction between T3 and other medicines but because of indirect effects. T3 can affect a person’s temperature, blood pressure, and pulse. In some instances, these effects can be additive, such as with antihistamines, decongestants, antidepressants, asthma medicines, etc. The body normally becomes accustomed to the WT3 protocol by making certain compensatory changes. Some medicines (such as beta blockers) may affect the body’s ability to compensate or “get used to” the WT3 protocol. Other medication such as cortisone, progesterone, estrogens, certain anti-inflammatory medicines, and the like, can oppose the purpose of the WT3 protocol, thereby, making it less effective.

10. Thyroid medicine is pregnancy category A, which is the safest category for medicines that can be taken during pregnancy. As a matter of fact, it is usually recommended that thyroid hormone medication not be stopped during pregnancy. In some cases, the thyroid hormone supplementation is important in helping the woman to conceive the pregnancy and to maintain it to full term. However, due to the short half-life of T3, I recommend that patients who become pregnant on the WT3 protocol should gradually wean off the WT3 protocol, mainly because if for some reason they were denied access to their medicine abruptly, they might have problems with their pregnancy. Fortunately, many women with Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome do their best when they are pregnant.

11. The WT3 protocol can be symptomatic (used to treat the symptoms), therapeutic (used for a time to correct the underlying problem), used as a maintenance therapy (to maintain an effective correction through the use of continued administration of the medicine), and used as prophylaxis (used intermittently to prevent relapse of Wilson’ Syndrome, especially during short periods of extreme stress typical of conditions that have precipitated relapses previously).
As mentioned previously, the considerations discussed in this chapter about the treatment of Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome are relatively thorough, but are not nearly exhaustive. Greater details on treatment considerations in various other illnesses and situations is outside the scope of this book. The treatment protocol is explained in full detail in the Doctor’s Manual for Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome. the WT3 protocol should usually be monitored every two to six weeks by a physician in person, and more frequently, if necessary, by phone (and in person, if necessary). Monitoring should be more frequent initially until one can more fully predict a patient’s response, and may be less frequent later in therapy. Although the information presented here is not exhaustive, an effort was made to give enough information to demonstrate that the thyroid system is far more dynamic than it is generally considered to be, and that thyroid medication can be thought of in terms of minutes and days, rather than weeks and months. Thyroid hormone therapy can be adjusted to accomplish much good, and can even make all the difference in a person’s life. It should not be considered in terms of merely putting a patient on a certain dosage to see how they do, and leaving the patient on that particular regimen indefinitely regardless of whether or not their symptoms are greatly benefited. To adapt a phrase from The Annals of Internal Medicine article of December, 1977, entitled Thyroidal and Peripheral Production of Thyroid Hormones, that applies both to the information presented in the article and the information presented in this book: This new information has forced a reassessment of long held views of the thyroid system and has profound clinical implications as well (To say the least!).

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