This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 65.93.175.29 (talk) at 00:33, 27 April 2009 (→Barnes and Hypothyroidism). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 00:33, 27 April 2009 by 65.93.175.29 (talk) (→Barnes and Hypothyroidism)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) | This article relies excessively on references to primary sources. Please improve this article by adding secondary or tertiary sources. Find sources: "Broda Otto Barnes" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Broda Otto Barnes (April 14, 1906 – November 1, 1988) was an American physician who wrote extensively on the diagnosis and treatment of hypothyroidism. He spent more than 50 years of his life researching and treating endocrine dysfunctions, specializing in the thyroid gland. Barnes' views were never widely adopted in mainstream medicine, yet they continue to be vigorously supported by a small community of medical doctors and many practitioners of alternative medicine.
Barnes and Hypothyroidism
Diagnosis
Barnes differed significantly with the mainstream medical establishment regarding the accuracy of diagnostic tests for hypothyroidism. Barnes considered the mainstream test in the 1940's, the "Basal Metabolism Test" to be unreliable and developed an alternative, the "Basal Temperature Test" which he claimed was superior. The details of the test were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in August 1942 The test was never widely adopted by the medical profession, yet continues to be endorsed by some medical doctors and many practitioners of alternative medicine.
While mainstream medicine continued to adopt and then discard other diagnostic tests, including the Protein Bound Iodine (PBI) test, Barnes continued to use his Basal Temperature Test along with clinical signs and symptoms to identify hypothyroidism. He claimed that that PBI test also missed many clinically hypothyroid patients, and felt vindicated when both the Basal Metabolism Test and PBI tests were abandoned. When modern blood tests (TSH, T4, T3) replaced the discarded PBI test, he alleged that they too were continuing to leave many patients undiagnosed and untreated.
The differing methodology of diagnosing hypothyroidism led to a discrepancy in the alleged prevalence of the disease. Whereas the mainstream believes the incidence of hypothyroidism is approximately 5%, Barnes claimed that the incidence--including mild forms--had risen from 20% in the 1930's to over 40% in the 1980's.
This discrepancy is now narrowing. A recent study: "The Colorado Thyroid disease prevalence study" found that almost 10% of a random population had an elevated TSH using the old guideline of TSH (0.3-5.1 mIU/L). The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists as since lowered the TSH guidelines to (0.3-3.04 mIU/L), possibly implying a rate substantially higher.. The Colorado study also stated that "the prevalence of abnormal thyroid function... remain controversial" and furthermore that "the relationship between traditional hypothyroid symptoms and biochemical thyroid function is unclear.".
Treatment
Barnes also differed from the mainstream after the 1970's on the best choice of medication used to treat hypothyroidism. Up until the 1970's, desiccated thyroid extract was the standard drug used by the mainstream for the treatment of hypothyroidism. However, with the introduction of patented synthetic T4 drugs, most medical schools in the 1970's taught physicians to instead use the synthetic drugs, which became and continues to be the standard treatment.
Barnes continued to use the desiccated thyroid extract (Armour Thyroid) almost exclusively, arguing that his patients experienced much better improvement of symptoms with the natural extract rather than synthetic drugs.
During his years of practice, Barnes also began to conclude that virtually all his hypothyroid patients had a concomitant adrenal insufficiency. Following this discovery, he routinely gave an accompanying physiological dose of prednisone
Related Illnesses
Barnes also claimed that coronary artery disease and heart attacks were related not to diet or cholesterol, but to hypothyroidism. He also identified hypothyroidism as a major culprit (along with polyunsaturated fats) in the development of cancer. He alleged a conspiracy to cover up the harms of polyunsatured fats, saying that when their link to cancer was exposed, it would "make Watergate look like a church social." Other common illnesses which Barnes attributed to hypothyroidism included hypertension, arthritis, diabetes (as well as hypoglycemia), migraine headaches, most common infections, virtually all menstrual disorders, infertility, acne, psoriasis, and eczema.
Publicatons
- Barnes, Broda Otto (1976). Hypothyroidism: The Unsuspected Illness. HarperCollins. ISBN 069001029X.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - Barnes, Broda Otto (1989). Hope for Hypoglycemia: It's not your mind, it's your liver. Fries Communications. ISBN 0913730262.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - Barnes, Broda Otto (1976). Solved: The Riddle of Heart Attacks. Robinson Press. ISBN 0913730270.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - Barnes, Broda Otto (1972). Heart Attack Rareness in Thyroid-treated Patients. Springfield, Ill.: Thomas. ISBN 0398025193.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help)
External links
References
- "Broda O. Barnes". Broda O. Barnes MD Research Foundation, Inc. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
Broda O. Barnes, M.D., Ph.D. dedicated more than 50 years of his life to researching, teaching and treating thyroid and related endocrine dysfunctions in this country and abroad.
- Alan Gaby (2004). ""Sub-laboratory" Hypothyroidism and the Empirical use of Armour Thyroid" (PDF). Alternative Medicine Review. 9 (2): 157–179.
{{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|month=(help) - Barnes, Broda (1942). "Basal Temperature Versus Basal Metabolism". 119: 1072–1074.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - Starr, Mark (2005). Hypothyroidism Type 2. Columbia, MO: Mark Starr Trust. p. 174. ISBN 0975262408.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Barnes, Broda (1976). Hypothyroidism: the Unsuspected Illness. HarperCollins. ISBN 069001029X.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - Hollowell JG, Staehling NW, Flanders WD; et al. (2002). "Serum TSH, T(4), and thyroid antibodies in the United States population (1988 to 1994): National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III)". J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 87 (2): 489–99. PMID 11836274.
{{cite journal}}: Explicit use of et al. in:|author=(help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Canaris GJ, Manowitz NR, Mayor G, Ridgway EC (2000). "The Colorado thyroid disease prevalence study". Arch Intern Med. . 160 (4): 526–34. PMID 10695693.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - "Over 13 Million Americans with Thyroid Disease Remain Undiagnosed". American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
