Needle Phobia: When a Fear of Needles Poses Dangers to Your Health
While none of us like to get shots, or have blood taken, some people suffer from needle phobia, which can be so severe that that it causes sufferers to avoid anything related to needles. Needle phobia can have serious, even deadly consequences, because patients may categorically avoid all procedures that involve needles, such as lab testing, injections, vaccinations, even dental work. For thyroid patients -- who need regular blood testing for diagnosis and treatment -- needle phobia can be a huge impediment to treatment. Learn more about needle phobia in this informative new Q&A with patient advocate Geri Rybacki, Executive Director of the Coalition for Better Thyroid Care. Geri successfully worked with a thyroid support group member who had severe needle phobia, helping her obtain long-overdue bloodwork and treatment. As a result, Geri is focusing efforts on increasing awareness of this overlooked but common phobia, the problems it can cause -- including to patients with thyroid conditions -- and what can be done by practitioners, patients, and their friends/families/advocates -- to help sufferers of needle phobia.
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Thyroid Patients: Could It Be Perimenopause?
You're a woman over 40 with a thyroid problem, and you're tired, gaining weight, moody, and losing hair. Do you need to optimize your thyroid treatment, or could it be perimenopause. (And what IS "peri"menopause anyway?) Take a look at the signs and symptoms of perimenopause, and how to tell the difference from thyroid issues.
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Could You Be Hypothyroid? Do You Have Low Thyroid?
Are you fatigued? Gaining weight? Depressed? Brain fogged? You could have an underactive thyroid. Millions of people are hypothyroid, but haven't been diagnosed. Take this interactive thyroid screening quiz to determine if you have risks and symptoms that may point to an undiagnosed case of hypothyroidism now.
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What Are Thyroid Patients Saying About the AbbVie Campaign for Synthroid, Featuring Sofia Vergara?
More than 50 people have shared their comments regarding the new "Follow the Script" campaign. See
what thyroid patients are saying about the campaign, Sofia Vergara, and the drug company behind it.
Meanwhile, more than 2000 responses came in for the poll about Sofia Vergara's Synthroid drug campaign. Does it create positive awareness, is it a good thing, or is it a marketing sell-out?
See what thousands have voted.
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Sofia Vergara's Thyroid Drug Campaign: A Reality Check
Landing Modern Family star Sofia Vergara as the face of a campaign for the drug Synthroid is a major coup for drugmaker AbbVie. She's beautiful, funny, and a mega-star of a hit show. There's no question that given Vergara's visibility, the campaign will have some positive impact on awareness of hypothyroidism. And it's always a good time for hypothyroidism to get some positive awareness.
At the same time, Vergara is saying her thyroid problem has been easy, and has never caused her any symptoms. And that patients should, as the campaign is titled, "Follow the Script" dictated by their doctors.
Bottom line? The new campaign points up the need for a major reality check on thyroid cancer and hypothyroidism!
(Poll: Share your thoughts on the pros and cons of Vergara's new campaign.
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Poll: Sofia Vergara's Thyroid Drug Campaign
Editorial- Controversy Over Diagnosing Hypothyroidism: Wall Street Journal Highlights Unconventional Doctor Working With Runners
A sloppy article in the April 10, 2013 issue of the Wall Street Journal focuses on endocrinologist Jeffrey S. Brown, MD. The authors -- and the conventional endocrinologists they spoke to -- imply that Dr. Brown's diagnosis and treatment of hypothyroidism among elite and Olympic runners may be an unnecessary or even unethical way to enhance the athletes' performance, or even a legal form of "doping."
Take a look at the flaws in the article, and see what some nationally-known experts in hypothyroidism diagnosis and treatment have to say.
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New Miller School Study Points to Importance of T3 for Thyroid Health
A new study just published provides more ammunition for frustrated thyroid patients struggling with hypothyroidism treatment, and more headaches for the more dogmatic endocrinology community.The "Miller School Study," was conducted out of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami, Florida, USA, in conjunction with a number of other institutions, including Tufts Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. The study was recently published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
The study was led by Antonio Bianco, M.D., Ph.D., (pictured here), Chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism. Dr. Bianco has studied the thyroid for more than three decades, and recently was awarded the Rosalind Pitt-Rivers Medal from the British Thyroid Association.
According to Dr. Bianco, the study shows that "better monitoring of a key hormone (T3) could lead to Read More...
Roger Ebert: A Thyroid Cancer Patient to Remember
Film critic Roger Ebert didn't make thyroid advocacy his primary mission -- his love of films always had first place -- but his grace, courage, and willingness to share his own story -- and subsequent struggles -- have made him one of the most admired thyroid cancer patients in history. Join me in remembering this extraordinary man.
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Levoxyl Shortage Affecting Thyroid Patients
Apparently, manufacturer Pfizer has had some sort of difficulties with production, resulting in a shortage of Levoxyl, a brand of levothyroxine sodium, used for thyroid hormone replacement treatment in hypothyroidism. According to a letter sent to physicians by Pfizer, the company stopped shipping all strengths of Levoxyl on February 13, 2013. They have said that they will resume shipment once the issue
is resolved, but they have not indicated when that will take place. (If you have medically-related questions regarding Levoxyl, call Pfizer Medical Information at
1-800-438-1985.)
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