Deciding on Practitioners for Your Thyroid Care: Navigating the Confusion
The process of deciding what types of practitioners to see for your thyroid diagnosis and care can be complicated...even daunting. In some cases, the initial suspicions of, diagnosis of or treatment of a thyroid condition may be made by your primary care doctor or GP, who may suggest that you don't need a specialist. Or, your physician may immediately refer you to an endocrinologist or even a surgeon. In some cases, you may have already seen a long list of practitioners -- from docs to naturopaths to herbalists! -- and you're not sure who would be the best person in which to entrust your care in the long term. Here are some guidelines to consider.
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Why a Low TSH Means Your Doctor May Lower Your Dose, And Other Confusing Issues
Many people write to me asking me to please explain "why, when my TSH results show that my TSH has dropped, does the doctor want to LOWER instead of RAISE my medicine?" Or, "doesn't a high TSH mean I have too much thyroid? And if that's the case, why is the doctor INCREASING my thyroid hormone medicine?" This is one of those issues about thyroid treatment that tends to confuse people. Here's the story. Photo: clipart.com
10 Signs That You Need a New Thyroid Doctor
Let's face it. There are some terrific doctors out there -- integrative docs, functional medicine experts, naturopaths (and yes, even some endocrinologists!) -- who really know their stuff, and are wonderful partners on the road to wellness. And then, well... there are some real losers -- the clueless, egotistical, greedy, or straight out incompetent people who somehow manage to get some initials after their name, and now claim to be able to help thyroid patients. Remember - in a doctor-patient relationship, YOU are the client, and the doctor is providing a service. And if that service is not meeting your needs, the best thing you can do for your health is to find the right doctor who will work with you to help you get well. So how do you know when it's time for a new doctor? Here are 10 signs that you need a new thyroid doctor.
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Does Every Thyroid Patient Absolutely Need an Endocrinologist?
Many people think that the best doctor to treat any thyroid condition is an endocrinologist. Endocrinologists are specialists who take advanced training in the endocrine system -- including, supposedly, thyroid disease. Most endocrinologists, however, specialize primarily in diabetes treatment. The truth? Many thyroid patients do not need an endocrinologist. There are times when an "endo" is crucially important, and times when it may not be your best choice. Find out how to tell the difference.
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Q&A With Baywatch Star Turned Thyroid Advocate, Gena Lee Nolin
Gena Lee Nolin, star of the hit television show "Baywatch," may have been an internationally-known star and cover girl, but today, at 40, Gena has turned her attention to her role as mother, wife, and now, thyroid patient advocate and author. Gena was diagnosed with Hashimoto's several years ago, after a difficult pregnancy with her third child, daughter Stella, and has decided to "go public" with her thyroid condition as a means to help others. I had a chance to talk one-on-one with Gena about her new focus on patient advocacy and thyroid awareness, and you can hear what she has to say in this interview with Gena Lee Nolin about her new role as thyroid advocate.
Photo: Kevin Winter, Getty Images Entertainment
Thyroid Patients Face Hair Loss Woes
"What's going on with my hair? " It's one of the most common questions from thyroid patients -- who notice hair loss, thinning, and breakage as a symptom of their thyroid condition. But did you know that hair loss is also a common side effect of one type of thyroid drug?
If you have a thyroid condition, and are concerned about the amount of hair you are losing, here are some steps to take.
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Hormone Foundation's Thyroid Fact Sheets and Guides
The Hormone Foundation -- the educational arm of the Endocrine Society -- has produced a variety of PDF fact sheets and patient guides in English and Spanish, covering a variety of thyroid-related topics. While they are written from the most conventional endocrinology perspective, they provide useful summaries on a number of key topics. Fact Sheets
- Congenital Hypothyroidism
- Graves' Disease
- Hashimoto’s Disease
- Hyperthyroidism
- Hypothyroidism
- Medicines for Hypothyroidism
- Postpartum Thyroiditis
- Radioactive Iodine Treatment for Hyperthyroidism
- Thyroid Cancer
- Thyroid Nodules
- Patient Guide on Maternal Thyroid Nodules and Cancer Before, During and After Pregnancy
- Patient Guide on the Management of Hyperthyroidism Before, During and After Pregnancy
- Patient Guide on the Management of Hypothyroidism Before, During and After Pregnancy
Image: Hormone Foundation
Is Your Underactive Thyroid Being Overmedicated?
I regularly cover the issue of undertreatment of hypothyroidism -- people who are walking around getting insufficient medication to deal with their underactive thyroid conditions. But the opposite problem -- overmedication -- also takes place. And when it happens, it's often more difficult to spot for patients and doctors. Find out more about overmedication of thyroid problems
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Upcoming Thyroid Podcasts and Webinars
Monday 4/23 at 2 p.m. EDT, Dr. Cindy Anderson's program "Your Health is Your Wealth" will focus an hour on thyroid disease, and I'll be the guest. To listen live, it's go to http://ftns.co -- the show will also be available to listen to as a podcast. For more on Dr. Cindy, see her Facebook page. On Wednesday, April 25 at 9 p.m. EDT/6 p.m. PDT, integrative physician Kent Holtorf, MD, Baywatch/Sheena star turned patient advocate Gena Lee Nolin and I will be part of an educational web seminar sponsored by the National Academy of Hypothyroidism. The topic of the free seminar is "Are You Getting the Thyroid Runaround?"
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Thyroid Controversies Continue to Affect Thyroid Patients
Conventional medicine is always saying thyroid disease is "easy to diagnose, easy to treat," so it's sometimes a surprise to realize how many controversies there are in the thyroid world. Take a look at some of the many raging controversies that divide the thyroid world. And it's not just the alternative vs. conventional world -- there are even disputes among the most conventional endocrinologists!
Oprah Winfrey's Thyroid Controversy
She ignored thyroid disease through much of her daytime show's 25 years, despite covering related health issues, from infertility, to obesity, to low sex drive. Then she said she had a thyroid problem, then said it was cured, then said it wasn't cured, and then said she wasn't going to take prescribed medicine for it.
Take a look back at Oprah's arm's length relationship with thyroid disease, and her own thyroid problem.
Good Housekeeping / Bad Thyroidkeeping
Last year, Good Housekeeping magazine drew fire from thousands of thyroid patients, after publishing a cavalier piece in which the writer, diagnosed with thyroid disease, snarkily called it the "disease du jour" and said that she would deal with her thyroid by "drinking more java (for energy) and honing my crossword skills (for focus). As for the unwanted pounds, there's a spinning class on Saturday with my name on it." Find out more now.
Is Your Endocrinologist "Under the Influence?"
Is your endocrinologist on the payroll of major pharmaceutical companies? And if so, does that make him/her less able to make unbiased, sound recommendations regarding your thyroid care? It's a controversy that still affects thyroid patients, and doesn't look like it's going away anytime soon. Learn more now.
More Controversies:
- Coconut Oil and the Thyroid
- The Iodine Controversy: Too Much or Not Enough?
- Are Natural Thyroid Drugs Like Armour "Antiquated?"
- Are Some Thyroid Patients Just Hypochondriacs?
- Thyroid Screening for Pregnant Women: Yes or No?
- TSH "Normal Range" Wars: Who's Wrong, Who's Right?
- Should Antibodies With Normal TSH Be Treated?
- Thyroid Disease: The Stigma
- Is Synthroid Really the Best Thyroid Drug?
Photos: Oprah - Getty Images Entertainment/Alli Harvey, Others: clipart.com