The UK's Effort to Put a Popular Thyroid Doctor Out of Business Fails
Monday January 7, 2008
A great article on treatment of thyroid disease has just come out in the UK's Daily Mail. The article recaps the National Health Service's failed witchhunt targeting popular thyroid practitioner Dr. Gordon Skinner. Quoted in the article is one of Skinner's primary detractors is the infamous Tony Weetman, a leading member of the UK's thyroid bureaucracy, and a distinctly unsympathetic figure in the field of endocrinology. (In case you don't know about Weetman, he's the British doctor who says that if your TSH is within the TSH test's normal range -- and in the UK, that range is still officially .5 to 5.0 -- then you can't have thyroid problems, you actually have mental problems.) I'm thrilled that Dr. Skinner and his patients prevailed over the NHS and Weetman.
It's a great, must-read article!.
Comments
It isn’t the NHS that’s doing the witch hunting it is a group of senior Endocrinologists, most of whom are in the British Thyroid Association, who unilaterally issue “guidelines” that every doctor in the UK must follow or they’ll get the GMC onto him/her.
Weetman is President of the BTA and others active in the persecution of doctors who actually correctly treat thyroid patients by assessing symptoms as well as blood tests, are members and past presidents. Weetman is also a member of the GMC.
It’s all a power thing among Endos that the NHS just goes along with.
Hurray for Drs like Gordon Skinner. I am a suffer and I always have deep discussions with my Drs regarding dosage. I am one of the lucky ones whose Dr listens to me as I work in the pharmaceutical sector.
Dr Skinner should be awarded a knighthood not a witch hunt.It must take great courage to do what he has done however much is still to be done to change the attitude of the powers that be who no doubt are waiting in the wings for the first of Dr Skinners patients to have a problem rather than facing the millions of others who suffer because they don’t all take a size 6 shoe!
I got so bad I collapsed before diagnosis. My readings were so low they were off the scale. Four years it took and then even though taking the tablets, my doc refused to up the dosage as my readings were normal, even though I still suffered from several symptoms. I took to buying online thyroxine (well known brand) and self prescribing “extra” - I then felt so much better…. my doctor still refused to prescribe that extra dosage for me. But guess what? my readings were still in the normal range even though I was taking extra. I felt I was forced to try and treat myself or I would never feel normal again.
Re: Diane’s comment…I did the same thing. My doctor wouldn’t even let me try a different formula (I wanted to try Armour) so I researched and found supplemental hormone tablets online and started feeling worlds better. I changed doctors and fortunately my new one listened to me and let me try Armour. Since being on it, I don’t have to self medicate any longer.
I saw Dr Skinner today for my yearly check-up. It is a great privilege to be cared for by someone who is so gentle, caring, has a great sense of humour and who really listens. It is an absolute shame that he and his patients have to spend their time defending health care that is imperative.
Hooray! Thyroid patients made the case.
We must be aware that many doctors in the United States are also using the same guidelines as those in the UK.
The true answer if definitive research, and an awareness by patients that doctors use different criteria for identifying thyroid ills — if the TSH test doesn’t prove the illness, other indicators and positive antibody tests may encourage the doctor to treat. Thyroid patients CAN make the case for earlier treatment.
It’s truly dreadful the witchunt against Dr Skinner.
Visiting him has changed my life.
I am one of Dr Skinners patients and wrote a letter to the GMC in support of his continued practice, as did my husband. He has helped me regain much of my health with his logical and holistic approach. Quite frankly my treatment by NHS endocrynologists was like a bad joke.They dont even know what armour thyroid is and will only sell you Levothyroxine -which they told me was working for me, when it clearly wasnt! Their arrogance was off the scale!
Thank God, for Dr Skinner or I’d be dead by now quite probably!