Oprah Winfrey is kicking off the final season of her syndicated talk show today -- marking the occasion with a giveaway of a trip to Australia for her studio audience, and a visit from actor John Travolta.
(Oprah will still be on the scene, however, as in early 2011, she launches the Oprah Winfrey Network -- OWN -- her own cable network.)I know we all wish Oprah the best on her 25th and final season, and hope that she feels well. But looking at Oprah on her opening show today (you can see a clip at Oprah.com), or in the photo in this post, from Summer 2010, I am still left wondering: What is Oprah doing -- if anything -- about her thyroid, and is this the year that she might finally become a genuine advocate for her fellow thyroid patients?
We know that in the past, Oprah has admitted to having an autoimmune thyroid condition that she first said she treated with vacationing, rest, and soy milk. Later, she said she was "cured," but then said, no, it wasn't a cure, but rather, she had chosen not to treat her thyroid problem with thyroid medication.
Oprah has seemed conflicted about the role her thyroid condition may be playing in her public battle with yo-yo dieting. To me, she seems determined, inexplicably, to discount any possible connection between her ongoing and untreated thyroid condition and her ongoing weight struggles.
For more than a decade, I've been in direct contact with Oprah's producers and staff, first encouraging her to get her own thyroid tested long before she publicly announced her diagnosis. I also regularly encouraged her producers to mention the role of the thyroid during shows she did that covered topics like infertility, low sex drive, menopause, chronic fatigue, fibromylagia, and weight gain. (Sadly, she did not mention the thyroid connection to any of these issues.) Later, I provided books, doctor referrals, and other information that might be of help to her personally after diagnosis.
But ultimately, for all her fame and fortune, Oprah has not been an effective advocate for thyroid disease awareness. And that's because I suspect that Oprah herself may be truly a thyroid everywoman -- like many of the people who write to me everyday, or post on my Thyroid Support Forum or Facebook wall, Oprah is someone who struggles with weight issues and other symptoms, has a thyroid condition, and yet is undiagnosed, untreated, or not properly treated.
Oprah has an amazing chance, in this last, high-profile year of her popular syndicated show, to tell the REAL story of the thyroid epidemic plaguing America and the world, and to transform her own health in the process:
- Oprah could tell her millions of viewers about the TSH test travesty -- and the fact that the "gold standard" test that many doctors rely on may not be accurate in all cases, and that even the most conventional doctors can't agree on what's a normal result, and what might be abnormal and warrant treatment
- Oprah could tell her millions of viewers about the need to evaluate not just TSH, but the actual circulating thyroid hormone -- Free T3 -- to identify hypothyroidism
- Oprah could tell her millions of viewers about the issue of Reverse T3 dominance, and the role of the Reverse T3 test in accurately diagnosing cellular hypothyroidism
- Oprah could tell her millions of viewers that for many, an undiagnosed, undertreated or untreated thyroid condition may actually be the real cause of weight gain, high cholesterol, depression, fatigue, infertility, recurrent miscarriage, low sex drive, and so-called "menopausal" symptoms like sleep disruption and hot flashes
- Oprah could tell her millions of viewers that the best thyroid treatment for some may not be the standard Synthroid/levothyroxine/T4-only treatment advocated by mainstream physicians, but instead may be the addition of the active T3 hormone, either in synthetic form, or via a natural desiccated thyroid drug
Oprah could, as one woman, in one hour, do so much to erase the stigma that thyroid disease carries, and bring it out in the open, setting in motion the sort of attention and respect this disease deserves.
Oprah could save thousands of lives, maybe more, and she could transform the lives of millions of people who struggle with the misery of chronic thyroid disease, giving them the tools and information they need to instead live a fulfilling life of better health, happiness, and productivity.
* * *
So what do you say, Oprah? I'm confident that Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, Dr. Kent Holtorf, Dr. Sara Gottfried, Dr. Rich Shames, Dr. Erika Schwartz, Dr. Ridha Arem, Dr. Theodore Friedman, Dr. David Brownstein, Dr. Mark Starr, Dr. Jeffrey Dach, Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. Ron Hoffman, Dr. Thierry Hertoghe, Dr. Gordon Skinner, or any one of a number of smart, articulate, thyroid-savvy doctors around the world, would be willing to come on your show and talk passionately and intelligently about thyroid disease.
And if you want regular people on the show, there are thousands of articulate patients who can come on your show and tell their hair-raising stories -- with happy endings! -- about their own thyroid struggles.
You can even throw in a few celebrities -- I suspect Nia Vardalos, Jennifer Grey and Linda Ronstadt would love a chance to be on the final season of your show, for example. What celebrity wouldn't?
My mother always taught me that it never hurts to ask. So Oprah, will you please do a show that tells the real story about thyroid disease?
BACKGROUND: Read all of Mary Shomon's About.com Thyroid site coverage of Oprah Winfrey's thyroid condition here
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Image of Oprah Winfrey, Summer 2010, by Kevin Winter/Getty Images Entertainment
I really don’t think there is enough money in fighting thyroid disease soooo Oprah would not step up….and maybe troubles with thyroid isn’t glamorous …..
Must make an investment just for that, that is unfair to find alternatives for other illnesses and can not find one for the thyroid, which is a painful chronic illness and many people have it.
Jesse James
Findrxonline
Standing up on my chair applauding because I could not agree more! I said this myself in my own post called, A Hypothyroid Way To Dream Achievement Without Oprah @ http://www.8womendream.com/a-hypothyroid-way-to-dream-achievement-without-oprah – I agree – I love her and find her way of dealing with this disease so frustrating. I look at Michael J Fox and what he has done for Parkinson’s Disease and wish she would do the same. She could help bring on Drs who can educate so many of the drs who don’t have a clue what the latest findings are on thyroid disease. Beyond my own battle with Hashimotos disease, I have a young cousin who is in the fight of her life against thyroid cancer. Thank you for saying what I feel and being there for all of us.
Catherine Hughes
8 Women Dream
I agree that Oprah can do so much! If more people know about Armour and Diotroxin – and therefore ask for it – more doctors will have to take note, prescribe it and therefore it will be more accessible.
It is however difficult – the symptoms are so linked to so many other problems! I can only take myself as an example: Do I feel better today than last week, because a) I am now for 6 days on Diotroxin, (is it the increase of T4. or the adding of T3) b) I took a sleeping tablet last night and the first night’s sleep in 2 months, c) I have already completed 5 weeks of chelation and therefore worked through the side-effects of the chelation? If I was taking an anti-depressant would I also have felt better?
Unfortunately only time will tell, but how do I make a public statement on which was the cure?
Well, at least Oprah can make the public aware of all the options and controversies and patients can do like I did – and try it
Oprah could really help get the word out. I didn’t have a clue until I was diagnosed. The doc didn’t say much so I have been doing a lot of research, maybe she was just as clueless.
I am heading to see a specialist at 3pm today about my thyroid condition that I have lived with for 20 years. I have been on several meds to treat the symptoms but on July 22, 2010 a mass was found on my thyroid. I have been through an Up Take and Scan, ultrasound and blood work and today I find out the results of those tests. It would be really nice to see someone of Oprah’s magnitude bring this disease into the public eye and shed some much needed light and awareness on this difficult disease. I can’t imagine why she would ignore the fact that she has thyroid disease, I have no idea how she functions without the help of medication. I had to be off my meds for 6 weeks in preperation for the Up Take and Scan and I could hardly crawl out of bed. Why would anyone deny themselves help, especially someone like her who can afford the best care out there! One hour on her show would be all I need to shed some light on the battles of living with this disease!
I think between you and me, Oprah should know how important her thyroid condition is and how it could help so many others if she stepped up now!
I remember her original show and how she “cured” her autoimmune Hashimoto thyroid. I remember how I cringed hearing that come out of such an important public/global figure’s mouth. I thought to myself ” Dear God, if it wasn’t tough before, now its even harder to get this fixed!” – I was so angry I almost threw the TV through the patio door. I ended up walking away in defeat so saddened by what just took place.
Thank the Lord for Dr. Oz a week later- when she again made her healing claims that Hawaii cured her Hashimoto – he bluntly told her “No”
I almost cried with his corrections to her so publically – and she then corrected her statements (almost looked childish) after he professionally repremanded her.
I went on a mission as you – to “help” her (and us) and I am sure you used the same professional references as much as I did in our letters. So far – nothing as to her taking any of it in high priority.
I am right there with you Mary on teaming up together to get her onboard with this awareness. Just say the word on anything. Until then, I do still vocus on her and send letters-I have reached out to others – Suzanne Sommers, Ellen DeGeneres, Dr. Oz, in her realm of friends in hopes they may be able to reach her and tell her how millions are suffering as she is – with little help.
She’s got to be able to see in her OWN mirror the baggy eyes – swollen face – and fatigue we can see when watching her on her show. Its so sad for me to watch such a brilliant – caring -out-going lady let herself be so sick when others – like us – dedicated our lives so no one feels that bad. If only she would listen and just “look” at herself. I know if she would just do that – this global mission of Better Thyroid Care would be done to end all this suffering.
Hoping for Oprah to do a dedicated show on the thyroid is a regular feature on this site. Frankly, if Oprah had wanted to do a show on this issue she would have done it by now. I think she is self-diagnosing and she just doesn’t want to get into her statements about having hypothyroidism. Or she could be in denial. Who knows? But I wouldn’t hold out hope on this.
I wondered how the heck Oprah could say she had thyroid disease and then do nothing about it..
ALSO I noticed she did and wondered if it was from all the Soy milk she started to drink when Bob Green, her trainer, had the free soy milk he received stored at her house. she discovered chocolate soy milk and drank.. drank.. drank it. (saw the show with that on it..)
Where is Bob Green now… haven’t seen him on her show.
I remember when she addressed her Bessie, the cow eyes, too… thinking
I believe, Oprah, does not want to talk in dept about the Thyroid epidemic, because she would be sued by the endocrinologist who are against the natural medication for thyroid. Who could blame her, after what the Cattle Industry put her through. So yes she can definitely help with our cause but legally her hands are tied. I wish it could be easier for everyone involved.
I have read many of the comments regarding Oprah and have decided I agree with most . She should be an advocate, as she is so powerful in her messages.I believe I was told on my trip to see Dr.Arem in Houston,that he was Oprah’s doctor.Can this be true?I saw an Oprah show with Suzanne Somers and thought Oprah was receptive to the subject on bio-identical hormones.I would hope Suzanne could be a powerful advocate as well.What else can we do to have Oprah here us?