Scoring a failing grade of F is the Ralph Nader-founded group Public Citizen. The May 2003 issue of the group’s Worst Pills, Best Pills newsletter condemned Armour Thyroid, a prescription thyroid drug that has been on the market for more than 100 years. The group urged practitioners and patients not to use it, alleging that only “unscrupulous” practitioners are prescribing the natural drug.
“Public Citizen is a public menace for thyroid patients,” says Shomon. “Their Health Research Group, led by Sidney Wolfe, MD, has carelessly called for the removal of a safe, inexpensive, and effective drug, one prescribed more than two million times annually. Yet, despite numerous requests, Public Citizen refuses to justify their controversial recommendation.”
In contrast, Shomon has awarded an A to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA), recognizing their success at raising autoimmune disease awareness among the public, researchers, and policymakers. Thanks in large part to AARDA, the NIH created an office to study autoimmune disease and funded a number of autoimmune “Centers of Excellence” and Newsweek named autoimmunity one of 2003’s top health stories.
Says Shomon, “Thanks to the comprehensive and tireless efforts of AARDA, we are moving closer to finding ways to prevent and even potentially cure thyroid conditions, which are the most common of the more than 60 autoimmune conditions.”
The full list of organizations and individuals graded in the 2004 Thyroid Disease Report Card include:
- Public Citizen
- American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA)
- Drug Companies: Abbott Laboratories, Forest Laboratories and King Pharmaceuticals
- Dairy Queen
- Endocrinology Researchers
- America's Doctors
- Holistic/Alternative Medicine Community
- American Academy of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE)
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Larry Ladd, Perchlorate Activist
- Drug Companies, Attorneys for the Synthroid Class Action Lawsuit
FREE BROCHURE: A free brochure on thyroid disease, featuring a comprehensive list of symptoms and helpful resources, is available in a downloadable version
Patient advocate Mary Shomon is author of the best-selling book, Living Well With Hypothyroidism: You’re Your Doctor Doesn’t Tell You…That You Need to Know, published in 2000 by HarperCollins, now in a 17th printing, and Living Well With Autoimmune Disease, in a 4th printing. She is author of a number of health books, and thyroid patient guides including the Thyroid Diet Guide, and Thyroid Guide to Fertility, Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Success.
