Last week, we found out that some people are paying $80 to $100 or more for a three-month supply of Levoxyl. Some people pay a lot less, others far more. If you are taking medication for your thyroid condition, how much are you paying each month? Take our poll, and see what others are paying, and share your thoughts in the comments section. Read more...

I guarantee you, you are NOT going to see this sort of response in an American Q&A newspaper column by a doctor. Over at the UK's Times of London site, a reader writes in to Dr. Thomas Stuttaford to outline her situation: She's 59, she has an underactive thyroid, eats extremely well at 1200 to 1500 calories per day, and couldn't lose a single pound of the 60 pounds she estimates she needs to lose. She cut down to 800 to 1000 calories a day, added in 30 minutes of walking each day, plus resistance exercise and tai chi, and she STILL can't lose a pound. You will be amazed to read what Dr. Stuttaford has to say about diet and weight loss for thyroid patients.

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According to a study released by Medco Health Solutions, in 2007, 51 percent of Americans with health insurance were taking prescription medications for at least one chronic health condition.

Here are some highlights of the findings, according to Medco: Read more...

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is focusing attention on a new study that has found that PFOA, a chemical used to make Teflon, food wrappers and other products, may be dangerous to health. The study, which looked at 69,000 people in West Virginia and Ohio who live near a DuPont manufacturing plant where the chemical is used, found that the chemical may harm the immune system, liver and thyroid and cause raise cholesterol levels in children.

In addition to various health concerns, the study found that "thyroid function was clearly affected in PFOA-exposed people, with the effect strongest at moderate levels of exposure, rather than the highest exposures."

Read about the study now.

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In a plenary lecture at the recent European Congress of Endocrinology, held in Berlin, Germany from May 3-7, 2008, Dr. Wilmar Wiersinga made the case that while there are many open questions about Graves' opthalmopathy -- also known as thyroid eye disease -- some key facts are known, including a key factor in preventing the condition.

• In Graves' ophthalmopathy, the targets of the autoimmune attack are cells known as orbital fibroblasts
• Swelling of muscles and fat around the eye are responsible in part for the symptoms and signs of Graves' ophthalmopathy,
• Better outcomes are seen for patients who are euthyroid (TSH is in the normal range)
• Immunosuppression treatment is recommended only in active Graves' ophthalmopathy, and the most effective immunosuppression treatment is corticosteroid treatment, specifically IV pulses of methylprednisolone
• At present, anticytokine treatment (Rituximab) is promising, but still being studied

According to Dr. Wiersinga, there is one important Graves' ophthalmopathy risk factor that is unquestioned: Read more...

If you have a small (1 cm or less) papillary thyroid cancer -- known as a papillary microcarcinoma -- should you have a total thyroidectomy? Is radioiodine remnant ablation after surgery necessary? Which treatments will help or hurt your long term survival and the risk of cancer recurrence? Researchers have some new answers.

More on Thyroid Cancer

• Take a Thyroid Neck Check
• Thyroid Cancer Basics
• Risk Factors for Thyroid Cancer
• Thyroid Cancer Symptoms
• Thyroid Cancer Diagnosis

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Periodically, I create Open Threads on the various Thyroid Forums, where I pose a question that may be of interest to all you wise and wonderful forum members and visitors. These are always such informative and wonderful threads, because many amazing people typically join in and share their ideas, insights, or stories. So, here goes.

What is The One Thing You Wish Your Dr Told You?

Here's a question for everyone in the main Thyroid Support forum. "What is the one thing you wish your doctor had told you when you were first diagnosed with a thyroid condition?" I'll get things started with my own input. In my case, I wish my doctor at the time had told me that it could take time for me to feel better. I think at that point, I knew so little about thyroid problems that I was certain I would take my pill, and feel great within minutes -- kind of like taking an aspirin or something! Little did I know, eh? I think that hearing that would have tamped down my expectations that my levothyroxine was some sort of miracle pill-- which I discovered, later, wasn't even the case for me anyway! What's your story?

The One Quality in Your Perfect Doctor?

Over in the Thyroid Top Doctors Forum, I'd like to toss out a question to consider: " What one quality do you think is absolutely essential in a great doctor to care for your thyroid health?" In my own case, I think a willingness to learn -- as manifested by listening to patients, reading, and being open-minded -- are crucial. I have a great doctor, Kate Lemmerman -- and I've featured her in an interview I did here at the site. She truly embodies that ideal, in that in the many years I've been her patient, she has always been willing to learn, and has a truly open mind. What do you think is the most important quality in a great doctor for your thyroid treatment? Share your story now!

Carbs? Cut Them or Not to Lose Weight?

Here's a question I want to put out there to the community at the Thyroid Diet and Weight Loss forum. "If you're a thyroid dieter, do you ultimately have to cut out carbs to lose weight?" I know some of us are calorie sensitive, some carb-sensitive, and some sensitive to both. Some thyroid dieters seem to be ok if they cut out the "bad" carbs only -- the high glycemic bread/sugar, etc. But others need to get total carb counts down quite low, 60 g or less, per day, for example. What's YOUR experience?

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Consumer Reports has released a study that found that the same bottle of pills can vary by as much as $100 or more, depending on the pharmacy you're using. To conduct the study, Consumer Reports contacted 163 pharmacies around the country, to evaluate the different prices for three name brand prescription drugs, and one generic medicine. Levoxyl (the brand-name levothyroxine medication for hypothyroidism) had prices ranging from $29 to $85 for a three-month supply. The drug Detrol, prescribed for urinary incontinence, had prices ranging from $365 to $551. Plavix (a drug for preventing blood clots), ranged in price from $382 to $541. The generic drug alendronate for osteoporosis ranged from $124 to $306.

According to Consumer Reports, Costco had the lowest prices for the four drugs, followed by AARP.com and Wal-Mart. Among the most expensive were drugstore chains Walgreens and Rite-Aid.

Here are some helpful ways to save on prescription medications: Read more...

Many people write to me asking me to please explain "why, when my TSH results show that my thyroid stimulating hormone (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?" These are confusing issues that people frequently ask about, hoping for an explanation. Let's go through it all to clarify the issue of what high and low TSH really mean.

Also, if you're not already an expert on TSH, here's a basic overview to help you understand this key thyroid concept: Understanding TSH: An Overview

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Dallas, Texas endocrinologist Dr. David Feinstein, and his friend and colleague in Canada, noted family physician and holistic stress management expert Dr. Mel Borins, believe that there is a place for humor in medicine. And now, thanks to them, thyroid patients can enjoy the wonderful song: "Ode to Hashimoto's Thyroiditis."

The "Ode" is written and performed brilliantly by Dr. Borins (pictured here), with music by Mitch Girio.

Both doctors felt that thyroid patients might want a chance to laugh, and Dr. Feinstein arranged for his website to feature Dr. Borins's hilarious homage to hypothyroidism. I don't want to spoil the surprise of the lyrics -- which truly are funny, and if you have ever been hypothyroid, you will relate to this song! -- but here's just the opener to whet your appetite:

I'm feeling dumpy
My neck is lumpy
I'm eating nothing and
I'm gaining weight...

You can listen to the entire song (which is in MP3 format) by visiting Read more...