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Dr. Bill Law Letter to Mary Shomon, November 23, 2005
from Mary Shomon, Your Guide to Thyroid Disease |
On November 18, 2005, I sent a letter to Dr. Bill Law of the AACE, outlining various concerns regarding opinions they'd expressed in a critique of controversial interview with Dr. Steven Hotze on CBS' Early Show. In my letter, I questioned various opinions, and asked for scientific verfication of their positions.
On November 23, 2005, I received a response. The following is the text of the letter sent by Dr. Bill Law of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology. Note: You can also view this letter as a PDF file.
November 23, 2005
Ms. Mary J. Shomon
Dear Ms. Shomon:
In response to your letter of November 18th, I would like to thank you for your interest in the position and activities of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) related to the diagnosis and care of individuals with thyroid disorders. AACE and its physician clinical endocrinologist members who specialize in the treatment of the multiple forms of thyroid disease are motivated, first and foremost, by a strong interest in the welfare and safety of individuals who suffer from these disorders. The clinical endocrinology community respects your personal commitment and opinions and trusts that you share this overriding objective in the role that you have assumed as a patient advocate
AACE has developed medical guidelines for clinical practice for multiple endocrine disorders, including many aspects of thyroid disease. Please rest assured that all of our medical guidelines for clinical practice are evidence-based. They are initially drafted by panels of medical specialists with acknowledged expertise and extensive experience in their respective fields. These experts review the most current medical literature in great detail. A draft of the guidelines is then subjected to further review by experienced clinical endocrinologists before final review and approval by the AACE Board of Directors. Our guidelines are subsequently submitted to the National Guidelines Clearing House, where they undergo further scrutiny prior to acceptance and posting on the Clearing House web site. All AACE guidelines submitted to the Clearing House have been accepted.
As with any documents dealing with a broad overview of a medical condition or disease, the statements and recommendations in our medical guidelines for clinical practice are purposefully formulated to address the concerns and needs of the vast majority of patients. However, we understand that there will be circumstances unique to certain individuals that may not be satisfactorily addressed by guidelines of a general nature. In such cases, we would encourage patients to seek the counsel of a formally trained clinical endocrinologist, who has the specialized experience necessary to evaluate and effectively manage these specific patient needs.
Sincerely,
Bill Law, Jr., MD, FACP, FACE
President
BLjr/bd
cc: AACE Board of Directors
Donald C. Jones, CEO
Chris Welch, Deputy CEO
Sissy Crabtree-Horn, Director of Public & Media Relations
Dr. Steven Hotze vs. the Endocrinologists: The Battle Over Hypothyroidism Diagnosis and Armour Thyroid
