Despite the fact that an estimated 1 in 10 Americans suffer from thyroid problems, these common conditions are still misunderstood by doctors, as evidenced by recent research.

The medical community has long maintained that hypothyroidism is, as a recent American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) press release stated, "easily treatable by taking a levothyroxine sodium pill once a day." This belief, however, has been contradicted by recent patient research.

"While doctors cling to their outdated and cavalier mantra that hypothyroidism is 'easily treated by one pill a day,' patients continue to needlessly suffer, forced to find information and solutions on their own," says Mary Shomon, a patient advocate and author of the book "Living Well With Hypothyroidism: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You...That You Need to Know" (HarperCollins, 2000).

To explore patient concerns, Shomon conducted a qualitative survey of 907 thyroid patients. The results are being released to observe January 2003’s Thyroid Awareness Month...

Read Mary Shomon's entire release on PR Newswire now.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON MARY SHOMON'S THYROID SURVEY

• Survey Results: 2003 Thyroid Survey -- These are the detailed results of the first patient quality-of-life survey of nearly 1000 patients. The study is the first to look at critical patient concerns such as unrelieved symptoms, weight problems, attitudes toward patient organizations, smoking behavior, and effective treatments and solutions, among many others.
• Summary of 2003 Thyroid Survey Results: First Patient Quality-of-Life Survey of Nearly 1000 Patients Published -- A summary of the first patient quality-of-life survey of nearly 1000 patients. The study is the first to look at critical patient concerns such as unrelieved symptoms, weight problems, attitudes toward patient organizations, smoking behavior, and effective treatments and solutions, among many others.
• 2003 Campaign Encourages Awareness of Mild Thyroid Failure, Importance of Routine Testing -- AACE Thyroid Awareness Month campaign, "Hiding in Plain Sight: Thyroid Undercover"