This book is in fact the one book offering a basic overview of general thyroid disease and its conventional diagnosis and treatments that I'm even recommending in my own book, Living Well with Hypothyroidism,which is coming out next year. Where the book shines is in translating the basic thyroid-related medical information most people either receive from their doctors in complicated medical language, or perhaps don't even receive from their doctors at all. As a health writer who has written not only about thyroid disease, but about fertility, pregnancy, breastfeeding, diabetes and other issues, Sara's ability to communicate what doctors are trying to say about complicated medical and health issues is clear and straightforward. "The Thyroid Sourcebook" features a good overview of thyroid disease, a more in-depth description of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, an overview of autoimmune disorders, thyroiditis and nodules, and a good discussion of thyroid cancer issues. The book also offers some specialized chapters that separately cover issues unique to women, men and children with thyroid disease. The book also includes helpful information on dealing with doctors, radioactive iodine treatment, and thyroid medications. The book's more conventional medical focus means that it doesn't stray far in terms of content from the type of information you'd get from a conventional endocrinologist or internist treating your thyroid problems. For example, when it comes to thyroid hormone replacement for hypothyroidism, the book focuses on the conventional levothyroxine drugs, Synthroid, Levoxyl or Levothroid, without touching upon any of the issues surrounding the T4/T3 controversy, or the fact that some doctors and patients prefer the T4/T3 drugs such as the synthetic Thyrolar, or the natural Armour and Naturethroid. Personally, I'm an advocate of making people aware that there are options, and that there are doctors who believe these options to be more effective for some patients who are not being well served by the more oft-prescribed thyroid drugs. The book also takes the position of most conventional doctors and endocrinologists when it says: "The most common myth in this weight-obsessed era is the belief that a thyroid problem makes you fat. This is not true." Sara touches upon how lowered metabolism means hypothyroid people probably need to eat less in order not to gain weight. This is in part true, but given how many people on healthy, balanced reduced calorie diets and exercise programs cannot lose weight while hypothyroid, despite every best effort, this seems to gloss over a major problem that is of tremendous concern to many people who are hypothyroid. I believe there are some very specific things that can be of help to people with hypothyroidism who don't lose weight following the conventional advice.
While not dismissing the possible value of alternative medicine in dealing with life in general, Sara outright dismisses the idea that there are any alternatives to thyroid hormone pills when she writes: "While there are many health problems that can be beautifully treated with herbal preparations or alternative therapies, thyroid disease just isn't one of them." For the most part, I agree with her, in that there really isn't anything that can serve as a thyroid hormone replacement, except synthetic (or natural) thyroid hormone drugs. I believe, however, that there are some alternative medicine approaches that can actually deal with and heal the underlying hormonal imbalances and disease in some people with thyroid disorders, but these are not discussed.
Finally, I'd have liked to see some acknowledgement of the range of quality of life issues facing thyroid patients who are on levothyroxine thyroid hormone replacement, with TSH values in the lab normal range, and who still do not feel well. Thyroid disease often results in a lifelong chronic illness that requires management on a number of levels. But an overview book like this simply doesn't have enough time to delve into the issues and the possible solutions.
But overall, if you are looking for a well-written overview of thyroid disease presenting the conventional medical perspective in a way that's more easily understandable than the typical doctor, The Thyroid Sourcebook, is a very good choice.
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