August 2005 -- Petition for United Kingdom Thyroid Patients

Diana Holmes is a U.K.-based patient advocate and author of a book titled Tears Behind Closed Doors that chronicles her compelling personal account of being misdiagnosed for years until her doctors finally discovered her hypothyroidism, despite normal TSH levels. Diana now helps advocate for other thyroid patients in the U.K.

Diana has developed a new petition which will be lodged as a formal complaint with the General Medical Council (GMC) of the UK. The complaint is against the clinical practice of the majority of the medical profession with regard to the diagnosis and management of hypothyroidism on four counts:

1. Over reliance on thyroid blood test results and a total lack of reliance on signs, symptoms, history of the patient and a clinical appraisal.
2. The emotional abuse and blatant disregard by the majority of general practitioners and endocrinologists over the suffering experienced by untreated/incorrectly treated thyroid patients and their lack of compassion over the fate of these patients.
3. Stubbornness by the majority of general practitioners and endocrinologists to treat patients suffering with hypothyroidism with a level of medication that returns the patient to optimum health. In addition, the unwillingness to prescribe alternative thyroid treatment for patients on individual clinical grounds. For example a combination of T4/T3, T3 alone or a natural thyroid treatment such as Armour Thyroid.
4. The ongoing reluctance to encourage debate or further research on hypothyroidism.

In addition, the petition formally requests an independent investigation into patients who are hypothyroid, which includes examination of clinical results of patients treated by private doctors (whose work is outside NHS directives), and comparative examination of clinical results of patients treated by NHS practitioners who diagnose and manage hypothyroidism.

The petition will be presented to:

• The Overarching Body to the GMC
• The Commission of Healthcare
• Health Minister
• DOH
• Dame Janet Smith
• Patient Concern
• The British Medical Journal
• The British Medical Association
• The Journal of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine
• The Royal College of General Practitioners
• The Royal Society of Medicine
• Society of Endocrinology
• Medical Protection Society
• Medical Defense Union
• The British Thyroid Association/British Thyroid Foundation
• The Times
• The BBC and ITV

According to Diana, "Many thyroid patients and their families/friends are deeply concerned about the treatment they have received in relation to the diagnosis and management of thyroid conditions. The aims of this petition are to increase awareness of these concerns within the medical profession and for them to facilitate improvements in this field as a matter of urgency... For the sake of all thyroid patients, both diagnosed and as yet undiagnosed we must achieve the aims set out in the petition and believe that patient empowerment/people power is the most effective way of doing this."

Diana would be grateful for any U.K. thyroid patients to fill out the petition and return it as soon as possible to her.

She has provided INSTRUCTIONS on filling out the petition, where to send it, and other revelant information. You can get those instructions two ways:

• UK PETITION INSTRUCTIONS -- Microsoft Word format
• UK PETITION INSTRUCTIONS -- Adobe PDF File

The actual PETITION is also available in two formats:

• UK PETITION FORM -- Microsoft Word format
• UK PETITION FORM -- Adobe PDF File

Note from Mary Shomon: I urge all United Kingdom thyroid patients to participate in this petition, to help bring the cause of thyroid patients to the attention of the medical authorities, lawmakers and media!