Surprised, because despite Dr. Friedman's position as one of the nation's most respected endocrinologists, he is unusually open-minded and patient-oriented in his approach to diagnosis and treatment.
Dr. Friedman's Unique Perspective...
Dr. Friedman's philosophy likely comes, in part, from his first-hand experience as a thyroid patient. Dr. Friedman is himself hypothyroid, and he brings this distinct and very personal perspective to his work as a physician and endocrinologist.Readers may already be familiar with Dr. Friedman, who has contributed here at About.com. For example, he is author of a very comprehensive article about hypothyroidism here at the site.
Dr. Friedman is not dogmatic. He has often risen to the challenge and publicly advocated for patient perspectives on thyroid issues. He's not afraid to depart from the standard endocrinology position when he feels it serves his patients.
Dr. Friedman has applied his patient-oriented approach in his new book, The Everything Health Guide to Thyroid Disease written with Winnie Yu. The book was published in early 2007 by Adams Media.
I have to applaud Dr. Friedman and Ms. Yu for creating a patient-friendly book. It's easy to read, and easy to understand. You don't need a medical degree; the book is written in plain English -- no medical jargon or complicated terminology. And, it keeps an informative, friendly -- and never condescending -- tone. (This can be a challenge for some endocrinologists!) But Dr. Friedman's empathetic approach to thyroid treatment comes through in every chapter, and it's a very welcome alternative to some other physician-written general thyroid books.
Strengths of the Book
Another important point is Dr. Friedman's willingness to include a discussion of desiccated thyroid -- i.e., Armour Thyroid -- as a treatment option. Many mainstream books either overlook this controversy entirely, or parrot outdated concerns about this treatment. Dr. Friedman talks about desiccated thyroid as a realistic option, and shares an honest analysis of why past concerns about consistency are actually quite insignficant.
I found it encouraging that Dr. Friedman includes a realistic discussion of using antithyroid drugs for hyperthyroidism. He admits that while 20 percent of patients discontinue to the medication due to side effects, ..."for others, the antithyroid drugs can offer complete relief. After two years, approximately 50 percent of patients will be effectively cured, can stop the antithyroid drugs, and have normal thyroid tests." Many endocrinologists "rush to RAI (radioactive iodine)" and so Dr. Friedman's willingness to give equal weight to RAI as an option, while sensible, is a departure from the conventional dogma.
Moving Forward
A helpful section of the book is Chapter 20, "Healthy Living With Thyroid Disease." In this chapter, Dr. Friedman sums up some key points and they serve as a useful primer for anyone new to thyroid disease.I would have liked to see a bit more on nutritional support for thyroid disease, delving more into some of the pros and cons of vitamins, herbs and supplements to help with thyroid disease.
But on the whole, for someone new to thyroid disease, Dr. Friedman's book provides a comprehensive, patient-oriented approach, and among the various thyroid disease overview books, this is the first one that should be on your bookshelf.
The Everything Health Guide to Thyroid Disease
by Theodore C. Driedman, M.D., Ph.D., and Winnie Yu
Published 2007, Adams Media
