STICKING OUT OUR NECKS -- JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010 Thyroid News for People Who Want to Live Well
"We're Patients...Not Lab Values!"~ Patient Advocate Mary Shomon
Living with Thyroid Disease: Creating Your Wellness Plan Workshop Saturday, February 20, 2010 / 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Most people with thyroid disease (whether it's Hashimoto's, nodules, Graves'/hyperthyroidism, or thyroid cancer) end up with an underactive or surgically removed thyroid and hypothyroidism, and wind up experiencing fatigue, depression, weight gain, hormonal problems and many other symptoms. This full-day workshop will focus on developing hands-on tools to help us live successfully despite an underactive or non-functional thyroid, and learn how to map out a plan for optimal wellness. In the workshop, we'll focus on identifying the key things we can do to feel and live better with thyroid disease.
The areas covered will include:
optimizing our treatment
finding doctors for thyroid issues
managing fatigue and boosting energy
supplements, herbs and hormone medications
yoga breathing for metabolism
lifestyle changes and stress management
optimal exercise
weight-loss and diet and dieting approaches for thyroid patients
hair-loss solutions
navigating fertility, pregnancy, breastfeeding and menopause with thyroid disease
If you join us, please bring copies of your recent blood test results and a list of all the medications and supplements (with all the ingredients) that you're currently taking.
The workshop will be conducted at the: New York Open Center, 22 E. 30th St. (between Madison Avenue and 5th Avenue) New York, NY 10016, Ph: 212.219.2527 The cost is $120 for Open Center members, and $130 for nonmembers, plus a $10 materials fee payable the day of the workshop. You can register online or call the Open Center at 212.219.2527 to register.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Our special guest at both classes will be Rebecca Elia, MD, a holistic physician from the Bay Area, who will be sharing information on how to integrate holistic ideas practices into your life for optimum thyroid health. See www.rebeccaelia.comfor more information.
There is also a database of pharmacies that carry various natural thyroid drugs -- including compounded desiccated thyroid, maintained by SNT members. The database is online.
If you want to read the background, as well as ongoing coverage, you can read all my articles covering the natural thyroid issue, in chronological order starting in 2009, online at the About.com site.
Here is what subscribers get in their annual Sticking Out Our Necks "Thyroid Resources Guide" issue:
Thyroid Blood Tests -- What the different tests are called, what they measure, and what they mean. Don't know your TPOAb from your RT3? This explains it all.
Thyroid-Related Books -- What should you read? What books will help you if you want to get pregnant with thyroid disease, or lose weight, or decide on whether to get RAI for Graves' disease? We'll help you decide.
What's Included in a Clinical Thyroid Exam -- Is it enough for your doctor to feel around your neck? Absolutely not. There are a number of things that your doctor needs to examine carefully as part of a clinical thyroid exam, and we list them all for you.
TSH Tests and What They Mean -- How do you interpret TSH test results? What does a .2, or 2 or a 5.2 TSH mean? And why are your lab test reports not necessarily in synch with what some doctors are saying? A handy chart explains it all.
Thyroid Antibodies Blood Tests -- The different types of antibodies tests can be confusing -- ATA, AMA, TPOAB, TSAb, and so on -- and in our Antibodies Chart you'll find out what the different tests mean in terms of your health.
Interpreting Thyroid Tests -- So you have elevated TSH, with normal Free T3 and normal Free T4. What does that mean? Or you have normal TSH, but elevated antibodies? What do different combinations of tests likely mean as far as thyroid issues? An easy-to-read Interpretation Chart helps you sort it all out.
Thyroid Hormone Replacement Conversion Chart -- How much Nature-Throid, or Erfa is equivalaent to 100 mg of Synthroid? If you want to switch from Armour to Erfa, how do they compare in terms of dosages? How much Levoxyl and Cytomel is equal to a grain of natural thyroid? Our conversion chart helps you understand the relationships between medications, and troubleshoot whether you're being overdosed or underdosed.
Interpreting Fasting Glucose Tests -- Many thyroid patients deal with insulin resistance, and difficulty losing weight. Like thyroid, the fasting glucose results are open for interpretation, depending on which doctor to see. Find out which levels may suggest pre-diabetes/insulin resistance/metabolic syndrome, making it difficult -- or impossible! -- to lose weight, in this chart.
How to Order Your Own Tests -- If you have a doctor, insurer or HMO who won't order the full panel of thyroid tests, or you want more tests than your insurance will cover, in most states, you have the option to order your own blood tests, including thyroid and hormones, among others. Find out how to do it online or by telephone, with respected national labs. If you want saliva, bloodspot, urinary iodine, or tissue mineral analysis testing, we have information on how and where to order those too.
Advocacy Groups Helping Thyroid Patients -- There aren't many, but we have all their contact information listed here for you.
Compounding Pharmacies -- There are hundreds around the country, but a handful that we've used regularly and trust, and who we know deliver around the country, and have experience with thyroid medications, including natural desiccated thyroid. You'll find their contact information all in one place.
Finding Thyroid Experts -- Need a thyroid-friendly doctor, an endocrinologist, or thyroid surgeon? Here are resources, including phone hotlines, that can help match you up with the right practitioner.
Thyroid Drugs and Their Manufacturers -- A comprehensive listing of the drug companies, their contact information, phone numbers, and toll-free hotlines, all in one place.
Staying Up on Natural Thyroid Drugs -- if you take a natural desiccated thyroid drug, where can you get the latest information, or find out the status of the availability of drugs. We've got the key web and toll-free phone resources.
Thyroid-Related Websites -- A one-page, one-stop listing of all the key websites you need to bookmark to stay up on thyroid issues, news, drugs, research, and developments.
If You're Having Trouble Losing Weight -- Here are the 6 key steps you can start taking right away, including books to read, resources to explore, exercise programs to try, blood tests to request, and supplements to consider.
If you order a new subscription, or renew your annual subscription by February 28, 2010, you'll get this important issue mailed to you FREE! (Yes, that's right. You'll get that issue, hot of the press, for FREE!! PLUS your full one-year subscription for Sticking Out Our Necks!) Ready to get your copy? Order or renew now.
In addition to your free gift of the January/February issue, there are other benefits of subscribing or renewing now. For example...
You'll continue to receive 12-pages every other month that are jam-packed with thyroid and health-related information to help you feel and live well.
You'll hear about the latest thyroid drug recalls and developments, and important new research results -- often long before your doctor does!
You'll read information on all the latest thyroid research-- culled from journals and resources around the world -- that will ensure that you know exactly what's going on with thyroid disease.
You'll get in-depth thyroid-related articles that help you with specific issues, such as protecting your medications, or the use of T3, and other practical information.
You'll get helpful information and news about autoimmune disease, weight loss, metabolism, hormones, and more.
Here's a question.... Did your doctor tell you about the study that showed that drinking coffee within an hour of your thyroid medication (like Synthroid or Armour) could substantially impair your absorption of your thyroid medication?
Probably not!
But you read it in Sticking Out Our Necks, and you read it the same month the study came out in the journals!!
It's that sort of information -- the kind of information you rarely get from doctors, but that has a huge impact on your thyroid health -- that you'll find in the print newsletter!
What else does subscribing or renewing mean for you? It means you stay informed, knowledgeable, and up-to-date about your thyroid condition, and the treatments and approaches that can work for you. You'll have even more valuable information to help you better advocate for your health. You'll be able to stay on top of your practitioners and make sure they are working in YOUR best interests! (And you'll never see ads from drug companies!)
And to help during our tough economy, despite increased production and postage costs, I have not raised the price of Sticking Out Our Necks for 2010. It's hard enough to make ends meet -- you shouldn't have to pay more for your essential thyroid information. So you can renew your subscription at the same low cost of $25 per year for US subscribers -- $35 outside the US.
AND, I'm adding TWO ADDITIONAL FREE GIFTS for anyone who subscribes by February 28, 2010! You'll get:
The November/December 2009 issue of Sticking Out Our Necks -- this was the last issue of 2009, featuring 12 pages of thyroid-related news and information
A special report: "The Thyroid Survival Guide: How and When to Take Your Thyroid Medication"
These additional free gifts, valued at more than $25, are yours to download as free thank-yous for subscribing to Sticking Out Our Necks!
Remember, the print edition is not the same as this email newsletter. The print edition goes out by mail, and it's 12 pages, expanded stories, and information that I don't post online.
I hope you'll take the time to order now. Ordering is easy, you can do it by phone, fax, mail, or online, using either Paypal, or CCNOw (which allows you to order using credit card without setting up an account). And don't forget -- order or renew by February 28, 2010 so you get your FREE hard copy of the January/February 2010 "Thyroid Reference Guide" special issue, and your other free downloadable gifts.
Speaking of Facebook and Twitter...feel free to friend me on Facebook -- http://www.facebook.com/MarySho -- and follow me on Twitter -- http://www.twitter.com/thyroidmary -- for ongoing commentary, discussion, and information about thyroid disease and health. (And on Facebook, I promise I will NOT send you any Mafia Wars or Farmville requests!)
Live well,
Mary
P.S. I get hundreds of emails a week from thyroid patients who are looking for specific advice. Unfortunately, I can't respond in detail to most emails. But if you really want some one-on-one time to brainstorm your thyroid questions, see www.thyroidcoaching.com or call or toll-free 888-810-9471 to find out how to set up a Thyroid Coaching session by telephone with me. I look forward to speaking with you!
"Sticking Out Our Necks" email edition is published regularly by Mary Shomon, patient advocate and New York Times best-selling author books on health, as well web sites, newsletters and other health advocacy communications.
Mary Shomon is the author of: The Menopause Thyroid Solution: Overcome Menopause by Solving Your Hidden Thyroid Problems *
The Thyroid Hormone Breakthrough: Overcoming Sexual and Hormonal Problems at Every Age * Living Well With Hypothyroidism * The Thyroid Diet: Manage Your Metabolism for Lasting Weight Loss * Living Well With Graves' Disease & Hyperthyroidism * The Thyroid Guide to Hair Loss * Living Well With Autoimmune Disease * Living Well with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia
Bookstore online: http://www.thyroid-info.com/bookstore.htm
Please invite your friends to subscribe! Send them a copy with your recommendation. "Sticking Out Our Necks" is copyright 1997-2010 by Mary Shomon. All rights reserved.
All information is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should seek prompt medical care for any specific health issues and consult your physician or health practitioner before starting or changing any aspect of your medical treatment, diet or fitness regimen. Please see our full disclaimer.
Are your periods erratic? Your sex drive vanishing? Having problems with sleep? Are you gaining weight? Feeling moody? Losing hair? Having dreaded "hot flashes" or "night sweats"? These symptoms can signal any one of a number of hormonal imbalances for women over 40. Many women also experience a thyroid slowdown that can cause or exacerbate many of these symptoms, as can a high-stress lifestyle, insufficient exercise, a less-than-perfect diet, and adrenal burnout. In this workshop, I'll will cover thyroid, reproductive hormone and adrenal/cortisol imbalances and the uses of estrogen, progesterone, DHEA, and "bioidentical" hormones. Come gain insight into:
Even though we are starting to see some Nature-Throid and Armour Thyroid come back to the drugstores, it's still difficult to get natural desiccated thyroid drugs around the country, and many people are still looking for alternatives. To stay up on the whole natural thyroid issue, you'll want to join us at the 
Are you a thyroid patient who has tried to lose weight, but you haven't found the solution that works for you? Do you feel like you could eat almost nothing, and exercise all day long, and you still wouldn't lose a pound? Have you tried popular diet plans and actually gained weight following them to the letter? (I did!! The group leader keep telling me I must be cheating! How frustrating!) Are you convinced that your metabolism changed dramatically after your thyroid went haywire, but you don't know to possibly do to fix it? Dr. Kent Holtorf has worked with patients just like us, and he has some truly groundbreaking advice that can transform an unsuccessful and frustrating diet into healthy weight loss and balanced hormones!
This issue is a keeper -- it features the new and updated edition of our popular "Thyroid Reference Guide," and it's the issue subscribers save, to refer to time and time again, and bring to doctor's appointments. This issue features -- all in one place -- the critical information you need about thyroid tests, thyroid test ranges, doctors, books, thyroid drugs, websites, and more.
Dear Readers,
It's January. Do you know where your thyroid is?