Sticking Out Our Necks, September-October 2007, Thyroid Disease News Report, From Mary Shomon -- Hypothyroidism, Hyperthyroidism, Cancer, Nodules, Weight Loss, Metabolism

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STICKING OUT OUR NECKS -- SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2007
Thyroid News for People Who Want to Live Well
"We're Patients...Not Lab Values!"~ Patient Advocate Mary Shomon

SPECIAL REPORT: HOW AND WHEN TO TAKE YOUR THYROID MEDICATION

Do you really know how to take your thyroid medication? Is, "take it on an empty stomach in the morning" all there really is? Download the "Thyroid Survival Guide: How and When To Take Your Thyroid Medication," and get the answers to many important questions about your thyroid medication, including:

Should you take your thyroid medication at night?
What is the impact of a high-fiber diet on your thyroid medication?
What is the calcium /thyroid medication connection?
What if you miss a dose?
What about vitamins with iron or iron supplements?
How can you better remember to take your medication?
What's the best time to take your thyroid medication if you're having blood tests?

All these questions are answered in this straightforward and inexpensive e-report. Download it now!

(Note: If you are a subscriber to the print/paid edition of Sticking Out Our Necks Thyroid newsletter -- that's not this email news, but the hard-copy 12-page newsletter sent only to paid subscribers by regular mail -- this report is a special reprint from the March/April 2007 issue, so you've already received this important information.)

NEW POTENCY STANDARDS REQUIRED FOR THYROID DRUG LEVOTHYROXINE (I.E., SYNTHROID)

The FDA says that the drug manufacturers will need to make sure that your levothyroxine -- the key thyroid drug millions of people take -- is potent and stable. It turns out, even after the FDA approval process, the drugmakers are still putting out superpotent product that rapidly degrades, and becomes sub-potent. And it all varies from maker to maker, so it's a roll of the dice each time you get a refill. If you take Synthroid, Levoxyl, Levothroid, Unithroid, or a generic levothyroxine, you need to know about this development.

OPRAH'S THYROID PROBLEM

She's perhaps the world's most famous woman, and she announced in September that she has a thyroid condition. I've got the scoop here.

Also, could Oprah's thyroid problem be due to soy milk? Dr. Kaayla Daniel, author of the book, "The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America's Favorite Health Food," says it could be.

You'll definitely want to find out more from Dr. Daniel.

THE THYROID NORMAL RANGE CHANGE: A REPORT FROM THE FIELD ABOUT CHANGES TO THE TSH TEST NORMAL RANGE

Popular thyroid expert Dr. Richard Shames has an exciting bit of news he discovered after getting lab results back on a patient.

THYROID CANCER AWARENESS MONTH: SEPTEMBER 2007

September was Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month, a month designated to help increase visibility for this often-overlooked cancer. And it's never too late to find out more about one of the fastest growing cancers in the US. Find out how to do a self-check, learn why more people are being diagnosed, the risk factors for thyroid cancer, and symptoms. Learn more now.

ENDOCRINOLOGISTS FALLING DOWN ON THE JOB IN MANAGING PREGNANT WOMEN WITH THYROID DISEASE

It turns out that most doctors -- even endocrinologists and ob-gyns-- don't really know enough about what they're doing when managing thyroid disease and pregnancy. What's up, docs?

THYROID DRUG NEWS

Some news on interactions with thyroid medication and chromium picolinate, which is used for weight loss, carb-cravings, and for blood sugar management.

Also, more interaction warnings regarding Renagal (sevelamer hydrochloride), a kidney medication, which is used to control phosphorus levels in patients with chronic kidney disease.

And Caraco has gotten FDA approval for a generic version of the antithyroid drug methimazole.

LOSING YOUR HAIR? "THYROID GUIDE TO HAIR LOSS" NOW IN PAPERBACK AND E-BOOK

The Thyroid Guide to Hair Loss, my new guide for thyroid patients struggling with hair problems, is now available as a paperback book, as well as in immediate-download e-book. The guide helps you understand the different types of hair loss, and then offers a comprehensive look at hair loss remedies, including some approaches that may be especially helpful for thyroid patients.

If you are a thyroid patient experiencing hair loss, or someone losing hair and it may be thyroid-related, the Thyroid Guide to Hair Loss will help you get properly diagnosed and treated.

You can download an E-book edition right now, or order a Paperback copy -- both from the reputable online bookseller Lulu.com.

Get your hair back on track now.

FUCOTHIN/ FUCOXANTHIN DIET HELP UPDATE

In the last issue, I mentioned that I was having some weight loss success with a supplement called FucoThin, which is made from fucoxanthin, an edible seaweed component which may have potent fat-burning properties. You can read more about it online. I just wanted to clarify, however, that I am ONLY recommending the FucoThin brand. Some people have been writing to me to ask about other brands they are finding, and some of the ones they mentioned have not only fucoxanthin, but all sorts of additional ingredients, including high added amounts of iodine and kelp, which may actually aggravate a thyroid condition.

So far, I've been taking the FucoThin for several months, and haven't noticed any negative side effects for me, but I have no idea what one of those other iodine-added supplements with other ingredients may do, so be careful.

NOTES FROM MARY: HYPERTHYROIDISM SYMPTOMS ARE LIKE "BEING IN LOVE" SAYS TOP ENDO

Dear Readers,

Yes, this headline is not a typo. There's a top endocrinologist out there who just the other day actually said -- in the national media no less -- that when a person is hyperthyroid, "You've got all the symptoms of being in love." I know, you're cringing. It gets worse. He's not only a practicing endocrinologist, but he's a former head of the American Thyroid Association. Ok, I know, it's bad. But truly, it gets even worse! He's a professor teaching OTHER endos and doctors...I know, I know. Read it, and try hard not to scream!!

Unfortunately, this sort of callous disregard for thyroid patients seems to be the rule, rather than an exception. What is it? Does endocrinology attract the anti-social types, the ones who are long on ego, short on people skills? Or is it true that endocrinology attracts doctors who find numbers more interesting than people? You may know that I sometimes mockingly call endocrinologists the "accountants of medicine." But it's actually true in many ways. Endos LOVE their numbers -- TSH tests, Hemogloblin AICs, glucose levels, and so on -- and those numbers are almighty to them. How you feel, well, that's not scientific. But the numbers -- well, they tell all!

Becoming an endocrinologist even tends to make doctors even more firmly dogmatic about sticking to the most conservative, conventional approaches. That means, a rush to RAI if you're hyperthyroid, and the annual TSH test/Synthroid program if you're hypothyroid. And their focus is one objective -- to get you in the TSH normal range. Don't forget, of course, that the endos can't and don't even AGREE on what that range is! And after you're "normal," you are not their problem anymore. "Hey, come back in a year!"

This is why I frequently recommend that people see other types of doctors -- i.e., internists, GPs, holistic MDs, or osteopaths -- rather than endocrinologists, unless you have a very technical thyroid issue, like thyroid cancer. Because if the main thing you need is a doctor who will listen, care, be concerned about your symptoms, take you seriously, and figure out what treatments will best resolve your thyroid symptoms safely, and get you feeling well, then an endocrinologist -- with their focus on numbers, and their limited arsenal of solutions -- is probably not the right choice.

Perhaps with her own condition now public, Oprah will finally decide to do a show dedicated to thyroid disease. That would be good for all the women walking around who are being told by these geniuses, "You're not sick, you're in love." But also, the more major publicity thyroid disease gets, the harder it will be for endos to write us off, and act so callously about the patients their supposed to take care of.

In the meantime, if you want to find a doctor who is recommended by other thyroid patients, check out my online Thyroid Top Doctors Directory. Thousands of doctors around the world -- and yes, even some endocrinologists! -- are recommended by real, live thyroid patients.

Live well,

Mary

"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 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 * Living Well With Autoimmune Disease * Living Well with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia
Bookstore online: http://www.thyroid-info.com/bookstore.htm

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