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Needle Phobia: When a Fear of Needles Poses Dangers to Your Health

Sun, 12 May 2013 21:09:34 +0000

While none of us like to get shots, or have blood taken, some people suffer from needle phobia, which can be so severe that that it causes sufferers to avoid ...

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Thyroid Patients: Could It Be Perimenopause?

Tue, 07 May 2013 19:34:58 +0000

You're a woman over 40 with a thyroid problem, and you're tired, gaining weight, moody, and losing hair. Do you need to optimize your thyroid treatment, or could it be ...

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Could You Be Hypothyroid? Do You Have Low Thyroid?

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:52:00 +0000

Are you fatigued? Gaining weight? Depressed? Brain fogged? You could have an underactive thyroid. Millions of people are hypothyroid, but haven't been diagnosed. Take this interactive thyroid screening quiz to ...

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What Are Thyroid Patients Saying About the AbbVie Campaign for Synthroid, Featuring Sofia Vergara?

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:34:49 +0000

More than 50 people have shared their comments regarding the new "Follow the Script" campaign. See what thyroid patients are saying about the campaign, Sofia Vergara, and the ...

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Sofia Vergara's Thyroid Drug Campaign: A Reality Check

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:55:59 +0000

Landing Modern Family star Sofia Vergara as the face of a campaign for the drug Synthroid is a major coup for drugmaker AbbVie. She's beautiful, funny, and a mega-star of a hit show. There's no question that given Vergara's visibility, the campaign will have some positive impact on awareness of hypothyroidism. And it's always a good time for hypothyroidism to get some positive awareness.

At the same time, Vergara is saying her thyroid problem has been easy, and has never caused her any symptoms. And that patients should, as the campaign is titled, "Follow the Script" dictated by their doctors.

Bottom line? The new campaign points up the need for a major reality check on thyroid cancer and hypothyroidism!

(Poll: Share your thoughts on the pros and cons of Vergara's new campaign.

About Mary Shomon | Thyroid Forum | Twitter | Facebook

_{Photo: Followthescript.com}

Poll: Sofia Vergara's Thyroid Drug Campaign

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:46:01 +0000

What do you think of Sofia Vergara's campaign to promote a thyroid drug? Positive, or a negative? Will it help, or hurt? Share your thoughts in the poll, and add ...

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Editorial- Controversy Over Diagnosing Hypothyroidism: Wall Street Journal Highlights Unconventional Doctor Working With Runners

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 19:29:09 +0000

A sloppy article in the April 10, 2013 issue of the Wall Street Journal focuses on endocrinologist Jeffrey S. Brown, MD. The authors -- and the conventional endocrinologists they ...

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New Miller School Study Points to Importance of T3 for Thyroid Health

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 19:19:26 +0000

A new study just published provides more ammunition for frustrated thyroid patients struggling with hypothyroidism treatment, and more headaches for the more dogmatic endocrinology community.

The "Miller School Study," was conducted out of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami, Florida, USA, in conjunction with a number of other institutions, including Tufts Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. The study was recently published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.

The study was led by Antonio Bianco, M.D., Ph.D., (pictured here), Chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism. Dr. Bianco has studied the thyroid for more than three decades, and recently was awarded the Rosalind Pitt-Rivers Medal from the British Thyroid Association.

According to Dr. Bianco, the study shows that "better monitoring of a key hormone (T3) could lead to new treatment approaches with beneficial results for patients."

The team looked closely at the role of an enzyme called Type II deiodinase (D2). D2 is produced in the hypothalamus and pituitary, where inactive T4 is converted to the active thyroid hormone, T3. The researchers found that inactivating the D2 enzyme in the pituitary gland could produce major changes in TSH and T4 levels, but did not affect blood levels of T3.

According to Dr. Bianco: "This finding clearly shows that the body's endocrine system is wired to keep plasma T3 in the normal range. It also points to the importance of T3 as a clinical indicator in the follow-up of hypothyroid patients who are being treated with levothyroxine."

According to Bianco, while few physicians test the T3 levels in diagnosis or treatment of hypothyroid patients, he feels that focusing on T3 could result in improved quality of life for patients. Said Dr. Bianco:

"We know that about 20 percent of hypothyroid patients treated with levothyroxine are not happy despite having normal plasma T4 and TSH levels, and many of these patients exhibit lower plasma levels of T3. Other hypothyroid patients don't complain to their doctors, but could potentially benefit as well from more effective treatments that normalize plasma T3, potentially making it easier to lose weight or maintain their mental focus."

There is evidence that T3 may benefit the majority of people with hypothyroidism, and key data is featured in the following reports and studies:

At present, it is still considered controversial, and the official 2012 Hypothyroidism Guidelines followed by most endocrinologists do not recommend testing T3 or treating with T3 medications. The Miller School Study findings, however, along with the backing of Dr. Bianco - one of the world's most prominent endocrinologists and researchers -- may finally help T3 get taken seriously by the endocrinology world.

_{Source: Fonseca, T. et. al. "Coordination of hypothalamic and pituitary T3 production regulates TSH expression," Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2013;123(4):1492-1500. Volume 123, Issue 4 (April 1, 2013), Full article on the web/PDF of article}

About Mary Shomon | Thyroid Forum | Twitter | Facebook

_{Photo: The Miller School}

Roger Ebert: A Thyroid Cancer Patient to Remember

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 18:18:57 +0000

Film critic Roger Ebert didn't make thyroid advocacy his primary mission -- his love of films always had first place -- but his grace, courage, and willingness to share his ...

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Levoxyl Shortage Affecting Thyroid Patients

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 14:52:56 +0000

Apparently, manufacturer Pfizer has had some sort of difficulties with production, resulting in a shortage of Levoxyl, a brand of levothyroxine sodium, used for thyroid hormone replacement treatment in hypothyroidism. ...

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