Thyroid dysfunction is extremely common, and the symptoms make a person miserable. They are often non-specific, however, and it sometimes takes a while for the big picture of thyroid disease to emerge from the details of fatigue, dry skin, constipation, heavy menstrual periods, hair loss and so forth.
The diagnosis and treatment of underactive thyroid have been changing. We get both conventional and alternative perspectives from leaders in the field, offering views on the use of TSH for monitoring thyroid function as well treating with T4 alone vs T4 plus T3 or even the natural treatment, desiccated thyroid gland.
This Episode’s Guests:
Deepa Kirk, MD, is assistant professor in the department of medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine in the division of endocrinology and metabolism. The photo is of Dr. Kirk.
Kent Holtorf, MD, is founder and medical director of Holtorf Medical Group, specializing in innovative evidence-based therapies for hard-to-treat and poorly understood illnesses: hypothyroidism, complex endocrine dysfunction, chronic fatigue syndrome, and fibromyalgia. He established the National Academy of Hypothyroidism at NAHypothyroidism.org
Mary Shomon is a nationally-known patient advocate and author of many books, including Living Well With Hypothyroidism: What Your Doctor Doesn’t Tell You…That You Need to Know. Her latest book is The Thyroid Diet Revolution. She manages two popular Web sites on thyroid issues: http://thyroid.about.com and www.thyroid-info.com. Mary also edits a newsletter for patients, Sticking Out Our Necks.
Listen to the Podcast
The podcast of this program will be available the Monday after the broadcast date. The show can be streamed online from this site and podcasts can be downloaded for free.
