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Thyroid disease affects as many as 20
million people in the United States
alone, and more than half are
undiagnosed. The thyroid gland is the
master gland of metabolism, and health
practitioners are only just beginning
to recognize -- much less
truly understand -- the profound
effects this little gland in the neck
can have on everything from mood to
energy to weight to general wellness.
 | My
name is Mary Shomon, and I'm a thyroid
patient advocate, author, and thyroid
patient myself. Since 1997, I've been
Thyroid Guide at the About
Thyroid site, researching and
writing extensively about thyroid
disease -- including hypothyroidism,
hyperthyroidism, Hashimoto's Disease,
Graves' Disease, nodules, goiter, and
thyroid cancer. I am also author of a
best-selling book on thyroid disease,
Living Well
With Hypothyroidism: What Your Doctor
Doesn't Tell You. . . That You Need to
Know, which was published in
2000 by HarperCollins, and is currently
in its ninth printing. |  |
I am a member of the The American
Academy on Physician and Patient and
hold a Bachelor's degree from
Georgetown University in Washington
D.C.
By way of background, I was diagnosed
with Hashimoto's Disease and
hypothyroidism in 1995, after
months suffering a host of mysterious
symptoms. Even after my diagnosis, I
battled weight gain, eye problems,
fatigue, and other
symptoms. So, to combat my frustration,
I read and I read. Then I got a
computer, and surfed the web. I
disseminated whatever information I
found via the online Usenet newsgroup,
alt.support.thyroid, and talk with
other thyroid patients. And I found out
that things like hairloss,
difficulty losing weight, carpal tunnel
syndrome, and depression were
all utterly "normal" symptoms. It was
a true revelation!
Later, I assembled information and
created my thyroid disease site at
About (which was then known as the
Mining Co.) Since that time, I've
written dozens of articles on thyroid
disease, maintain
seven active interactive support
forums, and links to
thousands of thyroid-related websites.
Along the way, despite my
hypothyroidism, I even managed my most
important project of all -- giving
birth to my wonderful daughter in late
1997!
It's surprising, but even as advanced
as medicine is today, thyroid disease
is consistently overlooked,
underdiagnosed and undertreated. So, I
completely understand and empathize
with the fear, frustration, confusion
and lack of information that often
accompany thyroid disease, because I've
been there myself.
You may find it extremely difficult to
get your thyroid condition diagnosed.
HMOs rush doctors through appointments
and fail to recognize common symptoms.
Insurance won't always cover common
blood tests. Or doctors just don't
recognize the signs. Because thyroid
disease primarily affects women, the
broad but common thyroid symptoms like
fatigue, weight changes, depression and
anxiety are often attributed to many
other situations, such as having just
had a baby, being menopausal, getting
older, lack of sleep, laziness,
overeating, and many other "non-
diagnoses."
Even when you can get a diagnosis,
there's a great deal of controversy
over what treatments should be used.
Conventional approaches may not work
for everyone, but information about
safe and effective alternatives can be
hard to find.
And even once diagnosed and treated,
you may find that you don't feel well,
or you continue to suffer symptoms --
weight problems, exhaustion, "brain
fog" -- that aren't easily resolved.
That's where I come in, and where you
may want to contact me via Keen.com.
A quick note. I am not a doctor, and
even if I were, via email, no one is
able to offer specific medical advice
about your own condition, offer second
opinions, make diagnoses, interpret
your lab values, or handle emergency
questions. That's best handled by your
personal physician. But as a patient
advocate who focuses on thyroid
disease news and information, I can
help you understand more about thyroid
disease, provide supportive
information, and connect you with the
best resources in your quest for
wellness.
But you will want to contact me, if:
- you want to know more about the
common -- and lesser known -- symptoms
and risk factors of hypothyroidism,
hyperthyroidism, nodules, goiter, and
autoimmune conditions such as
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis or Graves'
Disease
- you aren't sure if your various
symptoms point to thyroid disease, but
you're trying to find out more about
symptoms and diagnosis
- you suspect you have a thyroid
problem, but the doctor says your
thyroid is "normal"
- you'd like to know about common lab
tests for thyroid disease, and the
general reference ranges used in
diagnosis
- you want to understand how thyroid
disease may be affecting your
fertility, ability to get pregnant and
have a baby
- you are receiving what your doctor
feels is sufficient treatment for your
hypothyroidism and you still don't feel
well.
- you want to lose weight, and are
having a tough time, and would like to
find out how other thyroid patients
have done it
- you would like to find out about
the common -- and less common --
treatments used for
hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism
- you would like to know where to
find more information about the most
common thyroid drugs -- such as
Synthroid (TM) -- and alternatives
such as Armour and Thyrolar
- you want information on
alternative/complementary/holistic
approaches to thyroid disease
- you would like to know what books,
websites, organizations, and thyroid
support groups might help
- you'd like to learn how to live
well with your thyroid condition
Traditional medicine dismisses thyroid
disease as a mundane 'take this pill
and you'll be fine' disease, but those
of us with thyroid disease know better.
Information, empowerment, and support
can take us all a long way in our
continuing effort to achieve good
health.
I look forward to hearing from you, and
encourage you to call me, or listen to
my pre-recorded segments that can help
you get a handle on thyroid health and
information.
Live well,
Mary Shomon
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