Living Well with Hypothyroidism: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You... That You Need to Know (Revised Edition)

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 624 pages
• Published by: Collins Living; Rev Ed edition February 15, 2005
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0060740957
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0060740955
• Book Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 1.2 inches
• Weighs: 1 pounds

Product Review
As many as one in eight women have a thyroid condition. In Living Well with Hypothyroidism, Mary Shomon outlines the most common of these--too little thyroid hormones in the body. Weight gain, depression, fatigue, and what patients call "brain fog, Brillo hair, and prune skin" result. Because the symptoms of hypothyroidism mimic so many other conditions--chronic fatigue, PMS, clinical depression--it can be very tricky to diagnose, especially since patients with HMOs may not get the thorough testing they need.

Shomon knows of what she speaks: she's a health writer and thyroid patient herself. She also manages a thyroid Web site and writes a newsletter on hypothyroidism. In Living Well, she offers an extensively researched guide to this complex condition. She covers conventional, alternative, and late-breaking approaches to treatment--such as challenging the gold standard of Synthroid as the thyroid replacement therapy of choice. (Synthroid replaces T4, the less active of the two thyroid hormones, and Shomon features new research on adding T3--the more potent thyroid hormone--to treatment.)

With her down-to-earth, patient-centered approach, Shomon explains everything from how to choose a thyroid specialist to how calcium, antidepressants, and a high-fiber diet affect thyroid hormone absorption. The book includes a chapter on depression, which is a typical misdiagnosis of hypothyroidism--as well as a symptom that often persists even after treatment. She also covers infertility (women who are hypothyroid don't ovulate as regularly and miscarry more frequently) and thyroid cancer, one of the less common causes of hypothyroidism. She explains how to spot hypothyroidism in kids, and ends with a glossary, international resources, and journal references.

Shomon creates a sense of community by excerpting e-mails from her vast network of patients--voices that bring a sense of humor so often missing from health books. One quibble: she could have avoided the antidoctor stance in the beginning of her book, where she blames physicians, rather than incomplete science, for the misdiagnosis and treatment of hypothyroidism. --Rebecca Taylor --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Review
"Hypothyroidism is a common, very treatable disorder that is also poorly managed by doctors. In this first-rate book by Mary Shomonthe disorder, its myths, and medicine's successes and failures at dealing with it are thoroughly examined. This is not a book that rehashes old facts on thyroid disease. Shomon instead challenges patients and their doctors to look deeper and try harder to resolve the complicated symptoms of hypothyroidismIn a fascinating chapter, Shomon, who also has a Web site (http://thyroid.about.com) and an online newsletter about the disease, explores recent evidence that the addition of the thyroid hormone T3 to the standard T4 (levothyroxine) may help some people feel better. In addition, the section on babies born with hypothyroidism, although brief, has the best advice on how to give medication to an infant that I've seen. As Shomon writes: 'or years, thyroid problems have been downplayed, misunderstood and portrayed as unimportant.' With he! r advocacy, perhaps no more." --Shari Roan -- Los Angeles Times, March 27, 2000

"If I could recommend only one book on thyroid problems for my patients, this would be it." -- Elizabeth Lee Vliet, M.D., Founder and Medical Director of HER Place Centers

"Vital for hypothryoid patients who want to get well, and for physicians who want to do so." -- Dr. John Lowe, Director of Research of the Fibromyalgia Research Foundation --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Reader Reviews
This review is from: Living Well with Hypothyroidism: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You... That You Need to Know (Paperback) Mary Shomon's book is the first I have read (out of a LOT of books) that tells the whole truth about hypothyroidism, as experienced by a patient who has been there. I wish that every doctor that treats thyroid patients could be made to read this! So many doctors seem to think that hypo is a simple, easily treated disease, and it isn't. They also tend to focus on individual symptoms without looking for the overall CAUSE. If I had had this book years ago it would have saved me several years of suffering and being told there was nothing wrong with me. Mary's list of symptoms is very thorough, her book is easy to read and understand, and it tells the real truth. I especially like the way she pays attention to the emotional impact of this disease and the depression that often accompanies it. Her weblinks are very helpful in finding out more information. This book is EXCELLENT, and a great resource. It can literally change people's lives. I could barely put it down once I started reading. I can't recommend it enough, especially for newly diagnosed patients or those who SUSPECT they are hypo but haven't been able to find a doctor to test them. Mary's list of symptoms is great to take to your doctor to help them see the overall picture, and her compassion and understanding are very comforting and empowering for patients. She makes sense out of what to most of us is a very confusing disease. If you only buy one book on this subject, make it this one!