Posted by noa on February 18, 2003, at 10:19:34
In reply to Re: Hypothyroidism, posted by sl on February 18, 2003, at 8:56:20
Yes, I believe that hypothyroidism is underdiagnosed because of what authors Richard and Karilee Shames ("Thyroid Power: 10 Steps to Total Health")call the "tyranny of the test", by which they mean the overreliance by many doctors on one test (TSH) to rule hypothyroidism, and even the overreliance on the TSH and the T4, and other tests, with disregard for clinical assessment.
Two other good books to read: "The Thyroid Solution" by Dr. R. Arem, and "Living Well with Hypothyroidism" by Mary Shomon.
BTW, see the "thyroid and depression" folder at PB tips (yahoo), linked at the top of this main Babble page. Feel free to add resouces to it, too!!
Mary Shomon's site was so helpful to me--see about.com hypothyroidism page (link in the thyroid and depression folder). She even has a page where readers recommend doctors. That is how I found my wonderful endocrinologist who diagnosed the hypothyroidism, and got me started on appropriate treatment (I had been undertreated before--pdoc had dxed "subclinical" hypothyroidism and prescribed synthroid and cytomel as an augmentor to my AD meds.). I only started recovering from the depression after the hypothyroidism was addressed agressively.
BTW, I take both Synthroid (T4) and Cytomel, which is T3. Some people like the combined T3 and T4. I think there is now a synthetic T3/T4 combo, but there is also Armour Thyroid, which is dried animal thyroid and contains both T3 and T4.
poster:noa
thread:201219
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030214/msgs/201470.html