Go Ad-Free
logoThe People's Perspective on Medicine

Show 853: Thyroid Controversies

Diagnosing and treating thyroid disorders can be controversial; find out what the experts are arguing about.

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.

Download the mp3

Rate this article
star-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-empty
4.4- 5 ratings
About the Author
Terry Graedon, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and co-host of The People’s Pharmacy radio show, co-author of The People’s Pharmacy syndicated newspaper columns and numerous books, and co-founder of The People’s Pharmacy website. Terry taught in the Duke University School of Nursing and was an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology. She is a Fellow of the Society of Applied Anthropology. Terry is one of the country's leading authorities on the science behind folk remedies..
Tired of the ads on our website?

Now you can browse our website completely ad-free for just $5 / month. Stay up to date on breaking health news and support our work without the distraction of advertisements.

Browse our website ad-free
Join over 150,000 Subscribers at The People's Pharmacy

We're empowering you to make wise decisions about your own health, by providing you with essential health information about both medical and alternative treatment options.