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【bio-news】疲惫？增肥了？郁闷？或许是你的甲状
January marks Thyroid Awareness Month, and with as many as 36 million or more Americans suffering from undiagnosed, untreated thyroid disease, increased awareness on the part of the public -- and doctors -- is long overdue.
Kensington, MD (PRWE January 10, 2007 -- January marks Thyroid Awareness Month, and with as many as 36 million or more Americans suffering from undiagnosed, untreated thyroid disease, increased awareness on the part of the public -- and doctors -- is long overdue.
Patient advocate Mary Shomon is concerned about the lack of knowledge on the part of patients and their physicians. Says Shomon "Thyroid problems frequently cause symptoms like fatigue, weight changes, depression, hair loss, low sex drive, infertility, miscarriage, and high cholesterol. Unfortunately, with only 14 million of the more than 50 million patients diagnosed and treated , it's clear that these symptoms are frequently being ignored, overlooked, misdiagnosed, mistreated, overmedicated, or blamed on lifestyle -- instead of being taken seriously."
To arm patients with the information and tools they need to take charge of their thyroid health, Shomon, the New York Times best-selling author of The Thyroid Diet, as well as other popular patient-directed books, web sites, and thyroid newsletters, has put together the following Ten Take Charge Thyroid Tips, along with a free ebook and new website -- all to help educate and empower the more than 50 million Americans with thyroid conditions.
The free ebook, titled The Thyroid Awareness Month Guide to Thyroid Disease, is available at http://www.thyroidawarenessmonth.com -- her campaign's website.
Says Shomon: "I polled thyroid patients, and asked them their thoughts about the best themes for Thyroid Awareness Month. In the survey, which received more than 3,100 responses, almost a third of the responses said the theme should be that "doctors need to be more knowledgeable about thyroid disease."
Based on that information, Shomon developed her informational campaign to help get information into the hands of undiagnosed, or improperly treated thyroid patients.
"As a patient advocate, " says Shomon, "I've learned that proper thyroid diagnosis and treatment usually require that as patients, we become actively involved in our care. Frequently, we are the ones who in the end must bring our doctors up to speed on the latest thyroid developments."
Take Charge of Your Thyroid: Ten Tips
Mary Shomon has developed the following Ten Tips to Help Take Charge of your Thyroid.
1. Thyroid Disease is not "Easy to Diagnose and Easy to Treat"
While it's common for doctors to say "Thyroid disease is easy to diagnose and easy to treat," the reality is that diagnosis and treatment are complicated. Many doctors don't recognize thyroid symptoms, so patients receive antidepressants, weight loss drugs, or other treatments, instead of a thyroid test. Once thyroid problems are suspected, some doctors will perform only one test -- the Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) test -- and then base their diagnosis only on that result. This narrow approach misses patients who otherwise would be diagnosed by a thorough thyroid evaluation, such as one that takes into account clinical examination, review of symptoms, a thorough family and personal history, and other blood work and imaging tests as needed. Finally, some doctors use a cookie-cutter approach to treatment, and believe that only one drug is optimal, and that once blood test levels reach a particular target, the patient is fully treated, even if debilitating symptoms remain.
To do: Spell out symptoms and family history, ask for a thorough thyroid evaluation, and be sure that the doctor's treatment goal is resolving symptoms, not just blood test results.
2. Doctors Can NOT Rule Out Thyroid Disease Just By Looking at a Patient or Feeling The Thyroid Gland
Surprisingly in this day and age, there are still practitioners who believe that they can simply look at a patient, or feel his or her neck, and rule out thyroid disease. Looking at the patient, as well as feeling the thyroid gland for enlargement and lumps, are only a small part of a clinical thyroid examination. This exam should also include a blood pressure and pulse check, weight check, evaluation of reflexes, and careful evaluation of clinical thyroid signs, such as loss of outer eyebrow hair, swelling in face and limbs, unusual skin patches and other skin and hair disturbances. The doctor then considers the findings, in addition to blood work and medical history, to make a diagnosis.
To do: If a doctor rules out thyroid disease based on looking at a patient, or feeling the thyroid, get another opinion.
3. Millions of Patients are Stuck in the Thyroid Test Limbo Land
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作者:admin@医学,生命科学 2011-03-05 05:12
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