The Everything Health Guide to Thyroid Disease: Professional Advice on Getting the Right Diagnosis, Managing Your Symptoms, and Feeling Great

This is an excellent layperson's guide to thyroid disorders. It is written in a technically accurate yet easy-to-follow style. The book combines explanations of the known thyroid disorders together with practical advice on diagnosis and treatment for patients. As well as discussing current medical knowledge of thyroid dysfunction in a succinct yet comprehensive manner, this book also touches on issues yet to be fully resolved. For example -- the reference range for TSH, the controversy over treating subclinical hypothyroidism, the use of pig gland extracts of thyroid hormone (Armour) versus synthetic T4, and the possibility that prophylactic T4 therapy or selenium supplementation may be useful for patients with autoimmune thyroiditis. Overall, this guide is highly recommended for those who have -- or suspect they have -- a thyroid disorder.

Thyroid disorders can wreak havoc on the body causing symptoms easily overlooked or dismissed by physicians as simple signs of aging or seasonal affectations. But if you or a loved one are among the many who are suffering from fatigue, weight changes, low energy, heat or cold intolerance, dry skin, memory loss, irritability or other signs of thyroid disease, then this book is for you. When I read the book, I was astonished to learn that thyroid disease strikes over 27 MILLION(!!) people in the United States, yet half of them go undiagnosed...and the majority of these people are women. Yet, left untreated, this book explains how thyroid diseases can do more than rob you of your quality of life; it can severely impact on other body systems in unexpected ways, such as eyesight, heart disease, appetite and metabolism, even sleep patterns, depression, hair and nail health...the list goes on and on. Meaty topics, including the interplay between autoimmune disorders and thyroid disfunction (such as Grave's disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis), to surprising triggers putting one at greater risk for thyroid problems, such as family history, smoking and even pregnancy, are also covered in this book. Written by a world-class, NIH-trained endocrinologist specializing in complicated endocrine disorders, "The Everything Health Guide to Thyroid Disease" is an absolute must-have for anyone struggling with thyroid problems. Chapter by chapter, Dr. Friedman thoroughly explains in plain language everything you need to know about thyroid disease: from the sometimes baffling array of symptoms and their myriad causes, to the diagnostic process and treatment options -- and most importantly, how to manage your thyroid disorder and reclaim your health and quality of life. This is one of those books I started to thumb through as soon as it arrived and then found that I couldn't put it down. I bought another copy (then a few more) to give to family and friends also suffering with thyroid problems (a couple who are in the medical profession). We all found it easy to understand, yet clearly a comprehensive and invaluable resource to which we have returned, over and over. Whether you have just begun to suspect thyroid problems, or have gone from doctor to doctor without successful treatment and truly feeling better, this book could be your answer. Dr. Friedman's knowledge and expertise of complicated endocrine disorders has been an absolute lifesaver to me. I highly recommend this book to anyone with a thyroid disorder who is looking to reclaim your health and to feel great again. It CAN happen, and this is THE book to tell you how.

Because I am a medical editor by trade, a friend called me when she received a diagosis of thyroid disease, hoping I would be able to share information with her. Unfortunately, I had never worked on a project that discussed thyroid disease. Still, I didn't want to let her down, so picked up a copy of this book. It proved to be the perfect resource--clearly written, well researched, and up to date. I was able to reassure my friend that her illness could be controlled--and even better, gave her the book so that she'd have somewhere reliable to turn for future questions.

For anyone looking to understand and cope with the health issues related to a thyroid condition, look no further! This book covers it all: from the symptoms, to the diagnosis, to the short-term fixes to the more permanent corrective actions. The authors tell you what to look for and more importantly explain clearly and concisely what you can do to get past the health issues and not just get back on your feet, but how to really flourish! I think this is a wonderful collaboration and I highly recommend it to anyone who has or even suspects they may problems with their thyroid. I've compared it to other resources on the market, and I think the information and the way it's presented is the best I've seen.

I have no thyroid any more but still struggle with my medications and questions and this gives me more information than the average book. I also like the book by Mary Shomon which I own. I am a patient of Dr Friedman (travelling thousands of miles to do so) and he has helped me with my pituitary, adrenal and other hormone issues. What is nice about this book is that it covers the role of thyroid with the other hormones. You really only feel good when all of them are right. This book is a good basic book for those that are just learning about the thyroid but still has enough for those that are more experienced in thyroid issues.