Show 1096: What You Need to Know About Treating Thyroid Disease
The People's Pharmacy
Joe and Terry Graedon
4.6 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 29 September 2017
⏱️ 58 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
An estimated 20 million Americans have trouble with their thyroid glands. Doctors have become accustomed to making the diagnosis of hypothyroidism based on a single blood test. Often they prescribe just one medication for treating thyroid disease. But does that work equally well for everyone?
Genetic Variations That Make a Difference:
New research shows that some people have a gene variant that makes their bodies less efficient at converting the circulating hormone levothyroxine (T4) into the active hormone triiodothyronine (T3). As a result, the usual treatment may not be completely effective at helping them overcome their symptoms. Find out what else they might need for treating thyroid disease.
Taking Your Medicine:
When and how you take your thyroid medicine can affect how well it works. Did you know that coffee can interfere with the absorption of levothyroxine? Soy products may also pose problems. Find out the best ways for thyroid patients to work with their doctors in treating thyroid disease.
This Week’s Guests:
Dr. Antonio Bianco
Antonio Bianco, MD, PhD, is the Charles Arthur Weaver Professor of Cancer Research in the Department of Internal Medicine. He is the president of Rush University Medical Group and vice dean for clinical affairs in Rush Medical College. Dr. Bianco’s research focuses on understanding the deiodinase enzymes D1, D2 and D3 and their effect on thyroid hormone action. He was co-author of a Seminar paper on hypothyroidism published in The Lancet, March 20, 2017. Here are some links explaining his research:
https://www.rush.edu/news/far-reaching-thyroid-expertise
https://www.rush.edu/news/press-releases/rush-researchers-gain-new-insights-treatment-hypothyroidism
You can listen to Dr. Bianco’s extended interview:
Mary Shomon
Patient advocate and author Mary Shomon transformed her 1995 thyroid diagnosis into a mission to educate and empower others struggling with thyroid and hormonal conditions. She is a nationally-known patient advocate and activist, and founder of Thyroid-Info.com. She is the author of New York Times bestseller The Thyroid Diet Revolution: Manage Your Metabolism for Lasting Weight Loss and a number of other books on thyroid disease, hormone health, and weight loss. Her most recent book, written with Dana Trentini, is Your Healthy Pregnancy with Thyroid Disease.
Mary is a leading force on hormonal and thyroid health in social media, with her hundreds of thousands of community members at: Thyroid Support/Facebook, with Mary Shomon Thyroid Diet/Facebook, with Mary Shomon Twitter: @thyroidmary
The photo is of Mary Shomon.
You can listen to Mary Shomon’s extended interview:
Listen to the Podcast:
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, I'm Joe Graydon. |
| 0:02.5 | I'm Terry Graydon. |
| 0:04.0 | Welcome to this podcast of the People's Pharmacy, where we bring you the stories behind the health headlines. |
| 0:10.3 | This podcast is brought to you by Redux Industries, makers of utterly smooth body cream. |
| 0:16.1 | 800-345-7339 on the web at utter cream.com. |
| 0:31.0 | Millions suffer from either too little or too much thyroid hormone. |
| 0:35.8 | What are the latest developments for treating thyroid problems? |
| 0:39.5 | This is the People's Pharmacy with Terry and Joe Graydon. |
| 0:48.2 | For decades, doctors thought that diagnosing thyroid disease was relatively simple. |
| 0:55.5 | Just look for one blood test, thyroid stimulating hormone, or T-S-H. |
| 1:00.3 | But in the last several years, it's become clear that there are subtleties |
| 1:03.8 | that need to be taken into account when interpreting such tests. |
| 1:07.7 | Dr. Antonio Bianco is a leading thyroid researcher. He'll explain why some people don't feel good on standard tests. Dr. Antonio Bianco is a leading thyroid researcher. He'll explain why some people don't feel |
| 1:14.0 | good on standard treatment. Mary Schumann offers a patient's perspective. Coming up on the |
| 1:19.9 | People's Pharmacy, we get up to date on treating thyroid disorders. First, this news. In the people's pharmacy health headlines, are you getting |
| 1:34.4 | enough shut-eye? Sleep scientist Matthew Walker says that skimping on sleep can shorten your life. |
| 1:40.8 | That conclusion is based on an analysis of 20 different studies. |
| 1:44.5 | One study showed that people over 45 were twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke at some point if they slept fewer than six hours most nights instead of seven to eight hours. |
| 1:55.0 | Sleep deprivation also hampers immune system activity. |
| 1:59.0 | Those who strive for few hours of sleep a night may be setting |
| 2:02.9 | themselves up for dementia or obesity, or at least an increased risk of those disorders. |
| 2:08.5 | Concentrating on getting a good night's sleep may be as important as adequate exercise and a healthy |
... |
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