Thyroid For Dummies [Paperback]

Alan L. Rubin MD (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2006

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a thyroid condition, you’ve probably found out at least a little about this mysterious gland—just enough to want to look for answers to the many questions that keep popping up in your mind. What causes this condition? How is it treated? What can you do to get healthy again?

Thyroid for Dummies, 2^nd Edition gives you the detailed information you're looking for on new methods for detecting thyroid disease in both adults and children, alternative treatments, pros and cons of powerful new drugs now on the market, advice for managing the disease through changes in exercise and diet, and much  more. You're discover:

• What the thyroid does
• How to identify a sick thyroid and recognize who's at risk
• Ways to find the right thyroid doctor
• How to cope with hypothyroidism in children
• The hereditary connection to thyroid disease
• How thyroid disease affects the elderly
• The effects of hyperthyroidism during pregnancy
• How to decide if surgery is necessary
• Ten myths about thyroid health

Updated to address advances made since the first edition, including the latest thinking on understanding thyroid disease's connection to depression and mania, Thyroid for Dummies, 2^nd Edition will tell you everything you need to know about how the thyroid functions, what makes it malfunction, and what to do when a problem occurs.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Find out how to understand thyroid test results

Get the latest on thyroid disorders and treatments — and get better!

Your thyroid is a little gland that can have a big impact on your health. Now updated to cover the latest research findings, drugs, and tests, this authoritative guide describes what can go wrong — from hypo- and hyperthyroidism to nodules and cancer — and explains how to get a thyroid problem under control.

Discover how to

• Identify the signs and symptoms of thyroid disorders
• Find an experienced thyroid doctor
• Choose among different treatment options
• Avoid drug interactions
• Maximize thyroid health

Praise for Thyroid For Dummies

"Thyroid For Dummies meets a critical need for a user-friendly reference for patients with thyroid disease. Dr. Rubin has succeeded in making this concise volume both readable and comprehensive, and I anticipate enthusiastically recommending it to my own patients."
—Dr. Leonard Wartofsky, MACP, Chairman, Department of Medicine, The Washington Hospital Center

About the Author

Alan L. Rubin, MD, is one of the nation’s foremost experts on the thyroid gland in health and disease. He is a member of the Endocrine Society and has been in private practice specializing in thyroid disease and diabetes for over 28 years. Dr. Rubin was Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at UC Medical Center in San Francisco for 20 years. He has spoken about the thyroid to professional medical audiences and nonmedical audiences around the world. He is a consultant to many pharmaceutical companies and companies that make thyroid products.
Dr. Rubin has written extensively on the thyroid gland as well as diabetes mellitus. As a result, he has been on numerous radio and television programs talking about the cause, the prevention, and the treatment of conditions of the thyroid. He is also the best-selling author of Diabetes For Dummies and Diabetes Cookbook For Dummies, both now in second editions and translated into multiple languages including Chinese, Spanish, French, and Russian. His latest book is High Blood Pressure For Dummies.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 2 edition (May 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471787558
• ISBN-13: 978-0471787556
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #264,163 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helped us make this important and rather emotional decision, October 13, 2002

By 

Erik T. Heidt - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Thyroid for Dummies (Paperback)

My spouse has been battling with Hyperthyroidism for 15 years, going on and off PTU and in and out of remission. Her latest annual blood work indicated that she was hyper again which re-opened the dialog about what treatment to choose (drug therapy, radioactive iodine, or surgery).

Thyroid for Dummies provided a detailed yet very readable review of what the function of the Thyroid glad is, Thyroid disorders, treatment options, etc. If you are facing a decision point about treatment for a thyroid disorder or have Thyroid wellness concerns then I think you will find this book very helpful and informative as we did.

In the end we choose Radioactive Iodine treatment. The unbiased facts and wealth of information provided helped us make this important and rather emotional decision in a manner that enabled us to move forward with confidence. Of note, the author Dr. Rubin prefers drug therapy as the first mode of treatment for Graves Disease. As this had already been tried in our case and did not provide a predictable and sustainable treatment we choose Radioactive Iodine over surgery.

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hyperthyroid/Graves patients NEED to read this book, October 23, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Thyroid for Dummies (Paperback)

I am a 4+ year Graves disease veteran who is currently in remission. I strongly believe that EVERY newly diagnosed person should read this book BEFORE they make any decision on any PERMANENT treatment procedure such as surgery or radioactive iodine ablation (RAI).

Dr. Rubin takes the often confusing subject of thyroid disease and makes it easily understandable to the newly diagnosed. Every person with a diagnosed thyroid disorder SHOULD be reading this book and educating themselves about their disease!

Misinformation is abundant when it comes to thyroid disease. Dr. Rubin makes no bones about HIS preference for treatment of hyperthyroidism/Graves disease and lays out his well thought out, logical, reasons behind HIS preference for treatment with anti-thyroid meds very well (page 73). I was thrilled to see this recommendation as this was the route I chose...and fought to continue using for 4 years...with success in the form of total remission after 4.3 years of anti-thyroid medication.

Thank you Dr. Rubin for speaking up and telling it like it is about anti-thyroid medication...that you CAN take it for as long as you need it...that there is NO time frame limit for these meds, and the adverse reaction risk is very low. You're my hero!

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thyroid for Dummies, November 12, 2001

By 

Adrienne T. Merl (Coral Springs, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thyroid for Dummies (Paperback)

I just had thyroid surgery and I picked up a copy of Thyroid for Dummies so I could get informed about what was happening. Thyroid for Dummies answered all my questions, and gave me all the information I needed to understand what I was going through.After reading this book, I know more about the thyroid gland than I did before! The book is written in easy to understand language, and uses humor which put my mind at ease. I would highly recommend this book to anyone with thyroid disease, anyone undergoing thyroid surgery,and anyone who just wants to know more about their thyroid gland.