Thyroid for Dummies [Paperback]

Alan L. Rubin M.D. (Author), Rich Tennant (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2001 | Series: For Dummies (Computer/Tech)

Your thyroid gland influences almost every cell and organ in your body because its general function is to control your metabolism. If your thyroid is functioning correctly, your metabolism should be normal. If your thyroid is working too hard, your metabolism is too high, and the result can be anything from an increased body temperature to an elevated heart rate. When your thyroid function drops below normal, so does your metabolism – you may gain weight, feel tired, and experience digestive problems and depression.

Anyone who wants to understand the big role of the little gland in the front of the neck can look to Thyroid For Dummies for a common sense approach to figuring out

• Causes of thyroid conditions
• Symptoms related to thyroid problems
• Treatment options
• Consequences of going without treatment
• Ways to help a loved one get back to the best of health

Realizing the importance of a healthy thyroid and identifying an unhappy thyroid are basics in managing one of the more common diseases in the world. Research has indicated that thyroid disease affects more than 200 million people worldwide. With Thyroid For Dummies, you can

• Explore how the thyroid dysfunction influences your mood.
• Determine the size, shape, and content of your thyroid gland.
• Understand what's happening when your thyroid works overtime or slacks off.
• Discover whether you're at risk.
• Look at the latest developments in diagnosis and treatment.
• Clarify the thyroid-weight connection.
• Deal with thyroid conditions in children.

About half (perhaps even more) of all the people with thyroid disorders are undiagnosed. The American Thyroid Association and other experts recommend that thyroid testing begin at age 35 and continue every 5 years thereafter. Thyroid For Dummies can help you separate fact from fiction about thyroid function, testing, and treatment. With this reader-friendly guide, you're bound to build appreciation for the small-scale gland that's a major contributor to your overall physical and mental health.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

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

Expert advice on improving your thyroid health ? at any age!

Your essential guide to understanding your thyroid condition Do you have, or suspect you have, a thyroid condition? Are you wondering how your thyroid affects your overall health? Relax ? you're in expert hands. With a shot of humor and a big dose of common sense, Dr. Alan Rubin explains thyroid disorders in plain English ? and helps you get your condition under control.

Discover how to:

• Identify the major thyroid disorder signs and symptoms
• Understand thyroid test results
• Choose among different treatment options
• Avoid drug interactions
• Maximize thyroid health

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About the Author

Alan Rubin, M.D., has treated patients with thyroid conditions for more than 28 years. He has lectured and written about the thyroid for medical and nonmedical audiences around the world.

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (October 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764553852
• ISBN-13: 978-0764553851
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #276,959 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.