Customer Reviews

The Thyroid Paradox: How to Get the Best Care for Hypothyroidism

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

And let me start by saying that I've read many. Note: This book specifically covers hypothyroidism. If you have hyperthyroidism, you might find this book useful in some ways, but it was not be written specifically for that spectrum of the disease.

Dr. Rone is a uniquely qualified author for this book for many reasons:

1) He is a board certified endocrinologist.

2) He has done a lot of specialized work with the thyroid.

3) He has hypothyroidism, so he understand what it is like to live with the disease.

4) He has been told by doctors that his thyroid numbers were fine and that his problems couldn't be thyroid related.

Most of us who have suffered with thyroid disease clearly understand how difficult it is to get a doctor to listen to us when we tell them our symptoms and how we think our symptoms are caused by our thyroid. Many have been told, "it's not your thyroid. Your numbers are normal." Unfortunately, the doctors then rarely help us figure out what the problem is, so we go through life, sometimes for years, feeling miserable, and not knowing what the problem is. Dr. Rone explains the problem of modern medicine's approach to diagnostics (looking only at blood work) vs. the approach used by doctors before blood tests were available (signs and symptoms). He recommends that doctors should be using a mixture of both the modern and the old, so as to not miss patients whose numbers might not be that high, but whose symptoms are off the charts.

Dr. Rone does an excellent job of describing medical terms in a way that the average reader will be able to understand. In the book, he explains:

1)the different types of thyroid disease

2)the different tests available to monitor for it

3)the shortcomings of those tests

4)the interpretation of those tests

5)the symptoms (and how the non-specificness of the symptoms works against us in getting diagnosed)

6)the history of thyroid disease, tests, treatments, and studies

7)the different treatment options available

8)where and how the medical community has failed to diagnose many (up to half) people with thyroid disease

9)the description and results of several studies done on thyroid disease through the years

Overall, I think this book is very good. I didn't give it 5 stars because I think he does do a disservice to some of the natural alternatives available. He states that Synthroid and other synthetic T4 drugs are just as good for treating thyroid disease as Armour and other natural dessicated thyroid drugs. While he certainly doesn't have the bias against Armour that most doctors and pharmacists do, I believe he (like most doctors) takes all his information on the drugs from the studies done by Big Pharma. The problem that I personally have with this approach is that I have read hundreds of stories (and know of thousands more) from women and men who have not been helped at all by synthetic T4 drugs, and even did poorly when placed on a combination of T4/T3 synthetics. Their stories aren't a double blind study, funded by a pharmaceutical company, so to a medical professional (especially a mainstream medical profession), these stories are invalid as evidence. But beyond not taking them into account, he goes on to renounce their stories by stating that the only reason they feel better on Armour vs. the synthetics is because they are getting too much T3, and this creates an upper effect. And on top of that, he states that the trace chemicals (T2, T1, and Calcitonin) found in Armour don't really do any good, even though he admits that no double blind studies have been done to prove or disprove this point. In one sentence, he implies that nothing should be assumed to be true without a scientific study, but in the next, he is making his own assumptions as to why a medicine is working better for some people than the synthetic version.

In conclusion, I do think that Dr. Rone has a very good grasp on thyroid disease. He has written a lot about his own experiences in dealing with thyroid disease, as well as what he has learned through the years in his personal clinic. He is certainly moving in the right direction. If you suspect that you have thyroid disease, I would recommend you read this book. It will give you a clear understanding of what hypothyroidism is and why the medical community seems to be so confused about it. Then head over to Mary Shomon's site ([...]), [...], and to Stop The Thyroid Madness ([...]) to read some of the stories of those who struggled against the medical community.

Lastly, don't assume your doctor knows everything. Only you know your body and your symptoms. If your doctor isn't working with you to find out why you are having your symptoms (and note that depression is a symptom of thyroid disease, because many doctors will just slap the "you're depressed" label on you and hand you a prescription for an antidepressant), then find a new doctor. And keep finding new doctors until you find one that will be willing to work with you and help you solve your problems.

This book is a mixed bag. Dr. Rone is a practicing endocrinologist, but he's a member of the American Thyroid Association. If you haven't read it elsewhere, it's a professional organization that gets about 1/2 of its grant funding from Abbott Labs, maker of Synthroid. Dr. Rone tries to please both camps in the Thyroid world - he adamantly states he believes that T4 supplementation is perfectly OK for most thyroid patients, while at the same time hemming and hawing that certainly mixed therapy with Armour and other natural thyroid hormones seems like it would be helpful for many patients. He doesn't define "many," so it's not clear whether taking the book with you to the doctor's office would be helpful. Still, he probably risked his reputation with the American Thyroid Association going as far as he did.

His condescending attitude toward patients made me glad I'm not from Tennessee, though. There are certainly better books out there for your own knowledge, but it's worth buying if you need to show your doctor something from an endocrinologist.

This review started out as a 1-star review, based on my belief that the book made an erroneous claim about levothyroxine chemistry. I stand corrected.

After a well-deserved and authoritative spanking at the hands of the author (see comments), I am both impressed with his knowledge of the true chemistry involved, and grateful for the edifying, if somewhat painful, education. In truth, my ego would have preferred to delete my original review and start over, to hide said spanking, but in the hope that it could be educational for others, I have just modified the review, and left the comments intact.

The good news in either case is that I can now heartily recommend this book. As I said (even on my original review), it's informative, well-written, and shows the conflicts a good modern endocrinologist deals with.

If I still reserve a single star, it is partly because I would have preferred that the author had lent more credence to the idea that when different patients respond differently to different medications with identical active ingredients, it's not all in their heads. He doesn't state that it is, mind you; he just doesn't *emphasize* that it isn't, and I have personally endured many rolling eyes when I have stated different reactions to medications with identical ingredients.

However, personal experience has taught me on three occasions now that generics are NOT always as effective as brand names, and now in this case, that synthetic thyroid hormone has not been as effective for me as a natural medication. Something else is going on here, and anybody that figures out what it is, or even validates that it's really going on, could really help improve the state of the art.

I highly recommend Dr. Rone's excellent book to all who are suffering with thyroid issues. I have suffered with hypothyroidism for some time and have had great difficulty finding a knowlegeable practitioner to assist me with treatment. It is clear that Dr. Rone is such a practitioner...a doctor who is passionate about learning all he can about the thyroid and using his knowledge to help people sort out these complex issues. Dr. Rone covers the myriad of treatment options for hypothyroidism. While its clear that he favors treatment with synthetic medications, he is also familiar with the "reformist" school which advocates treatment with dessicated thyroid and gives a fair minded analysis of this approach. Dr. Rone concedes that hypothyroidism is probably far more common than most will admit and he beleives that doctors should err on the side of treatment in many cases. There are a number of websites that purport to provide guidance to those seeking treatment for hypothyrodism. I myself was following some of the protocols advocated on these sites. After reading Dr. Rone's book I realized that much of what I read on the internet was grossly oversimplified. Dr. Rone's book can be challenging to read ...but that is because the material is very complex to begin with. Anyone relying on websites for treatment should buy and read Dr. Rone's book today so they can at least be apprised of the risks they are undertaking from self treatment. Unlike most conventionally trained phyicians, Dr. Rone is not afraid to admit that he does not have all the answers. He is a cautious physician who beleives that you should first and foremost "do no harm". I stupidly followed some internet advice that said thyroid blood tests are too sensitive and that most people need to take 3-5 grains of thyroid to get well. I promptly overdosed on thyroid. For the mere price of $14, you can get the collected wisdom of a practioner with many years of experience on the frontlines of thyroid treatment. I only wish I lived closer to Dr. Rone so that I could consult with him personally on my case.

The Thyroid Paradox: How to Get the Best Care for Hypothyroidism This book is very easy to read and understand. He gives the information you need to know. Especially if you think you make have a thyroid problem. I believe I have a thyroid problem and after reading his book I'm almost positive. I have actually scheduled an appointment with him in Oct. 2007. I believe I have now been able to find a doctor that believes there is something wrong and is willing to treat me. A really good read for those that have been told they don't have a thyroid problem.