Living Well with Hypothyroidism: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You... That You Need to Know (Paperback)

by Mary J. Shomon (Author) "Millions of Americans like you wake up each day with hypothyroidism, a disease you don't even know you have..." (more)
Key Phrases: thyroid cancer survivor, thyroid hormone replacement drug, autoimmune thyroid problems, Fahrenheit Day, John's Wort, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
As many as one in eight women have a thyroid condition. In Living Well with Hypothyroidism, Mary Shomon outlines the most common of these--too little thyroid hormones in the body. Weight gain, depression, fatigue, and what patients call "brain fog, Brillo hair, and prune skin" result. Because the symptoms of hypothyroidism mimic so many other conditions--chronic fatigue, PMS, clinical depression--it can be very tricky to diagnose, especially since patients with HMOs may not get the thorough testing they need.

Shomon knows of what she speaks: she's a health writer and thyroid patient herself. She also manages a thyroid Web site and writes a newsletter on hypothyroidism. In Living Well, she offers an extensively researched guide to this complex condition. She covers conventional, alternative, and late-breaking approaches to treatment--such as challenging the gold standard of Synthroid as the thyroid replacement therapy of choice. (Synthroid replaces T4, the less active of the two thyroid hormones, and Shomon features new research on adding T3--the more potent thyroid hormone--to treatment.)

With her down-to-earth, patient-centered approach, Shomon explains everything from how to choose a thyroid specialist to how calcium, antidepressants, and a high-fiber diet affect thyroid hormone absorption. The book includes a chapter on depression, which is a typical misdiagnosis of hypothyroidism--as well as a symptom that often persists even after treatment. She also covers infertility (women who are hypothyroid don't ovulate as regularly and miscarry more frequently) and thyroid cancer, one of the less common causes of hypothyroidism. She explains how to spot hypothyroidism in kids, and ends with a glossary, international resources, and journal references.

Shomon creates a sense of community by excerpting e-mails from her vast network of patients--voices that bring a sense of humor so often missing from health books. One quibble: she could have avoided the antidoctor stance in the beginning of her book, where she blames physicians, rather than incomplete science, for the misdiagnosis and treatment of hypothyroidism. --Rebecca Taylor

Review
"Hypothyroidism is a common, very treatable disorder that is also poorly managed by doctors. In this first-rate book by Mary Shomon...the disorder, its myths, and medicine's successes and failures at dealing with it are thoroughly examined. This is not a book that rehashes old facts on thyroid disease. Shomon instead challenges patients and their doctors to look deeper and try harder to resolve the complicated symptoms of hypothyroidism...In a fascinating chapter, Shomon, who also has a Web site (http://thyroid.about.com) and an online newsletter about the disease, explores recent evidence that the addition of the thyroid hormone T3 to the standard T4 (levothyroxine) may help some people feel better. In addition, the section on babies born with hypothyroidism, although brief, has the best advice on how to give medication to an infant that I've seen. As Shomon writes: 'or years, thyroid problems have been downplayed, misunderstood and portrayed as unimportant.' With he! r advocacy, perhaps no more." --Shari Roan -- Los Angeles Times, March 27, 2000

"If I could recommend only one book on thyroid problems for my patients, this would be it." -- Elizabeth Lee Vliet, M.D., Founder and Medical Director of HER Place Centers

"Vital for hypothryoid patients who want to get well, and for physicians who want to do so." -- Dr. John Lowe, Director of Research of the Fibromyalgia Research Foundation

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Collins; 1st edition (March 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380808986
• ISBN-13: 978-0380808984
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (122 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #163,394 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #45 in

  Books > Health, Mind & Body > Disorders & Diseases > Immune Systems

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

297 of 303 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally! Someone tells it like it REALLY is!, March 25, 2000

By	Georgie (Florida) - See all my reviews

Mary Shomon's book is the first I have read (out of a LOT of books) that tells the whole truth about hypothyroidism, as experienced by a patient who has been there. I wish that every doctor that treats thyroid patients could be made to read this! So many doctors seem to think that hypo is a simple, easily treated disease, and it isn't. They also tend to focus on individual symptoms without looking for the overall CAUSE. If I had had this book years ago it would have saved me several years of suffering and being told there was nothing wrong with me. Mary's list of symptoms is very thorough, her book is easy to read and understand, and it tells the real truth. I especially like the way she pays attention to the emotional impact of this disease and the depression that often accompanies it. Her weblinks are very helpful in finding out more information. This book is EXCELLENT, and a great resource. It can literally change people's lives. I could barely put it down once I started reading. I can't recommend it enough, especially for newly diagnosed patients or those who SUSPECT they are hypo but haven't been able to find a doctor to test them. Mary's list of symptoms is great to take to your doctor to help them see the overall picture, and her compassion and understanding are very comforting and empowering for patients. She makes sense out of what to most of us is a very confusing disease. If you only buy one book on this subject, make it this one!

87 of 89 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful and reassuring, July 7, 2000

By	P. Lozar "plozar" (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is far and away THE best book on hypothyroidism on the market: thoroughly researched, chock-full of useful information, and highly reassuring. Ms. Shomon knows her subject from several angles (as a patient, as a medical writer, and as proprietress of an outstanding web site on the topic), and she's done a great job of organizing and presenting the information clearly and without unnecessary medical-speak. I don't feel she is "anti-doctor": I was one of the millions of hypothyroid people whose symptoms were dismissed by a series of doctors with "get some exercise and go on a diet," until I finally lucked into one who routinely had all his new patients get a COMPLETE blood work-up. It's not that doctors don't know about hypothyroidism, but their prejudices against fat people blind them to what, in many cases, is the obvious explanation for someone's lack of energy, puffiness, and inexplicable weight gain. Granted, there's still a lot that is unknown about the genesis of the problem and how best to treat it, but I think that doctors' bias is often the deciding factor in whether the problem is even recognized! If someone suspects that they're hypothyroid, the best thing they can do is to become informed about their condition and become a more assertive patient -- and this book gives you plenty of ammunition, as well as moral support. I can't recommend it highly enough.

150 of 158 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book saved my life, April 4, 2001

By	Elizabeth Klisiewicz (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I first heard of Mary Shomon through her excellent web site on hypothyroidism. Once I discovered that she had written this book, I promptly ordered it and read it from cover to cover. This book literally saved my life. Throughout my life, I have been ultrasensitive to hormonal changes and have suffered from a pituitary tumor. After my daughter was born, I was not the same person. My post-partum depression lasted a year and was coupled with other physical symptoms I could not explain. My primary care doctor was sympathetic and ran bunches of tests but they yielded nothing. Meanwhile, I got sicker and sicker with no hope in sight. Then I found and read this book. All of my symptoms were listed as hypothyroid symptoms. I had numerous risk factors for thyroid disease. I even found my specialist through this book and Mary's web site.

This book is a total eye-opener. Mary is a passionate advocate for patients everywhere who have lost hope. Her writing is clear and concise and explains complex information in a simple way. Not many writers can do that. In fact, this book is so good that I have recommended it to numerous friends of mine who also have thyroid problems. Even hyperthyroid patients should read it because they could end up hypothyroid.

Read it and then read it again. All medical books should have Mary Shomon at the helm. The world would be a much better place for it.