Health

Good Housekeeping Magazine Takes on Thyroid Disease

By Trisha Torrey, About.com GuideJuly 25, 2011

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(OK - before I even begin this post, I'm wondering what on earth thyroid disease has to do with keeping a good house? But I digress....)

Susan Carlton, a writer for Good Housekeeping Magazine, has taken on thyroid disease. And my friend and colleague, Mary Shomon, Guide to Thyroid Disease here at About.com has taken on Good Housekeeping and Susan for her conclusions that suggest that thyroid disease is the "disease du jour" - as if those being diagnosed are only seeking a diagnosis because they want to lose weight.

You'll want to read Mary's position on the article in GH. She's done a thorough analysis of the article and brought in rebuttals from a number of experts. It's very convincing and evidence-based.

That pits one person's evidence against another person's evidence.... both come off as credible when taken at face value. I can't say one is right and one is wrong because I know nothing about thyroid disease myself. But I CAN ask some other questions or make some other suggestions based on these two articles:

1. Susan's point in GH - that you can't believe everything online - is absolutely true. There will always be those snakeoil salesmen out there hawking their possibly-dangerous and often-bogus wares. Any of us, whether or not we think we may have problems with our thyroids, are advised to use only credible and reliable internet information. Here's how to find credible and reliable health information online.

2. One of Mary's points is that too often mainstream medicine tries to diagnose thyroid using one test that is solely used by those doctors who are NOT well-informed. (They don't use others that could, in combination, be more accurate.) If that test falls within "normal" range, they tell their patients there's not a problem, even though there may well be a hormone / thyroid problem. The test may not be a real measure of a problem with one's thyroid. It's similar to giving your child a math test to analyze his abilities in science class. Yes, they are related, but math by itself just isn't a good measure of science knowledge.

Anyone with obvious symptoms who doesn't seek a second opinion is not being a smart patient. In Susan's case, a second opinion is most definitely called for. Maybe Susan's next article should be about the reasons and the approach for getting a second opinion. Then maybe she should take that advice.

3. "Disease du jour" - is so very demeaning. It suggests that something doesn't really exist but now that it's got a name and a purpose, it can be treated. If you are suffering difficult, life-impacting symptoms, and you can be diagnosed, treated, and no longer feel those symptoms, then who cares whether it didn't use to be diagnosed so frequently or whether it was diagnosed accurately in years gone by?

4. Susan's article suggests that many of the complementary and alternative practitioners who make recommendations about treating thyroid problems may not be as - ahem - credible? knowledgeable? effective? as their mainstream medical counterparts. I've said it before - we patients don't care what an approach is called. We just want something that works. Mainstream medicine addresses some problems well, and CAM medicine addresses others better. You, as the patient who suffers the symptoms, need to find what works for you.

5. Finally - Susan Carlton's story in Good Housekeeping reminds us that even seemingly objective health articles in the media can have their own built-in biases. It behooves all of us to read, and ask many more questions. Just like participating in forums and support groups, be sure you're getting well balanced advice, then discuss it with your own providers to prevent making choices based on bad or biased information. Here's more information on reviewing medical headlines to be sure they are useful and credible.

As smart patients, we must learn to rely on our own continued digging to get the story as it applies to US, and not rely on what someone else has written in general, or as it applies to them. Susan's conclusion is that she is making a choice to follow up in six months. If she's smart, she will instead get a second opinion soon. It will be interesting to hear what her conclusions are, if she shares them, and if she still believes everything she wrote in her GH article.