ThyroidChange Turns Social Media Blue During Thyroid Disease Awareness Month

HAWTHORNE, N.J. - Jan. 1, 2014 - PRLog -- The current treatment guidelines for the treatment of thyroid disease are not sufficient for all patients and are leaving too many patients suffering. ThyroidChange has united nearly 16,000 individuals worldwide since May of 2012 who are petitioning that current guidelines need to be amended. This community hopes that turning social media blue during Thyroid Disease Awareness Month will highlight and demonstrate the gravity of thyroid patient suffering.

Current American guidelines for the treatment of thyroid disease calls for the use of TSH-only testing and for levothyroxine sodium (such as brand name Synthroid) to be administered to all hypothyroid patients. These guidelines are issued by The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and The American Thyroid Association. ThyroidChange offers evidence that not only is TSH-only testing insufficient for diagnosis and monitoring, but also that many patients continue to suffer on the gold-standard therapy of levothyroxine (T4-only medication) and thrive with the addition of T3-containing therapies.[ii] (http://www.thyroidchange.org/press-release-jan-2014.html#...) Jeffrey Garber, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical Center and chair of the American Clinical Endocrinologists Thyroid Scientific Committee has stated that, “the vast majority of people are fine on the standard therapy.”[iii] (http://www.thyroidchange.org/press-release-jan-2014.html#...) ThyroidChange challenges this statement with supporting evidence and will continue to advocate for treatment options.

Thyroid Disease Awareness Month is dedicated to raising awareness about thyroid disease. The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located in the base of the neck. The thyroid creates hormones which are used by each cell in the body. Symptoms of thyroid disease can affect the entire body and can greatly diminish a patient’s quality of life.[iv] (http://www.thyroidchange.org/press-release-jan-2014.html#...)

ThyroidChange unites patient advocacy groups in an effort to gain better care for thyroid disease patients and to raise awareness of this widespread problem. ThyroidChange also aims to work with medical oversight agencies in order to create a unified standard of care for thyroid patients to increase patient access to effective, modern treatment.

Please help this effort by visiting www.ThyroidChange.org (http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thyroidchange.org&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHCcDHsJOeWUhUCEn63ONYStm74JQ) to sign the petition and unite for better thyroid care, or contact ThyroidChange to discuss how you can support this initiative.

https://www.aace.com/files/hypothyroidism_guidelines.pdf

[ii] (http://www.thyroidchange.org/press-release-jan-2014.html#_ednref2) http://www.thyroidchange.org/supporting-research.html

[iii] (http://www.thyroidchange.org/press-release-jan-2014.html#_ednref3) http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324635904578644532652110970

[iv] (http://www.thyroidchange.org/press-release-jan-2014.html#_ednref4) http://www.thyroidchange.org/2/post/2013/02/300-hypothyroidism-symptoms-yes-really.html