Resources: Books

FollowThatUnicorn

I was hoping if anyone has read any books on thyroid disorders, you could post a little review here, positive or negative.

I currently have "The thyroid and hormone connection" by Steven F. Hotze, M.D. but I have not read it yet. It seems to be a natural approach as opposed to taking mediciation. Could be interesting.

FollowThatUnicorn

"The thyroid and hormone connection" by Steven F. Hotze, M.D.

1/5

While I did learn a bit about female hormones and estrogen, the conclusion of the book was to call his clinic in Texas and make an appointment.

He treats patients by putting them on a natural hormone - Armour thyroid, as opposed to a synthethic one - Synthroid.

He also advocates patients taking compounded natural bioidentical female hormones which are compounded especially for each patient by a compound pharmascist. :noway:

Things that were informational and possibly beneficial to me:

- Estrogen needs to be balanced by progesterone.
- If estrogen is too high, the liver produces high levels of thyroid-binding globulin (TBG), a protein that binds to thyroid hormones in the blood and prevents them from being taken up by the cells.
- Your thyroid could be functioning normally and your bloodwork could show it is normal, but it is not being absorbed by the cells becuase of the TBG.

Although I don't believe I have a high level of estrogen as nothing in my history ever reflected that. So I am back to where I was before I read this.

fiberartist219

The connection to thyroid hormones and estrogen is quite interesting. I'm glad you mentioned it, because I feel a lot better since I stopped taking my birth control pills. Although, you shouldn't do this without talking to your doctor first... I found that out the hard way. My period has stopped. I haven't had one in two months. I know I'm not pregnant, because my husband and I have been abstaining until I can get an IUD... which I can't get until I get a period. Oh fun.

Anyway, to answer your original question, my favorite hypothyroid book is "Living Well with Hypothyroidism" by Mary Shomon. She is a patient that did a lot of research on the issue. She shares her story and tells the pros and cons of several different doctors' theories.

I read quite a few books on this from my local library, but hers was the one I actually bought. "Stop The Thyroid Madness" by Janie Bowthorpe is a good one too.