ThyroidChange Celebrates World Thyroid Day 2014 with a Patient Movement Demonstrating the Need for Improved Guidelines
ThyroidChange, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the treatment of thyroid disease, is using social media to highlight thyroid patient suffering and the need for improved treatment guidelines in honor of World Thyroid Day. The international thyroid community on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are sharing their pictures and stories of suffering with the #WeNeedChange. This movement is to raise awareness of the ThyroidChange mission and to educate other thyroid patients.
Hawthorne, NJ, May 27, 2014 --(PR.com)-- The current treatment guidelines for the treatment of thyroid disease are not sufficient for all patients and are leaving too many patients suffering. ThyroidChange recently celebrated 25,000 signatures worldwide since May of 2012 who are petitioning to improve current guidelines. This community believes their stories 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.(i) 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) 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) ThyroidChange challenges this statement with supporting evidence and will continue to advocate for treatment options.
World Thyroid Day 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)
ThyroidChange unites thyroid patients in an effort to gain personalized treatment, expanded thyroid testing 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 to sign the petition and unite for better thyroid care, or contact ThyroidChange to discuss how you can support this initiative.
President: Michelle Bickford, michelle.thyroidchange@gmail.com • ThyroidChange • PO BOX 368 • Hawthorne, NJ 07507 Website: www.ThyroidChange.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/ThyroidChange • Twitter: www.twitter.com/ThyroidChange
(i) https://www.aace.com/files/hypothyroidism_guidelines.pdf
(ii) http://www.thyroidchange.org/supporting-research.html
(iii) http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324635904578644532652110970
(iv) http://www.thyroidchange.org/2/post/2013/02/300-hypothyroidism-symptoms-yes-really.html
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.(i) 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) 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) ThyroidChange challenges this statement with supporting evidence and will continue to advocate for treatment options.
World Thyroid Day 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)
ThyroidChange unites thyroid patients in an effort to gain personalized treatment, expanded thyroid testing 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 to sign the petition and unite for better thyroid care, or contact ThyroidChange to discuss how you can support this initiative.
President: Michelle Bickford, michelle.thyroidchange@gmail.com • ThyroidChange • PO BOX 368 • Hawthorne, NJ 07507 Website: www.ThyroidChange.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/ThyroidChange • Twitter: www.twitter.com/ThyroidChange
(i) https://www.aace.com/files/hypothyroidism_guidelines.pdf
(ii) http://www.thyroidchange.org/supporting-research.html
(iii) http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324635904578644532652110970
(iv) http://www.thyroidchange.org/2/post/2013/02/300-hypothyroidism-symptoms-yes-really.html
Contact
ThyroidChange
Michelle Bickford
201-485-6036
www.thyroidchange.org
PO Box 368
Hawthorne, NJ 07507
Michelle Bickford
201-485-6036
www.thyroidchange.org
PO Box 368
Hawthorne, NJ 07507
Contact
Categories