What Do You Think?

I want to hear from you as well. As thyroid patients and practitioner, do you agree with my choices? Do you disagree? Do you have other developments or stories you feel should be included on the list? Share your thoughts and input now, and see what other thyroid patients and practitioners have to say.

_{Images: clipart.com, istockphoto, collage by Mary Shomon}

The Top Ten Thyroid Stories of the Decade originally appeared on About.com Thyroid Disease on Wednesday, December 30th, 2009 at 15:39:37.

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Great Holiday Gifts for Thyroid Patients originally appeared on About.com Thyroid Disease on Wednesday, December 16th, 2009 at 20:26:28.

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MORE INFORMATION:

• The Armour Thyroid and Nature-Throid Shortage Information Center
  
• Save Natural Thyroid Coalition Website
  
• Save Natural Thyroid Coalition Yahoo Listserv

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Natural Desiccated Thyroid Drugs: A Survey of Pharmacies & Availability originally appeared on About.com Thyroid Disease on Thursday, December 10th, 2009 at 21:13:59.

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Among women, incidence rates decreased…for 6 of the top 15 cancers (ie, breast, CRC, uterine corpus and uterus not otherwise specified [uterus], ovary, cervix uteri [cervix], and oral cavity). In contrast, rates increased for 8 of the top 15 cancers (ie, lung, thyroid, pancreas, urinary bladder [bladder], kidney, non-Hodgkin lymphoma [NHL], melanoma, and leukemia) in women.

According to the researchers, “large increases in thyroid cancer were observed during this period for women in all racial/ethnic groups.”

This is not the first time it’s been reported that thyroid cancer rates are increasing. Thyroid cancer is consistently rated as one of the few cancers that is in fact increasing in prevalence in the U.S. Read Thyroid Cancer Rates are Increasing: Better Detection is Not the Only Reason, summarizing other findings from the journal Cancer in July of 2009.

More Information on Thyroid Cancer

• Thyroid Cancer Risk Factors
  
• Thyroid Cancer Symptoms
  
• Thyroid Cancer Diagnosis
  
• How to Do a Thyroid Neck Check

_{Source: Edwards, Brenda et. al. “Annual report to the nation on the status of cancer, 1975-2006, featuring colorectal cancer trends and impact of interventions (risk factors, screening, and treatment) to reduce future rates.” Cancer. Published Online 7 Dec 2009.}

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While Overall Cancer Rates Drop, Thyroid Cancer Rates for Women Have Increased originally appeared on About.com Thyroid Disease on Monday, December 7th, 2009 at 19:45:10.

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According to the ATA, the shortage is now having an effect on the supply of I-131, and hospitals in some areas of the country are being told that they will not receive any further shipments of I-131 until mid-December of 2009.

Says ATA: “This shortage has led to prioritizing the use of existing I-131 products for those patients with thyroid cancer who have urgency of treatment. It has also brought concerns about the possibility of rescheduling patients who are in the process of preparing for radioactive iodine scans or treatment…It is advisable for physicians to determine the status of I-131 supply locally, with the nuclear medicine department in their hospital or the vendors who provide this product for office-based practices.”

Note from Mary: if you are scheduled for a procedure involving radioactive iodine, you may want to call ahead to reconfirm that your physician/hospital will have the I-131 needed to perform your scheduled procedure.

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_{Source: Notice from the American Thyroid Association (ATA) I-131 shortage}

Shortage of Radioactive Iodine 131 Affects Thyroid Treatments originally appeared on About.com Thyroid Disease on Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 at 20:28:06.

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A Thyroid Thanksgiving Special! Put Some Gravy On That! originally appeared on About.com Thyroid Disease on Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 at 22:23:58.

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Preeclampsia occurs in an estimated 3% to 5% of pregnant women, and involves onset of high blood pressure and protein in the urine in a pregnant after her 20th week of pregnancy. The condition can be dangerous for both the mother and fetus.

The implications of the findings are for women who develop preeclampsia, in that they should be monitored for the development of cardiovascular and renal disease, as well as development of hypothyroidism.

More Information

• Thyroid Disease and Pregnancy — Fertility, Pregnancy & Thyroid Disease Information Center
  
• Preeclampsia — Get more information from the Preeclampsia Foundation

_{Source: Levine, Richard J, Vatten, Lars et. Al. “Pre-eclampsia, soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1, and the risk of reduced thyroid function: nested case-control and population based study.” British Medical Journal. 2009;339:b4336 Published 17 November 2009 Online}

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Preeclampsia Linked to Thyroid Slowdown During and After Pregnancy originally appeared on About.com Thyroid Disease on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 17:08:51.

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According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) three companies and two individuals have been charged with making false advertising claims for their fat and weight-loss pills, Relacore and Akävar 20/50. According to the charges, the claims violate a 2006 FTC order barring them from making health or weight-loss claims without a reasonable basis.

According to the FTC’s statement, “The defendants made claims such as ‘eat all you want and still lose weight’ and, ‘And we couldn’t say it in print if it wasn’t true!’ on product packaging, on the Internet, and in widely read magazines such as Redbook, Star, and Family Circle. The Commission seeks to stop the defendants from making such claims and make them pay civil penalties.”

David Vladeck, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, has said: “The Federal Trade Commission ordered the defendants to stop making baseless and bogus advertising claims.”

The government’s complaint alleges that advertising for Relacore claimed — without any evidence — that it reduces “stress-induced” abdominal fat.

The government’s charges about Relacore’s advertising are similar to charges that were brought almost five years ago against the manufacturer of CortiSlim, another supplement that claimed to fight stress-induced belly fat.

So, can a supplement really help you lose weight by targeting cortisol? Can you get rid of belly-fat simply by taking a pill? Read more in The Cortisol-Weight Loss Controversy.

And learn more about how thyroid patients can successfully lose weight in the Thyroid Diet and Weight Loss Information Center.

_{Source: FTC Charges Marketers with Making Baseless Weight-Loss Claims Despite Order to Stop}

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FTC Says Diet Pills Like Relacore Are Making Baseless and Bogus Advertising Claims About Stress, Cortisol and Weight Loss originally appeared on About.com Thyroid Disease on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 18:08:28.

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An article just published in the International Journal of Health Services has found that thyroid cancer rates in the four counties surrounding the Indian Point nuclear power plant, which is located in Buchanan, New York (south of Peekskill, and 24 miles north of New York City) – Orange, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester — are the highest in New York State. The thyroid cancer rates in those four counties around Indian Point are also among the highest in the U.S., with a rate of thyroid cancer that is 66% above the U.S. average, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The accidental release of radioactive iodine into the atmosphere from the nuclear plant, which started operations in 1962 (when I was just a baby) is thought to be the potential cause of this increased risk.

New York’s WPIX television news and 1010 WINS radio have done stories on the issue today.

_{Mangano, Joseph. “Geographic Variation in U.S. Thyroid Cancer Incidence and a Cluster Near Nuclear Reactors in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.” International Journal of Health Services, Volume 39, Number 4 / 2009, 643 – 661 Online link.}

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Link Found Between Thyroid Cancer and NY Area Residents’ Proximity to Indian Point Nuclear Plant originally appeared on About.com Thyroid Disease on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 22:38:09.

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This is the second time just this year that Genzyme has been cited by the FDA for contamination of their products. In June of this year, Genzyme had to shut down a key production facility due to viral contamination. (Read FDA press release in PDF format, and Genzyme release.)

In addition to Thyrogen, other Genzyme drugs affected by the current contamination issue include Cerezyme, Fabrazyme, Myozyme, and Aldurazyme.

The FDA is not removing the products from the market, because they say that there are few alternatives to these drugs, but FDA regulators recommend that doctors closely inspect vials of any Genzyme medications, to check for particles prior to injecting them into patients.

MORE INFORMATION

Read the complete MedWatch 2009 Safety summary, including a link to the Information for Healthcare Professionals sheet

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Thyrogen Drug Used for Thyroid Cancer Treatment is Contaminated with Trash, Says FDA originally appeared on About.com Thyroid Disease on Friday, November 13th, 2009 at 14:58:06.

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