Author Archives: Gary Pepper M.D.

About Gary Pepper M.D.

Board Certified by the American Boards of Internal Medicine, and Endocrinology and Metabolism Dr. Pepper received his medical degree from the Tufts School of Medicine in Boston. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Montefiore-Einstein Medical Center in New York. In addition, Dr. Pepper completed fellowship training in Endocrinology and Metabolism at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City. More about Gary Pepper M.D.

Sad Lady

If Hypothyroid and Unhappy, Which Came First?


Categories: hypothyroid, T3
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If Hypothyroid and Unhappy, Which Came First?

By Gary Pepper, M.D.

Medical specialists increasingly accept that some patients being treated for hypothyroidism continue to be symptomatic and “unhappy”. The degree to which patients experience this problem while on conventional treatment for hypothyroidism with levothyroxine (Synthroid, Levoxyl, Unithroid, T4) has motivated many specialists to look for other approaches to treatment such as adding T3 (Cytomel, liothyronine) or switching to desiccated thyroid extract (Armour, WPthyroid, Westhroid

Not all experts are convinced looking for new treatment options for hypothyroidism is the right approach. Continue reading →

Children eating more healthy

Share Childhood Food Memories to Help Combat Childhood Obesity


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Without question the eating habits we develop as kids helps determine if we are going to be a heavy adult. Almost a third of children and adolescents in the US are classified as either overweight or obese (JAMA 2014; Ogden, CL).

Many of these children become obese adults. If a child’s parents are heavy their risk is doubled for becoming an overweight adult.

Metabolism.com is involved in finding ways to reduce childhood obesity.

The first step is to raise awareness of the dangers of childhood obesity and how crucial it is for young people to learn how to eat properly. For this reason we are kicking off a Facebook and Instagram campaign called “ Food Flashback”.

Food Flashback means sharing memories of how each of us first learned about food and nutrition. Most of us have some vivid recollections of family meals, watching our parents cooking, favorite foods and snacks as a child.

Survey Reveals 84% Feel Doctors in US Overly Influenced by Pharmaceutical Industry


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survey

By Gary Pepper, M.D.

A survey by metabolism.com reveals that a vast majority of the public believe doctors in the US are overly influenced in their decisions by the pharmaceutical industry.  500 visitors to the website participated in the survey.  419 (84%) answered yes to the question, “Do you feel that US doctors’ decisions are overly influenced by pharmaceutical industry money?”  56 (11%) were not sure, and only 20 (4%) voted no to this question. Continue reading →

Wall Street Journal Reporter Helps Bring Clarity to Thyroid Treatment Controversy


Categories: hypothyroid, T3
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newspaper_reader

On April 11, 2016 an article, Doctors Hear Patients’ Calls for New Approaches to Hypothyroidism, appeared in the Wall Street Journal regarding the growing influence of patient preference on treatment selection for hypothyroidism (sluggish thyroid). The article was written by the WSJ health columnist Melinda Beck. I might have missed it but thanks to a motivated patient I received a copy within a week after its publication.  With a glance I knew this report could be a highly significant addition in the on-going debate between specialists treating hypothyroidism (endocrinologists) and advocates of alternative approaches. Continue reading →

End the War on Patients by Allergan Pharmaceuticals (or is it Actavis or is it Pfizer)


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By Gary Pepper, M.D.

http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photo-expensive-medicine-image3053770Have you noticed that prices of prescription drugs including generics are skyrocketing? The public is being squeezed by the pharmaceutical industry to pay increasing prices for the same medications while inflation in other areas of the economy is all but absent. Some fairly simple answers exist as to why this is occurring and there is a need to do something to stop it. Continue reading →

Can a Blood Test Identify Those Who Need T3 for Proper Treatment of Hypothyroidism?


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Dr. Gary Pepper and Dr. Paul Aoun discuss recent findings about thyroid hormone treatment at the 15th International Thyroid Congress

Dr. Gary Pepper and Dr. Paul Aoun discuss recent findings about thyroid hormone treatment at the 15th International Thyroid Congress

According to experts, 10 to 20% of hypothyroid individuals fail to respond completely to T4-only (levothyroxine, Synthroid) treatment. Dr. Anthony Bianco, the president of the American Thyroid Association, and his associates believe this is due to genetic variations in the way thyroid hormone is converted in the body from T4 into T3. T3 is the much more potent form of thyroid hormone and unless the cells of the body receive enough T3, normal function cannot be achieved and symptoms of low thyroid such as fatigue, mental fogginess, constipation, muscle aches etc, persist. Based on the research conducted by Dr. Bianco and colleagues it is thought that in those with the genetic trait making T4 treatment ineffective, blood tests would show low T3 levels. Continue reading →