Tara Struggles with Persistent Symptoms of Hypothyroidism and Her Medical Care

Sad LadyMetabolism.com received this message from one of our readers. Her story seems typical of the sort of dilemma so many people face today. The best advice usually comes from others who face the same problem. It would be helpful to hear what others would do in her situation.

Tara’s message: “I was diagnosed with Grave’s Disease in 2009, I had RAI in 2011, after my daughter turned 3 months. Being pregnant with Severe Grave’s was the scariest thing in my life at the time. I gained weight prior to my pregnancy, during, and after RAI. My family doctor told me no matter how much you ate while severe Hyperthyroid you should have been anorexic, so something else is wrong. ” (more…)

How the Sunshine Act Will Save You Money

By Gary Pepper, M.D.

Offering Promotional Money

Have you noticed that medication costs are skyrocketing? Even if you don’t take medication these higher costs are passed along to you in your health insurance premiums. The recently enacted Sunshine Act will combat these economic forces but in ways you may not realize. The legislation requires pharmaceutical companies to report all payments made to doctors. Physicians receiving substantial amounts of money from these companies include “thought leaders” who are sponsored by the drug companies to lecture the nation’s doctors on newly approved medications. (more…)

Are Drug Companies Paying to Control Your Doctors’ Prescription Pad?

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by   Dr. S. Brown

As a physician in private practice familiar with highly skilled pharmaceutical representatives pitching the latest (and most expensive) medications, I am fairly good at separating truth from salesmanship. These clear cut interactions with the drug reps visiting my office are relatively harmless. Drug maker’s are now changing up the game however, with a new, more subversive tactic to influence doctors’ prescribing habits.

I have been compiling a “medical propaganda” file, consisting of emails directed to my work and personal address offering cash for my time. In less than a year, I count over 500 of these emails. Here are twenty from the past week. Some details are blacked out for legal reasons. (more…)

7 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism When Quitting Smoking

7 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism When Quitting Smoking

smoker (1)Gaining weight after quitting smoking is a common and dreaded experience.  Fear of weight gain often discourages people from trying to take the first steps toward giving up the smoking habit. What is the reason for this unwelcome “side-effect”? Perhaps most importantly, smoking raises the heart rate substantially.

While smoking a cigarette, the heart rate increases 10-20 more beats per minute. (This can lead to heart diseases in the future.) This elevated pulse boosts the metabolism because of the energy it takes to keep the body functioning at this high rate. When a smoker quits smoking, the heart rate will return to its normal, natural rate. This will cause a decrease in the metabolism. However, there are several ways to boost your metabolism after smoking cessation  to avoid the weight gain that often occurs.

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A Look Through the Therapeutic Window

I am often asked by patients with hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormone levels), “What is the right thyroid hormone dose for me”.  Of course, a physician wants to find the appropriate dose of medication to treat each condition a patient has. When it comes to thyroid disease however, this can be a complex question. Not only is there an issue of whether T4 alone or combination T3 and T4 will be required to treat a particular individual but the therapeutic window of these hormones must also be considered. (more…)

Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to Increased Risk of Type 1 Diabetes

Results of a recent study of military service members show that low vitamin D levels are associated with an increased risk of developing Type 1 diabetes (juvenile onset diabetes). The spokesman for the study, Cedric Garland PhD,  explained that healthy people with vitamin D levels over 60 nmol/L

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