Living Well with Graves' Disease and Hyperthyroidism: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You...That You Need to Know Paperback – September 27, 2005

As soon as I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, I got this book along with two other books. It is a very comprehensive resource both in terms of understanding the disease and knowing what to do. I read it while I waited for the endocrinologist. When I went to the appointment, I was quite informed, and we were able to arrive at a more accurate diagnosis. The nuances of the differences between toxic anemia, De Quervain's disease, Grave disease helped me differentiate between these and know that I actually had thyroiditis, which the endocrinologist agreed and confirmed with additional tests. The book was written in 2005, but it didn't seem that any information was outdated. I think that some of alternative approaches have advanced but not the medical approaches. I still think that this is a timely book. Finally, Mary Shomon is an excellent writer, which made reading the book extremely easy. She is not telling people to do one thing or another and only presenting the information. Very helpful book. Thank you, Ms. Shomon for writing this excellent resource.

Excellent product!

As a patient who has been diagnosed with borderline hyperthyroidism (due to a nodule), I found this book to be very helpful, and one of few that offers a balanced and intelligent discussion on alternative therapies. The only reason I couldn't give it 5 stars, at this point, is because the book was published in 2005 -- and I am using it in 2013. Nonetheless, the overall tone of this book -- unlike so many other books on this topic -- is upbeat and hopeful, which is incredibly important to the patient who's facing complicated treatment decisions. (Other books on hyperthyroidism have left me feeling more depressed, hopeless -- and even terrified -- after I read all the standard options for hyperthyroid treatment.)Sadly, conventional medical treatments for hyperthyroid seem nothing short of barbaric, inhumane, and behind the times. In fact, in my view, some of the traditional medical "treatments" for the disease sound worse, in many ways, than enduring the actual disease itself. (I wonder if it wouldn't be easier to deal with the consequences of cardiovascular disease, for instance.) Would you really want to have your thyroid gland nuked with radioactive iodine and then be forced to take thyroid meds for the rest of your life? Or would you prefer an unpredictable course of antithyroid meds that could possibly damage other organs while temporarily "treating" your thyroid symptoms...??The fact that there are no real cures for hyperthyroidism is worrisome enough. But I was VERY relieved to read that it might be possible to control the disease with less invasive/dangerous methods -- thank goodness there are promising results with supplements and other natural alternatives outlined in this book and supported by doctors. Meanwhile, we can only hope that there have been at least a few medical advances -- or new research -- in thyroid endocrinology since this book was published in 2005. Let's hope that gifted medical researchers and new doctors will find a way to offer something more viable and humane in the way of treatment for hyperthyroid patients in the future.

After suffering for 20+ years, it took months of reading, experimenting, and re-reading this book, but my persistence has paid off, and this book has literally saved my life. Thank you, Mary Shomon. Thank you also, Dr. Richard Shames (and his entire family), John Johnson, and all contributors.While it isn't always easy and there is rarely a quick-fix (it took me many years), your effort *can* pay off if you keep searching for answers and don't give up. All of the information in this book is great, but "Part Three: Integrative/Holistic Treatment Options" is what has most changed my life. I've re-read certain portions of this section dozens of times (often several times a day) until things finally clicked. Finally, *finally* understanding copper deficiency as explained by John Johnson was HUGE for me. Don't take his chapter lightly.I faced death many times, along with years of hellish suffering, so when I say the following I mean it from the very bottom of my being:Don't give up! No matter how difficult or bleak things seem, there is hope for you!I'm sending as much support as I can muster to my fellow thyroid sufferers; may you find healing on every level of your life. :)

I was recently diagnosed with graves disease so I wanted to do my research before making any decisions. I'm not very impressed by the book because it's the same information I got online. Not very helpful in how to manage graves disease, it tells you more about how to find out if you have it and it the symptoms and all of that.

I almost bought this book several months ago, but didn't get it because of negative reviews saying it was more about HYPOthyroidism than hyperthyroidism. However, I did buy it a week ago and I've found it to be very comprehensive with more information about conventional treatment AND holistic/nutrition intervention treatment. I wish I had ordered it several months ago! First of all, most of the natural treatment books I've read for hyperthyroidism all seem to focus 99% on Graves disease. Well, I am a young adult with a toxic adenoma/toxic multinodular goiter and most hyperthyroidism books out there just mention this disease in passing with no specific information, but this book was much more thorough on that topic than any other hyperthyroid book out there. There still wasn't a whole lot of info on it, just more than the average. As a registered dietitian I found Chapter 10 quite interesting (Johnson method for nutritionally natural treatment), and I would recommend the book! Also, when she did discuss hypothyroidism it was in the context of "what to expect" type of thing as most patients who undergo conventional treatment for hyperthyroidism usually end up with hypothyroidism, so I found that informative and am glad she included that information in her book.