Medical Articles
Birth control pills were discovered in the 1960s as a means to contraception with profound implications for society, including separation for women between conception and sexuality. While this most likely had beneficial effects for our society, people have come to see birth control pills as something completely benign, almost like taking a vitamin. Birth control […]
Dr. Friedman usually recommends surgical treatment for Cushing’s syndrome and, specifically, pituitary surgery for those with pituitary Cushing’s disease. However, many patients are not good surgical candidates for their Cushing’s disease. This can occur if they do not have a tumor clearly seen on their pituitary or if their tests are equivocal for Cushing’s. There are several medical […]
Often patient with hypopituitarism need growth hormone, and many of them are younger females who do get pregnant. Dr. Friedman has explored the issue about whether growth hormone is safe and needed in pregnancy for those who were already on growth hormone before they became pregnant. The literature supports that growth hormone can be given […]
The adrenals make 2 important hormones, cortisol (a glucocorticoid) and aldosterone (a mineralocorticoid). Patients with adrenal insufficiency from an adrenal cause such as an adrenalectomy or Addison disease require replacement of both hormones, Although the natural mineralocorticoid is aldosterone, we give fludrocortisone or Florinef as a replacement. The glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid axis are 2 different […]
Patients frequently ask me if takin a certain drug will affect cortisol levels, either in regarding to cortisol testing or if they want to raise or lower their cortisol. If a patient is undergoing testing for Cushing’s Dr. Friedman recommends discontinuing the drug for a week before testing, especially drugs in bold. Although it may […]
GH deficiency in adults occurs because of some type of injury to the pituitary gland. GH is the first hormone to be affected if the pituitary gland is injured. Injury usually can occur because of the presence of a pituitary tumor, or pituitary surgery or pituitary irradiation. It can also be caused by trauma to […]
Adults need growth hormone too! Growth hormone (GH) is a protein hormone made by the pituitary, a gland located at the base of the skull. It was known for many years that growth hormone is needed for children to grow. The pituitary gland not only produces GH, but releases (secretes) GH into the bloodstream. Growth […]
The answer is no for 2 reasons. First of all, I did a study when I was at the NIH about 25 years ago showing that people with Cushing’s syndrome and those tested for Cushing’s syndrome and not having it, have similar morning cortisol [Friedman, T.C. and Yanovski, J.A. (1995) Morning Plasma Free Cortisol: Inability […]
Dr. Friedman uses various different treatments for hypothyroidism. A traditional treatment is to give a preparation of levothyroxine, such as Synthroid, Levoxyl, or Unithroid. This can be given once a day because the T4 has a long half-life, which means it stays in your body for a long time. However, Dr. Friedman also uses combination […]
Thyroid cancer is quite common but very few people die from it or have a shortened lifespan because of it. In other words, don’t worry. Many people have a thyroid nodule found in their neck area. Sometimes you the patient notices a lump, sometimes the doctor finds it, and sometimes it shows up on other […]
