Medical Articles
Dr. Friedman’s initial approach as an Endocrinologist regarding weight loss is to first rule out any endocrine problems, such as hypothyroidism, Cushing’s syndrome, or growth hormone deficiency, that may lead to weight gain. He then encourages the patient to consume a low calorie diet, and he often recommends eating an increasing amount of vegetables, as […]
Controversy Surrounding Reverse T3 (rT3) Measurement There is polarization about whether reverse T3 (rT3) should be measured to assess hypothyroidism with most traditional Endocrinologists being against its measurement and functional medicine doctors being in favor of it. The normal thyroid gland secretes T4 (an inactive precursor), T3 (the active hormone), and reverse T3, a biologically […]
Vitamin D is an important vitamin that not only regulates calcium, but also has many other beneficial actions. Not many endocrinologists realize this, but several articles published over 20 years ago showed that patients with hypothyroidism have low levels of
Introduction to Hypothyroidism Hypothyroidism is a relatively common disorder. It affects more women then men, but I happen to be one of the men who does have it. Symptoms of hypothyroidism include fatigue, gradual weight gain, constipation, muscle aches, joint pain, feeling cold, menstrual irregularities, weakness, hair loss, dry, cold skin and slow reaction time. […]
The thyroid gland makes 2 hormones, T4 and T3. T3 is the active hormone, and the body converts T4 to T3 by deiodinases. Most patients with hypothyroidism are treated with T4, and their doctors assume that it gets converted to T3 physiologically. For many patients this happens, and many patients do well on T4-alone treatment. […]
Understanding Thyroid Hormones: T4 and T3 The thyroid makes two hormones, T4 which has a long half life meaning it can be given once a day. T4 gets converted to T3 which is the active form of the hormone and has a short-half life, meaning it has to be given frequently. Most patient with hypothyroidism […]
Dr. Friedman is one of the world's experts on treating Graves' disease. Graves' disease is a type of hyperthyroidism that is autoimmune...
Hypothyroidism is usually diagnosed with an elevated TSH and often with a low free T4. The symptoms of hypothyroidism include ...
Importance of Correctly Diagnosing Hypothyroidism It is very important to correctly diagnose hypothyroidism. If a patient truly has hypothyroidism, they need to go on thyroid medicine; otherwise, their condition will worsen. On the other hand, if they do not have hypothyroidism and are treated with thyroid medicine, their own thyroid will shut down and it […]
Dr. Friedman uses several medications to treat Cushing’s syndrome that are summarized in this table. Dr. Friedman especially recommends ketoconazole.
