July 13, 2007 at 5:49 pm (Thyroid Disorder)
I just received my blood labs and noticed that the lab company that performed the testing has not updated the normal range stated for TSH levels. They are still using old levels defined at 0.350 – 5.500 and my TSH level is 4.079 which according to the lab result places my levels in normal range. The problem is that in November of 2002 the American Association of Endocrinologists issued a press release publishing new clinical guidelines & treatment standards for thyroid disorder, see below:
Until November 2002, doctors had relied on a normal TSH level ranging from 0.5 to 5.0 to diagnose and treat patients with a thyroid disorder who tested outside the boundaries of that range5 . Now AACE encourages doctors to consider treatment for patients who test outside the boundaries of a narrower margin based on a target TSH level of 0.3 to 3.04. AACE believes the new range will result in proper diagnosis for millions of Americans who suffer from a mild thyroid disorder, but have gone untreated until now.
Fortunately, I am an internet junkie and try to keep up with all of the latest research on thyroid disorder as I no longer feel I can completely rely upon doctors or labs so I review my own lab work. I realize that I am a fortunate one as I doubt a majority of Americans especially those that are disadvantaged, elderly or sick spend time on the internet researching these things. As much as we pay for health care in this country, I expect much more.
All of this to say, review your own lab work and if any of your levels are marginal, take some time to research – it could play a major difference in your quality of life especially when dealing with your thyroid.
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July 13, 2007 at 9:17 am (Mental Health, Parenting)
Chicago Tribune:
In a symbolic move to erase the controversial “n-word” from the English vocabulary, the NAACP held a mock funeral in Detroit on Monday, complete with a horse-drawn carriage and a pine box coffin that will be buried in a city cemetery and marked with a headstone.
“Today, we’re not just burying the n-word, we are taking it out of our spirit, we are taking it out of our minds,” Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said before hundreds of cheering supporters. “To bury the n-word, we gotta bury the pimps and the hos and the hustlers. Let’s bury all the nonsense that comes with this.”
Although I applaud the efforts and believe all of us (black & white) need to refrain from using this word “N” word – the NAACP is not going to effect that change. Quite frankly we have bigger fish to fry in this country concerning the state of African-Americans. Many do not have health care, jobs, affordable housing, etc. We need to ignore the word and remember what our elders taught us: “It’s not what you’re called it’s what you answer to”.
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July 13, 2007 at 7:37 am (African American, African American Images)
What were they thinking? This is a photo-shoot of Mo’nique and contestants for the upcoming F.A.T. Chance competition. It’s intended to be artful, however, it looks like 6 naked overweight women with paint on their bodies, holding their “twins” while posing for a camera. I applaud them for being proud thick sisters…but this crosses the line. In all honesty Mo’nique looks tasteful, the others look awful.
Before you start going off on me – realize that I’m a big girl myself and I have always admired Mo’nique for promoting the beauty of us big sisters, however, we all must realize that different body shapes require different things.
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