Save Your Thyroid with Jennifer Holkem

Save Your Thyroid with Jennifer Holkem

Thyroid nodules impact 70 percent of adults in their lifetime. The standard of care is surgical removal of half or all of the gland. But in recent years, nonsurgical treatment options have become available. Hi, my name is Jennifer Holkem and I advocate for fellow patients suffering with this very common condition. I sit down with patients and physicians and discuss life with thyroid nodules, the journey from diagnosis to treatment, and how to save your thyroid through nonsurgical advances in medicine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

April 22, 2025 40 mins

Today's guest is Dr. Shuchie Jaggi, a leading endocrinologist, co-director of the interdisciplinary thyroid program at Lenox Hill Hospital (NY), and a specialist in advanced thyroid imaging and minimally invasive treatments.Here’s what we’ll be covering today:✅ The role of neck imaging in diagnosing and guiding treatment✅ How ethanol ablation works and why it’s ideal for thyroid cysts✅ The science behind radiofrequency ablation...

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Today, we’re joined by epigenetic expert Susan Robbins, a Precision Health coach and award-winning leader in genetic optimization. With a no-nonsense approach, Susan blends cutting-edge science with real-life experience to help you unlock your full potential. She’s battled autoimmune issues, Lyme Disease, and the stress of law enforcement, making her insights both personal and powerful.

In today’s episode, we explore how DNA testing...

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Today's episode is a bit different, and I think you'll love it. We’re diving into epigenetics—how your lifestyle influences your genetic expression. This topic is key to understanding root causes and optimizing lifestyle interventions, particularly for thyroid patients.Today, I'll introduce you to my new friend, Susan Robbins. Susan is an expert in epigenetic human performance coaching and host of the podcast “Everyday Epigenetics:...

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Denielle shares her experience with treating a thyroid nodule using microwave ablation (MWA). After experiencing severe hair and weight loss, she was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and a thyroid nodule about eight years ago. Weighing 70 kg, she dropped to 45 kg due to the condition. Denielle chose a non-surgical option primarily for aesthetic reasons, as she had previously developed keloids from surgery, and also due to a friend's ...

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Today’s guest is Dr. Dipan Desai, an otolaryngologist at ENT Associates in Clearwater, Florida. He completed residency training at Parkland Memorial Hospital and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and later pursued fellowship training in Head and Neck Endocrine Surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, gaining expertise in radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and scarless thyroid/parathyroid surgery.

Today, in addition to treat...

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Kathy shares her experience with thyroid cryoablation, a non-surgical procedure that can be used to treat benign and cancerous thyroid nodules, as well as other tumors throughout the body. Kathy is a passionate advocate for preserving the thyroid gland, and is an active member of the Save Your Thyroid patient advocacy community. She is also working locally in the UK to spread the word about thyroid-preserving treatment options. She...

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Harrold had multiple thyroid nodules, and they were causing him issues with his voice. He sought out thyroid RFA from Dr. Luisa Leal and Dr. John Interlandi of New Horizon Diabetes and Endocrinology Clinic in Nashville, Tennessee. This video documents Harrold's thyroid-saving treatment that allowed him to avoid surgery. What will be the final outcome? Watch the video to find out!Originally from Columbia, Dr. Leal opened the doors t...

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Today’s guest is Dr. Elizabeth Cottrill is an Associate Professor of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. There, she also serves as the residency Program Director and the Surgical Director of the Jefferson Thyroid and Parathyroid Center. Her research focuses on cancer diagnostics, clinical outcomes, and patient education. Her clinical practice focuses on the treatment and m...

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Today's guest is Dr. Rebecca Warren. At 19, Dr. Rebecca was diagnosed with follicular variant papillary thyroid carcinoma and had a complete thyroidectomy with high dose radiation. After having her thyroid removed, she thought the problem was fixed, until a few years down the road when she began to suffer from hormone issues that doctors would write off because her labs all looked normal. She suffered with depression, anxiety, ...

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Today’s guest is Dr. Antoine Eskander, a head and neck oncologist and reconstructive surgeon at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Head and Neck Disease Site Lead at the Odette Cancer Centre, and Chief of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery at Michael Garron Hospital in Toronto, Canada. Dr. Eskander is an internationally recognized researcher in several areas, including head and neck cancers, health services research, clinical...

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September 20, 2024 28 mins

Today’s guest is Dr. Jonathon Russell. After training at the Cleveland Clinic, Dr Russell trained further at Johns Hopkins before spending almost 10 years there. He became the Chief of Head and Neck Endocrine Surgery at Johns Hopkins and was the director of the Thyroid Tumor Center. During that time, he was the first surgeon to complete transoral robotic surgery for thyroid cancer, led the largest series of transoralsurgery in the ...

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Have you seen our new patient education website? SaveYourThyroid.org has been overhauled and now includes even more resources on nonsurgical treatment options for thyroid cysts, nodules and cancers!Shout out to Nitara Marketing, the developer of our site!https://nitaramarketing.com/Disclaimer: None of the statements made in this or any other video by "Its me Jen again" should be considered medical advice. Resources:👉Find...

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Today’s guest is Professor Saim Yilmaz, an interventional radiologist practicing in Istanbul and Antalya, Turkey. Throughout his 40 year medical career, Professor Yılmaz has worked exclusively in this unique specialty, treating patients with multiple image-guided, minimally invasive treatments. He is a pioneer of nonsurgical thyroid treatments. In 2018, Prof. Yilmaz founded Varisson Interventional Radiology Clinics where he leads a...

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Today’s guess is Dr. Jesse Pasternak, an academic surgeon and patient advocate. He is the chief of Endocrine Surgery in the Division of General Surgery at the University Health Network and Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto.  His career’s focus is to use up-to-date data to push innovation in the treatment of surgical endocrinology.  He is responsible for bringing radiofrequency ablation (R...

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Dr. David Goldenberg, a head and neck surgeon at Penn State Health, emphasizes that RFA is just one tool in the toolbox and that the decision to use it depends on the patient's specific needs and circumstances. He discusses the process of determining candidacy for thyroid RFA and the importance of thorough evaluation and patient education. He also emphasizes the importance of choosing an experienced and skilled physician for RF...

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Today’s guest returns to the podcast for a third time, Dr. Emad Kandil, an endocrine surgeon with a passion for helping patients shrink thyroid nodules and cancers using various nonsurgical, thyroid-sparing techniques. Dr. Kandil is the Chief of General, Endocrine and Oncological Surgery at Tulane University Medical School in New Orleans, Louisianna. In today's discussion, we'll cover topics such as his adoption of microwav...

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Dr. Ralph Tufano and Dr. Juan Camacho collaborate to bring multiple thyroid nodule treatment options to Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System.These include: Thyroid Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)Echolaser Ablation (LA/PLA)Microwave Ablation (MWA)CryoablationThyroid Arterial Embolization (TAE)Traditional thyroid surgeryScarless thyroid surgery (and just added) Nanosecond Pulsed Field Ablation (nsPFA)This episode is a great resource to ...

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Dr. Aaron Rockoff shares his journey to becoming an endocrinologist and his passion for building relationships with patients. He discusses his training in radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for thyroid nodules and the importance of ultrasound in the procedure. Dr. Rockoff explains the steps of the RFA process, including patient preparation, anesthesia, and the actual ablation. He emphasizes the need for post-procedure care, such as icin...

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Kathy shares her experience with thyroid arterial embolization (TAE), a non-surgical procedure that can be used to treat large thyroid nodules, toxic (hormone producing) thyroid nodules, and Graves disease. Kathy now shares her experience with thyroid embolization and the importance of preserving the thyroid gland with the Save Your Thyroid patient advocacy community, emphasizing the need for patients to do their own research and a...

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This episode was recorded live as the first webinar for the the Save Your Thyroid patient community. Attendees submitted their questions in advance for our special guest, Dr. Jules Aljammal, an endocrinologist specializing in thyroid disorders. We discuss the use of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for the treatment of thyroid nodules. Dr. Aljammal shares his experience and expertise in performing RFA and explains the procedure and it...

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