Thyroids – Michael Polisky, MD Video
Opening screen with title “American Health Journal – AmericanHealthJournal.com”
Announcer: Thyroid functional diseases are those involving either too much thyroid
hormone, hyperthyroidism, or too little thyroid hormone – hypothyroidism.
Visuals: Announcer is a male in a suit sitting at a news desk in front of a blue
background. An inset with the title “Thyroid Conditions” is
in upper right corner of screen with clip of a doctor and nurse talking.
Announcer (V.O.): Dr. Michael Polisky of Valley Presbyterian Hospital clarifies these two
conditions and the treatments involved in managing them.
V.O. visuals: Dr. Polisky sitting at his office desk talking on the phone; exterior
of hospital; Dr. Polisky being interviewed in darkened studio.
Michael Polisky, MD: Thyroid is a gland. It secretes the not very creatively named thyroid hormone
into the blood stream. It sits right here (he points at his lower neck)
right at the base of the neck right above the sternum. Looks like a little
butterfly or bowtie.
Visual: Dr. Poliski, wearing a white coat over a dress shirt and tie, is being
interviewed in a studio with a purple wall and foliage in the background.
He is introduced as “Michael Polisky, MD – Valley Presbyterian
Hospital” in the lower third.
Polisky (V.O.): It’s responsible for maintaining the metabolic level of the body.
Its function depends on a lot of factors but its most dependent on control
from the brain.
V.O. visuals: Motion graphic of rotating male body with arms outstretched showing internal
organs and the brain; graphic zooms in for close-up of the brain (images below).
Polisky: I see both hyperthyroid patients and hypothyroid patients. Specific complaints
for…
Polisky (V.O.): …Hyperthyroidism include flushing, sweating, palpitations, insomnia, tremors.
V.O. visual: Graphic with the title “Symptoms for Hyperthyroidism” and list
under it with “Flushing,” “Sweating,” “Palpitations,”
“Insomnia,” and “Tremors.”
Polisky: It’s a much more symptomatic disease often than hypothyroidism.
It’s also much more serious disease than hypothyroidism.
Polisky (V.O.): Hypothyroidism is the impairment or inability for the thyroid to make sufficient
thyroid hormone for the body. And, it usually occurs as a result of an
autoimmune condition. The disease state where the thyroid is under autoimmune
attack is…
V.O. visuals: Polisky talking and reviewing a patient chart with a nurse; Polisky at
his office desk talking on the phone.
Polisky: …called Hashimoto thyroiditis. Hashimoto is the cause of almost
all hypothyroidism as opposed to the other causes being congenital, meaning
someone is born without a thyroid or surgical where someone has their
thyroid removed.
Polisky (V.O.): Hyperthyroidism is the state where the thyroid is making too much thyroid
hormone for the body…
V.O. visual: Polisky walking with another doctor up a hallway toward camera.
Polisky: …exposing the body to dangerously high levels of thyroid hormone,
causing metabolic rate to be too high. This also can occur as a result
of autoimmune attack in a state called Graves disease. The other major
cause of hyperthyroidism out there is when thyroid nodules go rogue, so
to speak, and begin producing too much thyroid hormone on their own. We
call that toxic nodule goiter.
Polisky (V.O.): The main treatment is oral medication. It’s a simple, easy to take
pill. There are many doses available to get the dose just right for every
patient. In other patients, they…
V.O. visuals: Close-up of elderly woman as she shakes medication into her hand; pharmacist
filling a prescription
Polisky: …do not improve spontaneously and they eventually will need some
form of definitive treatment. And there are two forms of definitive treatment.
One is a dose of radioactive iodine, which is given as a pill to eradiate
the thyroid and wipe out its effects. And the other…
Polisky (V.O.): …is surgery.
V.O. visual: Surgery team working on a patient.
Polisky: Diseases of thyroid anatomy, which sometimes when people come in and they’ll
say, ‘I have a lump here in my neck or an enlargement’ (gestures
with his hand across his neck area and pulls out toward the camera), the
old term being goiter. Goiter is an enlarged thyroid. Thyroid nodules…
Polisky (V.O.): …are very common. The problem is that we can’t tell the difference
when we look at these thyroid nodules if they’re benign, as are
most of them, about ninety-five percent are benign or if they’re
cancerous. Then the next step would be to biopsy…
V.O. visuals: Sign on door with the name “Michael A. Polisky, M.D.”; camera
pans through the door and across room at Polisky at his desk talking on
the phone.
Polisky: …that nodule, which can be done with a fine needle aspiration.
It doesn’t need to be cut in two or anything like that. And, if
the biopsy indicates benignity then people just can follow up annually
with ultrasound…
Polisky (V.O.): …and if the nodule indicates cancer then they would go for a thyroid surgery.
V.O. visual: Polisky at his desk working with a patient file.
Polisky: Hypothyroidism and the autoimmune disease that causes hypothyroidism,
which is called Hashimoto thyroiditis…
Polisky (V.O.): …is more common in women than men. It tends to manifest at a young
age in the early twenties, late teens, early twenties, up through the
mid-thirties, is the most common time of onset, but again, can be at any
age. Hypothyroidism is generally not dangerous for most people that have
it. On the flip side hyperthyroidism is dangerous. Long-term hyperthyroidism
damages the heart, wasting of the bones, osteoporosis, can cause abnormalities
of blood cell…
V.O. visuals: Young female sitting at outdoor table writing; a young female walking
on a busy sidewalk toward camera; young female sitting on an outdoor ledge
with a school notebook; a male and female student walking on campus sidewalk;
a doctor walks in an examination room and greets a thirty-something female
patient; close-up of Polisky on the phone; motion graphic of rotating
heart scan on computer screen; motion graphic of a cross section of bones
compressing (image below.)
Polisky: …production, anemias, low platelet counts, low white blood cell
counts, wasting of the muscle, throughout the body, untreated hyperthyroidism
can be very dangerous and potential fatal.