The film is the idea of award-winning documentary producer Maggie Hadleigh-West, who struggled for decades to get her own thyroid condition properly diagnosed and treated.
Sick to Death! exposes the darker side of the mainstream thyroid world, including:
- The lack of interest shown by many doctors, who don't listen to patients' symptoms and don't take their patients' seriously
- The overreliance on the TSH test and exclusion of other, more helpful tests like Free T4, Free T3, antibodies, and others
- The influence of big pharma on what thyroid drugs are offered patients, and those that are ignored, despite evidence that they work
- The tendency for mainstream physicians to hand out antidepressants, cholesterol-lowering drugs, or referrals to psychiatrists instead of doing the work needed to make a thyroid diagnosis
In addition to telling her own story, Maggie has filmed more than 50 interviews with other practitioners, including Dr. David Borenstein and Dr. Chuck Mary, patient advocates including Mary Shomon and Dana Trentini, and fellow thyroid patients who have struggled to get diagnosed and treated.
Maggie was able to do the initial filming thanks to a prestigious grant from the Guggenheim Foundation. But now, in order to finish the editing, and produce the final documentary, and get it distributed — everywhere from the Sundance Festival, to national medical meetings, to networks, to online — Maggie and her crew are conducting a March 2015 Kickstarter fundraising campaign to raise the remaining funding needed.
If you are a thyroid patient who has struggled to get properly diagnosed and treated, this is one of the most important things you can do to help ensure that others do not have to suffer through the same experiences you did.
Every dollar counts. Whether you can give $5, $25, $50, $500 or more — each and every donation to the campaign will help get this film finalized and widely distributed, where it will represent the frustrations of the thyroid patient community in a way that's never been done before!
And, at different contribution levels, you will also receive a number of wonderful free gifts, including books, posters, private screenings, and more.
Start by watching the Kickstarter video for Sick to Death! You'll see our own Dr. Holtorf featured in the video, and get a sense of what this film will be able to accomplish!
Check out the terrific free gifts available at different donations levels, and then, please help this important film get made by making your own contribution.
And even if you can't contribute, you can help greatly by sharing this via social media, and spreading the word far and wide!
