PODCAST EPISODES

What does the future of thyroid care look like when the person describing it helped build the present? Dr. Eren Berber is a Professor of Surgery and Director of Robotic Endocrine Surgery at Cleveland Clinic. He performed some of the first robotic thyroid operations in the United States, brought thyroid RFA to Ohio, and has authored more than 350 scientific papers. He has spent his entire career at the forefront of thyroid innovation — and in this episode, he gives one of the most candid, compreh...

Navigating an Indeterminate Thyroid Nodule Diagnosis with Chelsie Paulson What do you do when your thyroid biopsy results leave you with more questions than answers? In this episode of Save Your Thyroid, I am joined by Chelsie Paulson, a vocal advocate and active member of our patient community. After an Afirma molecular test came back with a 50/50 inconclusive result, Chelsie was told that removing her thyroid was her only option. Instead of accepting lifelong thyroid hormone replacement, Chels...

For most thyroid patients, the path from diagnosis to treatment moves fast — sometimes too fast to stop and ask whether there's another way.Emily Saska's story started with a back scan. An incidental finding. A nodule she had never felt, never thought about, and never seen coming. Within weeks it was growing rapidly, visibly bulging in her neck, and she was sitting in an exam room being referred directly to a general surgeon — with no mention that any other option existed.Emily went home and Googled. She found the Save Your Thyroid community. She found Dr. Emad Kandil at Tulane University in New Orleans — an hour from her home in Baton Rouge. And she chose nanosecond pulsed field ablation — nsPFA — instead of surgery.The procedure happened on her 37th birthday. Her last memory before counting backwards from 10 was telling Dr. Kandil: happy birthday to me, hope you had your coffee. Three days later she was in Puerto Rico with her family. All she had was a band-aid.Six w…

For a long time, a thyroid nodule diagnosis followed a predictable path — symptoms appeared, surgery was scheduled, and the gland was removed. The question was never if you would have surgery. It was when.That's changing. And Dr. Ian Orozco is one of the physicians leading that change.Dr. Orozco is a board-certified interventional endocrinologist based in Provo, Utah, and one of the most experienced RFA providers in the Intermountain West. After five years performing RFA within a larger institution, he made a bold move — taking over the Thyroid Institute of Utah, the oldest thyroid-only practice in the state, and rebuilding it entirely around the modern thyroid patient.In this episode, he joins Jennifer Holkem to discuss what that independence means for patient care, why a thyroid-only practice produces a fundamentally different experience, and why the urgency you felt at the end of your surgical consult was probably more about the practice's schedule than your actual medi…

What does it take to bring cutting-edge, nonsurgical thyroid care to patients in smaller, underserved communities? In this episode, Jen sits down with Dr. Jacques Gaudet, a board-certified otolaryngologist and head and neck surgeon at Southern ENT Associates in South Louisiana, to find out.Dr. Gaudet traces his passion for thyroid care and ultrasound back to his medical training in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when resource-scarce conditions pushed him to master diagnostic ultrasound on his own terms. That same persistence eventually led him to become the second physician in the entire state of Louisiana to offer thyroid RFA — not to chase a trend, but to give his patients real options.In this conversation, Dr. Gaudet and Jen cover:Why ultrasound expertise is non-negotiable for anyone performing RFAHow he counsels anxious patients newly diagnosed with thyroid nodulesWhat success actually looks like after RFA — and why symptom relief matters more than…

Anne Moeller had a multinodular goiter the size of a grapefruit that had grown significantly after two pregnancies, causing a severely deviated trachea and increasing pressure on her airway. With a thyroidectomy already scheduled, she stumbled across information about non-surgical thyroid treatments just weeks before her surgery date — and everything changed.In this episode, Anne shares how she went from knowing nothing about alternatives to surgery, to becoming her own most informed advocate. She walks us through her research process, how she found the Save Your Thyroid community, and why she ultimately chose thyroid artery embolization (TAE) with Dr. Juan Camacho over surgery.Anne also opens up about what the procedure was actually like as a patient, her gradual recovery, and how her thyroid function has remained stable throughout. As someone based in the UK navigating a healthcare system where TAE is only just emerging, her story offers a unique international perspective on wha…

100 Cases! Dr. Emad Kandil Discusses nPulse Thyroid Nodule Ablation Can you treat a thyroid nodule without heat or surgery? In this milestone episode of Save Your Thyroid, Jennifer Holkem welcomes back pioneer Dr. Emad Kandil, Chief of Endocrine Surgery at Tulane University, to celebrate a massive clinical achievement: completing over 100 cases using nPulse™ nanosecond Pulsed Field Ablation (nsPFA). While Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) and Microwave Ablation (MWA) use thermal energy (heat) to des...

In this episode of Save Your Thyroid, Jennifer sits down with Tosin, a patient whose routine checkup revealed a complex multinodular goiter that had quietly grown down into his chest. Facing a highly invasive sternotomy to remove the mass and the prospect of lifelong medication, Tosin leaned into his curiosity and began searching for alternatives. His journey led him from Houston to Florida to undergo Thyroid Artery Embolization (TAE) with Dr. Juan Camacho. Tosin shares the realities of his diagnosis, what it feels like to undergo TAE, the temporary side effects of recovery, and the incredible news that his goiter shrank by over 80% in just six months—allowing him to keep his thyroid completely intact and fully functional.

Is Your Thyroid Sick, Starved, or Toxic?

Most people are told that if a thyroid goiter is "too large" or has "dived" into the chest, the only option is a total thyroidectomy—often involving a sternotomy (cracking the chest bone) to reach the tissue. In today’s episode, I sit down with Matthew Ashby, who faced exactly this crossroads. Matthew shares his powerful journey of navigating a massive multinodular goiter, the "silent" symptoms that began to impact his breathing, and how he successfully avoided major surgery by choosing Thyroid ...

How This Nonsurgical Treatment Can Shrink Massive Goiters (Dr. Juan Camacho)

The Future of Thyroid Treatment: Advanced RFA, Microcarcinoma, and Taiwan's "One-Stop Shop" Model 🇹🇼 This episode of Save Your Thyroid unveils the groundbreaking world of Thyroid Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA). Host Jennifer Holkem speaks with Dr. Chan Jung Chang, an expert Otolaryngologist from Taiwan, about the future of non-surgical thyroid treatment for both thyroid nodules and papillary thyroid microcarcinoma. Dr. Chang details why RFA is so widely preferred in Taiwan—driven by a cultural de...

What are the real risks of thyroid surgery? A top otolaryngologist (ENT) surgeon, Dr. Michael J. Wolfe, joins me to discuss how to protect your voice and parathyroid glands—and when non-surgical Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) is a better option. In this episode, Dr. Michael J. Wolfe explains the crucial role ENTs play in thyroid care due to their deep expertise in neck anatomy. We explore the full diagnostic process for thyroid nodules, what your biopsy results really mean, and have a candid disc...

What's the hidden link between insulin resistance and thyroid nodules? Top endocrinologist Dr. Ahmet Ergin (@SugarMDs) joins me for an enlightening conversation about holistic thyroid health. In this powerful discussion, Dr. Ergin shares how integrative endocrinology, which blends traditional methods with functional medicine, is key to managing thyroid disorders. We explore the critical role of patient education and how lifestyle changes in diet, sleep, and exercise can profoundly impact your he...

In this episode of Save Your Thyroid, Jennifer Holkem discusses the latest advancements in thyroid care, focusing on thyroid nodules and the innovative non-surgical treatment known as radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Joined by Dr. John Interlandi, they explore the history of thyroid treatment, the impact of nodular thyroid disease, and the benefits of RFA as a safe and effective alternative to surgery. The conversation emphasizes the importance of understanding thyroid health, the evolution of tre...

In this episode of Save Your Thyroid, host Jennifer Holkem interviews Natalie Suarez, who shares her personal journey with thyroid nodules and her experience with nanosecond pulse field ablation (nsPFA). The conversation covers Natalie's initial diagnosis, the challenges of navigating medical opinions and biopsies, and her decision to pursue nsPFA as a non-surgical treatment option. Natalie details her procedure day experience, recovery, and the positive outcomes she has experienced since the tr...

In this enlightening conversation, Dr. Merry Sebelik, a pioneer in the field of thyroid care, discusses the transformative impact of Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA) on thyroid treatment. She shares her journey as a surgeon and educator, emphasizing the importance of ultrasound in thyroid surgery and the global health implications of RFA. The discussion covers the advantages of RFA over traditional surgery, the challenges of implementing this technology in various healthcare settings, and the crit...

In this episode, Dr. James Suliburk and Dr. Ray Grogan discuss the advancements in thyroid care, particularly focusing on radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for treating thyroid nodules and papillary thyroid cancer. They explore the evolution of RFA in the US, the safety concerns surrounding the procedure, and the importance of patient-centered care and shared decision-making. The conversation also delves into the criteria for RFA candidacy, the role of molecular testing in thyroid care, and the challenges of conducting randomized controlled trials in this field. The episode concludes with insights into the future of non-surgical thyroid care and the importance of finding experienced clinical teams for optimal patient outcomes.

In this episode, Dr. Britni Caplin, an expert ENT surgeon, discusses Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA), a minimally invasive procedure to shrink thyroid nodules and avoid surgery. Based in Murfreesboro, TN, Dr. Caplin discusses her expertise in thyroid care, focusing on the innovative non-surgical options for thyroid nodules like Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) and Ethanol Ablation. She emphasizes the importance of patient-centered care, collaboration between ENT and endocrinology, and the challenges of insurance coverage for these procedures. Dr. Caplin shares insights on how she helps patients choose between RFA and surgery, the significance of her ACTPS designation, and the integrated care model that enhances patient experience.

In this conversation, Astra Mathis shares her personal journey with thyroid nodules and her experience with nanosecond pulsed field ablation (nsPFA). The discussion covers the symptoms, diagnosis, and the decision-making process for choosing non-surgical options over traditional thyroidectomy. Astra details the procedure itself, her recovery, and the significant reduction in her nodule size, emphasizing the benefits of nsPFA. The conversation concludes with Astra offering advice to others considering similar treatments and reflecting on her overall experience.

In this conversation, Dr. Richard Harding discusses the advancements in thyroid nodule treatment, focusing on two primary techniques: Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) and Nanosecond Pulsed Field Ablation (NSPFA). He explains the mechanisms, benefits, and patient experiences associated with each method, emphasizing the safety and efficacy of NSPFA, especially in delicate areas near critical structures like the recurrent laryngeal nerve. The discussion also covers patient feedback, ideal candidates for each procedure, and the future of these technologies in mainstream thyroid care.

In this episode, we have a reversal of roles. Host, Jennifer Holkem shares her journey as a thyroid patient, emphasizing the importance of patient advocacy and education. Interviewed by guest host, Dr. John Russell, they discuss the challenges patients face within the healthcare system, the significance of informed decision-making, and the emotional aspects of navigating treatment options. The conversation highlights the need for trust between patients and healthcare providers, the role of alter...

What Patients Need to Know with Dr. Ian OrozcoToxic Thyroid Nodules: RFA vs. RAI—What’s the Difference?In this episode, endocrinologist Dr. Ian Orozco joins Jennifer Holkem to break down the two main non-surgical treatment options for toxic thyroid nodules: radioactive iodine (RAI) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Learn how these treatments work, who they’re right for, and what every patient needs to know before choosing a path. If you've been told surgery is your only option, this episode is a must-watch.🔹 What is a toxic thyroid nodule?🔹 RFA vs. RAI: key differences, benefits, and risks🔹 How to preserve thyroid function and avoid unnecessary surgery🔹 Real-world considerations: lifestyle, fertility, and recovery🔹 Why the experience of your provider matters

Today, we’re talking about how new 3D ultrasound technology is giving doctors a clearer, more accurate view of the thyroid and helping patients get better answers faster.Joining me is Dr. Alireza Falahati — a Mayo Clinic–trained, board-certified endocrinologist with a specialized focus on the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid and parathyroid tumors. He was the first U.S. physician to implement the advanced 3D Ultrasound System by PIUR Imaging.