Having dealt with low thyroid most of my adult life, I am aware of the fact that many people need to see an endocrinologist. In the past this was slowed down by lack of specialists and the need for a referral from the primary doctor. My experiences with relatives taught me that the treatment is inconsistent and does not provide improvement in health as much as we would wish. I regret that I could not have access to a specialist until I was diagnosed with diabetes, and even then there was a delay. I agree with JK. Dorisena