Save Your Thyroid with Jen

11/29/2025

🤯 RFA Has NO Ceiling Size? Patrick Star Goiters!

Dr. Chan Jung Chang reveals a shocking truth about Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA): the treatment is not limited by size!

When asked about his ceiling size for a thyroid nodule, Dr. Chang shared a memorable patient case:

"Actually there's no ceiling size. [I] have a treated patient who's [nodule] looked like Patrick [from] SpongeBob."

This massive goiter, which was around seven or eight centimeters and affected both sides of the neck, was successfully treated despite multiple doctors telling the patient it was "hopeless" without surgery.

The Strategy for Huge Nodules:

Dr. Chang explained that while a huge nodule requires more time (the ablation took about two hours in this case), the treatment is still possible. For such large goiters, the expectation is that the patient may need "twice or three times" to achieve the desired, obvious improvement in symptom relief and size reduction. This patient choice highlights the power of RFA as a persistent, non-surgical alternative, even for cases often considered "too big" for anything but the knife.

🤜Podcast: Save Your Thyroid with Jennifer Holkem
🤜Episode: RFA for Thyroid Cancer? Inside Taiwan's Advanced Techniques | Dr. Chan Jung Chang
🤜Listen NOW on YouTube or through your favorite podcast platform at saveyourthyroidwithjen.com!

11/28/2025

💥 The Truth About RFA: Simple Technique, HIGH-STAKES Precision

Dr. Chan Jung Chang gives us the straight facts on Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA):

"Actually, RFA is quite easy. Just under the ultrasound, you just put your probe inside your tumor and turn on the power and then the tumor will be burned out. Yeah, it's quite easy."

BUT... he warns: "The most important thing is to keep your nerve and your vessel alive after the surgery... or otherwise you will sue me."

😱Don't sue me bro!😱

This is why expertise matters! The magic of RFA isn't just about destroying the nodule; it's about the precision required to save your voice and surrounding structures—a feat achieved through advanced techniques like hydrodissection (the topic of this week's episode!).

🤜Podcast: Save Your Thyroid with Jennifer Holkem
🤜Episode: RFA for Thyroid Cancer? Inside Taiwan's Advanced Techniques | Dr. Chan Jung Chang
🤜Listen NOW on YouTube or through your favorite podcast platform at saveyourthyroidwithjen.com!

11/26/2025

Why are patients in Taiwan choosing RFA over traditional thyroid surgery? It's about more than just avoiding the knife!

Host Jennifer Holkem asks expert Dr. Chan Jung Chang why Radiofrequency Ablation has been adopted so widely across Asia. His answer reveals powerful cultural and physical reasons behind the non-surgical preference:

✨ 1. The Scar Consideration: In Asian populations, there's a higher tendency for a hypertrophic (ugly) scar after surgery. Avoiding this permanent, visible mark on the neck is the most important reason for choosing RFA.

✨ 2. Cultural Organ Preservation: Patients want to preserve their thyroid gland to reduce the risk of hypothyroidism, even with partial surgery.

✨ 3. Avoiding the "Awkward" Feeling: RFA helps patients avoid the "strange sense" over their neck often reported after open surgery due to muscle and sensory nerve dissection.

🤜Podcast: Save Your Thyroid with Jennifer Holkem
🤜Episode: RFA for Thyroid Cancer? Inside Taiwan's Advanced Techniques | Dr. Chan Jung Chang
🤜Listen NOW on YouTube or through your favorite podcast platform at saveyourthyroidwithjen.com!

11/25/2025

New Episode! "RFA for Thyroid Cancer? Inside Taiwan's Advanced Techniques | Dr. Chan Jung Chang"

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 H...

The Future of Thyroid Treatment: Advanced RFA, Microcarcinoma, and Taiwan's "One-Stop Shop" Model 🇹🇼 This episode of Save Your Thyroid unveils the groundbreaking wo…

11/24/2025

Inside the RFA Revolution in Taiwan!

Tired of hearing that surgery is your only option for thyroid nodules or even small cancers? What if you could treat your thyroid tumor without a single incision, preserve your gland, and avoid a permanent scar?

This week on SAVE YOUR THYROID, Episode #110, I'm thrilled to welcome the renowned expert, Dr. Chan Jung Chang, an Otolaryngologist from Taiwan, who is pioneering the future of non-surgical care!

Dr. Chang takes us inside Taiwan's advanced RFA techniques and reveals why Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) has become the preferred choice, leading to faster, safer, and more effective treatments.

Swipe to see the Key Takeaways! ➡️

Here’s what you’ll learn about this life-changing procedure:

➡️The Streamlined Patient Journey: Learn about Taiwan's efficient "One-Stop Shop" model, where patients can receive diagnosis and treatment planning within just two weeks!

➡️The No-Scar Preference: How cultural attitudes towards scarring have driven the widespread adoption of RFA over traditional surgery.

➡️Next-Level Safety: We dive deep into Hydrodissection (enhanced with Hyaluronic Acid!)—a critical technique used to protect the vocal cord nerve and surrounding vital organs during complex ablations.

➡️ Preventing Regrowth: Discover the advanced method of Arterial Ablation used to prevent tumor regrowth after RFA, even for large lesions.

➡️RFA for Thyroid Cancer: We discuss the specific criteria for using RFA to safely treat Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma.

As Dr. Chang says, "RFA is a life-changing procedure for patients."

Don't miss this essential episode on the future of thyroid treatment!

🗓️ Episode airs TOMORROW on YouTube, your favorite podcast platform, and saveyourthyroidwithjen.com!



P.S. If you found this information helpful, please LIKE, FOLLOW, AND SUBSCRIBE to support my patient advocacy!

11/21/2025

"Hey, what's that thing on your neck?"

Sometimes it's a bank teller or a friend who notices it first. Other times, it's found accidentally on a CT scan for something else.

In this clip, ENT surgeon Dr. Michael J. Wolfe explains how most patients find their way to him. While many nodules have no symptoms, he asks one specific question to screen for trouble:

"Do you need a sip of water to pass it through that last little bit?"

If you have to swallow twice to get food down, that is a "fairly classic" sign the thyroid is pushing on your throat.

Do you have this symptom?

👉Podcast: Save Your Thyroid with Jennifer Holkem
👉Episode: Thyroid Nodules: RFA vs. Surgery (All the Details) | Dr. Wolfe
👉Listen NOW on YouTube or through your favorite podcast platform at saveyourthyroidwithjen.com!

11/20/2025

"Everything above the collarbones except brains, eyes and spines."

That’s the memorable way Dr. Michael J. Wolfe defines his specialty of Otolaryngology (ENT).

In this clip, he explains why ENTs are such a critical part of the thyroid care team. It’s not just about surgery—he describes his role as involving "quasi-endocrinology," where he works with hormones and collaborates with primary care providers and endocrinologists to create a comprehensive plan for the patient.

It’s a team effort to get your thyroid health right!

👉Podcast: Save Your Thyroid with Jennifer Holkem
👉Episode: Thyroid Nodules: RFA vs. Surgery (All the Details) | Dr. Wolfe
👉Listen NOW on YouTube or through your favorite podcast platform at saveyourthyroidwithjen.com!

11/20/2025

"I've seen fairly small nodules cause symptoms."

It's a common misconception that a thyroid nodule has to be huge to cause problems. In this clip, ENT surgeon Dr. Michael J. Wolfe explains why size isn't the only factor.

If a nodule is "sitting right in the front, right on the isthmus" (the bridge connecting the two sides of the thyroid), it's draped right over the trachea. In that location, "they don't have to be very large to be symptomatic or visible."

On the flip side, he's seen "absolutely massive thyroid nodules" extending down into the chest that cause no symptoms at all.

So if you're feeling symptoms from a smaller nodule, you aren't imagining it—location matters!

👉Podcast: Save Your Thyroid with Jennifer Holkem
👉Episode: Thyroid Nodules: RFA vs. Surgery (All the Details) | Dr. Wolfe
👉Listen NOW on YouTube or through your favorite podcast platform at saveyourthyroidwithjen.com!

symptoms

11/18/2025

"How do we know it's not anaplastic?"

This is a terrifying question for a patient, as anaplastic thyroid cancer is one of the most malignant and dangerous types.

In this clip, ENT surgeon Dr. Michael J. Wolfe explains the crucial difference: "Because we're sitting here having a conversation."

He reveals that anaplastic cancers are "very fast growing" and "will develop in weeks, not years to months." This is completely different from follicular cancer (85-90% cure rate) or papillary cancer, which can grow for years.

It's a scary topic, but an important one to understand.

👉Podcast: Save Your Thyroid with Jennifer Holkem
👉Episode: Thyroid Nodules: RFA vs. Surgery (All the Details) | Dr. Wolfe
👉Listen NOW on YouTube or through your favorite podcast platform at saveyourthyroidwithjen.com!

11/17/2025

"With thyroid, you have time."

This is crucial advice from ENT surgeon Dr. Michael J. Wolfe. I asked him what patients should do if their local doctor recommends surgery, but they want to explore RFA.

His answer? "Absolutely" get a second opinion, even if it means traveling. He says even with a cancer diagnosis, "you have time to really sit down and get other opinions."

He explains that access to RFA is still "very difficult", and suggests looking at sources like the American Thyroid Association and even talking to naturopaths, who he finds are often "more in tune" with non-surgical options.

This is what patient advocacy is all about!

👉Podcast: Save Your Thyroid with Jennifer Holkem
👉Episode: Thyroid Nodules: RFA vs. Surgery (All the Details) | Dr. Wolfe
👉Listen NOW on YouTube or through your favorite podcast platform at saveyourthyroidwithjen.com!

11/17/2025

"I always feel that I'm there to be an advocate for my patient."

This powerful philosophy from ENT surgeon Dr. Michael J. Wolfe is at the heart of our new podcast episode.

He explains that a big part of his job is "hand-holding" and not rushing people—which is why he's often running late in clinic! He's a "huge proponent of second opinions or third opinions" but gives one crucial warning: if you keep "trying to find the opinion that you want, you're probably not doing yourself a favor."

Dr. Wolfe says that even if a patient declines the "gold standard" treatment he recommends (like surgery for cancer), "I will support you and I will do whatever I can do to help."

This is what true patient-centered advocacy looks like.

👉Podcast: Save Your Thyroid with Jennifer Holkem
👉Episode: Thyroid Nodules: RFA vs. Surgery (All the Details) | Dr. Wolfe
👉Listen NOW on YouTube or through your favorite podcast platform at saveyourthyroidwithjen.com!

11/16/2025

"The whole idea about RFA is minimalism."

In this clip from our new episode, ENT surgeon Dr. Michael J. Wolfe explains that the goal of RFA isn't necessarily to eliminate the entire nodule, but to solve the patient's problem. "It's about the symptoms. Get rid of the symptoms."

He shares a powerful story about a singer with "Huge, huge" bilateral nodules. After RFA, the patient is "extremely happy" and the "big mass in the front of neck is gone."

Even if the ultrasound still shows a large gland, the symptomatic part was treated, and the patient got their quality of life back. That's the power of this minimally invasive approach.

👉Podcast: Save Your Thyroid with Jennifer Holkem
👉Episode: Thyroid Nodules: RFA vs. Surgery (All the Details) | Dr. Wolfe
👉Listen NOW on YouTube or through your favorite podcast platform at saveyourthyroidwithjen.com!