Thyroid Therapy

Thyroid Therapy

Since the 1970’s several new health issues and diseases have been “discovered”. In 1980, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia were first noted. High cholesterol wasn’t considered a widespread health problem until the 1970’s, and Depression has become an epidemic. In 1982, Osteoporosis also became a health issue.

In fact, all these health issues have become closely related to undiagnosed or undertreated hypothyroidism.

The TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) test was created in 1973. It is used to diagnose thyroid problems, but it measures a hormone from the pituitary gland, not the thyroid. A feedback loop exists in your body where the pituitary gland produces more or less thyroid stimulating hormone in response to the level of thyroid hormones in the bloodstream, and the thyroid produces more or less hormone based on the level of TSH. The normal range for the TSH test has been lowered several times, (the AACE, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, now recommends a range from 0.3 to 3.0), yet patients are not diagnosed until the TSH is much higher than the 3.3. In the case of autoimmune thyroid problems, the TSH can be within the normal range, yet antibodies are attacking the thyroid. Even the AACE estimates that as many as 1 in 5 Americans suffers from hypothyroidism.

A human thyroid produces T4, T3, T2, T1 and calcitonin. For nearly 100 years, hypothyroid patients were given desiccated porcine thyroid (dried thyroid gland from pigs), and doses were increased until all symptoms were gone. Synthroid became the treatment of choice for hypothyroidism by the 1970s. This new drug contains only the storage thyroid hormone known as T4, leaving patients undertreated.

Cholesterol is essential to your body. It is the precursor of pregnenolone, which Dr. Peatfield called “grandmother of the adrenal hormones”. It is needed for development of the brain and nervous system, and for fertilization and fetal health. In the skin, under sunlight, cholesterol produces vitamin D. In the 1960’s, Dr. Broda Barnes proved that when thyroid function is low, the cholesterol level in the blood rises, and when thyroid hormone is administered, the level drops again. Yet, according to Dr. Joseph Mercola, at least 12 million Americans take cholesterol-lowering drugs, mostly statins.

Dr. John C. Lowe, has documented clear relationships between fibromyalgia and thyroid function. In fact, fibromyalgia patients benefit from thyroid treatment that includes the T3 hormone. Similarly, in the magazine “Alternative Medicine”, Dr. Raphael Kellman indicated that an underactive thyroid may be the cause of Chronic Fatigue.

From an article by Irene Aleger, “ The myth of osteoporosis began with the selling of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). With no evidence that HRT would even prevent or treat osteoporosis, a major promotional campaign in 1982 by the pharmaceutical company producing the synthetic hormone, suggested that it could prevent this disfiguring and disabling disease. Most disturbing, was the idea promulgated that all women are at risk for osteoporosis, after menopause.” And as for depression, is there a woman with hypothyroid symptoms who has not at least been offered an anti-depressant by her doctor?

The truth is that when hypothyroid patients are not diagnosed, or are inadequately treated with T4-only medications, the pharmaceutical companies make a fortune from the drugs prescribed to treat what are essentially hypothyroid symptoms. Abbott Labs made $541.3 million in 2000 on Synthroid alone. SSRIs are widely prescribed for depression; add in the profit the drug companies make from statins for cholesterol, pain medications for fibromyalgia, sleep aids for CFS and Fosamax for osteoporosis and the amount is staggering.

What are the brands of desiccated natural thyroid? The brand name “Armour” is the most well known of the Natural Desiccated Porcine Thyroid meds and oldest on the market – since early in the 20^th century. Unfortunately., Armour was reformulated in 2009 and patients are reporting a return of their symptoms. But there are also good brands called Naturethroid and Westhroid, both produced by RLC Labs. Additionally, some patients are using a natural desiccated thyroid called Thyroid-S or “Thiroyd” from Thailand with excellent results. Australia uses compounded desiccated thyroid powder. All come from pig thyroids, and all most use thyroid desiccated powder which meets the stringent guidelines of the US Pharmacopeia.

What are the units of measure per tablet/capsule?. With the main brands, such as Naturethroid, Westhroid, Armour etc, each tablet/capsule is measured in milligrams (mg.). The typical tablet is 60 mg or 65 mg, which is called one grain. So, a 1/2 grain tablet is 30/32.5 mg. A 2 grain tablet is 120 mg/130. A 3 grain tablet is 180/195 mgs. A 4 grain tablet is 240/260 mg. A 5 grain tablet is 300/325 mg.

What’s in desiccated natural thyroid? Natural Desiccated Porcine Thyroid, also just called Natural Thyroid or Desiccated Thyroid, contains the same hormones that your own thyroid would produce – T4, T3, T2, T1 and calcitonin, and that’s why patients have found it to work so well. T4 is the storage hormone; T3 is the active, energy-giving hormone, and both are found in a 80/20 ratio in each 60 mg of desiccated thyroid. The T2, T1 and calcitonin is not measured, but it’s there, according to Forest Labs, the makers of Armour. Since porcine thyroid tends to have more T3 proportionately than human thyroids (80/20 as compared to the human 93/7), some patients add a small amount of T4, but only after they find their optimal dose of dessicated thyroid – the dose which removes all symptoms and gets the free T3 towards the upper part of the range. Many do fine on porcine thyroid alone, though.

Are there any non-prescription desiccated thyroid products? One more well-known over-the-counter (OTC) natural thyroid is called Nutri Meds which is available in either porcine or bovine desiccated thyroid. You may find other fine OTC products on the shelf of your local health food store. But…these products are not regulated, and the potency appears to be much less than prescription desiccated thyroid, so you may have to take much more for the same effect…and hope that the consistency will be similar from bottle to bottle.

How do patients dose with natural desiccated thyroid? Thyroid patients and their doctors have found it wise to start on a smaller dose of desiccated thyroid than they will ultimately need, such as 1 grain (60 mg.). Why? Because the body may need to adjust to getting direct T3 again, and there may be other issues which can crop up, such as sluggish adrenals or low Ferritin. Those who start on natural desiccated thyroid have discovered that it can be wise to RAISE within two weeks or less to prevent hypothyroid symptoms from returning due to the internal feedback loop in your body, which can happen if you stay on a low dose too long before raising.

Do I simply swallow it? Yes, you can swallow it and do great. Before Armour was reformulated and distributed in the new form in 2009, patients found it easy to do it sublingually i.e. you place the tablet under your tongue, or between your gums and inner cheek. Granted, Forest Labs did not make Armour to be sublingual, but it worked! Now, it’s more difficult, and those who want to continue with sublingual administration, especially with brands that are working better like Naturethroid, have to cut the tablet up quite small and add a tiny amount of sugar. When swallowing desiccated thyroid, it will be important to avoid iron, estrogen and calcium supplements at the same time, since all bind the thyroid hormones to some degree.

Do I take it once a day? To the contrary, most patients have found it beneficial to divide their dose to at least twice a day, if not more, in order to spread the energy-giving affect of T3. Desiccated thyroid contains direct T3, which is short-lived, and which peaks about 2 hours after you take it. An example is taking 2/3 or your natural desiccated thyroid in the morning, and the other 1/3 in the early afternoon. Or, for example, if you were on 3 1/2 grains, you might do 2 grains in the morning, one grain around noon, and the half grain by 2 – 3 pm. Some folks dose 4 – 5 times a day, especially in the presence of low cortisol. A few even do it once in the morning, and find that to be very effective. But the latter can stress your adrenals, or can result in fatigue later in the day. And remember: your own thyroid gives you what you need throughout the day instead of one dump; thus, multi-dosing is a way to replicate that.

How do I know when I’m on enough? Before labs were developed, doctors treated patients with a thyroid disorder by symptoms….and successfully. Patients and many wise doctors have found this an ideal way to treat — by symptoms. One important symptom is your temperature. Temps reflect metabolism, and metabolism is controlled by your thyroid. Find a mercury or liquid oral thermometer, which is more accurate than most digitals. Generally, you want your morning temp (before rising) to be 97.8 to 98.2, and your afternoon temp to be around 98.6. You may find your temperatures correcting before you find your optimal dose. Unfortunately, doctors are trained to put a HUGE reliance on labs over symptoms. But labs only tell PART of the story. Patients have discovered that the free T3 can be the most informative. But you have to figure out where it is great for you, based on symptoms. When patients get their free T3 at the top, (or when all symptoms are eliminated) , they will often have a TSH far BELOW range, i.e. below one, and that does NOT necessarily mean you are hyper. Patients have found the TSH is less important once treatment is started, and just because one’s TSH can get lower than 1 while getting the free T3 up there, does NOT mean hyper has set in. Many doctors are uninformed about this, so be prepared, and pass along to your doctor what we have learned.

Why is desiccated thyroid a better treatment? Desiccated thyroid is bar-none superior to T4-only meds treatment (Synthroid, Levoxyl, Eltroxin, Norton, etc) because it is natural (your body accepts ALL of it, unless you have an allergy to porcine), it contains both T4 (as the storage hormone) and T3 (the most active hormone and necessary for every cell in your body), as well as T2, T1 and calcitonin. T2 has an important role in metabolism. Calcitonin is the hormone which keeps the calcium in your bones, and certain doctors have noticed improvement in bone density with patients on natural thyroid.

How do I find a doctor who understands desiccated thyroid? Patients regrettably find that many doctors are very ignorant about the efficacy and safety of natural desiccated thyroid. Be prepared. If you click on the highlighted “doctors” above, you’ll find recommendations on how to find a good doc. Consider calling the office to make sure this doc prescribes desiccated thyroid, checks the free’s, and pays attention to symptoms. If the doctor can’t do the latter, move on to another one! Another option is to visit a large pharmacy in your area and ask the pharmacist if anyone prescribes desiccated thyroid. And note that it is not uncommon to drive great distances to find a knowledgeable doctor.

How high do I raise desiccated thyroid? As your doctor helps you raise your desiccated thyroid, a certain amount may give you better energy, but may not be quite enough to stop chronic low grade depression, for example. So another raise may be warranted. By observation, it appears that most hypothyroid patients end up in the 3 – 5 grains, with some lower, and some higher when they find their optimal dose.

Are there other issues I need to correct? Often, there are other areas that need assistance when you are being treated with desiccated thyroid products. For one, many folks need to optimize their Ferritin level (storage iron), which is low in many thyroid patients. Low Ferritin can cause very similar symptoms as being hypothyroid, OR can cause you to have hyper-like symptoms when you try to raise the Armour. If upon starting Armour, you have very strange symptoms, including anxiety, insomnia, shakiness, it’s a strong sign that you may need adrenal support. Cortisol is needed to distribute thyroid hormones to your cells, and if you are not making enough cortisol from sluggish adrenals, your blood will be high in thyroid hormones, producing the above symptoms. Adrenal support is used to give back to your body what your adrenals are not, which in turn allows the thyroid hormones to get to your cells. Unless you have hypopituitary, adrenal support is not meant to be for life for most, but to allow your adrenals to rest and recover. It is strongly recommended that you do a 24 hour adrenal saliva test – there are labs you can do them with here. 24 hour saliva tests give you far better information than the one time blood test that doctors will tend to recommend. You don’t need a STIM test, by the way, unless there is strong suspicion of Addisons or a pituitary problem.

Are there any beneficial supplements that I can take with desiccated thyroid? Many patients take a Selenium tablet with their thyroid meds, which assists the T4 to T3 conversion. L-Tyrosine helps some patients, too. Zinc and Vit. C may play a role. Your need for B-vitamins will increase as you improve your energy levels. Some patients benefit from iodine supplementation. Optimizing your Vit. D levels can be important.

Any other tips? Many patients are keen to having an emergency backup of desiccated natural thyroid just for that – emergencies! Desiccated thyroid has a long shelf life, but you can also wrap it securely and place it in the freezer.

Natural Thyroid 101