NATURAL THYROID 101

[Guest guest]

Very good Lesson.

Tish

[Guest guest]

For those who are new to our list, and/or new to natural thyroid

hormones:

1) Armour Natural Thyroid is the most well known and oldest on the

market--since the late 1800's! There is also Westhroid,

Naturethroid, Biothroid (when it ever comes back), and prescription

generic Thyroid. All come from pigs. They contain the same hormones

that your own thyroid would produce--T4, T3, T2, T1 and calcitonin.

They meet the stringent guidelines of the US Pharmacopoeia and are

approved by the FDA.

(Some folks wonder if the generic is less potent.)

2) There is also OTC natural thyroid, such as Nutri-Meds and others.

These are not regulated, and the potency may be less than Armour and

others, so you may have to take more than the FDA-approved brands

for the same effect.

3) The most biologically effective and direct way to take Natural

Thyroid is sublingually. i.e. you place the tablet between your gums

and inner check, or where the least amount of saliva is in your

mouth, and forget about it. Either way, it is absorbed by the

millions of capillaries that line your inner mouth--taking the

hormones straight to your blood, bypassing the stomach and liver.

Armour has a touch of sucrose in it, making it more palatible.

Natural Thyroid meds CAN be swallowed, of course, but it will be

important to avoid iron and calcium supplements at the same time,

since both bind the thyroid hormones to some degree. Estrogen also

does the same. Swallowing also brings stomach acid into contact with

the Calcitonin in Armour, and you may lose on it's benefits to your

bones.

4) Many folks find dividing their dose to at least twice a day, if

not more, is optimal for them. It contains T3, which is short-lived,

and peaks about 2 hours after you take it. An example is taking 1/2

in the morning, and the other 1/2 in the early afternoon. Some folks

dose 3-5 times a day. Some even do it once in the morning, and find

that to be very effective. Or, doing it twice in the morning.

Experiment to find what is best for you.

5) Before labs were developed, doctors treated patients solely by

symptoms....and successfully. This is still an ideal way to treat---

by symptoms. But in today's world, labs play a huge role in

treatment. Top docs in the thyroid field are recommending that your

free T3 be in the upper part of the range, if not slightly above.

But you have to figure out where it is great for you, based on

symptoms. When you get your free T3 at the top, (or when you dose

yourself to eliminate all symptoms) you will often have a TSH quite

low. Many of us on an optimal dose (i.e. a dose which eliminates

symptoms) have a TSH at one and LESS. The TSH is less important once

you start treatment, and just because one's TSH can get lower than 1

while getting the free T3 up there, does NOT mean you have become

hyper. Many docs are uninformed about this, so be prepared.

6) Armour et. al is bar-none superior to T4-only meds treatment

(Synthroid, Levoxyl, etc) because it is natural (your body accepts

most ALL of it), it contains direct T3 (the most active hormone and

necessary for every cell in your body), and it also contains T2, T1

and calcitonin. T2 has some role in metabolism. Calcitonin keeps the

calcium in your bones, and certain docs have noticed improvement in

bone density with folks on natural thyroid.

7) Most docs are very ignorant about the efficacy and safety of

natural thyroid. If you want to find a smart doc, check out the Top

Doc lists in the LINKS section of this site for your area, and read

all entries. When one looks promising, CALL and make sure this doc

prescribes Armour REGULARLY, checks the FREE's, and pays attention

to SYMPTOMS over labs.

Another option is to visit a large pharmacy in your area and ask the

pharmacist if anyone prescribes Armour. And note that it is not

uncommon to drive great distances to find a knowledgeable doc.

8) It is not uncommon to discover that you need more Armour than you

realize. An amount that gives you excellent energy may not be quite

enough to stop hair loss, etc. Or vice versa. Before the TSH lab

came into existence (and played a huge part in ruining good thyroid

care), most folks were on 3 grains and more. This is not to say that

you will need that much, but it does speak to the reality that you

may need more than you realize, or more than lab-obsessed docs will

allow.

9) Often, there are other areas that need assistance when you are

treating yourself with Armour. That may include adrenal support (see

file called Adrenals), DHEA, testosterone, iron supplementation,

female hormones......you have to find out your own individual needs.

It is not uncommon to find a low Ferritin level (storage iron) when

you are hypo, and we strongly recommend you get a Ferritin test. Low

Ferritin can cause very similar symptoms as being hypo, 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. You might need to stop the Armour and get on that

support for a few weeks before starting the Armour again. There are

several adrenal supplements listed in the ADRENALS file on the site--

all are used by different folks here.

10) Take a Selenium tablet with your thyroid. Helps with the T4 to

T3 conversion. L-Tyrosine helps, too. Zinc and Vit. C may play a

role. There are many other supplements we are all taking. Check out

the supplement recommendations in the FILES section of this site.

11) If you are able to buy a large quantity of Armour, keep it the

freezer or refrig to preserve it's potency, pouring out about 1-2

months at a time.

12) And finally, if you find you have to self-treat, be prudent and

wise. Most start on less than one grain, and check it out for 2

weeks or so, then they raise, a little at a time. Some folks can go

up fairly quickly, but others have to be more careful.

As a general rule, once you get up to 2 grains, it may be wise to

hold for at least 5 weeks to allow the T4 to show it's effect, and

rise more slowly. The T3 is more immediate and potent. If you have

any heart issues, the T3 can initially aggravate palps. Some folks

also need to be on good adrenal support for a few weeks before they

can even tolerate T3. Others may need to optimize their Ferritin

levels. Again, the bottom line is wisdom, being prudent, and

patience.