Why I prefer Armour Thyroid

Hypothyroidism means low thyroid levels. Patients with hypothyroidism don’t have enough thyroid hormones.

Most patients have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, a condition where the immune system attacks and destroys thyroid cells that make the hormones. Eventually, there aren’t enough cells, and the hormone levels drop.

The solution seems pretty simple – just give the body hormones that are missing. We do that in other endocrine diseases. When patients are not making enough insulin, we give them real insulin, identical to the insulin that the body makes. Same with low testosterone, low cortisol, etc.

With thyroid we used to do the same. Doctors have been treating hypothyroidism for over 200 years. They used what we call today NDT – Natural Desiccated Thyroid from pigs, sheep and cows. Desiccated means dried up.

Human thyroid contains not only the hormones T4 and T3, but also all the precursors like T2 and T1, various proteins, vitamins and minerals, enzymes and other things that the thyroid gland needs to function. It also contains Calcitonin, another thyroid hormone that is important for calcium and bone metabolism.

It so happens that all animals have thyroid glands, and they are exactly the same as human. This includes thyroid glands from pigs, cows, sheep or any animal. You can dry them up, turn them into a powder, then make pills from the powder. And when you take that pill, it’s as if your own thyroid is working better. This is Natural Desiccated Thyroid.

Today we mostly use desiccated thyroid from pigs. Common preparations are Armour Thyroid and NP Thyroid. There were others, but now they are off the market. They may or may not come back.

Most doctors do not use NDT. In fact, most doctors don’t even know about NDT. What they are taught in medical school and during residency is that the only way to treat hypothyroidism is with synthetic fake T4 called Synthroid or levothyroxine sodium.

It was invented in the 1950s to help pharmaceutical companies make more money.Synthroid is not a natural substance, so it can be patented. Patented drugs cost more, therefore greater profit. And thanks to a clever promotional campaign, Synthroid has quickly become the #1 choice for hypothyroid treatment. Today it is one of the most prescribed drugs in the US.

What is Synthroid? As I said, it is a fake T4. It is an unnatural synthetic chemical that looks very much like T4. Because it is so similar, about 7–8 out of 10 people feel better taking it. They have an improvement in their thyroid symptoms. But 2–3 out of 10 will not feel better, no matter how much Synthroid you give them.

So, considering that Armour Thyroid or NP Thyroid are the same as human thyroid, that they contain actual real T3 and T4, all the precursors, vitamins, minerals, proteins and other substances the thyroid gland needs, it makes sense to treat people with this natural preparation, rather than a fake one. That’s why it is my preferred thyroid medication.