This natural desiccated thyroid extract works to normalize thyroid levels which is of pivotal importance to our overall health. Poor thyroid function leads to a decline in the secretion of hormones from the hormone gland, known as “hypothyroidism”, leading to a wide range of health problems including confusion, memory problems, weight gain and more.
Regulating thyroid levels to retain a normal thyroid state will help to maintain overall health and reduce symptoms, helping individuals to regain optimum weight levels, improved cognitive function and improving quality of life.
Armour® 1 grain natural desiccated thyroid tablets are available in packs of 100. Each tablet contains 38 mcg levothyroxine (T4) and 9 mcg liothyronine (T3).
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Age Related Mental Decline Anabolic State Blood Disorders Bone Problems Cardiovascular Conditions Cognitive Depression Diabetes Disrupted Circadian Rhythms Growth Hormone Deficiency Hashimoto's Disease Heart, arterial & blood health conditions HGH (Human Growth Hormone) Human Growth Hormone Hypothyroidism Immune System Improvement Insomnia Insulin & Glucose Control Joint Aches & Pains Low Estrogen Levels Requiring HRT Menopause Osteoporosis Photoaging Skin problems Sleep Disorders Thyroid Weight Loss Well-beingProduct Description
Like the majority of other hormones in the body, the production of thyroxine by the thyroid drops dramatically as we age. This is often the root cause of a wide variety of age-related health disorders. Why is this? Well, Thyroxine (the hormone produced by the thyroid) controls the body’s metabolism (the rate at which it burns calories for energy) as well as the body’s utilization of fat. If the hormones being secreted by the thyroid gland reduce (a condition known as hypothyroidism), this can result in far wider symptoms such as poor concentration, confusion, memory problems, cold hands and feet and weight gain.
Another serious condition which can be caused by and result from an underactive thyroid is a common painful musculoskeletal condition known as fibromyalgia which affects tendons, muscles and ligaments.
Further reading: the full list of 47 hypothyroidism symptoms identified by Dr Broda Barnes are available in Dr Ward Deans article ‘Hypothyroidism – The Underdiagnosed Epidemic’ here).
Some cases of hypothyroidism may be caused by a condition called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (90% of the sufferers of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis are women). This is clinically diagnosed as thyroid deficiency syndrome and is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s own immune defences turn on the thyroid gland, causing an inflammatory process that eventually destroy it. it is very important that cases of Hashimoto’s are treated and in a quick timeframe, as the damage done to the thyroid from Hashimoto’s is permanent.
Before taking any thyroid supplement, it is very important to test your thyroid levels by measuring levels of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) in the blood. You can also take your body temperature when you wake in the morning. It should be in the range of 97.8 to 98.2 degrees Fahrenheit – if not then you should consult a doctor about supplementing with thyroid hormone.
We stock a comprehensive range of both synthetic and natural thyroids, but would strongly advocate taking a natural supplement over a synthetic because products such as Armour® Thyroid contain the full spectrum of Thyroid hormones. However most mainstream doctors only prescribe synthetic thyroids.
This table was provided by Canadian brand, ERFA Thyroid. It provides a helpful guide to what the suggested conversion rates are for those wishing to make the switch between synthetic thyroids and natural versions. Natural thyroids are measured in grains.
We always recommend consulting with a physician for anything you are not entirely sure about!
Dosages of whole thyroid extracts depend on your age and thyroid condition. As a rough guide, 15mg to 30mg daily increasing to 60mg daily after a couple of weeks if necessary. If you are over 40 years of age and have no overt endocrine disease just a small regular whole thyroid supplement can raise energy levels, improve bowel function and cognitive function.
One grain (equivalent to 60mg) or higher dosages are potent and usually require temperature monitoring and occasional blood tests. People with more-serious thyroid conditions are often be prescribed one grain.
Reduce or stop thyroid supplementation if you feel unwell, your rising-from-bed-in-the-morning temperature is over 98.2 degrees Fahrenheit, your resting pulse is more than 75 beats a minute or your thyroid function blood tests are abnormal.
Disclaimer: Please note that only your own physician can determine your precise needs, but in order to give you some information these answers are based upon the ‘average person’ and clinical / published results.
Firstly, we would like to state here that supervision with your health professional to meet your needs is key. Taking a blood test would be the ideal test to ascertain your current thyroid levels before making any changes. However, if this is not possible then noting two parameters:- a close watch on your body temperature (rising from bed in the morning) and your heart rate are good parameters to ascertain both if the dose is too low (hypo) or too high (hyper). This is described in detail in Dr. Dean’s article here: Hypothyroidism-The Underdiagnosed Epidemic
Regarding the transference from synthetic thyroids to natural thyroids, (including time scale and gradual switching from one to the other), this quote is taken from Dr. Lippman’s article at: Thyroid and adrenals.
“A typical dose—25 micrograms of Cytomel® (T3 or triiodothyronine) or 100 micrograms of Synthroid® (T4)—is approximately equivalent to one grain of natural, dried thyroid. For example, a patient on Synthroid® should weekly reduce his or her dose by one-fourth while simultaneously increasing the natural thyroid dose by one-fourth. Thus, after one month, the person will have gradually converted to the completely natural regimen.”
You may also find Dr. Wilkinson’s thyroid article interesting: Thyroid An Important Yet Underutilized Antiaging Hormone.
Note: 1 grain of natural thyroid is equivalent to 60 mg.
Back to your current dosage – Eutroxsig® is comprised of levothyroxine (T4) therefore according to Dr. Lippman’s formula the average patient would equivocate 175 mcg of T4 into 1.75 grains of natural thyroid which is a dose equivalent to 105 mg.
Individual natural thyroid tablets come in sizes of 15, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 125 mg. Therefore, your end-dose is best taken as a 90 mg and a 15 mg tablet. ARMOUR® thyroid supplement is available in both sizes. Of course, you may need to use different tablet dose combinations in the early weeks if you and your doctor follow Dr. Lippman’s switch over information (as above).
There is no standardized equivalent about transferring from a synthetic thyroid to a natural one; much depends on the blood work and how you feel. This makes this a difficult question to answer, at least to be precise.
One of the issues that can cause complication is that Synthetic Thyroids such as Synthroid® only contain T4, this has to be converted inside the body into T3 the active form of thyroid; however, for some patients this process is sometimes poor and therefore leads to lower than required T3 levels. However, a natural thyroid supplement such as Armour® contains all 4 thyroid hormones (T1, T2, T3 and T4) which means that the body doesn’t need to ‘struggle’ to convert into T3 etc. This is one of the reasons why Armour® and other natural Thyroid supplements are considered by many to be superior products.
In terms of switching from a synthetic to a natural thyroid supplement, first you will need to ascertain your current thyroid level. There are a couple of ways to do this (a blood test being the most ideal). However, if this is not possible, then recording your temperature upon rising from bed over a couple of weeks is a good place to start. This should be in the range of 97.8 to 98.2 degrees Fahrenheit; if it is regularly less than that it could be that a little more thyroid is required, if more than that then perhaps less thyroid is required.
Dr. Thierry Hertogue recommends that the synthetic thyroid is (ideally) reduced by a quarter each week and that the natural thyroid is introduced by a quarter dose each week, therefore within a month the thyroid supplements are switched. However, as Dr. Ward Dean says, “don’t treat the blood, treat the patient” so sometimes a little more thyroid can overcome low energy, poor temperature control, poor sleep etc and this process can take place over a shorter timeframe. However, you should ensure that your resting pulse rate does not rise above 65-75 beats per minute.
Dosing regime to switch from synthetic to natural
A typical regime would be:
This regime is of course dependent upon body temperature, blood tests and the health of the patient. It may be that your final natural thyroid dose will be slightly lower or higher than 60mg – but that is the typical average dose for a patient.
Most products are fat soluble and therefore best taken with food, this is also likely to be the case with the Armour® thyroid.
Marios Kyriazis M.D. wrote a piece about why differing / uneven supplementation (for all supplements – not just thyroid) may be beneficial and gave a strong scientific argument with references in the Journal of Antiaging Medicine which is now called Rejuvenation Research although there isn’t a definitive clinical proof for it. *Reprints can be ordered here. Please note that abstracts are not available free of charge.
With this in mind, it is believed to be generally good practice with most types of medications, particularly hormones, to give occasion breaks or alterations to the patterns and dosages etc. Thyroid hormone is particularly prone to potential ‘down regulation.’ In other words, over doing the supplementation can cause permanent lack of production of natural thyroid.
However, this is rare when it comes to a natural thyroid such as Armour® as it contains all the thyroid hormones.
There is no exact science in transferring from a synthetic thyroid to a natural one; much depends on the blood work and how you feel. Please see our answers to similar questions above.
Dr. Thierry Hertogue recommends that the synthetic thyroid is (ideally) reduced by a quarter each week and that the natural thyroid is introduced by a quarter dose each week, therefore within a month the drugs are switched.
This regime is of course dependent upon body temperature, blood tests and the health of the patient. It may be that your final natural thyroid dose will be slightly lower or higher than 60mg- but that is the typical average dose for a patient.
Armour® is best taken in the morning; some believe that chewing the tablet carefully is the best way to take it.
There are no known complications taking it with other vitamins/ nutrition.
It is a difficult question to answer, at least to be precise because there is no standardized equivalent. One of the issues that causes the complication is that Synthroid® ‘only’ contains T4, this must be converted inside the body into T3 the active form of thyroid, however for some patients this process is sometimes poor and therefore leads to lower than required T3 levels. However as Armour® contains all 4 thyroid hormones (T1, T2, T3 and T4), it means that the body doesn’t need to ‘struggle’ to convert into T3 etc. And it is one of the reasons why Armour® is considered by many to be a superior product.
We would recommend monitoring the situation as you do now, with blood work to maintain the levels you require. However, some good physiological actions to monitor were recommended by Ward Dean, M.D. (and can be seen on the IAS website under articles) and are quoted as follows:
“In the 1940s, Dr. Barnes realized that the blood tests were usually inaccurate. Consequently, he developed a simple test to confirm suspected low thyroid function using an ordinary thermometer. He found that normal underarm or oral temperatures immediately upon awakening in the morning (while still in bed) are in the range of 97.8 to 98.2 degrees Fahrenheit. He believed that a temperature below 97.8 indicated hypothyroidism; and one above 98.2, hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid). Dr. Barnes recommended that the underarm temperature taken immediately upon awakening be used to diagnose hypothyroidism. Unfortunately, even today’s highly sophisticated tests are no more accurate than the tests used in Dr. Barnes’ era. Therefore, I instruct my patients to take their temperature orally (as opposed to underarm) immediately upon awakening in the morning as a guide to diagnosis and treatment of hypothyroidism. At the same time I have my patients check their resting pulse rate which should be between 65 and 75.
If a patient exhibits hypothyroidism symptoms and his temperature is below 97.8 Fahrenheit, I prescribe one grain (60 mg) of Armour Desiccated Thyroid daily. If no improvement is noted in two or three weeks, I instruct him to increase the dose by another grain. At each step, we monitor morning temperature and heart rate. If the suspected hypothyroid symptoms are still present and the temperature is still sub-normal, it is safe to continue to increase the dosage provided that the patient’s heart rate goes no higher than the mid-70s, and no symptoms of hyperthyroidism are evident, (agitation, anxiety, poor sleep, tremor of hand, palpitations).
Treatment of subclinical hypothyroidism with thyroid hormone is very safe. There is little risk of excessive thyroid dosage if: (1) the patient feels well; (2) the temperature remains below 98.2; (3) the pulse is less than 75 beats per minute; and (4) the thyroid function tests remain normal. (Note that most hypothyroid patients feel best with sub-normal TSH levels).
Considering that your current Synthroid® medication is low-mid range in its dose, you may want to start as Dr. Dean suggests at 1-grain (60mg) of Armour® and monitor the situation to see if more is required. Please note that Armour® is now also available in 90mg tablets, which means there is now a step between 1 and 2 grains (which probably wasn’t around when Dr. Dean wrote said article).
We see no harm in taking both Armour® and vitamins together at more or less the same time. One tip is that chewing the Armour® tablet carefully helps to get some it of sublingually, therefore faster into the bloodstream.
There are no specific instructions from the manufacturer, but most products are fat soluble and therefore best taken with food, this is also likely to be the case with the Armour® thyroid. A heavy protein meal may be best avoided.
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