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Nowadays, a great number of people are wondering if they have an underperforming thyroid gland.
They may suffer from fatigue, hair loss, weight gain, feeling cold, dry skin, mental fogginess, menstrual dysfunction, depression, or other symptoms.
So they go to their doctor and get a thyroid test, and are told it’s “normal”, and that “it’s not your thyroid. Here, take this antidepressant.”
But it turns out that there is a normal level, and an “optimal” level. And when optimal levels are achieved, patients often feel a positive difference.
There’s a book called, “What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Hypothyroidism” by an endocrinologist, Ken Blanchard, MD.
It’s a good book to read if you’re having thyroid issues, and I subscribe to it’s philosophy of trying to achieve a 98:2 ratio of T4:T3.
Also, many endocrinologists do not like to prescribe Armour Thyroid because they don’t have faith in the consistency of the product.
But I use Armour and generic thyroid extract quite regularly and have not seen a problem. In truth, some patients seem to do better on
just L-thyroxine (T4), and others on a T4/T3 mix like Armour or Thyrolar. I have put some patients on BOTH L-thyroxine AND a little
Armour in order to try and achieve the 98:2 ratio. My philosophy is to use whatever works the best for each individual patient.
I also like to use nutraceuticals to support the thyroid function as well as the conversion of T4 into T3, which is mostly an intracellular process.
Using supplements can obviate the need for actual thyroid hormone supplementation.
Some people subscribe to checking axillary temperatures in the mornings with a glass thermometer for ten minutes before arising and
seeing if their temps are < 97.4. Low body temperature may or may not be a sign of low thyroid function. Low adrenal function is also a
possibility as well as other causes.
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