# raw thyroid



## cat76 (Mar 29, 2011)

A few weeks ago, I started taking raw thyroid (porcine) and the results have been amazing! I have been doing pretty well on L-Thyroxine (compared to many others with thyroid disease, that is) but I have never been able to lose the brain fog and the mental sluggishness. Those symptoms disappeared the first day I was on raw thyroid and I feel better than I have in years.

My question: I thought that, once on raw thyriod, I would have to cut back on the L-Thyroxine (I have been taking 200 micrograms/day for years) but, as soon as I do, some symptoms of hypothyroidism return within a couple of days (even with raw thyroid). So it seems that I need both a lot of T4 AND raw thyroid to supplement it. The product I am using reportedly contains 130 mg of raw thyroid. I assumed it would be more or less the same as 2 grains of Armour, but when I was on Armour years ago, 2 grains made me seriously hyperthyroid and I had to go off the T4 meds completely (and eventually stop taking Armour and go back to T4 meds as it seemed that T4 meds only were better for me. However, that was 7 or 8 years ago and, since I have Hashimoto's disease, it is possible that back then my thyroid gland produced more hormones, including T3, than it does today, so I have no idea how I would react to Armour today). I react quite differently to raw thyroid (it makes me feel great but I still need the same dosage of T4 meds), so I was wondering if anyone here has tried raw thyroid and experienced the same thing (or different things, I am very interested in your opinion on raw thyroid).


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

cat76 said:


> A few weeks ago, I started taking raw thyroid (porcine) and the results have been amazing! I have been doing pretty well on L-Thyroxine (compared to many others with thyroid disease, that is) but I have never been able to lose the brain fog and the mental sluggishness. Those symptoms disappeared the first day I was on raw thyroid and I feel better than I have in years.
> 
> My question: I thought that, once on raw thyriod, I would have to cut back on the L-Thyroxine (I have been taking 200 micrograms/day for years) but, as soon as I do, some symptoms of hypothyroidism return within a couple of days (even with raw thyroid). So it seems that I need both a lot of T4 AND raw thyroid to supplement it. The product I am using reportedly contains 130 mg of raw thyroid. I assumed it would be more or less the same as 2 grains of Armour, but when I was on Armour years ago, 2 grains made me seriously hyperthyroid and I had to go off the T4 meds completely (and eventually stop taking Armour and go back to T4 meds as it seemed that T4 meds only were better for me. However, that was 7 or 8 years ago and, since I have Hashimoto's disease, it is possible that back then my thyroid gland produced more hormones, including T3, than it does today, so I have no idea how I would react to Armour today). I react quite differently to raw thyroid (it makes me feel great but I still need the same dosage of T4 meds), so I was wondering if anyone here has tried raw thyroid and experienced the same thing (or different things, I am very interested in your opinion on raw thyroid).


Well, they used to do that back in the old days because that was the only thing folks could at that time.

My question is, is this really raw as in dripping blood or is it dessicated?

Were you taking T4 plus Armour? That is not something I would recommend.

Most interesting.


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## lainey (Aug 26, 2010)

Are you doing this under the direction of a physician?

Is this a prescription product or something you purchased from the internet?

If not, do you really think it is wise to do such a thing--can your verify the purity and contents of what you are taking?

It is always unwise to medicate yourself, or to make medication decisions without lab work to support them. As far as I am concerned, you are playing with fire here as you tell it.


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## cat76 (Mar 29, 2011)

This is the product I am taking. I am not taking it under the direction of any physician since my current doctor is opposed to anything but T4 drugs:

http://www.the-natural-choice.co.uk/Porcine-Thyroid-Concentrate-Capsules.html

Interestingly enough, the name of the product has changed from last time I ordered; from "raw thyroid" to "thyroid concentrate".

Yes, I used to be on Armour + T4 since on Armour alone my T4 levels dropped below normal whereas my free T3 levels were too high. So my Armour was decreased from 3 grains to 2 grains and some T4 added to that. However, I stayed in the hyperthyroid range so my doctor at the time slowly took me off the Armour and replaced it with T4 only meds.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

cat76 said:


> This is the product I am taking. I am not taking it under the direction of any physician since my current doctor is opposed to anything but T4 drugs:
> 
> http://www.the-natural-choice.co.uk/Porcine-Thyroid-Concentrate-Capsules.html
> 
> ...


When taking any form of T3, the T4 is naturally lower in the range and that is the way it is supposed be as your T3 is your active hormone.

This is most interesting and thank you for sharing the link so we could read about the product. It "is" freeze dried.

Well, tell me......................how are you feeling on this product? When you go to get your labs so you can get your T4 Rx, do you think the doctor will wonder about your numbers?

Just be careful. Can't blame a person for trying. Desperation to function well can be overwhelming and when you cannot find a doc who "gets it"; well....................it's a downright disaster.

Keep us in the loop. And I pray all is well with you on this regimen.


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## cat76 (Mar 29, 2011)

Andros,

I feel great on this product but I have not been tested since I started taking it. Probably my free T3 will be higher and my TSH suppressed, and I don't know how my doc is going to react.

I first bought raw thyroid when I was in the US last year. It is sold there OTC, and I bought mine in a store called Vitamine Shoppe (I think it's spelled that way). They don't just sell raw thyroid, but also raw adrenal, raw spleen, raw pituary...you name it, they have it!

In Europe (where I live) we have to order things like these on the Internet because we don't have stores where you can buy them OTC. So that's what I am doing. But the way I'm thinking is that since those products are sold OTC in the US (whereas Armour is not), this must mean that they are considered safe by the American authorities...and that is good enough for me.

I might also add that I recently read two books by Dr. Richard Shames and his wife Karilee, and they recommend raw thyroid sold OTC for thyroid patients. If they (a doctor and his wife, an RN) recommend this kind of product to readers, I cannot imagine that there could be any serious risk involved...


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

cat76 said:


> Andros,
> 
> I feel great on this product but I have not been tested since I started taking it. Probably my free T3 will be higher and my TSH suppressed, and I don't know how my doc is going to react.
> 
> ...


To be honest w/you; if you need T3, it is just as risky to NOT have it. I do try to think outside the box on such matters.

And for that reason, I would love you to report in here so I (and others) can learn.

Just be careful, okay?


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## HeidiBR (Apr 4, 2010)

Just to clarify, Dr. Shames does not recommend raw thyroid for thyroid patients; he recommends the raw thyroid supplement for those who are feeling sluggish and who MIGHT have a thyroid issue and haven't been diagnosed as such. He is not making this recommendation for a true, diagnosed thyroid issue that is being treated with prescription medication. In that situation, he recommends Armour.


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## cat76 (Mar 29, 2011)

Heidi,

On page 123 in "Feeling Fat, Fuzzy or Frazzled?" Dr. Shames and his wife write:

"take two tablets daily of an over-the-counter thyroid glandular, regardless of whether or not you are on prescription thyroid medicine".

And no, IMO, Dr. Shames does not recommend Armour for everyone. He writes among other things that some people do better on synthetic T4, some do better on synthetic T4+T3 and some need Armour (possibly combined with T4) to achieve optimal results. So he recommends that you first try one drug, and if it doesn't work, you should try something else until you find your own unique optimized treatment.

I find Dr. Shames to be very open-minded and his books (the above-mentioned one as well as "Thyroid power") have been great sources of inspiration for me in my fight against hypothyroidism.


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## HeidiBR (Apr 4, 2010)

Yes, I see that in the book. Which contradicts what he says earlier in the chapter about raw thyroid.

I really liked "Feelin Fat, Fuzzy of Frazzled" so much so that I pre-ordered his new book and received it about a month ago. What a crock - a huge infomercial for his supplements (no surprise -he sells raw thyroid) his phone consulting services and his daughter's acupuncture services. I very disappointed - shame on Shames.

Once a doctor starts selling supplements and the like, for me his credibility decreases.

I think of raw thyroid this way; either you get a batch with some T3 in it so you feel good, or you get a batch with nothing and its a waste of money. It sounds to me like you need some synthetic T3; the increasing T4 hasn't worked, and the Armour probably had too much T3 in it for you and hence your hyper symptoms. I would not screw around with raw thyroid - it is not regulated and you have no idea what if any dose you are getting. Too much and you could be tipped hyper. Why not ask your doctor for a small dose of synthetic T3? That way you can be regulated. T3 turned my world around, in a very good way.


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