I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in 2001, although I probably had it way before then. Since it finally explained why I was tired all the time, just wanted to go to bed when I came home from work, and had very little enthusiasm for anything. Even though I ate healthy food and avoided high fat and sugars in my diet, I was always struggling with my weight. I literally would starve myself, or go on juice fasts and still could not lose any weight.

Finally, I went to the doctor and he couldn’t figure it out either. He did a blood test and everything looked ‘normal’, except I had high cholesterol, and low iron in my blood. Maybe I had the wrong doctor (I did switch doctors several times during the next few years), but he didn’t test my TSH blood levels, the thyroid hormones. When I asked him if he tested, he said no, and immediately had me re-test. Well, the numbers came back SO high, like in the 200’s (3-5 is considered normal) he had me re-test again! The numbers did not change. He was amazed that I hadn’t yet ended up in the emergency room. But I was very close. It’s actually amazing that I was able to work full time and not fall asleep at my desk!

He prescribed the usual Levothyroxine, Levoxyl, or Synthroid hormone drugs. I didn’t want to take them. My research revealed that once I start, I would be on this prescription for the rest of my life.

So I tried some alternative natural hormone pills from the health food store. No change in my blood levels, or my energy level either, for that matter. I was frustrated! Here I’ve been an advocate for natural health and wellness, anti-prescription and “anti-establishment doctors” all my life, and now I had no choice but to cave into it. My life literally depended on it! What an ironic situation! I started taking Levothyroxine, and at my own request, later added Cytomel. Cytomel provides the T3 that is missing from Levoxyl, Synthroid, etc. Some patients’ thyroid do not produce either T4 or T3. Yet the doctors generally just prescribe the pill for T4. Go figure….

Now this involved two separate prescriptions; I had to take Cytomel in the morning and again at noon because it is short-lived in the system. What a pain, let alone, what an expense! But I was getting better.

So I purchased an excellent book that really opened up my eyes to this thyroid disease issue. It’s called Thyroid Power by Dr. Richard Shames and his wife, Karilee Shames. In their book they offered many recommendations on how to deal with hypothyroidism, and what the mainstream doctors won’t tell you. I learned that I would be better off taking Armour Thyroid, even though most doctors will not prescribe it because they (the doctors) say that the dosage cannot be consistent since it is a natural preparation derived from porcine [pork] thyroid glands. Well, it’s true, it is almost impossible to find a doctor willing to prescribe Armour, or Thyrolar, another natural thyroid medicine derived from porcine glands. Why? Mainly because they’ve been brainwashed to believe that Armour doesn’t work. Hogwash!

I also read Mary Shoman’s book: Living Well with Hypothyroidism.

Below is a clip from her article at: http://thyroid.about.com/cs/thyroiddrugs/a/armour.htm

Alternatives to Synthroid and the Other T4-Only Drugs

Some thyroid patients in the U.S. who do not take levothyroxine sodium (the generic name for Synthroid, Levothroid, Levoxyl, Euthyrox) are instead prescribed either Armour Thyroid or Thyrolar, two drugs produced by the same manufacturer, Forest Pharmaceuticals.

What is the difference between Armour, Thyrolar and the levothyroxine sodium drugs? Primarily, Armour and Thyrolar are drugs that provide BOTH T4 and T3 thyroid hormones, instead of just providing T4, as levothyroxine sodium drugs like Synthroid do.

Current endocrinology practice believes that T4-only drugs are the ONLY appropriate thyroid hormone replacement drugs. The prevailing opinion is that everyone converts all the T4 needed into T3 automatically, and that drugs such as Armour and Thyrolar are outdated and old-fashioned at best. Some doctors are even vehement about this, and swear that Armour has consistency problems or is dangerous, despite the fact that is was the primary thyroid replacement hormone drug for years, until Synthroid came on the market. Also, in terms of consistency problems, the levothyroxine sodium drugs have recently come under heavy FDA fire for problems with stability and potency. (See my article “Synthroid and other Levothyroxine Drugs Have Significant Stability and Potency Problems,” located at http://thyroid.about.com/library/weekly/aa090197.htm.)

Generally, most people do fine on levothyroxine sodium T4-only drugs. But some people do not. These people may be candidates for Armour or Thyrolar.Armour was the first thyroid medicine developed and was successfully prescribed to patients back in the 1940’s, before the pharmaceutical companies developed the chemical alternative and wanted to make money from it. Hmmm, you think the pharmaceutical companies and the doctors are in it together? Yeah, they’re in it for money, what else? They don’t care about the patients. Okay, enough ranting on that topic.

The other good thing about Armour and Thyrolar is that they both naturally contain T3, which eliminates the need for taking two separate pills. Since I was benefiting from the addition of Cytomel, it was obvious that my body was not producing both types of hormones, T3 as well as T4. So I was able to find a doctor that would prescribe Armour, (only at my own peril, he said!) and slowly, my numbers started to come down, my energy level increased, my weight began to drop, my hair stopped falling out, my skin rashes disappeared, my mood swings stopped, (no, I did NOT have PMS!), and so many other aspects of my life began to improve. But, none the less, I am still on this prescription for the rest of my life. I found out later that my grandmother, who lived to be 94, was also on thyroid medicine. So it could be hereditary. But I also believe that there are environmental factors that contribute to thyroid disease. Like flouride. It’s in our toothpaste, our water, food, everywhere. See my review on ToothSoap.

So if you are tired all the time, or feeling fatigued and possibly depressed, cry easily, your hair is falling out, can’t lose weight no matter how hard you try, etc., check with your doctor. A simple blood test will reveal everything.

Once I got my thyroid levels back to normal, my anemia (low blood iron levels), and high cholesterol numbers were all back to normal. Low thyroid hormone levels in the blood can also cause other health symptoms. You don’t want to be diagnosed and treated for a specific health symptom with a prescription when it could actually be caused by something else, like your thyroid.

The following is from: What is hypothyroidism?

Hypothyroidism refers to any state in which thyroid hormone production is below normal. There are many disorders that result in hypothyroidism. These disorders may directly or indirectly involve the thyroid gland. Because thyroid hormone affects growth, development, and many cellular processes, inadequate thyroid hormone has widespread consequences for the body.

This article will focus specifically on hypothyroidism in adults.

What are thyroid hormones?

Thyroid hormones are produced by the thyroid gland. This gland is located in the lower part of the neck, below the Adam’s apple. The gland wraps around the windpipe (trachea) and has a shape that is similar to a butterfly - formed by two wings (lobes) and attached by a middle part (isthmus).
The thyroid gland uses iodine (mostly available from the diet in foods such as seafood, bread, and salt) to produce thyroid hormones. The two most important thyroid hormones are thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), which account for 99.9% and 0.1% of thyroid hormones present in the blood respectively. However, the hormone with the most biological activity is T3. Once released from the thyroid gland into the blood, a large amount of T4 is converted into T3 - the active hormone that affects the metabolism of cells.

So there you have it my friend, please get yourself checked out if you experience any of the above mentioned symptoms. Also, lately, more men are being diagnosed with hypothyroidism as well as women.