It is true that most doctors do not prescribe Armour Thyroid or other Natural Desiccated Products (NDPs). There are a few reasons for it, which I will try to explain.
But first, let’s do some definitions. NDP is a dried-up thyroid gland of a pig, from which tablets of different strengths are made. NDP is natural, real, and contains real T4 and T3 plus various precursors, vitamins and minerals which are normally present in the thyroid gland.
Synthetic thyroid, aka Synthroid, is made in a lab from T4. One component (hydrogen) is removed, and another component (sodium) is added. The result is an unnatural substance that does not exist in nature. It cannot be called T4 anymore, so they call it Synthroid or levothyroxine sodium. It looks like synthetic T4, which still needs to be converted to T3 to become active. It has no minerals or vitamins, it contains nothing except synthetic T4.
As future doctors go through medical school and residency, they only hear about Synthroid. Armour Thyroid is never even mentioned. The result is that by the time they finish residency, doctors become pretty proficient in the use of Synthroid, but most of them have never even heard about Armour Thyroid.
So, one of the main reasons why doctors don’t use Armour is because they simply do not know that it exists.
Those who know about Armour usually hear something negative. According to conventional medicine, only Synthroid is a good medication for hypothyroidism, while Armour is bad. I’ll mentioned a few negative myths about Armour, but there is another big reason why doctors don’t prescribe Armour.
Only a small minority of doctors is truly familiar with the use of Armour. Even Synthroid requires thorough familiarity, but especially Armour, because it provides not one but 2 hormones, T4 and T3. It requires special handling and expertise. Most doctors do not have it, so they feel uncomfortable prescribing something with which they are not familiar.
Here are a few things that conventional medicine says about Armour.
1. Armour is old and outdated.
The truth is that doctors have been using Armour since 1800s. It was effective then and it is effective now. It is still widely prescribed, especially for people who do not benefit from Synthroid, which is about 20-30%.
2. Because it’s natural, Armour is not regulated by FDA.
Both Armour and Synthroid are prescription medications. They are regulated by the FDA and both are subject to the same pharmaceutical controls and standards.
3. Because Armour is made from animals, the dose it provides is inconsistent from batch to batch.
Just the opposite. Because Armour is regulated by FDA, I grain of Armour Thyroid provides 38 mcg of T4 and 9 mcg of T3, a 4:1 ration just like in a human thyroid gland.
4. There is no evidence supporting the use of Armour.
As I mentioned, Armour has been used by doctors since 1800s with great results. This is pretty strong evidence. There are medical studies showing that using a combination of T4 and T3 (like in Armour) instead of only T4 (Synthroid) produce better results.
5. Armour Thyroid is not a real drug, it is pig’s thyroid, it’s not doing anything and is just a placebo.
This is the silliest statement of all. Armour has a 200 year record of being successful, more so than Synthroid. It is certainly not a placebo, it has real hormones T3 and T4 in 4:1 proportion just like in the human thyroid.
6. T3 in Armour is dangerous and causes heart problems.
The fact is that the thyroid gland produces both T4 and T3. T3 is more potent and more active hormone, which is why the body doesn’t need much of it. When it does, it turns some T4 into T3. Taking too much Armour or Synthroid can cause the heart to beat rapidly. This is not because of T3, it’s because there is too much of it. This can happen when taking too much Armour or too much Synthroid.
7. Synthroid is always enough to supply all the thyroid the body needs.
This is incorrect. Some patients have difficulty converting T4 (inactive hormone) into T3 (active hormone). Some patients lack the nutrients necessary to activate the enzymes, some have genetic issues, some have other concerns, like chronic illness that impairs conversion. So, they can have normal T4 but low T3. That’s why Synthroid works only in 7-8 people out of 10.
8. There is never a reason to switch from Synthroid to Armour.
This sounds almost like the previous argument (#7). Of course, there is a reason to switch to Armour if Synthroid does not work. And, as we know, it does not work in 20-30% of people.
9. Patients want Armour because it’s “natural”. It’s just a placebo, not a real medicine.
Well, you already know the answer to that. Of course it’s real medicine, it has been used as medicine for hundreds of years. It is monitored as medicine by FDA. And it works better than Synthroid in most patients with low thyroid.