Why Thyroid Extract or T4/T3 combos are old Bad News for Modern Therapy

A Thyroid History Lesson

1779 The first use of the term hypothyroidism by William Coxe.

1871 Sir William Gull at Guy's hospital described an adult with a condition similar to childhood cretins.

1877 W.M. Ord named the adult disease Myxedema.

1879 Charcot, a Fench physician, called it "cachexie pachydermique"

1882-1883 Reverdin, and Kocher made the connection between the clinical syndrome and absence of the thyroid gland.

1883 Sir Felix Semon presented the view that cretinism, myxedema, and surgical removal were all due to a deficiency of the thyroid gland function.

Did you know that prior to 1883, the thyroid was felt to have no function. The doctors felt it could be removed without harm to the patient!

Emil Kocher, famed Swiss Surgeon, removed the whole thyroid in 24 subjects. The results were unfavorable in 16. They all developed loss of energy, weakness, swelling of the face, and legs, followed by the swelling of the whole body! Mental processes slowed dramatically. It was finally noticed that total removal of the thyroid caused a disease similar to cretinism, a childhood form of hypothyroidism.

The Precursor to Thyroid Extract in 1895

Marnus-Levey introduced experimental method to the study of thyroid gland dysfunction in 1895. He fed dried animal thyroid glands, the precursor to the alternative medicine doctor's beloved Armour, to normal men. He described the hyperthyroid state that occurred long before the actual cause (T4, and T3 hormones in the animal thyroid glands) was known. "There was a marked rise in metabolism." This is what can happen today when people take animal thyroid because, they are told it is "natural". This was one observation that confirmed thyroid caused increased basal metabolism.

The powerful substance causing this increased metabolism was first thought to be iodine, because iodine had benificial effects on cretins.

1891, Murray cured myxedema in one case with animal thyroid extract. He fed boiled sheep thyroid glands to myxedema patients and cured them! That is called thyroid feeding, English style. The ancient Chinese used sheep thyroid glands to treat cretins. Wok stir fried sheep thyroid glands served with chop sticks!

The pure substance isolated from the thyroid gland by 1930 was called T4 or thyroxine by Dr.Kendall. Iodine in 4 positions on the molecule was 64% of T4's weight. By 1946 T4 was made synthetically.

1892 was the year thyroid gland preparations were proven to treat thyroid gland failure. You see why animal product thyroid preparations are now a museum quality item, rather than for present treatment. Then, there was no pure hormone therapy with T4, thyroxine.

Effective therapy for hypothyroidism was known by the end of the 19th century. However, the clinical entity of overproduction of thyroid hormones, hyperthyroidism, would not by accepted as a disease until well into the 20th century.

T3 was discovered in 1954 by Pitt-Rivers. It was more potent than T4 and studies in the 1970's by Braverman, and Chopra showed it was mainly produced by conversion in the tissues, and only a small amount was produced by the thyroid gland. These researchers, and others have been looking for patients who can not convert T4 to T3 as a chronic disease entity. Except for transient changes with fasting and intercurrent illness, there was been no disease talked about under the name Wilson's syndrome. This is pseudo-science and does not exist, or is it backed by scientific research. T4 is all you need at this time.

Thyroid extract was the standard of therapy until it was noted to cause many symptoms secondary to excess thyroid hormones T4, and T3 in the animal extract. There followed a rapid decline in it's use, replaced by T4. Extract is now the darling of the alternative medicine set. It still has all the old problems, and none of the benefits.

Stick with T4 for your therapy, and do not use a modern form of ancient Chinese stir fried thyroid glands or even worse, English boiled thyroid glands.