Scientific research analysis
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The foundations of synthetic T3-T4 therapy in the 1990s
A trend in thyroid therapy, sparked by a 1995 rat study, attempted to mimic a narrowly estimated T3:T4 ratio secreted by human thyroid glands. This trend was based on a theory of pharmaceutical mimicry of “the” thyroid gland. Its proponents chose to represent every human being’s thyroid gland by the narrow statistical average secretion ratio…
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Meet a person with the perfect T3:T4 thyroid secretion ratio
I would like to introduce you to Subject #7, the only person in Pilo’s 1990 study who had a thyroid secretion ratio of 14.5 parts T4 to 1 part T3, which was closest to the statistical average of 15.87 to 1. Why is this individual so important to the history of thyroid science and modern…
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Japanese thyroid scientists examine symptoms in relation to FT3 and TSH
I would like to applaud a 2019 article by Mitsuru Ito and colleagues from the Center for Excellence in Thyroid Care at Kuma Hospital, Kobe, Japan. Dear researchers, your article, “Thyroid function related symptoms during monotherapy in athyreotic patients” showcased research on Free T3 levels and symptoms that is potentially meaningful to the life and…
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New clinical trial of Armour Thyroid is recruiting U.S. patients
A clinical trial comparing Armour Thyroid (NDT) and Levothyroxine (LT4) is now recruiting patients in the United States. The sponsor of the study is Allergan, the makers of Armour Thyroid in the United States. They hope to recruit 220 patients at multiple locations listed on the clinical trial website. In this post, I provide what…
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Relational Stability, part 4: The new thyroid paradigm
This final section of my paraphrase of Hoermann et al’s landmark 2016 article articulates the shift from the limited, older TSH-T4 paradigm to the new paradigm that includes T3 hormone. Interrelational Measures and Emerging New Concepts of Thyroid Homeostasis [Paraphrase begins] TSH can play a useful role in screening patients who do not have any…