Dr. Westin Childs Podcast: Thyroid | Weight Loss | Hormones

Millions of prescriptions of thyroid medication will be filled this year and the vast majority of them will be for levothyroxine. Of those millions, only about 10% or so will go to a class of thyroid medication called natural desiccated thyroid. Despite being only 10% of all prescriptions, thyroid patients have a clear preference for it. Not only does it help with weight loss, but it also can help better control thyroid symptoms based on surveys of thyroid patients. There’s only one problem: Doctors don’t like to prescribe it. Unfortunately, they are under the impression that NDT is an inferior medication to levothyroxine which is why today, I’m busting these NDT myths. Here they are, in no particular order: 1. Claim #1: Taking NDT Will Cause Bone Loss & Heart Problems Long-term studies show this isn’t true PROVIDED you are not taking more than you need. 2. Claim #2: Newer Synthetic Medications Are More Effective The idea here is that NDT may cause side effects because of its T3 content. This