In this one-minute audio clip, Mark Starr, MD tells about a woman who had taken 4 grains (260 mg) of desiccated thyroid for more than 50 years. However, after he doctor died, a university endocrinologist cut her dose in half, down to 2 grains (130 mg) and told her how awful it was for her to take 4 grains. However, after doing this, she gained 30 lbs in 3 months, experienced extreme fatigue, had difficulty speaking and could not balance her checkbook.

All of her symptoms resolved once she resumed taking 4 grains.

This story is to point out that modern medicine has been led to believe that the higher doses of desiccated thyroid are dangerous, even though these are the dosages that were used for a long time by many of the great thyroid experts of all time—an average of 3.5 grains in a long-term study by Jacques Hertoghe, MD.

“[D]osages [ of desiccated thyroid ] I use are large enough to [ completely suppress ] [ TSH ] [Thyroid Stimulating Hormone],” Mark Starr, MD notes in this audio clip from a speech he gave at a 2007 Orthomolecular Conference.

”[P]atients still call every week [ because ] another doctor has scared them to death [because there TSH is suppressed.]

Hypothyroidism reduces the number and activity of mitochondria, the energy-producing cells, notes Mark Starr, MD, author of the wonderful book Hypothyroidism Type 2: The Epidemic.

Mitochondria make up one-third of the weight of the heart muscle, Dr. Starr notes in this short audio clip from a speech he gave in 2007 at an Orthomolecular Conference.

This appears to the connection as to how hypothyroidism can cause some forms of congestive heart failure where the heart muscle is too weak to pump enough blood to the rest of the body (cardiomyopathy). It’s an energy problem.

Dr. Starr’s book contains the wonderful “Before” and “After” pictures showing X-rays of enlarge hearts that shrink back to normal size after the patient is given natural desiccated thyroid.

A decrease in mitochondria also appears to be the connection of hypothyroidism to Alzheimer’s, which Dr. Starr noted in another audio clip. Again, it’s an energy problem.

At the time of his death at the age of 86, Mark Starr, MD’s father, who 6 years earlier, had had an enlarged heart due to congestive, had shrunk back to normal size and a coronary catheter showed he had minimal atherosclerosis after being placed on desiccated thyroid and testosterone at the age of 80-years-old notes Mark Starr, MD notes in this audio clip from a speech he gave at a 2007 Orthomolecular Conference.

Dr. Starr is the author of the wonderful book Hypothyroidism Type 2: The Epidemic.

Low thyroid function lowers body temperature, and low thyroid might also be a major contributor to Alzheimer’s Disease as noted in this audio clip of Mark Starr, MD at a 2007 Orthomolecular Conference.

Dr. Starr is the author of the wonderful book Hypothyroidism Type 2: The Epidemic.

Natural desiccated thyroid reduced heart attacks 18-fold, or by 94% in Broda Barnes MD PhD’s patients compared to the risk of heart attack in the famous Framingham study, Mark Starr, MD notes in this audio clip from a speech he gave at a 2007 Orthomolecular Conference.

Thyroid expert, Broda Barnes, MD, PhD found that heart attacks increased in Graz, Austria from one in 125 to one in 14 after antibiotics were introduced which prevented early deaths from tuberculosis, Mark Starr, MD notes in this audio clip.

After analyzing 70,000 autopsies, Barnes also noted that prior to 1945 when antibiotics were introduced, people dying of tuberculosis had advanced atherosclerosis in their coronary arteries. After the introduction of antibiotics which prevented these deaths, deaths from heart attacks increased nearly 9-fold, from one in 125 deaths, to one in 14 deaths.

Barnes also found that those dying of heart attacks, had evidence that they had had tuberculosis in their lungs.

He then realized that hypothyroidism was the cause of both conditions.

He also found that deaths from various cancers and emphysema increased 3-fold or more, suggesting to Barnes that hypothyroidism increases the risk of cancer and emphysema, and that treated people with desiccated thyroid might reduce the risk.

(In a speech Barnes gave, he noted that cancer deaths in his patients treated with desiccated thyroid were about half the national average in the U.S.)

Here is a short audio clip of Dr. Starr talking about this in a speech he gave at a 2007 Orthomolecular Conference.

“The average dose [of natural desiccated thyroid] was 200 mg… [ to ] 233 mg… [ 3 to 3.5 grains ],” says Mark Starr, MD.

Here is a short audio clip of Dr. Starr talking about this in a speech he gave at a 2007 Orthomolecular Conference.

The number of patients reporting constipation fell 40% when they were taking Synthroid (T4 thyroid hormone) to 14% when they were switched to natural desiccated thyroid notes Mark Starr, MD in his wonderful book Mark Starr, MD talks about this in his wonderful book, Hypothyroidism, Type 2: The Epidemic.

The number of patients reporting headaches fell 55% when they were taking Synthroid (T4 thyroid hormone) to 15% when they were switched to natural desiccated thyroid notes Mark Starr, MD in his wonderful book Mark Starr, MD talks about this in his wonderful book, Hypothyroidism, Type 2: The Epidemic.

The number of patients reporting muscle cramps fell 56% when they were taking Synthroid (T4 thyroid hormone) to 9% when they were switched to natural desiccated thyroid notes Mark Starr, MD in his wonderful book Mark Starr, MD talks about this in his wonderful book, Hypothyroidism, Type 2: The Epidemic.

The number of patients reporting depression fell 61% when they were taking Synthroid (T4 thyroid hormone) to 23% when they were switched to natural desiccated thyroid notes Mark Starr, MD in his wonderful book Mark Starr, MD talks about this in his wonderful book, Hypothyroidism, Type 2: The Epidemic.

The number of patients reporting joint or muscle paint (rheumatoid) fell 78% when they were taking Synthroid (T4 thyroid hormone) to 29% when they were switched to natural desiccated thyroid notes Mark Starr, MD in his wonderful book Mark Starr, MD talks about this in his wonderful book, Hypothyroidism, Type 2: The Epidemic.

The number of patients reporting Cold Intolerance fell 86% when they were taking Synthroid (T4 thyroid hormone) to 24% when they were switched to natural desiccated thyroid notes Mark Starr, MD in his wonderful book Mark Starr, MD talks about this in his wonderful book, Hypothyroidism, Type 2: The Epidemic.

The number of patients reporting fatigue fell 90% when they were taking Synthroid (T4 thyroid hormone) to 26% when they were switched to natural desiccated thyroid notes Mark Starr, MD in his wonderful book Mark Starr, MD talks about this in his wonderful book, Hypothyroidism, Type 2: The Epidemic.

Third generation clinical endocrinologist, Dr. Jacques Hertoghe found that symptoms of hypothyroidism—fatigue, depression, cold intolerance, constipation, headaches, muscle cramps, joint and muscle pain (rheumatoid), and slow achilles reflex—were dramatically reduced when patients were switched from Synthroid (T4 thyroid hormone) to Natural Desiccated Thyroid.

Switching patients from Synthroid (T4 thyroid hormone) to Natural Desiccated Thyroid reduced

from 40% of patients to 14% of patients.

Switching patients from Synthroid (T4) to Natural Desiccated Thyroid reduced

from 55% of patients to 15% of patients.

Switching patients from Synthroid (T4) to Natural Desiccated Thyroid reduced

from 56% of patients to 9% of patients.

Switching patients from Synthroid (T4) to Natural Desiccated Thyroid reduced

  from 61% of patients to 23% of patients.

Switching patients from Synthroid (T4) to Natural Desiccated Thyroid reduced

  from 70% of patients to 33% of patients.

Switching patients from Synthroid (T4) to Natural Desiccated Thyroid reduced

  from 78% of patients to 29% of patients.

Switching patients from Synthroid (T4) to Natural Desiccated Thyroid reduced

from 86% of patients to 24% of patients.

Switching patients from Synthroid (T4) to Natural Desiccated Thyroid reduced

from 90% of patients to 26% of patients.

“There is no scientific evidence to support the… claim that the TSH test detects hypothyroidism in the vast majority of patients,” notes Mark Starr, MD in his book Hypothyroidism Type 2: The Epidemic (p. 70).

“Despite normal levels of TSH and thyroid hormones in the bloodstream, patients with Type 2 hypothyroidism require additional thyroid hormones to overcome their defective cellular metabolism.”

– Mark Starr, MD, Hypothyroidism Type 2, p. 69

“Giving thyroid [hormones] to hypothyroid adults would drastically reduce many chronic illnesses, premature deaths, and suffering,” notes Mark Starr, MD in his book Hypothyroidism Type 2: The Epidemic.

“Administering thyroid hormones to our hypothyroid children will… impart a better chance for a healthy life,” notes Mark Starr, MD in his book Hypothyroidism Type 2: The Epidemic.

Giving thyroid hormones might possibly solve some infertility problems notes Mark Starr, MD in his book Hypothyroidism Type 2: The Epidemic.

Alzheimer’s may be associated with hypothyroidism according to Mark Starr, MD, author of the wonderful book Hypothyroidism Type 2: The Epidemic.

Thyroid hormones increase the size and number of mitochondria notes Mark Starr, MD in his book Hypothyroidism Type 2: The Epidemic.

Hypothyroidism is associated with mitochondrial diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

“In 1976… [Dr. Broda Barnes] estimated the incidence of hypothyroidism in America to be 40%,” Mark Starr, MD noted in his wonderful book Hypothyroidism Type 2: The Epidemic (p. 52).

“In my opinion, every diabetic patient seen in my practice has suffered hypothyroidism.” notes Mark Starr, MD in his wonderful book Hypothyroidism Type 2: The Epidemic.

People determined to have low thyroid function (hypothyroidism) who were given desiccated thyroid by Broda Barnes, MD, PhD and followed for years, had 94% fewer heart attacks—an 18-fold reduction—than predicted by the Framingham Study, Mark Starr, MD notes in his wonderful book Hypothyroidism Type 2: The Epidemic (p. 34).