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Thyro-Gold More Potent
than Expected
Dr. John C. Lowe
drlowe.com
ThyroidScience.com
Dear Friends,
It is unusual to report the outcome of a study before
the official journal paper is published. However, we
have information that we believe is extremely important
to those who use
Thyro-Gold or dispense it to their patients.
The information is that the product has a potency higher
than we expected. We initially heard this from people
who have used
Thyro-Gold, and now we have confirmed it in two
initial formal studies. The two studies will soon be
published, but we believe the information is important
enough to send out this letter beforehand.
To make sure that Thyro-Gold is of the
highest quality, the manufacturer obtained the raw
thyroid tissue from New Zealand. You may have noticed
that most companies that market dietary desiccated
thyroid products no longer report New Zealand as the
source of their raw material. From what I've learned by
being involved in all stages of making Thyro-Gold
available for customers, I've learned that most
companies have moved to countries other than New Zealand
for their raw material. The reason appears to be the
relatively high cost of obtaining New Zealand thyroid
tissue. Franconia Ltd, however, didn't let that be an
obstacle to including New Zealand bovine thyroid tissue
in Thyro-Gold.
Initial Studies of Thyro-Gold.
As soon as Thyro-Gold was available, we promptly began
the studies of the product that we had planned. This
initial research has involved a type of study called a
"dose-response curve" investigation.
The particular dose-response format we used involves
intensely studying one person whom we call a "study
subject." The subject serves as his or her own control.
In this type of study, championed by behavioral
scientists, the subject goes through several study
phases. In each of the phases, he or she takes a
different product and undergoes multiple comprehensive
metabolic evaluations during each phase. The point is to
statistically compare the effects of each product to the
others in their respective study phases.
All new drugs are supposed to be evaluated by
dose-response curve investigations. Of course, Thyro-Gold
is not a drug. It's a whole-gland dietary desiccated
thyroid product. Nonetheless, our research orientation
compelled us to subject the product to dose-response
testing.
Why We're Reporting the
Higher-than-Expected Potency Only Now. Some
people who are using Thyro-Gold told us they felt that
the product is stronger than other products, such as HSF.
Feedback was mixed, however. Must people felt Thyro-Gold
is stronger, but others didn't feel that way.
The only way to learn which people were right was to
complete controlled studies involving meaningful
measurements. We've now completed the initial two
studies, and the evidence is clear enough. As with most
studies, however, some interpretation is needed on some
points. This is the case in the second study we'll soon
publish. We're now about to start a different type of
investigation involving a group of subjects. This study
will take a few months to complete.
But for those who are interested, I want to briefly
explain what was involved in conducting the two studies
we're about to report in Thyroid Science. I have two
reasons for giving the explaination. First, I'd like for
those who use Thyro-Gold to appreciate that
single-subject studies are meaningful and have provided
us with important information about the product. And
second, by understanding the enormous time-investiment
involved, I hope they'll understand why it's taken until
now to confirmation for them that Thyro-Gold is more
potent that we had expected.
What was
Involved in Our Initial Studies.
Single-subject dose-response studies are demanding,
laborious, and time-consuming. First, we had to
repeatedly measure a study subject's basal metabolic
rate, armpit temperature, pulse rate, and blood
pressure. The term "basal" means that we took the
measurements with the subject in as close to a
vegetative state as possible. Otherwise, the
measurements wouldn't have been meaningful and reliable.
To get basal measurements, we had to take measurements
either in the middle of the subject's sleep time, or
immediately when he or she awoke and was in a groggy
state.
Shortly after the subject woke up and was out of bed, we
had to measure his or her body composition with a
research-quality bioelectrical impedance instrument.
Afterward, the subject fill out a series of evaluation
forms.
Collecting the data for the subject's daily evaluations,
however, was just the beginning of the work. We then had
to score the subject's evaluation forms, and tabulate
all the collected data in a spreadsheet program. After
all the data was collected and tabulated, we spent
days-on-end running various statistical analyses from
every possible mathematical direction. The reason for
the extensive data analyses was to learn everything we
could of what our study data potentially revealed to us.
Last, we're preparing the manuscripts for publications
that will report the two studies. Today, we're pushing
to get the first study report to press, and we hope it
will appear in Thyroid Science by the beginning of next
week. If you haven't signed up for a free subscription
to Thyroid Science, you can sign up with your email
address at the homepage (www.ThyroidScience.com). That
way, you'll receive email notices when the journal
publishes the studies.
Our ultimate aim from these initial studies is to learn
the dosage equivalence of Thyro-Gold to other products.
It is the equivalences that will enable clinicians and
their patients, and those who self-treat, to most
smoothly transition from product-to-product. And the
equivalences will enable those who understand them to
better select starting dosages.
Request for Feedback from
Customers. Aside from the studies I described
above, we've already learned a lot about Thyro-Gold from
many people who have used the product. They've kindly
given us feedback on their personal experiences with the
product.
We're asking for feedback from anyone who uses Thyro-Gold.
We welcome it whether it's positive or negative, and the
more detail the better. We're accumulating a data bank
of information based on the feedback, and as soon as
possible, we'll make the information readily available.
We'll be immensely grateful to you if you'll help by
giving us feedback on your experiences.
Finally, we sincerely hope the benefits you get from
Thyro-Gold are highly satisfying to you, and we hope the
product helps you recover and optimize your health.
Equally important, though, we hope you'll use the
product safely. All best wishes to you,
Yours sincerely,
Dr. John C. Lowe
Director of Research: Fibromyalgia
Research Foundation
www.FibromyalgiaResearch.org
Editor-in-Chief: Thyroid Science
www.ThyroidScience.com
(603) 391-6061, www.drlowe.com
drlowe@drlowe.com Tammy@drlowe.com
http://www.drlowe.com/jcl/biojcl.htm |
