27: The History of Thyroid Treatment and The Benefits of Compounded Medications

In this historically important episode, Dr. Izabella Wentz interviews Carter Black, R.Ph., a compounding pharmacist and women's health consultant with over 40 years of experience. 

Mr. Black has extensive training through the Institute of Functional Medicine, Hashimoto’s Self Management Program, and the Hashimoto's Institute, and is a member of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists. He also has over 40 years of experience working with compounded medications and bioidentical hormones, and is Dr. Izabella Wentz's go-to resource for compounded medications and hormones. 

Together, they delve into the evolution of thyroid treatment, discussing the transition from natural desiccated thyroid to synthetic medications like Synthroid and levothyroxine. Mr. Black also dives into unique compounded medications that can help people with thyroid and autoimmune conditions.

• The history of thyroid treatment was impacted by pharmaceutical marketing. Natural desiccated thyroid was the standard until Synthroid's aggressive marketing campaigns shifted care to T4-only — regardless of patient outcomes.

• The TSH test revolutionized  —  and narrowed — thyroid care. Once TSH became the gold standard, doctors stopped treating symptoms and started chasing lab numbers, leaving many patients behind.

• Some patients simply don’t convert T4 to T3 — and suffer because of it. Carter explains why this population often feels unheard, and how adding T3 or switching to compounded thyroid meds can change everything.

• Endocrinologists’ fear of T3 is rooted in a dark history. In the ‘80s, weight loss clinics combined T3 with stimulants, leading to thyroid storms and hospitalizations — creating long-standing medical stigma.

• Women are underserved in medicine — especially in hormones and autoimmune treatment. Carter shares how his passion for women’s health grew out of loss, and why compounding may be the only way to truly personalize care.

I hope you will enjoy this podcast episode! It was originally recorded in 2017 as an interview that was featured in my popular documentary series, The Thyroid Secret. I’m releasing this never seen interview in its entirety in honor of World Thyroid Day, and also re-releasing the entire Thyroid Secret documentary series for free over May 23rd-26th. Please click here to sign up for the free, limited-time screening!  

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For the full list of resources and products mentioned in this episode, and to get the full episode transcript, see complete show notes here: https://thyroidpharmacist.com/articles/podcast/

What you’ll learn in this episode: