With the recent March outbreak of swine flu in a few humans, I want to speak of facts. This would involve all of you who use desiccated porcine products, including Armour, Naturethroid, Westhroid, Thyroid-S, etc.
Recent cases: As of April 26th in the US, there are only 21 human cases of “swine flu” this year reported by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention): California 7 cases; Kansas 2 cases; New York City 9 cases; Ohio 1 case; and Texas 2 cases. There have also been outbreaks in Mexico which may be related. No one has died and none of the cases have been severe. The current outbreak is a combination of swine, bird, and human influenza viruses.
What is the Swine flu? Swine flu is a type A influenza and has been in existence with pigs for a long time. Many pigs will get sick when it does go around; very few will die.
Why are humans getting it? The real irony is that humans can be ones who give it to pigs in the first place! But in turn, new human infection from infected pigs is actually quite rare. In most all cases, a healthy human will get it from contact with a live pig, such as at a livestock show. Then, the infected human will spread it to other humans. So, when you see that “21” people have gotten it, some may have gotten it from “one” person – i.e. a human-to-human contact.
The CDC also states that in a particular study, 76% of swine exhibitors tested had antibody evidence of swine flu infection but no serious illnesses were detected among this group. In other words, the majority of those exposed don’t even get the illness. If they do, it’s mild for most and only serious for a very small minority.
How common is swine flu among pigs? Swine flu is common in groups of pigs all across the world, especially during the winter months. Anywhere from 25 – 50% show evidence of having been infected. But many pigs are vaccinated against it.
Can I get it from the use of Armour or other desiccated thyroid products? The standards in the making of desiccated thyroid powder as set by the U.S. Pharmacopoeia is extremely rigorous. So, it is important to understand that your chances of getting swine flu from taking a US Pharmacopoeia-approved product is remarkably low, low, low. You have a much greater chance of injury from riding in your car.
So, for me, with all the above facts, I’m going to take my Armour with ease and peace, because using desiccated thyroid to treat my hypothyroid is FAR FAR better than any other treatment. Perhaps you will decide to do the same. If you stay worried about it, you might also want to avoid using your car, stop using stairs, and avoid most people at all costs. 
P.S. Check out the comments to this post. Will also help put you at ease.
* Here’s John Lowe’s rebuttal to the scare of swine flu: http://www.thyroidscience.com/index.htm It confirms everything I’ve said plus a whole lot more. i.e. take your desiccated thyroid!
* Want to know what’s on my mind? Interested in the latest information on desiccated thyroid? Just use the Notifications on the left at the bottom of the links.
*If you find the website to be too enormous for your brain fog, or want better ease of getting the facts, the patient-to-patient STTM book is proving to be a good choice, say many who write me. Just make sure you have a yellow highlighter. haha
Louise said:
Apr 26, 09 at 6:42 pmThe pig thyroid glands are prepared for use as a pharmaceutical first by de-fatting them in an acetone bath. Acetone, an ingredient in nail polish remover and other stripping solvents, is a bactericide, fungicide, and virucide. There’s no way you can get swine flu from Armour or other products made from USP thyroid as the acetone will destroy the influenza virus. It evaporates quickly and and residue is cleaned so you don’t have to worry that there’s acetone in your Armour, either.
Those no-wash hand santitisers are no good against influenza — they are alcohol (ethanol) based and ethanol is a bactericide only, not a virucide.
Susan Harris said:
Apr 26, 09 at 8:44 pmLouise, what are you qualifications and how do you know this information?
Thanks.
Isabella Vegas said:
Apr 26, 09 at 10:39 pmThank you for the information. It helps answers questions personally, but most of all, for the people that surround us and are weary of us taking this medication at such a time.
Louise said:
Apr 26, 09 at 11:00 pmI should revise my comment above. I’m having “hypo-brain” day! Ethanol is varying in its virucidal ability. It may depend on the type of virus and the amount of ethanol in the sanitising solution. It’s best not to rely on it as an anti-virus sanitiser.
Susan Harris, I have an education in science. I’m not a doctor or professional scientist. Like many on this site, including the author, I’ve done extensive reading and research on various thyroid-related topics. I also confer with friends who have various medical-related degrees such as pathology and pharmacology. Make of that what you will.
Descriptions of the preparation and processing of desiccated porcine thyroid can be found in various pharmacological and hormone-related textbooks, and acetone or other solvent defatting/degreasing is a common method of extracting substances from tissue as well as other purification uses. The qualities of acetone are well-known; while I prefer not to use Wikipedia as a source, their article on acetone is a reasonably good overview. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetone
Amy said:
Apr 27, 09 at 7:28 amMy thought on this is that most flu viruses don’t last too long in the environment. They need a host to survive. I’m not sure if the swine flu virus is a very hearty virus, but I suspect it’s like other influenza strains, and probably dies after a few hours in the environment. This would be interesting to know. Even without the processes that are likely to kill it, as Louise mentions, I’m not sure the virus would survive the time it takes to make, manufacture, and distribute the tablets.
Tiffany Marler said:
Apr 27, 09 at 4:19 pmI’m worried about the swine flu as i am getting ready to travel and have adrenal insufficiency. The flu from what i understand attacks the adrenals! What should i do?
Stacie said:
Apr 29, 09 at 7:48 amMy concern is not catching the flu from the medication, but moreso that the hype about the swine flu will affect the availability of Armour. What happens if thousands of pigs are slaughtered and disposed of en masse? Any information about that? I’m truly curious, but don’t know where the pigs that are used for Armour come from.
It took so long to find a doctor who would prescribe Armour to my husband. I would hate it if we had a problem getting it now!