LISTEN TO THE PODCAST – Also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
I had the opportunity to interview my longtime collaborator Registered Pharmacist Carter Black about the history of thyroid treatment. Mr. Black has been a pharmacist for over 40 years, and 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. His area of expertise is working with compounded medications and bioidentical hormones, and is my go-to resource for compounded medications and hormones.
I feel really lucky to have found Carter early on in my healing journey – he was my compounding pharmacist, and he helped me get optimized on my thyroid medications with compounded T4/T3 and introduced me to adrenal fatigue – a condition I didn’t believe existed until I met him.
Carter is really passionate about helping women navigate their health journeys. In this episode, he shares the history of thyroid treatment and dives into personalized pharmaceutical care.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
- 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 from May 23rd to 26th. Please click here to sign up for the free, limited-time screening!
Guest Resources
Freebies
- The Thyroid Secret Docuseries – The Thyroid Secret is a 9-part documentary series, featuring 100 brilliant experts and 64 courageous thyroid patients.
- FREE Hashimoto’s Root Cause Book — Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause – just pay shipping! (U.S. shipping addresses only.)
Supplements & Medications We Discussed
- The History of Natural Desiccated Thyroid Medications
- Is Your T4 Medication Working for You? – A discussion of T4 and T3 medications
- Adaptogens for stress management
Other Tools and Resources
- Finding Your Root Cause: Key Lab Tests
- Hormone Replacement Therapy – Article with Carter Black
- Full thyroid panel – How and why to get tested for TSH, Free T3, Free T4, Reverse T3, TPO antibodies, and TG antibodies
- Ulta Labs – Self-order labs here and submit them to your insurance for reimbursement. (Be sure to check with your individual insurance to make sure they allow this.)
Books and Articles About Thyroid Health
- Hashimoto’s Protocol: A 90-Day Plan for Reversing Thyroid Symptoms and Getting Your Life Back
- Common Hashimoto’s Patterns Seen in the GI-MAP Test
Get the Full Episode Transcript
Let’s Connect!
- Follow me on Instagram:@izabellawentzpharmd
- Get my FREE weekly thyroid & gut health newsletter: Sign up here
- Subscribe & Review: If you loved this episode, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!
If this podcast resonates with you, don’t forget to share with a friend who needs this information!
Got questions? Drop them in the comments! 🙂
About Our Host
Dr. Izabella Wentz
Dr. Izabella Wentz is a compassionate, innovative, solution-focused integrative pharmacist dedicated to finding the root causes of chronic health conditions. Her passion stems from her own diagnosis of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis in 2009, following a decade of debilitating symptoms.
Dr. Izabella Wentz has written several best-selling books, including the New York Times bestseller Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause, the protocol-based #1 New York Times bestseller Hashimoto’s Protocol: A 90-Day Plan for Reversing Thyroid Symptoms and Getting Your Life Back, the Wall Street Journal bestseller Hashimoto’s Food Pharmacology: Nutrition Protocols and Healing Recipes to Take Charge of Your Thyroid Health, and her latest book, Adrenal Transformation Protocol.
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About Our Guest
Carter Black, RPh Compounding Pharmacist, and Women’s Health Consultant
Carter Black is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Pharmacy with undergraduate work at University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana and continuing education on bioidentical hormone therapy through the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine. He is a preceptor to pharmacy students and is a consultant by doctor referral for women and men’s health, hormone and thyroid issues. Carter Black has five years experience as a professor of pharmacology at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine.
Mr. Black has extensive training through the Institute of Functional Medicine, Hacking Hashimoto’s, and the Hashimoto’s Institute and is a member of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists. Carter Black, RPh, 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. He has been collaborating with Dr. Wentz since 2011.
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