Due to increasing amounts of research indicating a rise in glandular diseases such as; hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) a condition in which your thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough of certain important hormones) people have been searching for alternatives to synthetic hormonal therapies. This has resulted in a rise in the use and production of raw glandular supplements. Though glandular supplementation has been used as a nutritional therapy for hundreds of years, it has changed from simply ingesting animal organs and glands to being available in various supplemental forms.

So what is raw glandular supplementation? The premise for glandular therapy is that when someone ingests the glandular tissues of an animal, those tissues correspond to the parallel tissues, glands or organs in the body to provide nutrients and support the health of the gland. Therefore, it is believed that glandular therapy will increases the function and activity; as well as, create balance to the corresponding gland. This type of approach to treatment applies a healing concept of “like cures like.” This theory is nothing new; in fact, throughout history people have been using glandular therapy as a nutritional approach to health and it is still widely utilized today in Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Glandular therapy is also known as organtherapy and live cell therapy; which uses extracts orally or intravenously. In glandular therapy, glandular and organ purified extracts are taken from the endocrine glands of animals, primarily cows, but also pigs and sheep. The primary glandulars utilized are thyroid, spleen, thymus, and adrenals which are extracts that have been dried and ground into supplement form. An animal thyroid extract, only available by prescription, is sometimes used by doctors to treat hypothyroidism; however, the principal approach to treatment now utilizes synthetic hormones.

Though research in glandular therapy was thriving prior to the 1940’s, with the development of modern medicine further exploration and research into glandular extracts took a backseat to expanding the advancements and research in the field of pharmaceuticals and antibiotics. At this time glandular extract research is limited; however, there have been reports where this type of treatment has been found to be quite useful; such as, with cases of immune system deficiencies. The fact that more clinical research is not being pursued does not diminish its usefulness in some approaches to healing and treatment.

Past research coupled with the recent accumulation of evidence suggests that raw glandular extracts may have a positive effect on glandular function, thus providing your healthcare provider with a valuable tool to incorporate into your healthcare and nutritional treatment plan. It is especially important to discuss with your healthcare practitioner any symptoms or conditions you feel categorize you as deficient in glandular functioning and especially if you decide to take a raw glandular supplement. Should you have a glandular insufficiency, it is vital that you get a true diagnosis and proper dosage treatment amount to avoid potentially causing disharmony with your body’s natural hormonal balance. So, while these are a natural and non-invasive approach to glandular health, it is still to important to seek the advice of your healthcare practitioner.