Federal regulators, consumer advocates and soap manufacturers are currently locked in a battle over triclosan, the active ingredient in many antibacterial soaps. The FDA has been reviewing the safety of the chemical for quite a while, the New York Times says, and was to announce its findings several months ago. But now the FDA is saying it may be next year before they finish their investigation.

While soap makers claim there is no proof that triclosan is dangerous to human health, new evidence indicates that it is an endocrine disrupter that disturbs thyroid hormones in laboratory frogs and rats, and sex hormones in other lab animals. It also looks like it encourages antibiotic resistance. Industry officials discount these concerns, even though the FDA proposed eliminating trisoclan from products more than 30 years ago in conjunction with a review that the FDA has yet to complete.

The thyroid drug Synthroid (levothyroxine sodium), as the name implies, is anything but natural. It is not bio-equivalent to the natural hormone thyroxine, but is instead a synthetic, hormone-like substance with very different properties.

In conventional medical treatment for hypothyroidism, once blood variables fall into a range deemed “normal” thanks to the introduction of synthetic chemicals, the “treatment” is deemed a success. Unfortunately, the quality of life of the patient may actually worsen as the synthetic chemicals compete with the remaining natural hormones still being produced by their thyroid.

According to Green Med Info:

“We know that ‘lack of Synthroid’ is NOT the cause of any thyroid problem. Exposure to chemicals, e.g. perchlorate, common food intolerances (e.g. wheat/dairy), adrenal fatigue and nutrient deficiencies are the cause of ‘hypothyroidism’ in the vast majority of cases. So let’s get back to the work of figuring out how to address the problem naturally.”