The Many Faces of Thyroid Hormones

We can think of our thyroid as the master controller for our metabolism. A sluggish thyroid means we’re not burning the fuel we need to stay warm and produce energy. The thyroid gland controls the number of mitochondria (our little intracellular energy makers) and how much ATP we produce (energy currency). With hypothyroidism, we can lose up to 40% of our energy production! But why would our thyroid under-function? Usually (90% of the time), the issue is auto immune related. Our immune system gets confused and goes after the thyroid cells, thinking they are invaders. There are a number of triggers for this. You can be pre-disposed to autoimmune conditions if there is a history of allergies, diabetes, lupus, or Celiac’s disease. There are environmental toxins that send our body haywire, including endocrine disruptors. Prolonged stress or illness (including chemotherapy) can cause this too.

When you get bloodwork done, it’s important to look at all the factors that indicate how your thyroid is functioning, and how well your body is processing these hormones. Here is the run down of what needs to be looked at:

Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH): This hormone is produced in the pituitary and signals the thyroid to produce free T4 (thyroxine with 4 iodine atoms attached). If your thyroid isn’t responding properly, your pituitary kicks out more TSH. A high TSH is what most doctors look for, and this is how they determine you need thyroid medication. Synthetic thyroxin is T4, and for many people, that’s the golden ticket. But it is not the end of the story.

Free T4/Free T3: 85% of the thyroxin in your system is in the free T4 form, but this is not what fits into your cell receptors and activates energy production. T4 needs to be converted to free T3 to be useful, and some people don’t do this conversion well or at all. Their TSH levels might look fine (remember it is T4 that signals that pituitary), but they still feel lethargic, cold, and they’re losing their hair. Nutrient deficiencies can block the conversion. We need ferratin, iodine, selenium, vitamin D, chromium, and zinc to convert effectively. But it is important to check free T4 and free T3 ratios to see if you are converting.

Reverse T3: OK, this one is sly. If you are under a great deal of stress, T4 can be converted into reverse T3. Reverse T3 not only does not function the way T3 should, but it also blocks the cell receptors for the free T3 that is functional. It’s a double whammy that makes T4/T3 ratios look normal when they aren’t.

Thyroid Peroxidase Antibody test (TPO): If your thyroid condition is indeed related to an autoimmune condition, then you body is producing antibodies against the thyroid tissue. These can be measured.

There are two ways to get the tests you need. The first is through a doctor, who can order test at your request. If they are not able to do this for you, you can order the tests yourself. This may mean paying out of pocket for the tests which usually run about $200. Google “patient ordered labs near me”. I can recommend DirectLabsTM as reliable and fast.

OK, so if it turns out you have some imbalances, say you aren’t converting T4, (SynthroidTM) is not going to help. A glandular dessicated thyroid tablet will have both T4 and T3 in it. ArmourTM is one example of this, available by prescription. Thyroid Natural Glandular by Allergy Research Group is available for purchase online with no prescription through https://fullscript.com/. What else can you do? There are some very sound protocols for working with autoimmune thyroid issues. I highly recommend Izabella Wentz’ book, “The Hashimoto’s Protocol”. Eliminating gluten, which looks a lot like thyroid tissue to your immune system, can be extremely helpful all by itself. And of course, there are herbal and nutritional supports too. It’s worth getting tested so you know where to start.