There are more than forty thyroid dysfunctions. The medical community divides these dysfunctions into six main modes: 1] primary hypothyroidism, 2] pituitary gland thyroid dysfunction, 3] thyroid transformation, 4] thyroid over-conversion, and 5] thyroid-binding globulin liters. High, and 6] thyroid hormone resistance. This article focuses on the third – thyroid transformation.

Thyroid conversion

Usually, the thyroid converts iodine in food into thyroid hormone. Thyroxine [T4] is the main hormone produced by the thyroid gland, but your body needs to convert it to triiodothyronine [T3] to use it. Some patients' thyroid gland does not handle these transitions correctly and effectively.

A variety of factors can lead to insufficient thyroid conversion, but the main reason is the production of reverse T3, not T3. Your body cannot use RT3, and RT3 will not return to the available form T3.

The reversal of T3 produced by the thyroid gland is essentially a waste of T4 thyroid hormone. Because the hormones produced by the thyroid gland affect the metabolic rate, they affect many parts of the body, including the brain, heart, muscles and liver. It is not surprising that many patients with thyroid autoimmune diseases also have high levels of reversal of T3.

What is the cause of thyroid transformation?

There is a test for identifying the time of the person's thyroid when switching T4, but functional medicine is looking for a lack of reason.

Many factors can affect thyroid conversion, but I have found that stress plays a major role in most patients. Stress comes in many forms, not just obvious sources, such as demanding work or tight relationships. Excessive dieting, food sensitivity and allergies can put pressure on the body.

Some patients have a bowel leak syndrome that allows foreign substances to enter the bloodstream to oppress the body. Other patients' bodies experience exposure to heavy metals, pesticides and food additives.

All forms of stress cause the adrenal gland to produce cortisol. Usually, the pressure disappears and the cortisol levels return to normal. However, constant high cortisol levels inhibit T4 to T3 conversion and increase RT3 production.

How do we find the problem?

The TSH blood test is the most commonly used tool for assessing symptoms of thyroid function and/or thyroid disease. Thyroid stimulating hormone causes the thyroid to produce T4 and T3. Although this test may indicate a problem, it does not consider hormone balance.

Functional drugs can achieve optimal hormone balance, so measuring other factors such as reverse T3, total T3, T3 uptake, and T4 are also essential for the diagnosis and treatment of hypothyroidism.

A reverse T3 blood test in your thyroid panel determines if you have a high reverse T3. Elevated RT3 levels may indicate other problems, even if other values ​​in the TSH may be within the normal range.

How to treat high reversal T3

Traditional medical models usually use the prescription T4 to treat thyroid problems and restore thyroid stimulating hormone to normal levels. Some practitioners go beyond the TSH blood test and when they see low T3 levels, they will prescribe more T3.

Unfortunately, none of the treatments used in the medical model address various thyroid dysfunctions, let alone six main modes. However, functional medicine does.

Medical and functional models

Medical models focus on naming the condition [diagnosis] and treating the condition with drugs or surgery. Functional doctors want to know why a person's thyroid behavior is like this. We do not treat symptoms because they can have many causes.

For example, I may have 7 patients with autoimmune thyroid disease, such as Graves syndrome or Hashimoto's disease, but for 7 different reasons. I mentioned that stress is the main reason for reverse T3, but it can affect the body in a variety of ways.

For example, bacterial dysbiosis [unbalance] in the gut can prevent fat digestion and cause blood sugar problems. This can lead to liver problems, adrenal pressure, cortisol excess and increased RT3. Liver problems may also prevent the conversion of T4 to T3.

As you can see, it is important that we not only focus on the results of the TSH blood test. Simply changing the drug does not address the underlying cause of dysfunction. If we want to understand the root cause of dysfunction, we cannot independently examine the interconnected systems in your body.

Medical model of expert care relationship. One looks at the thyroid gland, one looks at the endocrine system and the other looks at the digestive system. Unfortunately, specialization may cause us to ignore what is happening in our body. Experts focus on one part of the puzzle, but they may never see the full picture.

Functional model of thyroid disease

If you have thyroid disease, you should pay attention to the functional model of care, especially if you have thyroid autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto's or Graves. I believe that medical models work well for diagnosing and treating symptoms, but we also need to use function-based care to get the root cause and restore health.

I want to emphasize that the thyroid problem is irrelevant. If your doctor prescribes medication, do not stop taking it because you read this article. You need to work with trained functional drug providers to solve problems so they can help you restore thyroid function before reducing medication.

In some cases, the thyroid may not be able to return to full function and you need to continue taking it. Your function and doctor can work together to restore your health. It is not necessarily one or the other, but a powerful combination of the two.

Reversing how T3 affects thyroid transformation was originally published on Spring