Stress seems to be so pervasive these days that many people have stopped paying attention to it. But the health effects of stress can be insidious. You may get through one or two episodes, but over time, your body may not bounce back as well as it used to, and you may end up with lingering physical and emotional effects such as fatigue, depression and foggy thinking.
The truth is that stress isn’t just “in your head.” It happens in your whole body, and the hormones released when you feel stressed out can affect your thyroid function in a direct way.
One of those hormones, cortisol, can inhibit the ability of cells in your body to convert T4, the inactive form of thyroid hormone, to T3, the active form. This creates a kind of localized thyroid hormone deficiency. Inflammatory biochemicals produced by stress can also suppress thyroid receptor site sensitivity on cells, so the cells get less benefit from thyroid hormone.
Unfortunately, these two problems with thyroid hormone do not show up on the standard thyroid screening test, Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH). So your doctor may tell you it’s not your thyroid–while you are experiencing body-wide effects of lack of thyroid hormone activity.
There is a relatively easy way to get to the bottom of all. this It’s a simple test that you do yourself. Take your body temperature. If it is consistently low (below 97.8 F. or 36.56 C.) chances are good you have slow metabolism, which may be caused by low thyroid hormone activity in your body. (See “How are body temperatures measured” for complete instructions.) Low body temperature even with normal TSH levels is a condition called Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome. (WTS)
WTS can often be corrected with proper thyroid support, which often includes a trial of T3. You can discuss T3 therapy with your doctor and we will be happy to discuss your case with your doctor. Your doctor can call 800.420.5801. The object of T3 therapy is to normalize your oral body temperatures to average 98.6 (37 C.) during treatment. Adding T3 back doesn’t just replace what is missing in your body. It helps to restore proper thyroid hormone metabolism, energy, and body temperature, so your body can heal itself.
People who’ve been wiped out by stress may also benefit from herbs that offer adrenal support, such as Panax ginseng, Siberian ginseng, Ashwagandha and Holy Basil. These herbs work well with supplemental T3.
REFERENCES
Fliers E, Alkemade A, Wiersinga WM, et, al. Hypothalamic thyroid hormone feedback in health and disease. Prog Brain Res. 2006;153:189-207.
Guo TY, Liu LJ, Xu LZ, et. al. Alterations of the daily rhythms of HPT axis induced by chronic unpredicted mild stress in rats. Endocrine. 2014 Jun 15.
Helmreich DL, Parfitt DB, Lu XY, et. al. Relation between the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis during repeated stress. Neuroendocrinology. 2005;81(3):183-92.
Sintzel F, Mallaret M, Bougerol T. Potentializing of tricyclics and serotoninergics by thyroid hormones in resistant depressive disorders. Encephale. 2004 May-Jun;30(3):267-75.
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