T4 – Wilson's Syndrome

The Thyroid-Gut-Autoimmune Connection

Tags: GALT, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Leaky Gut Syndrome, T3, T4|

To have healthy thyroid function, you need a healthy intestinal tract. And to have a healthy intestinal tract, you need healthy thyroid function. The two are more connected than most of us could ever imagine. Here’s how it works:

Perhaps you’ve heard of something called “leaky gut” syndrome. It’s a condition where the intestinal lining becomes more permeable than normal. This allows large molecules of protein that shouldn’t make it through this selective barrier to migrate into the body. There, the molecules trigger the body’s immune system and may set off an autoimmune reaction where the immune system starts to attack

Turn Up Your Brown Fat Thermostat

Tags: brown fat, cold intolerance, Low body temperature, slow metabolism, sluggishness, T3, T4, thermogenesis|

Researchers interested in developing drugs to treat obesity have turned their attention to brown fat, hoping to strike gold. Here’s why this metabolically-active form of fat has gotten their interest, and how you can make sure your own brown fat is working optimally.

First, brown fat is unique. Its primary function is to generate heat, a process called thermogenesis. It does this by burning fatty acids and sugar, just as is done in cellular energy metabolism. But instead of producing energy, brown fat has an “uncoupling” protein that shunts the process to the pathway of heat production. Brown fat helps to

When T4 is not Enough, It May Be in Your Genes

Tags: hypothroidism, levothyroxine, Low body temperature, Synthroid, T3, T4|

Even though it is considered standard treatment, not everyone with hypothyroidism does well on T4 (Synthroid, or levothyroxine) alone. Some people complain that they just don’t feel right on T4, the inactive form of thyroid hormone. They are still tired, or sluggish, or have “brain fog” or other vague symptoms. Or they are gaining weight. Just about every doctor who treats thyroid problems has seen this regularly.

Unfortunately, it is often the patient who has to convince the doctor that T4 alone is not working. And it is often the patient who suggests that T3, the active form of thyroid hormone,

Why TSH Testing is Not Enough and Why you Should Check your Body Temperature

Tags: Low body temperature, T3, T4, thyroid hormone resistance, TSH, TSH testing|

Most doctors, including endocrinologists, rely on a standard thyroid test, TSH, to screen for thyroid problems. This test measures Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH), a pituitary hormone whose function is to stimulate thyroid hormone production by the thyroid gland. When thyroid hormone production goes down, TSH goes up. There is a range of TSH levels that is considered normal. For most doctors, TSH is the only diagnostic test for hypothyroidism that they use and the most sensitive marker of peripheral tissue availability of thyroid hormone. If TSH is within a normal range, most doctors will “rule out” thyroid problems as

T3 – A better option for weight loss

Tags: T3, T4, weight loss|

Some research suggests that overweight people with hypothyroidism who take the standard thyroid hormone replacement drug, Synthroid, T4, the inactive form of thyroid, generally do not lose much weight with treatment.

In my experience, people are able to lose weight better when their body temperatures are 98.6 as measured by mouth. There is a vast difference between losing weight with a low temperature and losing weight with a normal temperature. For one, when people with low temperatures lose weight they tend to gain it all back and then some after

Myth: T4 is the most important thyroid hormone

Tags: myth, T4, thyroid hormone|

Thyroxine or T4 is the most important thyroid hormone, and everything depends on its blood test levels being within a certain range.

FALSE. Actually, there was once a boy who was born without any thyroid function, and he was started on T3 instead of T4. He grew and developed normally and passed easily into adulthood without ever having a molecule of T4 in his body.

WOW! I have never felt so good in my entire life

Tags: body temperature, energy all day., Levoxyl, RT3, T3, T4|

I wanted you to know how miraculous your T3 therapy was for me. I’ve been hypothyroid for most of my life (getting diagnosed is a story in itself!). One of my doctors had tested for reverse T3 after I had noticed that even though we had increased my T4 (Levoxyl), I wasn’t feeling better, much less well. My labs consistently showed RT3 values in the 200/300 range, and nothing we did made it come down much. He was out of ideas on how to treat me, so I found a naturopath who happened to be in your network. Because I