Many individuals come to the Stengler Center for the treatment of hypothyroidism (low thyroid function). A lot of the patients have either been diagnosed with hypothyroidism and do not feel good with their current treatment. I also see a lot of people that have been told their thyroid is normal, yet they have multiple symptoms of hypothyroidism (fatigue, weight gain, bad memory, temperature intolerance, depression, hair loss, as well as several other potential symptoms).
Along with listening to the patient and testing them for signs of hypothyroidism, I run an extensive thyroid panel. A lot of doctors run very basic thyroid tests and miss individuals with suboptimal thyroid function. Among the tests in the panel of six markers is "reverse T3" (rT3).
The two main thyroid hormones in the human body that play an important role in energy production and metabolism are T4 and T3. There is more T4 made in the body than T3; but, T3 is much more biologically active in the cells. There is also a metabolite of T4 known as rT3. rT3 has a similar structure to T3. rT3 is an inactive substance because it does not impact cell metabolism. Yet rT3 blocks the metabolic effects of T3 by occupying T3 receptors on the cell membrane.
We find some patients have an elevated level of rT3, which has been suggested by some medical authorities to hinder the effect of T3 on cell metabolism. It can also be that an elevated rT3 is reflecting an imbalanced state in the body causing increased conversion of T4 to rT3. One of the more common sources of elevated rT3 is fasting or eating a low-calorie diet and carbohydrate restriction. Another common reason for elevated RT3 is the impacts of stress. There are many other causes, including:
When I see a patient's thyroid results showing elevated rT3, I do some investigative work to determine why this happens. If a patient does not have an obvious cause, such as a low-calorie diet, high stress, detailed disease state, I consider other reasons. This examination usually includes testing toxic metals such as mercury which can cause this rT3 rise. The objective is always to treat the root cause so that the thyroid balances out by itself.
If your thyroid treatment is not working well or has signs and symptoms of low thyroid, then work with an integrative physician for a more thorough assessment and targeted treatment for better results.
