What you Really Need to Know About your Thyroid Testing
59-million people in the US suffer from thyroid issues, the great majority aren’t even aware they have a thyroid problem.
However, when the thyroid (the butterfly-shaped gland in the neck) is dysfunctional, it can cause an array of health issues, including;
- weight gain
- sexual dysfunction
- depression
- heart disease
- extreme fatigue
That’s why it’s vital to determine if you have any of the following common symptoms that might indicate a thyroid condition.
Did you know that the medication MOST ALL doctors use to treat LOW thyroid function is 100% T4... and... T4 is NOT even the most active Thyroid hormone that controls the majority of your metabolism!
That's right! The hormone that is 4 times STRONGER and MORE ACTIVE than T4 is actually T3!
After your thyroid gland releases T4, it has to be converted to T3 for optimal metabolism! The thyroid gland also makes some T3, but most of the T3 you have actually comes from T4 CONVERSION to T3.
T4 is converted to T3 through very complex processes that happen both inside and outside the thyroid gland. Selenium is one of the vital nutrients that plays a big role in this conversion, and many women are deficient in Selenium.
In addition to this, T4 can also be converted to something called REVERSE T3. And that's really bad for the metabolism because Reverse T3 is 100% inactive and literally binds to the T3 receptor sites - blocking them and preventing the REAL T3 from getting to the cell!
Most Doctors only test a TSH, and sometimes a Free T4. But this only shows you a tiny fraction of what you really need to know about your thyroid function!When you get labs drawn to test your thyroid function, make sure you get the following: TSH, Free T4, Free T3, Reverse T3 and TPO (at minimum! And note the "Free" in front of T4 and T3!)
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