One of the biggest reasons behind stubborn weight gain (eating healthy, exercising and nothing-seems-to-work types of weight gain) is thyroid imbalances. The process of thyroid hormone production actually starts in the brain where your hypothalamus sends a signal to your pituitary gland via a hormone called TRH. Once the pituitary receives it, it sends a signal to your thyroid via a hormone called TSH, one of the main markers most doctors will test. And it's its totally NOT sufficient...
Once thyroid gets a message via the TSH, the thyroid produces 2 substances,T4 and T3.
T3 is the active hormone (ready to be used by your body) while T4 is called a pro hormone which has to be converted to T3 in order to be used. The body isVERY SMART and produces lots of T4 and only 7% or so T3 because the if T3 was produced by the thyroid at once, it would be used up by thyroid and never get a chance to get around to the rest of the body where it is needed for EVERY cell in the body from your toes to your head! And hormones don't usually hang out on their own, but will quickly get bound to different proteins.
Think of hormones like children. Would you let them run around outside by themselves? I wouldn't :)
So, imagine this proteins are like nannies for your children/hormones. Once the T3/T4 are produced, they will get a nanny and their nanny takes them to the liver where most of the conversion takes place and T4 is converted to T3 which is how most of our T3 is created. So as I tell you in every live training good liver function is ESSENTIAL for your hormones and since the liver works like a filter, we need to clean it to prevent an accumulation of toxins. Do you change air filters and water filters in your home? Can you imagine if you never did? The same is with liver.
Also, Selenium helps liver convert T4 to T3 so we need good mineral balance. About 60% of the T4 is converted to the active T3, but more than 20% can be converted to Reverse T3 which acts as an opposite of T3 and prevents the T3 from doing its job. Also T4 gets converted in the gut and gut health is essential also! Plus you can not have a healthy liver if you have gut issues like SIBO for example. Go to my IG stories to watch videos about SIBO.
Once converted, T3 gets bound to proteins (nanny is here) and they take them to cells that need thyroid hormone. And that's the most important part, when you get thyroid hormones delivered to you CELLS you feel amazing and all the symptoms go away!
When the hormones are bound to their nannies/ proteins, they are called Total T4 and Total T3, however when they leave nannies to become available to the cells, they are called Free T4 and Free T3. Its a process that starts in your head and you need healthy liver, gut, minerals and enzymes (come from healthy digestion) to deliver happy and safe hormones/children to where they belong – cells. So measuring TSH alone can often be misleading and various problems are often missed leaving as many as 50% of patients misdiagnosed and miserable. What I usually test for and when visiting your doctor or lab, INSIST that the following are measured:
We want to look at total Total T4 to see what the thyroid gland is producing and Free T4 to see the amount that is not bound. We also want to measure Total T3 to see how the liver is converting it as well as Reverse T3 to figure out what is not working. This helps us see if there is an issue with the pituitary signaling the thyroid, the thyroid producing hormones, liver and gut converting hormones or cells accepting hormones.
Now you see how the whole body is involved in the process and if you want healthy thyroid function we need to put all the pieces together and, trust me, its not a rocket science!
Also, remember if nothing highlighted in the blood test as out or range, it does not mean everything is necessarily OK! Lab ranges are not optimal, and we might have an issue even if its not signaling that from the paperwork.
That's why its so important to work with functional practitioner who understands the importance of digging deeper.
Now you know that you liver and gut play essential role in your hormone health and I am so happy to share with you that soon I will open an enrollment into my new program where Comprehensive stool DNA test and custom healing plan is included and I personally take your hand and help you to find out what are the REAL reasons behind your hormone struggles.
Just comment under this post to let me know if you need more information or would like to get on the waiting list.
P.S. Join my live training on Facebook where I talk about thyroid problems, steps to get rid of harsh symptoms and I share the knowledge that helped me heal my hypothyroidism. Join me on Facebook here!
