A Sure Fire Way to Figure Out if You Have a Thyroid Problem.

If you have been taking thyroid medication, and are not feeling better, and in fact, are feeling worse, here is one sure fire way to figure out that you may have a Reverse T3 problem, or some other malfunction of the thyroid gland.

It’s called the Basal body Temperature test, or BBT.

One of the main jobs of the thyroid gland is to control all metabolic processes, thereby controlling your temperature. Having a consistent low body temperature is an excellent indication that something could be very amiss with your thyroid gland.

We all know that a healthy body temperature is 98.6. Many people deviate from this with their temperatures either running a bit low or a bit high. However, if your basal body temperature consistently runs  below 97.7farenheit, it’s time to take a closer look at your thyroid gland.

Here is what you do.

Get yourself an old-fashioned mercury thermometer. Why? Because digital and infrared thermometers tend to under record body temperature.  And this is crucial. Under recorded temperatures could lead to a mis-diagnosis of thyroid problems.

Mercury based thermometers might not be easy to find. When researching this blog, I tried going to my local Walgreens and CVS pharmacies, with no luck. Eventually, I ended up ordering a mercury- based thermometer online. No worries, mercury-based thermometers are readily available online, and cheap!

Once you have your thermometer, take your temperature first thing in the morning while you’re still in bed , preferably with your covers thrown back, as to not create extra heat. Take your temperature NOT IN YOUR MOUTH, BUT IN YOUR ARMPIT. Give it 10 minutes. Do this for three days, recording each day’s temperature. If your temperature is below 97.7, it’s a good indication along with other symptoms that something is up with your thyroid gland.

If your collective three-day temperature readings are below 96.8, then it’s a serious signal that your thyroid gland is not doing it's job, and you need to seek out qualified, yet enlightened medical help.

Note: It’s extremely important that you re-set your thermometer the night before by shaking down the thermometer under the mercury column is below the 95.0f mark.

Also, if you are menstruating, do this test only on the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th day of your cycle,

Other factors that cause you to produce too much T3.

1.     Adrenal fatigue

2.     Iron deficiency

3.     Vitamin D deficiency

4.     Deficient in other minerals such as selenium, Zinc, Iodine, and Copper

5.     Vitamin B5 and B12 deficiency

6.     Deficient in Tyrosine, a particular amino acid found in chicken, turkey, fish, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese, peanuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, soy products, Lima beans and banannas

      Certain drugs such as:

a.     Betablockers

b.     Certain radiographic dyes that cause the suppression of iodine

c.      Dexamethasone

d.     Amiodarone

e.     Lithium

f.      Aspirin

Other types of toxins such as:

a.     Fluoride

b.   Mercury as in silver or  amalgam fillings – either implanted or improperly removed

If you suspect you have Reverse T3 problem, consider doing the following:

   
A.   Find a doctor who thoroughly understands thyroid problems

B.     Test for Adrenal Fatigue

C.     Test for the above mentioned vitamin and mineral deficiencies

D.    Test for mercury toxicity

E.     Consider taking a Selenium supplement – known to reduce RT3 levels

F.     In consultation with your doctor, consider a quality liver cleanse, and an overall body cleanse.

G.     REDUCE STRESS – wherever you can.

The Other Big Thing That Might Be Wrong With Your Thyroid

After All of That, Still Something’s Wrong!

So, let’s say you’ve been brave, and went ahead and had your thyroid tested using the criteria stated in my previous blogs. For more information on how to understand a thyroid test, go to:

http://thyroid.about.com/library/howto/htthyroid-test.htm.

Let’s say you were diagnosed as being hypothyroid and began taking some type of thyroid

medication, and for a while you felt better. But then, you started slipping into the same yukky sick fog of hypothyroidism again. What could be wrong?

It could be a problem with Reverse T3.

What the heck is Reverse T3? And what is it doing in my body?

Remember from my previous blogs that the main storage thyroid hormone is called T4, and that the active hormone is called T3. T4 is converted mainly by the liver to T3. Sometimes your body makes too much T4, and the unneeded part gets converted to another hormone called Reverse T3. Reverse T3 is the inactive form of regular active T3. The problem arises when under certain circumstances too much T4 gets converted to Reverse T3. This is a problem because Reverse T3 docks at the same receptor sites as T3, and when that happens your body is not getting enough active T3, and you start feeling sick again. What causes your body to convert T4 to Reverse T3?

STRESS! (Aren’t you tired of hearing that word?) But, sadly, it’s true.  When your body feels that for the health of your system, you need to slow down, it will convert T4 to Reverse T3 in order to slow down your metabolism. Some of these physical stressors might include:

1.     Chronic or acute illness

2.     After surgery

3.     Physical trauma, i.e. car accident

4.     Extreme Cold

5.     Chronic inflammation

6.     Low iron

7.     Prolonged un diagnosed or under diagnosed thyroid treatment

One of the ways our bodies compensate for not enough thyroid hormone is for the adrenal glands to produce more cortisol. Excess cortisol inhibits the conversion of T4 to regular active T3. After a time, your adrenal glands can become “fatigued,” and your cortisol levels drop. Some of the symptoms of chronic adrenal fatigue are:

1.     Chronic anxiety

2.     Poor coping skills

3.     Paranoia

4.     Nausea

5.     Sensitivity to light or sounds

6.     Other psychological problems

Chronic emotional stress, even low level stress, can also chemically trigger your system into converting T4 into Reverse T3. If you want to know more about Reverse T3, and how it can significantly impact your health, check out this website. This woman knows everything about the thyroid gland.

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/reverse-t3/

How can you discover if you have a problem with too much Reverse T3, and what you can do about it?

Stay tuned…..to my next blog.