Your thyroid gland is a walnut shaped gland that resides on the front part of your throat and is essentially responsible for cellular metabolism.  If thyroid production slows down, so does your metabolism and vice-versa.

Thyroid physiology:

The pituitary gland releases TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) which acts upon the thyroid to make T4 from iodide.  T4 then travels to the Liver and Kidney where it is converted to T3 (active form of thyroid hormone) and reverse-T3 via the enzyme 5′-deiodinase.  This enzyme cleaves off an iodine molecule with the help of selenium.  What???  English doc…

Okay so basically you need adequate supply of iodide/iodine to make T4 and adequate amounts of Selenium to make T3.

If all parts of the puzzle are functioning normally, you’ll get a properly functioning thyroid.

Thyroid menaces:

The biggest menace that leads to thyroid under-function is inadequate intake of iodine.  The RDA for iodine is 0.15 mg.  But people in Japan intake roughly 12.5 mg…that’s 83% what most American’s are getting.  The main reason for such a high intake of iodine is their diet that mainly consists of seaweed and fish.  It’s rare to find Asians with thyroid issues.

The next menace is environmental toxins which inhibit the enzyme 5′-deiodinase, thereby blocking the conversion of T4 to T3.  Environmental toxins such as pesticides, aromatic hydrocarbons, oral contraceptives and heavy metals compromise liver and kidney function.

The last menace that we hardly associate with thyroid dysfunction is STRESS!!!  Stress causes a rise in cortisol, which also inhibits 5′-deiodinase.  Most people turn to a high carbohydrate diet during stressful times.  High carbohydrate intake can also inhibit the 5′-iodinase enzyme.

Action Steps:

Get your thyroid tested: TSH, free T4, free T3 and Thyroid Antibodies.  These are the main tests to get.  You can call our office 949-559-7999 and ask us to order these tests for you.