Understanding Thyroid Part II Do you have the symptoms of hypothyroidism but your blood work comes back fine, this may explain why? • The potassium level is associated with sensitivity of the tissues to thyroid hormone. Low hair potassium is associated with reduced sensitivity of the mitochondrial receptors to thyroid hormone. Even if circulating hormone levels are normal and hormones can be absorbed into the cells, when tissue potassium is low they may not be utilized, resulting in a low thyroid effect. This commonly contributes to thyroid problems in slow metabolizers. Potassium supplements rarely help because the problem is a loss of potassium due to kidney dysfunction and electrical imbalances at the cellular level. • Manganese deficiency can reduce thyroid activity. Manganese is required for T4 production. Manganese deficiency or biounavailability are very common today. Deficiency is associated with a hair manganese level less than 0.03 mg%. A level greater than 0.07 mg% often indicates biounavailability. Adrenal exhaustion causes manganese to become biounavailable as the binding protein, transmanganin, is not produced in sufficient quantity. • Vitamins C and B-complex tend to enhance thyroid activity. Higher doses are given to slow metabolizers and less to fast metabolizers to help balance thyroid activity. Supplementation without testing for the metabolic type is often ineffective or can aggravate thyroid imbalances. • Biounavailable calcium and magnesium stabilize cell membranes. This causes reduced cell membrane permeability that decreases thyroid hormone uptake into the cells. This occurs mainly in slow metabolizers. Since serum hormone levels are normal or elevated, physicians may not give thyroid support when it is in fact needed. The opposite may also occur. When tissue calcium and magnesium are low, as in fast metabolizers, cell membranes are more permeable. This causes more rapid uptake of thyroid hormone into the cells and an increased thyroid effect. Serum thyroid hormone levels may be normal or even decreased. A physician who only measures serum hormone levels (T3 and T4) or TSH might conclude that the patient needs thyroid hormone. This will make the patient’s condition much worse, although it may provide a temporary energy boost. • Copper is an important thyroid indicator. 1. Copper raises calcium and lowers potassium Elevated calcium and low potassium is a slow metabolizer pattern associated with the presence of excess tissue copper. It does not matter if the hair copper is low, normal or high. The pattern is associated with reduced thyroid utilization and hypothyroidism. 2. Compensatory effects may occur. Copper stimulates the production of biogenic amines - epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine. These can cause anxiety, sweating and other symptoms similar to hyperthyroidism. The body may compensate for the inhibitory effect of high calcium and low potassium by increasing T3 and T4 to force more thyroid hormone into the cells. TSH may vary. The symptoms and blood tests cause some physicians to diagnose hyperthyroidism. Irradiation or even surgery may be recommended when the real problem is copper imbalance. This commonly occurs. • Other Toxic Metals and Imbalances. Energy production requires many nutrients and can be blocked by toxic chemicals and heavy metals. Hair analysis may provide indicators of an impaired energy such as cadmium toxicity or zinc deficiency that causes thyroid hormone to be ineffective in stimulating energy production. • Autonomic Balance. Most slow metabolizers have depleted their sympathetic nervous systems and are in a pathological parasympathetic state. This can affect thyroid hormone release.
Posted on: Fri, 11 Jul 2014 14:59:53 +0000
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