(ATP) Active Thyroid Hormone = T3

by Les Cole, MD, St. Petersburg Health & Wellness

Are You Depressed? Anxious? Panic Attacks?

Depression is a major symptom of hypothyroidism and many of the symptoms of depression are the same as hypothyroid symptoms. And when antidepressants alone do not work adding thyroid hormone can often improve depression, even in patients with normal thyroid tests. Anxiety and panic attacks are also common symptoms of hypothyroidism and there is a significant relationship between Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and anxiety.

Are You Fatigued? Low Energy?

T3 increases the number of mitochondrial power plants in your cells. They produce ATP) the energy currency of your body. They provide energy for every bodily action. For example, every time your muscles contract – including your heart – you use large amounts of ATP. So, if you are fatigued or feel low energy, your T3 levels may not be sufficiently optimized.

Are Your Extremities Cold? Low Body Temperature? Heat Intolerant?

Every function of your body is exquisitely designed to work optimally at a core body temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. If your body temperature runs low, your health wanes. Fortunately, every time an ATP is made heat is produced. T3 increases your mitochondrial power plants/furnaces and stimulates the production of “uncoupling protein” which produces even more heat when needed. Interestingly, if you are heat intolerant, this can also be a symptom of hypothyroidism because the thyroid is needed for sweating, and sweating is needed for evaporative cooling of your body.

Difficulty with Your Memory?

One of T3s important functions is to increase the energy for your brain to perform, but it also increases your brain’s “clock speed”. Clock speed is how quickly things get done in your neurons (brain cells) and therefore how quickly you are mentally able to process information.

Overweight? Trouble Losing Weight?

If you do not make enough T3 you will not produce as much uncoupling protein, which increases the burning of both sugar and fat. You also will not have as many power plants to produce enough energy for you to feel like exercising and so you will be less likely to exercise to burn up sugar and fat. And since your muscles burn mostly fat when you are sitting, the less muscle you have, the less fat and sugar you will burn. And one pound of muscle burns approximately 20x the calories as a pound of fat – AT REST!

Is Your Cholesterol Elevated?

If you do not burn excess sugar, it goes to the liver and is converted to triglyceride and cholesterol. If your T3 is low or even not optimal, your cholesterol and triglycerides elevate. Before there were tests to measure TSH, T4 & T3, your blood cholesterol and triglycerides were the tests used to determine if you were hypothyroid! If they were elevated, you were diagnosed hypothyroid and treated with thyroid replacement until they were lowered back into the normal range!

Have You had Problems with Infertility?

For your ovarian cells (and all your cells) to work correctly, they need adequate levels of T3. For all your other hormones, including sex hormones, to function optimally, your T3 has to function optimally. And Men, low thyroid can decrease your fertility as well. You need enough mitochondrial power plants and ATP energy currency for your swimmers to go the distance.