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Part 2 By Margaret Groves As more health care practitioners have understood the need to assess thyroid function based on what is going on at the cellular level, there has been an increasing demand for testing of reverse T3 (rT3), a hormone sometimes referred to as the “hibernation hormone.” However, there is also much confusion about how it fits into the picture of thyroid function, and controversy regarding whether or not there is a clinical utility for this test in patients suffering from thyroid imbalance symptoms. The “hibernation hormone” that isn’t Technically, the term “hibernation hormone” is inappropriate to describe reverse T3.  Reverse...

Part 1 By Margaret Groves, ZRT Laboratory Thyroid hormones are essential for the normal metabolic functioning of all tissues in the body, and a wide array of symptoms are therefore associated with abnormalities in thyroid hormone production and activation. Even when apparently adequate amounts of thyroxine are produced by the thyroid gland, thyroid function is profoundly affected by anything that disrupts conversion of thyroxine (T4) to the active thyroid hormone, triiodothyronine (T3). This conversion takes place primarily at the cellular level within tissues; only 20% of circulating T3 is generated by conversion of T4 within the thyroid gland itself. The deiodinases...

Environmental pollutants are in food we eat, in the air we breathe and water we drink and bathe in. In excess, they can have profound negative effects on the basic mechanisms of body chemistry and affect the synthesis and actions of hormones essential for maintaining our health. The thyroid, which is primarily responsible for regulating metabolism, is profoundly affected by natural and environmental pollutants. Iodine & Selenium Deficiencies Affect Thyroid Function Iodine and selenium are supplied in the food, water and nutrients we consume. Low levels in these sources can directly impact thyroid hormone synthesis and action. This may impact...

As Goldilocks said of her porridge, this one’s too cold, this one’s too hot, and this one’s just right. If your body isn’t making the right amount of the thyroid hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), you’re likely to find yourself on either side of “just right”.   Is It Frank or Functional Hypothyroidism? Most people who suffer from thyroid issues fall into the “too cold” category of body temperature dysregulation and just don’t make enough thyroid hormones T4 and T3, referred to as hypothyroidism. T3 action in the mitochondria increases metabolism and is responsible for heat production. Mitochondria are...

By Dr. Sherry LaBeck, ZRT Laboratory The American Heart Association has designated the month of February as American Heart Month to raise awareness about heart disease and the healthy choices we can make to prevent it. Every year, 1 in 4 deaths are caused by heart disease. And while some risk factors are out of our control, such as family history, genetics, and aging, most of the risk factors for developing heart or cardiovascular disease are more often than not within our control. For example, lifestyle habits and behaviors such as smoking cessation, physical activity, healthy food selection, and how we...