Re: cytomel --- also review on hormones and conversion

November 21, 2005

It all depends on how your body is converting... if it's converting sufficiently to provide sufficient levels. NOT just 'in normal range' but at the proper level in relation to the normal range, then you won't need to be messing with the T3... but chances are if you are needing T3 now... it's because your conversion is poor OR that your body isn't responding as well to synthetic and you might do better with natural.

The bottom line is that you need to self monitor, waking temp and pulse rate, to be aware of changes and go in for regular labs.

To review, so that it's clear in your head.... T4 is the thyroid storage hormone... it's distributed throughout your body and stored in the tissues... As the body needs thyroid hormone to function... the T4 is converted to T3, that is the most used of the active hormones, used for most of the body processes. Some of the T3 is converted to T2, which is used for metabolism, some of the T2 is converted to T1, linked to brain function.

You need to have sufficient levels of T4 for conversion... if your body isn't able to convert you need to add T3....

Some of us aren't able to utilize synthetic hormones as efficiently as natural hormones.

Conversion is a chemical process where energy from the blood (keeping this energy available is why mini meals, small meals eaten every 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours is so very important for us) and then takes a Selenium molecule (which is why we need extra Selenium in our systems to make sure that it's there to help us with conversion) and attaches it to one of the iodine molecules in the thyroid hormone molecule. T4 has four iodine molecules, one of them is removed during the conversion process and the remaining molecule is a T3, with three iodine molecules remaining..... To obtain T2, the body removes a second iodine molecule from some of the T3s and you have T2..... the same for T1... some of the T2 molecules have yet another iodine molecule removed, leaving T1.

So for you body to have the best conversion rate it can have, you need energy (mini meals), Selenium (taken as an additional supplement) and a body that is able to convert.... Some of us have 'converters' that don't work so good any more.

To help with conversion you also need to be aware of what you eat.. foods that affect conversion, blocking it, so to speak... two biggies are soy (non fermented soy products) and high fructose corn syrup (a cheap sweetening product used in a LOT of foods and drinks)

....and again... cuz so many of us have found this to be fact... we just don't handle synthetics well. No matter how much we take... and natural is the answer, plus watching that we eat regularly, and healthy foods with good nutrition.

Okay... end of classroom for this morning... I know... it was review for many... but it's good to run this stuff through your brain every once in a while so you don't forget....

.... Mini meals ROCK! Not only helping with conversion.. but with metabolism and weight management.

Topper ()

On Sun, 20 Nov 2005 20:37:19 -0000 "angie" writes:

this makes sense to me. i think i will skip the endo and head to ob, and try to convince her to let me split up the cytomel. do you know if they have to adjust t3 like they do with t4 during pregnancy?

November 21, 2005