Nenah Sylver, PhD - Rife Frequency Therapy Healing Specialist and Author

Hypothyroidism Resulting from a Lack of T3—Wilson’s Syndrome

Even complex laboratory tests that analyze pituitary output don’t tell the whole story of an underfunctioning thyroid. In the first place, traditional blood tests fail to consider that the adrenals produce small amounts of thyroxin to back up the thyroid when that gland is exhausted. Therefore, blood tests can show sufficient levels of thyroid hormone without indicating where the T4 is being produced. The overworked adrenals might be providing T4—and meanwhile, the thyroid gland is still exhausted!

Second—and pertinent to the theme of this section—most doctors pay attention to levels of thyroxin, or T4, in determining whether or not the thyroid gland is functioning normally. However, liothyronine, or T3, is the more active (though shorter-lasting) thyroid hormone. It is T3, rather than T4, that is absorbed and utilized by the body’s tissues. Within the last decade, a doctor named Denis Wilson discovered that even if T4 blood levels are normal, if the body does not convert the T4 into T3, the person will still be clinically hypothyroid and suffer from all the classic symptoms of hypothyroidism. This condition is called Wilson’s syndrome. Thyroid hormone that remains circulating through the bloodstream is useless if the body cannot absorb and utilize it. Thus, people can have “normal” blood tests and still be hypothyroid. Similarly, if laboratory tests indicate low blood levels of T4 (thyroxin) and the person is given T4 to remedy the situation, the body might still have difficulty converting that T4 into T3 (liothyronine). This is why people with Wilson’s syndrome who receive prescription T4 (in whatever form) don’t improve.

What, than, can be done for many people suffering from hypothyroidism due to the inability of the body to convert T4 to T3? The treatment for Wilson’s syndrome is a time-release T3, available by doctor’s prescription only, and supplied only by compounding pharmacies that specialize in less mainstream medications. The T3 should be in time-release form because the body requires T3 constantly, day and night, and because the thyroid gland is incredibly precise in its timing of hormone output.

So far I have referred only to laboratory tests that check for blood levels of T4 (thyroxin). Why not check for blood levels of T3 (liothyronine)? Doctors who know about Wilson’s Syndrome will sometimes do this, if there is a question about whether the person has Wilson’s (testing for T3 is expensive). However, it’s generally easy enough to tell, from the person’s clinical symptoms—and often, even by how the person looks (it’s easy enough to see split nails, or observe the faint or missing outer third of the eyebrows).

Treatment with T3 is complex. A full explanation is beyond the scope of this article, but see the link to Dr. Wilson’s website at the end of this article for more information.