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Need a Brain Boost?

© Keri

The thyroid produces two hormones, T4 (thyroxine) and T3 (triiodothyronine). While T4 is the main hormone and can be converted to T3 at the cellular level, the thyroid still produces about 20% of the T3 needed by the body. Some people on T4 only replacements may continue to complain of hypothyroid symptoms, such as loss of memory, depression, muscle cramps and fatigue even with "normal" lab values. Replacing T3 in addition to T4 may help eliminate these symptoms and improve your sense of well being.

This was not an issue earlier in the last century when hypothyroidism was treated with desiccated thyroid containing both T4 and T3. This replacement was not always subject to quality control as it is now and the ratios often varied. Doctors were concerned with the possible daily surge of T3 contributing to complications such as osteoporosis and heart disease and switched most patients to the more effective levothyroxine. Not all patients were happy with this switch and many have returned to the desiccated thyroid. There are now synthetic replacements for both hormones.

In his book, The Thyroid Solution , Dr. Arem strongly supports the use of combination therapy for those people troubled with continued symptoms. He reports that a combination of synthetic T4/T3 therapy may rapidly resolve emotional and physical symptoms including depression within a week of starting therapy. A study conducted jointly by the University of Kaunas in Lithuania and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill confirmed this premise.

The researchers studied 33 hypothyroidism patients in Lithuania for two five-week periods. They randomly divided them into two groups giving one group their regular T4 dose and the other a combination dose of T4 and T3. After five weeks, they reversed the pattern. At the end of each regimen, they conducted biochemical, physiologic and psychological tests on each subject.

Their results showed that there was little change in metabolic effects or the effects on individual organs between the two regimens. However, there were big differences in the mental states of the subjects.

All but two showed better memory, mood and concentration. Depression had improved and energy levels were elevated. When asked at the end of the study which regimen that they preferred, 20 of the 33 chose the combination therapy, 11 had no opinion and 2 preferred the T4 only therapy.

The study agreed with Dr. Arem's premise that the small amount of T3 normally secreted by the thyroid may be very important to the brain even if not to other tissues. It raises the question whether the brain converts T4 to T3 as other tissues do and certainly requires further study.

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