
Test Your Thyroid Function

A balanced breakfast could feature butter-fried eggs, generously seasoned with salt, accompanied by carbohydrate-rich fruits such as orange juice. Alternatively, one could opt for salty cheese or Greek yogurt paired with fruit. Including salt in a balanced breakfast, such as adding a pinch of salt to your orange juice, can be beneficial, as salt is
... See moreBenedicte Mai Lerche MSc PhD • Test Your Thyroid Function
Dr. Peat advocated for measuring total T4 and T3 instead of their free forms.
Benedicte Mai Lerche MSc PhD • Test Your Thyroid Function
This introduces complexity in using TSH as an indicator of thyroid function. Many individuals with hypothyroidism may increase the production of stress hormones to compensate for their lack of energy (Peat, 2008, p. 5).
Benedicte Mai Lerche MSc PhD • Test Your Thyroid Function
Sometimes, people have high levels of T4 yet still experience symptoms of hypothyroidism. This situation likely occurs due to inefficient conversion of T4 to T3 (Peat, 2001a, p. 74).
Benedicte Mai Lerche MSc PhD • Test Your Thyroid Function
Typically, adrenaline and cortisol levels begin to rise after a person goes to bed. For those with hypothyroidism, these levels can spike sharply, with adrenaline peaking around 1 or 2 A.M., and cortisol around dawn (Peat, 2008, p. 5). It's not uncommon for people to wake up with a pounding heart during the adrenaline surge (Peat, 2008, p. 5).
Benedicte Mai Lerche MSc PhD • Test Your Thyroid Function
After consuming a balanced breakfast cortisol and adrenaline levels typically begin to normalize as blood sugar is sustained by food, instead of the stress hormones. This is an opportune time to measure both temperature and pulse rate, as it offers a clearer indication of thyroid function, free from the distortive effects of stress hormones (Peat,
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Therefore, measuring the concentration of rT3 becomes meaningful (Ray Peat Clips, 2016a). A normal level is considered to be between 8-24 ng/dL (Mary Shomon, 2022). However, many thyroid specialists suggest that an optimal rT3 level should be at the lower end of this range. (Stop the thyroid Madness, 2023).
Benedicte Mai Lerche MSc PhD • Test Your Thyroid Function
Peat noted that many individuals with hypothyroidism exhibit adrenaline levels up to 40 times higher than average, which can cause circulatory issues like an elevated pulse rate and high blood pressure, further complicating the clinical picture
Benedicte Mai Lerche MSc PhD • Test Your Thyroid Function
In addition to testing for TSH, total T3, and total T4, further valuable information can be obtained by testing for reverse T3 (rT3) and thyroid antibodies.