Acupuncture and Hormone Balance
Chapter 12. TSH and Hypothyroidism
The thyroid, an endocrine gland, is located in the neck and secretes thyroid hormones, T3 (triiodothyronine), T4 (thyroxine), and calcitonin. TSH, a hormone called the thyroid-stimulating hormone, is secreted by the pituitary gland. Checking blood TSH level is the standard test for checking thyroid function. The normal range of TSH is between 0.3 and 3. High TSH indicates insufficient thyroid function that needs more stimulation from the pituitary gland to produce enough hormones, T3 and T4. Low TSH means that your thyroid produces too much T3 and T4 or that your artificial thyroid hormone from medications is over-prescribed.
Functions of Thyroid hormones: T3, T4, and Calcitonin
1. Control metabolic rate: The thyroid determines how fast you digest and absorb food and produce energy. Thyroid hormones stimulate your body to produce heat in order to maintain body temperature. Optimal thyroid function can increase the efficiency of the mitochondria, the energy plant of the cell. Thyroid hormones act as the spark plug of the cell and cause the combustion of glucose, converting the energy stored in glucose molecules into ATP (a chemical present in all living cells that provides energy for all metabolic processes). Ninety-three percent of thyroid hormones are T4; however, only the hormone T3 is active.
2. Increase protein synthesis for body growth, including bone growth: If children do not have enough thyroid hormones, their body and brain growth can be retarded. Pregnant woman must be monitored for thyroid function. In The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology Metabolism, a group of Japanese doctors (Yasuda et al., 1999) reported a case showing how hypothyroidism influences normal fetus development. A baby was born from a mother with a strong, thyroid-stimulation-blocking antibody and a nearly undetectable T4 level. This case is a unique model of a nearly complete absence of thyroid hormones during fetal and early neonatal life in humans. This infant girl was born after a 41-week pregnancy by Cesarean section because of fetal bradycardia, an extremely slow heart rate. Her TSH level was many times higher than normal in the neonatal thyroid screening. At the age of 17 days, the girl showed undetectable free T3 and T4; although her TSH level was more than 5 times higher than normal, she also showed high level of antibody (TRAB) that blocks the TSH receptor. Thyroxine was administered at a dose of 30 µg/day from the age 17 days until the age of 8 months. Brain MRI at the age of 2 months revealed a reduced brain size. Her auditory brain stem response was absent at the time of the MRI. A hearing test on her at the age of 4 years revealed sensorineural deafness at 70 dB. When she was 6-year old, her motor development remained the same as that at the age of 4 months. She was also quite short. At 23 days after delivery, her mother also showed undetectable free T3 and free T4. The mother’s TRAB level was also high...
© 2008 Li Zheng