Hi again. I have been doing some reading and have found that there may be a difference in hypothyroid causes. One being glandular based and one being lifestyle based. This interests me, because if I am hypo then I wanna make sure I do the right thing. And this would suggest that there are different methods of treating each.

Here's what I've read:
Glandular: The thyroid gland cannot make enough T4. The appropriate treatment is hormone replacement.

Lifestyle: T4 is made by the thyroid and secreted into the bloodstream. The T4 travels to the cells to be converted to T3. Instead of converting all the T4 to T3 it converts some of it to reverseT3 (rT3), which is an inactive form. It usually does this as a response to stress (metabolic or any other kind) and responds as if the body were in famine. T3 causes you to burn off more sugar and fat as energy, but rT3 will not, thus conserving energy. This is most commonly seen in undernourished/malnourished people. If treated with thyoid medication, this will actually create more hormone imbalances because you are already making enough T3 already and do not need to replace a hormone you are already making. Upon taking thyroid med for this, one would initially feel better, but after a while would begin feeling bad again. Correcting nutritional status should remedy this form of hypothyroidism.

I find this interesting, because should I be hypo, I am most likely the lifestyle one and wouldn't want to do the wrong thing treatment-wise and just make things worse. I had terrible, I mean horrific, eating habits for a long time. I ate, but it was all junk food. Pure sugar. I was definitely malnourished. And, although I can't eat sugar anymore, my woe is still under construction as I learn to do this correctly.

Also, would that mean that in interpreting test results, that the Free T3 should be low, but the T4 would be normal for lifestyle based? And that in glandular they would both be low? Just some thoughts.