A Little-Known Contributor to Thyroid Dysfunction

Have you been dealing with thyroid issues for a loooong time? Perhaps something has been overlooked by your doctors or other health practitioners. 

Very often issues in the gut and/or liver can be contributing to thyroid dysfunction. Since you probably already know that gut health affects just about everything in the body, including thyroid function, this post will focus on the role of the liver, which also affects pretty much everything in the body. 

Liver and thyroid function have important two-way, reciprocal interactions. Hence the term, "liver-thryoid axis", which can explain sluggish metabolism, sluggish digestion, sluggish thinking, and more.

Impaired Liver Function Slows T4 to T3 Hormone Conversion

Impaired liver function can reduce the conversion of T4 to T3 thyroid hormone. T4 is the "inactive" form of thyroid hormone (though it does have a small amount of activity), and T3 is the main "active" form of thyroid hormone.

Low T4 and/or T3 are typically the most common manifestations of low thyroid function (hypothyroidism). When too little T4 is getting converted to T3, this is sometimes referred to by functional medicine practitioners as a "thyroid hormone conversion" issue.

This is one of the main things that conventional endocrinologists miss because they typically focus on TSH and T4 and often do not pay enough attention to T3. 

Low Thyroid Function Impairs Detoxification Processes

Any form of low thyroid function impairs the cytochrome P450 phase 1 liver enzymes that are responsible for the first step of detoxification or "biotransformation" of toxins, toxicants, excess hormones, and other metabolic products that need to be excreted.

Low thyroid function also increases the amount of cholesterol in bile (as does elevated estrogen, which can be caused by impaired liver function). When bile contains more cholesterol, it tends to become "sludgy" and prone to forming gallstones, impairing bile flow and toxin excretion. Since toxins exit the liver in the bile, sludgy bile and gallstones impair the liver's ability to excrete toxins from the body. 

This then places more pressure on the kidneys to take up the slack for the liver. And of course, it causes toxins to stay in tissues (e.g. the brain) longer, causing more damage. When the liver gets congested, it often exports toxins back into the bloodstream, and the first place they tend to go is the brain. 

The Vicous Cycle of Liver-Thyroid Dysfunction

Given the reciprocal relationship between liver and thyroid function, a vicious cycle can develop with poor liver function reducing thyroid function, and poor thyroid function further reducing liver function ... or poor thyroid function reducing liver function, and poor liver function further reducing thyroid function.

Why Full Root Cause Analysis Is Necessary

Since liver and thyroid issues typically go hand-in-hand, in most cases both liver and thyroid function need to be addressed together. The main exception is when liver dysfunction is the only cause of thyroid dysfunction, or when thyroid dysfunction is the only cause of liver dysfunction. But in either case, something else is usually causing the liver or thyroid dysfunction, which is why we need to always be looking for the full set of root causes.

Common Causes of Liver Dysfunction

Some of the most common causes of liver dysfunction include the following:

• Inadequate production and dietary intake of phosphatidylcholine, which is necessary for producing a good quality and quantity of bile that flows easily instead of becoming sludgy and congealing into gallstones
• Inflammation, most often from lipopolysaccharides (LPS) from dysbiotic gut bacteria or dental issues like gingivitis, periodontitis, or cavitations around root canals or tooth extraction sites (e.g. wisdom teeth)
• Overload with environmental toxicants beyond the liver's ability to keep up
• Unresolved emotions of anger and/or resentment

By the way, some of the causes above aren't always "root causes", and we may need to look deeper to find their root cause.

Far-Reaching Impacts of a Lethargic Liver

Any time the liver is not working well, it can lead to impaired detoxification processes, inadequate production and/or excretion of bile, gallstones,, accumulation of toxins in the body, gastrointestinal dysfunction, small intestine bacterial overgrowth, adrenal stress, fatigue, brain fog, cancer, cardiovascular disease, dementia, and more.

It doesn't get any worse than that, does it? Your liver is your lifeline. 

Common Causes of Thyroid Dysfunction

Some of the most common causes of thyroid dysfunction include the following:

• Anything that elevates cortisol, such as chronic stress, infection, toxicity, or calorie restriction
• Reactivity to gluten
• Leaky gut syndrome
• Certain toxins that particularly impact the thyroid gland, like mercury
• Iodine deficiency or excess
• Deficiencies of selenium, zinc, and/or iron

Low thyroid function is often one of the last issues to fully resolve after you have handled problems with the gut, liver, adrenals, brain, toxicity, nutrient status, etc.

The Broader Context of Thyroid and Liver Dysfunction

Thyroid issues rarely exist in a vacuum, yet thyroid disease is often treated like an isolated phenomenon. But thyroid disease is rarely an isolated phenomenon and usually has a cause or multiple causes, that can be identified and resolved.

It is also important to realize that the "Liver-Thyroid Axis" connects to the "Gut-Brain-Adrenals Connection" discussed in a previous post. And this is part of a broader neuro-endocrine-immune system.

Because the body is complex, with so many interactions and feedback loops, I use "maps" of these interactions and feedback loops to sort through symptoms to identify, test, and confirm or rule out potential root causes.

These maps form the basis of the system I call the Bio-Individual Blueprint. One of the benefits of a well-constructed system is that it provides greater clarity about what is going on in your body.

Another benefit of a system that pays attention to bio-individuality is that it can also reduce or eliminate uncertainty and confusion about what to eat during the various stages of your healing process and even the differing stages of your entire life.

Knowing more about your bio-individuality and what is going on in your body also enables more accuracy and precision in the choice of supplements and other strategies.

Perhaps most importantly, the right systematic approach can help to identify causes of health issues that have nothing to do with food and nutrition, thereby correctly guiding the focus of your efforts and preventing you from losing years and thousands of dollars chasing the wrong things.

If you would like a map and a system to guide you out of hypothyroid hell and lethargic liver land, download the Bio-Individual Blueprint Roadmap and watch the walkthrough video.