Metabolic Hypothyroidism In Humans And Animals

By Alfred J. Plechner, D.V.M.

Over the years, the medical establishment has recognized a state of hypothyroidism in patients that relate to a lack of production of measurable thyroid hormones.

The clinical symptoms in people and the clinical signs in animals are all quite similar, however there seems to be a large increase in the number of human and animal patients that demonstrate all the clinical symptoms and clinical signs of hypothyroidism yet their measurable thyroid hormones are normal.

Why is this occurring?

This is occurring because of other hormonal imbalances that bind the receptor sites for the use of the thyroid hormones in the body even though normal thyroid levels prevail.

The prime hormonal imbalance that is occurring is in the production of natural cortisol which comes from the middle layer adrenal cortex.

The cortisol production from the middle layer adrenal cortex works in a negative feedback with the pituitary gland.

Once the cortisol provides its function, it is broken down in the liver and excreted by the kidneys.

Once this occurs and the cortisol levels are reduced, the pituitary releases its hormone called ACTH {adrenalcorticothropic hormone} which stimulates the middle layer adrenal cortex to release more cortisol.

If the middle layer adrenal cortex is or has been damaged, production of sufficient amounts of cortisol cannot occur.

NOTE: the damage that occurs to the middle layer adrenal cortex may be due to genetics, stress, alcohol, drugs, chemotherapy, radiation, anesthesia, vaccination, medications, toxins, heavy metals, trauma etc.

This various damaging inputs indicate that our changing environment is creating many of our problems.

Since the middle layer adrenal cortex is not able to respond with normal cortisol production, the pituitary continues to produce ACTH.

The excess ACTH causes the inner layer adrenal cortex to respond by producing excess amounts of adrenal estrogen.

This causes the negative cortisol feedback to the pituitary to become a positive feedback to the inner layer adrenal cortex causing excess adrenal estrogen to be produced.

In humans and animals, the excess adrenal estrogen may bind the receptor sites for the body’s use of thyroid hormone.

In people when this occurs, a reverse T3 may be produced that will bind the thyroid receptor sites.

A similar mechanism in animals creates a similar thyroid binding.

When this occurs, even though normal thyroid levels exist including free thyroid hormones, the receptor sites are blocked and a state of metabolic hypothyroidism will still exists.

It is imperative when measuring thyroid hormones, that the cortisol and total estrogen levels are also measured to determine if a state of metabolic hypothyroidism exists.

If the patient has been exposed to estrogen mimicking chemicals, the total estrogen may still be in the normal range but the chemicals like DDT and various plant killing chemicals can create the same binding of the thyroid receptor sites even though they are not included in the estrogen that is measured.

To determine this, it is necessary to include in the blood draw cortisol, total estrogen, T3, T4 and immunoglobulins (IGA, IGG and IGM).

What is not fully realized yet is that the endocrine system regulates the immune system.

When a state of metabolic hypothyroidism exists due to a cortisol imbalance and elevated estrogen, the immunoglobulins will be deficient,

If a cortisol imbalance is present yet the total estrogen level is normal and a deficiency of immunoglobulins is present, this is good evidence that the patient has been exposed to estrogen mimicking chemicals.

In the field of veterinary medicine T4, measurements are the standard measurement used to determine whether a patient is hypothyroid or not.

T3 analysis is not usually done.

What is not realized is that T4 is the thyroid hormone is mainly for storage and T3 is active.

For transference from T4 to T3 it requires a certain amount of active cortisol.

When tested and the T4 is high and the T3 is low or low normal may indicate a cortisol imbalance with a lack of transference of T4 to T3.

Many times this is the reason why giving a patient a T4 supplement does not help a state of metabolic hypothyroidism because no transference occurs to active thyroid hormone.

In the field of veterinary medicine, a diagnosis of hyperthyroidism is often made when the T4 is elevated and when therapy is begun without checking the T3.

When this occurs and thyrotoxic drugs are administered, the results for the patient may be disastrous.

One final reason why many serum tests for free T3, T4 and T3 and T4 are inaccurate is because the serum sample is not handled correctly.

It is highly important to keep the serum sample in a refrigerated state from the time the sample is taken until the sample is tested otherwise the test results will all be elevated and incorrect.

For samples that need to be mailed etc, the sample can be refrigerated or frozen until tested and in these instances, a temperature strip should accompany the sample and in the transference of the sample it has warmed up to room temperature the sample may not be worth testing.

For more in depth information on the mechanism causing metabolic hypothyroidism, please read additional articles on this website.

Case Studies

Case 1

This case involved a very obese, 4 year old, spayed female Rottweiler that should have weighed 65 pounds but weighed 105 pounds.

All kinds of reducing diets were prescribed and thyroid testing was done, and all thyroid levels were normal.

Even the Michigan State test was done and all the hormone values appeared to be normal yet her weight prevailed.

When I had the opportunity to make suggestions for this patient, an EI test was performed, with the following results;

TEST RESULTS

Cortisol = 0.47 ug/dl

1 to 2.5 ug/dl

Total Estrogen = 35.22 pg/ml

20 to 25 pg/ml

T3 = 156 ng/dl

100 to 200 ng/dl

T4 = 4.0 ng/dl

2.0 to 4.5 ng/dl

IgA = 52 ng/dl

70 to 170 ng/dl

IgM = 79 ng/dl

100 to 200 ng/dl

IgG = 780 ng/dl

1000 to 2000 ng/dl

Once her IgA reached 58, after giving her 3 intramuscular injections at a 10 day interval of a long acting steroid, the patient was able to absorb oral hormone and in the beginning was placed on thyroid hormone for 2 reasons.

The elevated total estrogen binds the receptor sites for thyroid hormone and therefore the body cannot use these hormones even if they measure with in the normal range and that is what creates what I call, Metabolic Hypothyroidism.

The 2^nd reason why thyroid hormone is given, even if the thyroid hormone appears normal, is because with an increase in liver and kidney metabolism, the physiological dose of synthetic cortisol that is used to fund the negative feedback to the pituitary and reduce the total estrogen, will allow the liver and kidney to break down and excrete the replacement cortisol in 24 hours.

If thyroid replacement hormone is not used, that physiological amount of replacement cortisol will be only partially broken down in 24 hours and after 3 to 4 days, that physiological amount of replacement cortisol will become a pharmacological dose and cause all the side effects of a steroid overdose.

I am not sure that majority of the medical profession realizes this.

With any hormone replacement done in people and animals, you need to know if that hormone replacement will be successfully broken down in 24 hours and if not, realize it may become an overdose which may have happened for many of the woman that took estrogenic supplements while never being measured for total estrogen as opposed to only their 3 ovarian estrogens.

Because your ovarian estradiol my decrease with menopause does not indicate you need estrogenic supplementation unless your total estrogen which includes inner layer adrenal cortex estrogen production is low!

After 2 months of replacement therapy, the patients lost 25 pounds of weight and continued to do so over the next 6 months until she achieved her normal weight.

SUPPLEMENTED TEST RESULTS

Cortisol = 2.3 ug/dl

1 to 2.5 ug/dl

Total Estrogen = 34.89 pg/ml

20 to 25 pg/ml

T3 = 181 ng/dl

100 to 200 ng/dl

T4 = 4.39 ng/dl

2.0 to 4.5 ng/dl

IgA = 74 ng/dl

70 to 170 ng/dl

IgM = 168 ng/dl

100 to 200 ng/dl

IgG = 1780 ng/dl

1000 to 2000 ng/dl

The lesson to be learned here is that even with normal thyroid hormone levels, there is no guarantee that those hormones can be used by the body and this is why a comparative test blood test must include total estrogen.

Also an IgA level is must because with most oral supplements, if the IgA is below 58, the patient may not be able to absorb oral medication.

NOTE: A number of years ago, I created a thyroid panel including total T3, T4, free T3, T4 and thyroid binding globulin.

My results with these tests did not indicate the fact that the thyroid receptors seem to be bound and until I included total estrogen which then said, “Yes, you can have a thyroid imbalance even with normal thyroid levels”.

This same malady occurs in humans and has been proven that elevated total estrogen in a human may cause a ReverseT3 that will bind the thyroid receptor sites of that patient.

Axillary temperatures done before getting out of bed will often indicate a low basal metabolic temperature.

Other clinical symptoms may indicate being over-weight, hair loss, easily chilled and very susceptible to colds, flu and other viruses.

Any human patient with elevated total estrogen needs to have their health care professional also do a Reverse T3 because if this level is also elevated, taking a T4 supplement will only be turned into more Reverse T3 which will further bind the thyroid receptor sites and that is why some thyroid patients on thyroid hormone supplements receive no benefits from taking the T4 supplement.

In this instance, a T3 supplement tends to work much better but this will be up to you to and your physician to decide.

As far as I know, a Reverse T3 has not been developed

for dogs and cats yet, and possibly their thyroid receptor binding may come from a different mechanism even though it is happening.

Case 2

This patient was a 6 years old, 120 pound, male, neutered Golden retriever that was grossly obese with spinal arthritis.

Multiple diet changes were made to no avail.

NOTE: For your own information please, realize that dry food, (kibble and biscuits) has 2 1/2 to 3 times the calories of canned food!

TEST RESULTS

Cortisol = 3.2 ug/dl

1 to 2.5 ug/dl

Total Estrogen = 25.17 pg/ml

20 to 25 pg/ml

T3 = 134 ng/dl

100 to 200 ng/dl

T4 = 3.0 ng/dl

2.0 to 4.5 ng/dl

IgA = 58 ng/dl

70 to 170 ng/dl

IgM = 84 ng/dl

100 to 200 ng/dl

IgG = 910 ng/dl

1000 to 2000 ng/dl

Please remember that his elevated cortisol is either bound or defective and if it were active his estrogen level would be below 20.

This is not Cushing Syndrome, this is Atypical Cortisol Estrogen Imbalance Syndrome (ACEIS) or as the public refers to it as Plechner’s Syndrome.

Hormone therapy was initiated to replace his bound or defective cortisol with an active synthetic cortisol and thyroid supplementation begun.

After 6 weeks the patients weight had decrease markedly which also helped his spinal arthritis.

SUPPLEMENTED TEST RESULTS

Cortisol = 0.3 ug/dl

1 to 2.5 ug/dl

Total Estrogen = 25.01 pg/ml

20 to 25 pg/ml

T3 = 167 ng/dl

100 to 200 ng/dl

T4 = 4.21 ng/dl

2.0 to 4.5 ng/dl

IgA = 110 ng/dl

70 to 170 ng/dl

IgM = 168 ng/dl

100 to 200 ng/dl

IgG = 1590 ng/dl

1000 to 2000 ng/dl

Case 3

This case involved a 3 year old, spayed, female miniature poodle that was very obese even only being fed small amounts of beef and vegetables with no carbohydrates.

Her Michigan State thyroid panel did not indicate she was hypothyroid.

She had developed 2 sizable lipomas that had been identified by their veterinarian through needle biopsies.

NOTE: Lipoma development is very common when an elevated total estrogen occurs causing bound thyroid receptors sites, and even with its removal, often the lipoma will reoccur because the hormone antibody imbalance had not been identified or corrected.

TEST RESULTS

Cortisol = 0.71 ug/dl

1 to 2.5 ug/dl

Total Estrogen = 35.27 pg/ml

20 to 25 pg/ml

T3 = 147 ng/dl

100 to 200 ng/dl

T4 = 3.9 ng/dl

2.0 to 4.5 ng/dl

IgA = 56 ng/dl

70 to 170 ng/dl

IgM = 78 ng/dl

100 to 200 ng/dl

IgG = 820 ng/dl

1000 to 2000 ng/dl

Appropriate hormone supplementation was implemented, and not only did the patient’s weight dramatically drop but so did her lipomas.

NOTE: One physical feature you can look for that may indicate this imbalance, is by checking the color of the skin on the abdomen and in the arm pit region.

Often this skin will start to hyper pigment and will begin to turn gray even might progress to black.

This is not normal!

In other patients with this malady, their white skin, beneath their total hair coat, will begin to darken.

This is due to an elevated total estrogen and either deficient production of thyroid hormone and a deregulated thyroid hormone receptor sites

If this is the case, have your veterinarian do the EI test as a preventative to reduce the chance of other catastrophic diseases because elevated total estrogen is not only the problem with this disease but also the cause of allergies, autoimmunity and cancer.

SUPPLEMENTED TEST RESULTS

Cortisol = 1.4 ug/dl

1 to 2.5 ug/dl

Total Estrogen = 34.99 pg/ml

20 to 25 pg/ml

T3 = 190 ng/dl

100 to 200 ng/dl

T4 = 436 ng/dl

2.0 to 4.5 ng/dl

IgA = 120 ng/dl

70 to 170 ng/dl

IgM = 168 ng/dl

100 to 200 ng/dl

IgG = 1890 ng/dl

1000 to 2000 ng/dl

Please finally realize that it takes a very little increase in total estrogen to cause major, health problems.

This is why it is so important to avoid estrogen mimicking chemicals, plastics and carefully check the food you eat, feed your family and feed to your pet because many foods contain high levels of natural estrogen that can cause major problems if you are estrogen prominent.

Please see on my website, an article that lists, Natural Foods That Contain Estrogen.

Many pet food manufacturers are adding ingredients that you as the pet owner believe are healthy, however realize that sweet potatoes, carrots and apples are high in phytoestrogens and if you, your family or your pet are estrogen dominant PLEASE BEWARE!

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