…that a complete blood analysis for patients with low thyroid includes: TSH, free T3, free T4, reverse T3, and thyroid antibodies?

Patients are often treated for low thyroid with T4 (Synthroid or L-thyroxine). It is important to understand that T4 is the inactive form of thyroid hormone and must be converted to T3 to become active. This conversion occurs in the liver and kidneys.

If the patient has liver or kidney disease, another chronic medical condition, or if the patient is not getting the right amount of nutrients required for this conversion to occur, they will not make adequate T3. Patients with these medical conditions or nutrient deficiencies are more likely to convert T4 to reverse T3, which looks like T3 but is completely inactive. Measuring the free T3 to reverse T3 ratio helps to determine the amount of actual active T3 gets into the cell to improve energy and metabolism.

It is important to remember that patients being treated for low thyroid have better symptom relief when they are given replacement that includes both T3 and T4. Also, giving patients thyroid support supplements can help to reduce the production of reverse T3 with a greater conversion of T4 to the active T3.