When I work with patients with high reverse T3, they often ask me, ‘so if Reverse T3 doesn’t do anything, why do we even make it?’ And it’s a great question. As far as we know, Reverse T3 has no biological activity and it is considered an inactive metabolite of thyroid hormone. Let me tell you though, Reverse T3 DOES have a very important role and if you struggle with high reverse T3, understanding this is key to getting to the root cause of the issue!

Many of you would know that what led to my interest in thyroid disorders was my personal experience with Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism. What many don’t know, is that I have also experienced the other end of the thyroid spectrum - Graves’ disease. You can read about my journey navigating the two here.

As a thyroid naturopath, reverse T3 is a topic I get asked about all the time. In fact, ‘what is reverse T3?’, ‘what causes high reverse T3?’ and ‘how do you lower reverse T3?’ are among my most frequently asked questions. This is because reverse T3 plays an integral role in thyroid health, yet sadly, much confusion and misunderstanding surrounds its existence and role in the human body. In this article, I’ll explore some of the causes of high reverse T3, and what you can do about it.

Have you been recently diagnosed with Graves’ disease? As a naturopath specialising in thyroid disorders, many of my patients have thyroid issues such as Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism, thyroid nodules, Graves’ disease or a history of thyroid cancer. For many of these patients, learning more about their condition gives them a greater sense of control and autonomy over their health, allowing them to play a more active role in the management of their condition. In this series, I’ll be taking a more comprehensive look at Graves’ disease and how naturopathy can serve as a wonderful adjunct to treatment.

Are you taking Thyroxine but not feeling any better? Is your TSH still high despite increasing your dose? Do you have issues with low T3 or high reverse T3? Perhaps you’re not converting your thyroid hormone effectively! Read on to learn about the factors that might be impairing your thyroid hormone conversion, and thus your ability to benefit from thyroxine effectively.