The thyroid gland is a small endocrine gland that is situated in the front part of the neck. The thyroid creates and secretes two hormones into blood stream– thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3).

T4 is not an active thyroid hormone i.e. it does not bind to cells in the human body and does not regulate metabolic activities in them. T3 is an active form of thyroid hormones which means that it binds to specific receptors on the cell surface and induces response. Transformation of T4 into T3 is mainly performed in the liver, as well as in guts thanks to good bacteria.

The regulation of T4 secretion is under the activity of a hormone secreted hypophysis (situated in brain), which is called the thyroid stimulating hormone – TSH. Once the level of T4 in blood drops down, the hypophysis starts to influence the thyroid gland by increasing the TSH level. If the T4 level in blood enables proper a body function, the hypophysis stops forcing the thyroid for further hormone production by lowering TSH secretion in the blood stream.

T3 regulates function of:
– the immune system,
– brain and other parts of the nervous system,
– endocrine glands,
– intestines,
– liver and bile,
– sex hormones...

T3 also regulates:
– fat anabolism process,
– insulin secretion,
– metabolism of sugars and fats,
– gastric acid secretion,
– metabolism in bones, etc.

Around 90% of people with an underactive thyroid gland suffer from a condition known as Hashimoto's thyroiditis. That condition is caused by the autoimmune reaction of the body – the body creates antibodies the action of which is oriented towards thyroid gland cells. Thus, they cause damage which is represented by structural changes and the lower production of thyroid hormones. Normally, antibodies attack bacteria and viruses in order to defend body from invaders.

The symptoms related to Hashimoto's thyroiditis are:
– increase of body weight,
– depression,
– physical and mental tiredness,
– panic attacks,
– irritability,
– anxiety,
– headaches
– memory loss,
– vision troubles,
– insomnia,
– cold and heat intolerance,
– tingling in arms and legs,
– muscle weakness,
– leg cramps,
– joint stiffness,
– leg edema,
– abnormal heart rhythms,
– increased level of blood fats,
– constipation,
– cycle disturbances,
– inability to concieve,
– hair loss,
– indigestion and bloating...

The causes of reduced thyroid gland function, apart from the mentioned Hashimoto's thyroiditis, can also be found in:
– intestines (leaky gut syndrome),
– altered function of the adrenal gland,
– inflammation,
– infection,
– hormonal imbalance,
– vitamin deficiency,
– the presence of substances that destroy the endocrine system (endocrine disrupting substances; the mechanism by which they destroy the human endocrine system is described in the HEALTH FORMULA book;
– heavy metal and fluoride intoxication (intake of small doses over a long period of time through air, food, water, pesticides...),
– food intolerance...

During diagnostics, values ​​of only three parameters - TSH, T4 and T3 - are often used in practice. These analyzes should be completed with other relevant parameters that indicate the state of the thyroid gland, namely:
1. fT4 (free thyroxine - the one that is not bound to proteins in the blood),
2. fT3 (free triiodothyronine - the one that is not bound to blood proteins and, in fact, is the most significant and metabolically active hormone of the thyroid gland),
3. reverse T3 (rT3; it is inactive, but binds to the same receptors on the cells to which T3 binds; thereby preventing active fT3 from binding and exerting its function. Practically, it is not enough to know whether T3 is in normal limits, but what is the ratio of T3 and rT3 or the ratio of fT3 and rT3),
4. antibodies to tyrosine peroxidase and thyroglobulin (anti-TPO and anti-TB AT – in the diagnosis of Hashimoto's thyroiditis),
5. TSH antibodies (when diagnosed with Graves' disease) and thyroglobulin level.

From all of the above, it can be seen that the functionality of the thyroid gland is conditioned by a large number of factors that interact with each other.

The HEALTH FORMULA Protocol in relation to the improvement of the thyroid function, consists of the following:
– diet change (e.g. changing of habits related to body load with sugars, gluten, use of coconut oil, fibres etc.),
– personally tailored use of supplements (e.g. selenium, B-group vitamins, adaptogenic herbs, amino-acids, omega-3 fatty acids etc.),
– adequate water intake (essential for normal metabolism) etc.

It is clear that the causes of hypofunction of the thyroid gland are numerous and varied. Therefore, the logical conclusion is that there is no "magic wand" that would restore all these disturbed elements to normal overnight. There are only a greater number of techniques, procedures and activities that need to be applied.

A person with an underactive thyroid may experience the first results of The HEALTH FORMULA protocol in 2-3 weeks after commencing the treatment (increase of mental and physical strength), while in the 2-3 months after that period, they will feel an overall health improvement, a better quality of life, as well as the normalization (or at least improvement) of all the impaired biochemical parameters.