WEIGHT LOSS: HYPOTHYROIDISM, THE UNDERLYING ISSUE: THE ROLE OF ENZYMES IN THYROID FUNCTION

Let's jump for a moment to the subject of enzymes, the "workers" or catalysts of the body. Without enzymes, life ceases.

House construction provides a good analogy of the importance of enzymes. After an architect draws up house plans that detail every element of the dwelling, the building materials are purchased, including lumber, Sheetrock, plaster, plumbing fixtures, electrical wiring, paint, nails, screws, and hundreds of other items. All these raw materials just sit in a pile on the ground until the workers start putting the materials together according to the blueprint drawn by the architect.

Construction workers use the building materials to erect the house, but they are not altered by their work. After they have finished the house, they go to work on their next job, and so on.

In the body, the architect is the DNA/RNA code, and the construction workers are the enzymes. The materials they use include amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and other auxiliary substances. But the enzymes themselves remain unchanged by either the materials or the process. Without them, the body is inert, unable to complete any chemical process. As the enzymes energize these chemical reactions, they are reused by the body over and over again.

"After going through so many weight-loss programs and not being able to lose weight, I felt that I didn't even want to live. I was so depressed. Thank you, Carol! I've lost over thirty-five pounds and feel wonderful!"

JANE

Just as construction workers may enjoy certain working conditions, such as sunshine, regular meals, and a steady paycheck, your enzymes prefer certain conditions. High on their list is a body temperature of 98.6 degrees. When body temperatures drop drastically due to exposure to severe weather conditions, or when they elevate because of fever, many of the enzyme systems cease functioning. If the condition persists, permanent damage follows.

What happens in the event of slightly diminished body temperature? For example, what happens to the person who consistently runs a "normal" body temperature of 97.5 or 96.8 degrees caused by inadequate stimulation of the thyroid hormone on the cell? This condition isn't likely to destroy enzyme activity altogether. Dr. Wilson's position is that these subnormal temperatures simply slow down enzymatic reactions in the body, thus producing the wide-ranging symptoms listed above. He calls this Multiple Enzyme Dysfunction (MED), caused by inadequate conversion of T4 to T3 or insufficient uptake of T3 into cell structures. Without the stimulating effect of the thyroid hormone, body temperatures drop below the optimum 98.6 degrees.

One would think that if the thyroid malfunctioned at the same time that excess weight started piling on, weight-loss success would immediately follow resolution of the thyroid difficulty. However, this conclusion cannot be clinically predicted. In a telephone interview, Dr. Wilson related that weight issues may or may not be resolved simply by increasing body temperature or by increasing thyroid activity. The good news about resolving the thyroid issue is that your long list of thyroid symptoms, outside of the weight gain, can go away and you'll feel better! That's important, regardless of those few extra pounds of fat that may be more of a cosmetic issue than a health issue.

If a sluggish thyroid truly is contributing to your weight gain, you will typically lose about fifteen to twenty pounds after correcting for thyroid deficiencies.

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