How Ruth Reversed Her Diabetes with Hypothyroidism with T3 & NDT

How Ruth Reversed Her Diabetes with Hypothyroidism Using T3, NDT & Fasting

T3 helps to reverse insulin resistance and diabetes.

After treating hundreds of patients I’ve found the two MOST common hormone imbalances in hypothyroid patients to be decreased T3 and insulin resistance.

The sad part?

Most doctors miss the connection between insulin resistance and hypothyroidism, and it may be the PRIMARY reason you are unable to lose weight. 

This case study will walk you through the treatments that allowed this particular patient to reverse her diabetes in roughly 3 months and what type of thyroid medication was required to help get her there.

If you’ve been unable to lose weight despite being on “good” thyroid medication, you will want to read more about how insulin might be making it impossible for your body to burn fat:

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Reversing Type II Diabetes with Hypothyroidism

Let’s get to the down and dirty:

This patient came to see me with the following issues:

  • Inability to lose weight despite previously undergoing gastric bypass surgery (she lost 70 pounds but gained it back)
  • Chronic pain all over her body
  • Extreme fatigue
  • Inability to sleep
  • Inability to tolerate stress

The crazy part about her history was that no one had actually ever diagnosed her with diabetes (or insulin resistance), thyroid issues, or anything else. 

All it took was a functional blood chemistry analysis to find out what was going on in her body:

ruth's lab tests which show abnormal glucose, testosterone, and hgb a1c levels.

Immediately I found that she suffered from Diabetes type II (insulin resistance) and because of this, I didn’t even have to look at her thyroid function tests to know they were off. 

Why?

Because insulin resistance (along with leptin resistance) can lead to hypothyroidism (1).

a study with the title outlined which discusses the association between altered thyroid states and insulin resistance.

Not only that but treating hypothyroidism with T3 helps reverse insulin resistance (2)!

Both hormonal imbalances are connected!

And if she had seen an endocrinologist or GP that didn’t understand thyroid function, she would have most likely been labeled “normal”. 

But that certainly isn’t the case as evidenced by her thyroid studies:

ruth's labs which show low free t4 and low free t3 levels and a normal thyroglobulin antibody level.
ruth's lab tests which show a high normal reverse T3 level.

Low free T4, high reverse T3, and a falsely “normal” free T3.

And actually, this is one of those cases where her thyroid studies don’t really adequately reflect what is happening in her tissues. 

Her body is screaming for thyroid hormone and yet her labs are really not that terrible.

Now let’s fast forward three months:

Her diabetes is completely reversed…

Starting Hgb A1c of 6.7 which falls into the type II Diabetes range (3).

(Labs on 1/28/2016)

ruth's lab tests which show an elevated fasting glucose and elevated hgb a1c with both highlighted.

(Second set of labs drawn on 4/1/2016)

ruth's hgb a1c lab test after a period of fasting which has now lowered from her previous level.

In addition to reversing her diabetes, she lost 36 pounds and almost all of her symptoms have vanished. 

But the primary question is:

How did she get there?

The Connection Between Weight Loss, Insulin Resistance, and Your Thyroid

What you have to understand is that high levels of insulin and type II diabetes will make it impossible to lose weight. 

If you don’t address BOTH your thyroid AND your insulin levels you most likely will never feel better. 

And this is a problem I see all too often in many patients. 

They go to a “thyroid specialist” and get on T3 medications, but their weight doesn’t come off. 

The problem is you really won’t ever feel better unless ALL of your problems are being addressed – not just one.

And because the thyroid plays a huge role in the function of other hormones, I’ve never seen a hypothyroid patient with only ONE hormone imbalance.

90% of the time it’s a combination of Thyroid + Insulin + Leptin issues.

And in order to treat it, you really need to use adequate amounts of T3 hormone and/or NDT. 

But more important than that you will need to take a comprehensive approach which includes evaluating and treating all nutrient deficiencies, hormone imbalances, etc. like this one below…

Treatment plan

In this case, the patient had multiple problems that we needed to address:

  • Insulin Resistance
  • Thyroid Resistance
  • Low Testosterone
  • Adrenal Fatigue/Low cortisol
  • Inability to lose weight
  • Stress Reduction Techniques

Getting on the Right dosing of T3 medication

In this case, I started the patient on Natural Desiccated Thyroid using WP-Thyroid with a titration of 32.5mg every 10-14 days. 

She noticed an almost immediate improvement in her symptoms on the medication and they continued to improve. 

After setting them on 65mg I started to add liothyronine to her regimen to boost insulin sensitization and help increase her metabolism (it was damaged from years of yo-yo dieting).

She is currently feeling great on a combination of 25mcg of Liothyronine and 65mg of WP thyroid. 

Her resting pulse is in the 70-80 range and her body temperature has increased to > 98 degrees.

You can see what her thyroid lab results look like on this regimen:

ruth's follow up thyroid lab tests after using thyroid medication.

Moral of the story: 

Don’t try to get your labs into this “perfect range” that most people mention. Your thyroid doesn’t work that way – you need to find what works for YOUR body.

And I don’t recommend basing your dosing on your lab tests, I just wanted to give you an idea of what it looks like in her case. 

Reversing Insulin Resistance and Weight Loss

I put this patient on a fasting routine that was based on her fasting insulin level. 

In her case, she needed a fasting routine of about 36 hours to lower her insulin enough to allow her body to burn fat as a fuel source.

Remember this image:

graph outlining the impact of high insulin on the body's ability to burn fat tissue.

If insulin levels are high, it’s impossible for the body to burn fat. 

As you can see from her fasting insulin level:

ruth's fasting insulin shown and highlighted.

It was IMPOSSIBLE for her body to burn any fat.

Diet isn’t necessarily the key to weight loss in Hypothyroidism

This is the part that so many patients get wrong. 

They think that their diet is the KEY to weight loss.

And in about 50% of you, it may be true.

But in the other 50% – it doesn’t matter how little you eat or what kinds of food you eat, the weight won’t come off.

And that’s because weight gain is almost always a hormone problem.

It turns out that for most people diet isn’t effective enough by itself: 

graph from a study showing the impact of low carb diets vs fasting vs standard diet on insulin levels.

(Graph shows that a low-carb diet by itself doesn’t reduce insulin as much as fasting)

In this case, I simply put her on a whole foods-based diet which naturally favored high-fat foods but did NOT limit natural sources of carbs like moderate amounts of potatoes/fruits/white rice, etc.

While balancing other hormones was enough to allow her body to shed her excess weight. 

Supplements, Hormones, Stress, and Detox

If you’ve read my other case studies you know how important these other areas are to obtaining optimal health.

I had this patient use the FAR IR sauna (4) frequently to help boost heat shock proteins, burn excess fat, and help detox endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

In addition, I also had her start slow weight training in combination with plyometric HIIT. 

In addition to thyroid hormone, she was also placed on bio-identical testosterone. 

join 80000 thyroid patients that use dr. westin childs' thyroid support supplements.

Her supplements were directed at the deficiencies found in her blood work: liquid iron, vitamin B12, vitamin D, adrenal support, and zinc + selenium combo

You should also take note that you don’t need hundreds of supplements to feel better either – you only need to take what you are deficient in. 

For stress reduction, I had her practice mindfulness techniques along with SMT and meditation.

A good quick technique for reducing stress is listening to this audio right before sleep, which can help your brain increase delta wave (5) activity:

Recap of treatment over 3 months: 

Medications

Supplements

Diet

Detox

WP-Thyroid

(65 mg)

Adrenal Support

Vitamin B12

Whole food diet

 

Sauna

Liothyronine

(25mcg)

Zinc

Liquid Iron

Fasting Routine

HIIT

Testosterone

   

Recap of results:

> 40 pounds of weight loss at this point (steady 4-7 pounds of fat mass lost each week), no chronic pain, now sleeping through the night, diabetes is reversed, cholesterol levels improved, and energy now 9/10. 

Of course, her treatment is not done, she still has another 40 pounds she would like to lose (definitely very possible).

But she couldn’t be happier with her results so far! You can see her response below:

image of ruth.
ruth's thank you letter and review included in an email to dr. westin childs.

Putting it together

Remember:

Dealing with hypothyroidism is so much more than just getting on the “right medication” and getting your free t3/free t4 levels in the “optimal range”.

If you want to actually feel your best and lose those extra pounds – you really need to take a comprehensive approach.

That means a complete hormonal analysis with a comprehensive functional blood panel – only then will you see what ELSE is going on.

When it comes to weight loss, I’ve only seen the thyroid being solely responsible for about 15-20 pounds of excess weight gain.

Anything more than that is usually some other hormone imbalance.

The problem is that it can be difficult enough to get a Doctor to treat even your thyroid correctly, let alone look at these other hormones.

But don’t give up! You can feel better.

If you’ve been struggling with hypothyroidism, weight loss, or insulin resistance and think you would benefit from my approach then you can learn more information about my weight loss program and therapies here

Let me know if you have any specific questions about this case below and I will answer them.

Have you been able to deal with your insulin resistance? Do you have hypothyroidism and Diabetes? What have you done?

Scientific References

#1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3356957/

#2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20883475

#3. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/prediabetes/basics/tests-diagnosis/con-20024420

#4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4935255/

#5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3328970/

how ruth reversed her diabetes with hypothyroidism pinterest image.

picture of westin childs D.O. standing

About Dr. Westin Childs

Hey! I'm Westin Childs D.O. (former Osteopathic Physician). I don't practice medicine anymore and instead specialize in helping people like YOU who have thyroid problems, hormone imbalances, and weight loss resistance. I love to write and share what I've learned over the years. I also happen to formulate the best supplements on the market (well, at least in my opinion!) and I'm proud to say that over 80,000+ people have used them over the last 7 years. You can read more about my own personal health journey and why I am so passionate about what I do.

P.S. Here are 4 ways you can get more help right now:

#1. Get my free thyroid downloads, resources, and PDFs here.

#2. Need better symptom control? Check out my thyroid supplements.

#3. Sign up to receive 20% off your first order.

#4. Follow me on Youtube, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram for up-to-date thyroid tips, tricks, videos, and more.

40 thoughts on “How Ruth Reversed Her Diabetes with Hypothyroidism Using T3, NDT & Fasting”

  1. My temperature won’t increase whether I’m on NDT or NDT plus T3. Why won’t it increase?
    In fact if I raise my thyroid medication it seems to decrease.

    Reply
    • Interference from medications, adrenal issues, damaged metabolism, gut issues leading to poor absorption… any of these could cause that.

      Reply
  2. How can I convince my Endo to run these tests?? I have requested multiple times to have other levels reviewed than just my TSH and my T4, but he will not do it. My options are limited in network for my insurance. I see him every 6 mos, tell him I am not feeling any better, but gain nothing.

    Reply
    • Hey Danielle,

      It’s usually not worth wasting time with an endocrinologist. They won’t order the tests, and even if they do they won’t change their treatment. In order to get the help like I’ve described here you will have to look outside of the insurance model.

      Reply
        • You will need to find who takes a similar approach as me. There is no “training” in it, so you will just have to get referrals from friends, etc.

          Reply
      • You didn’t go into much detail on the testosterone you put her on. I think that could make a crucial difference.

        Can you go into more detail on that?

        Reply
    • Hey Bonnie,

      Each person needs a fasting routine that is specific to their body. I start with a 12 hour fasting insulin and then recheck a 24 hour fasting insulin and then based my recommended fasting length off of those two numbers.

      As a target your fasting insulin should get to < 5 in order to optimize weight loss and reverse insulin resistance. Some people need 24 hours and others need 72 or more hours to get there. It just depends.

      Reply
      • Hi Dr Child’s.
        I was diagnosed w hashimotos I’m 2012 having had symptoms for years prior. Insulin resistance, pre diabetic ACI 5.4 blood sugars are ways high in morning though I’m following keto and not eat sugar and u see 20g carbs per day? Since 2012 I have been on tried every and I mean every thyroid med out there. I was on synthroid, tirosint, armor, naturethroid ,wp. I tried Naturethroid I was on for about 10 mo. It causes me to gain weight. Finally I asked to switch back to Armor Since I was on that the longest. Been on it about 2 weeks at 130 dose I asked my np if I can try to add cytomel she gave me 25 dose. I have lost 3 lbs but still don’t feel great fatigued etc. Would it be ideal to titrate up cytomel dose?
        My last labs were
        T 4 free 0.69 LOW
        T3 uptake 20 Low
        TPO. 69 high my metabolism is shot and I don’t understand why I am gaining weight. Would upping my cytomel slowly help or does my armor dose have to be increased? Haven’t found an endo who helps so my NP and I just play guessing game and keep switching things up? Any advice I’d appreciate so much
        Mom of 4 ,47 yrs old
        Thank you

        Reply
        • Hi Nadja – are you still taking Armour + Cytomel? What dosage are you on? I’m on 120 Armour and thinking about adding Cytomel. Just wondering what the right dosage is to start. Any advice would be great. Thank you.

          Reply
        • Hey Nadja! How are your adrenals (cortisol) and iron levels? It’s hard to feel better if those 2 are not at good levels. Try taking Adrenal Cortex and either liquid iron or iron bisglycinate (aka “Easy Iron” or “Gentle Iron.”)

          Reply
  3. My lab result are :TSH:2,04, FT4:1,660NG/DL,FT3: 3,690 PMOL/L,ATPO,173,70 UI/ML,D3: 35,56,LEPTIN:14,6,INSULIN: 31,4.Could you please suggest me which meds should I take for thyroid and diabetes?Many thanks in advance for your help.

    Reply
  4. Hi, How did you add the t3 to this regimen? Did you add the 25mcg at one time, or is it broken up over the course of the day? Also, did you use regular t3 or time release? When is the 1 grain of NDT taken? Thank you so much!!

    Reply
    • Hey Shelley,

      I intentionally left this info out because I don’t want people using this on themselves. Each person is different and requires a different amount of thyroid hormone. This amount could be way too much for someone or way too little – it just depends.

      Reply
  5. Is the Holosync Zen Master Meditation available in a download? That would make it possible to use it in the evenings at bedtime. Great information on your website. Thank you!

    Reply
  6. Hi Dr. Childs,

    I live in Bangladesh so it is impossible to get T3 in this part of the world. I keep reading that those with hashimoto’s shouldn’t attempt intermittent fasting, but it seems it’s an approach that’s been working for your patients.

    My insulin right now is high as well (20.10) and I don’t know how to lower it without the T3 or the use of a glp-1 agonist. I understand I should be fasting till my insulin is under 5, but is just fasting enough without the added medication support?

    Basically, I want to tackle the insulin resistance but am not sure how to go about it. From what I’m understanding, I should aim to have my insulin levels be under 5, but if it takes 24 hours to get there, does this mean I do 24 hours fasts 2 times a week or more? And for how long? How do you determine a fasting protocol for a patient? I’m asking so I can design one for myself given my parameters. I’m on NDT and LDN and am starting to prioritize stress-management and food. But the insulin resistance issue seems like a massive challenge I haven’t been able to tackle on my own.
    If I did have access to a glp-1 agonist, how would I brief my endocrinologist to use it in tandem with intermittent fasting?
    Thanks so much,
    Ashna Chowdhury

    Reply
  7. I need help with my hypothyroid issues. I have been on syntheroid for over 30 years. I barely started vitamin d. I have weight loss problems, chronic fatigue, memory problems, breathing problems, arm muscle drooping, and my doc says I am prediabetic. I am under doc care with public health service but the doc knows very little re thyroid disease. I am now 61 and this disease is getting worse as I age.there are days I lay in bed. I can’t sleep at night. Heart beats like crazy at times. Other times I feel like I am having heart failure. My heart at times barely pumps and that I have to catch my breath. I am desperate to find a private doctor but here in New Mexico, can’t find one. I got Public health to refer me to one but she did not do anything. Please help me to locate a good specialist. Arizona or Colorado if necessary. Where are you located? I need to get on a plane to see you.

    Reply
  8. I have hypothyroidism. I am currently taking Levothyroxine 112 and liothyronine 5….. I have struggled to lose weight, and struggle with fatigue. In the beginning of taking these I felt much better (but still not 100%) and now I feel sluggish, lack of energy, fatigue, moody, lack of libido, and the most important I can’t lose weight!! I have gained 15 more in 1.5 months…. What can I do? Will uprising my liothyronine a tad bit help?

    Reply
  9. Very cool.
    How did you dose the T3 and Armour? once a day for both or more frequent? i thought T4 to T3 conversion was hampered during fasting and turned the T4 to more RT3 ?

    Reply
  10. Dr. Child’s – thank you for sharing this information. My numbers look similar, but slightly worse, to the patient you describe’s starting numbers. For the 36 hour fast, was it a water only fast? Do you recommend taking extra nutritional supplements required for thyroid function the day prior to fasting? Some of my nutrient levels were low recently vitamin d, & I suspect also iron, selenium, zinc & vitamin a. Also my cortisol saliva test came back very low in the morning, then off the charts high for the noon, afternoon, & evening results. From what I’ve read this could be the beginning of adrenal fatigue since very low at one time & very high at others. I am trying to manage stress to resolve the cortisol issue, & very much would like to lose the 40 – 50 lbs I’ve put on. My thyroid numbers were even worse, & doctor added Cytomel, but I’ve only lost about 10 lbs in 5 months, perhaps partly from not being able to exercise due to the pandemic. If you could clarify if the fast is a water fast, & if there is any concern about nutrients required for thyroid at the cellular level during the fast I would appreciate it very much. Sorry this is so long. Thank you!

    Reply
  11. Why do you use the men’s testosterone reference ranges for a woman instead of the women’s reference ranges? The real ranges should be 15-70 ng/dL, which her 53 ng/dL starting level was perfectly within the high/normal. Am I missing something?

    Reply
    • Hi Nate,

      You aren’t missing anything. The reference ranges for testosterone in this particular set reflect a man’s testosterone and not a woman’s. This happens from time to time if the lab mixes up the gender. It’s not my reference range but theirs.

      I don’t remember the range for women for this particular lab but the range you gave is fairly accurate for women. If I recall correctly, she was put on testosterone because she had symptoms of low testosterone and requested a trial to see if it would help. In most cases, though, she probably wouldn’t have been put on it based on those lab values unless she had a special reason to try it.

      Reply
  12. So if thyroid is only responsible for 15-20 pounds then getting on enough NDT/T3 will only allow one to shed that much before weight loss comes to a halt? Because I have over 50 pounds left to lose and I’ve lost about that much already…I was hoping adding in more t3 at some point could help if the weight loss doesn’t continue. No sign of insulin resistance or leptin resistance according to the tests, just a history of dieting for many years…

    Reply
  13. I’m currently taking NP Thyroid. If I start fasting do I need to alter when I take my medicine? Example: is it ok yo take med when I’m fasting state?

    Reply

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