Testing & Interpreting Thyroid Hormone Levels
If I truly wanted to do jurist to the theme of testing in addition to evaluating lab values for thyroid in addition to associated hormones, I could write around 85 posts in addition to in all likelihood still non comprehend all the nuances. So we’re going to do the quick & dingy overview, in addition to and hence I’ll betoken yous toward some resources for to a greater extent than information.
Remember: the argue we’re taking some fourth dimension to delve into thyroid business office is because we’re exploring reasons for hard (seemingly impossible) fatty loss, fifty-fifty on a goodness LCHF diet. And thyroid dysfunction is real close the top of that list.
Remember: the argue we’re taking some fourth dimension to delve into thyroid business office is because we’re exploring reasons for hard (seemingly impossible) fatty loss, fifty-fifty on a goodness LCHF diet. And thyroid dysfunction is real close the top of that list.
It is a freaking travesty that hence many doctors run one test, in addition to one assay out only, when a patient requests a thyroid test. This is for thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), which, every bit I mentioned in the previous post, is not a thyroid hormone at all, but rather, a signaling molecule produced past times the pituitary gland. The reasoning behind testing TSH is, if TSH is elevated, in addition to hence something is incorrect alongside the thyroid gland, because if the thyroid gland were responding unremarkably to TSH, in addition to hence TSH wouldn’t live elevated.
If your TSH is high, a MD mightiness position yous on some sort of thyroid hormone, without ever excavation deeper to endeavour in addition to ascertain WHY your TSH is high, and without ever testing other hormones. They volition give yous medication without truly trying to solve the problem. (Modern medicine is profoundly first-class when it comes to trauma in addition to emergency care. But when it comes to this stuff, it is somewhere inward the realm of COMPLETELY USELESS.)
The occupation alongside testing exclusively TSH is that, if it’s high, the doc volition in all likelihood give yous levothyroxine (the most mutual build squall of which is Synthroid®). Levothyroxine is T4 only. I guide hold had a few clients who were on Synthroid® in addition to nevertheless felt similar garbage. (One customer didn’t fifty-fifty know the medication she was on was T4-only. Did she never fifty-fifty ask her MD what she was beingness told to position into her body? People boggle my mind…) It’s no wonder they nevertheless felt similar garbage: Like I explained last time, T4 is the far less strong thyroid hormone. As Janie Bowthorpe, the powerhouse behind the volume in addition to website, Stop the Thyroid Madness, wrote: “T4-only medications […] guide hold never done the job, whatever to a greater extent than than an elevate which exclusively rises to the fifth flooring inward a 50 story edifice ‘does the job.’” SO TRUE!
T4 is important, but T3 is mostly the ane that brings people “back to life,” hence to speak. So if T4 production isn’t the problem, in addition to hence giving T4 inward pill shape in all likelihood won’t help. (And if yous guide hold exclusively your TSH levels tested, you'll guide hold no idea what your T4 marker is anyway.) What most the conversion of T4 to T3? What most thyroid hormone receptors? What most an autoimmune laid on on the thyroid gland? The betoken is, the TSH assay out that is oft the only ane performed, tells yous JACK SQUAT most how your trunk is producing and utilizing thyroid hormones.
For all of these reasons, a good, comprehensive thyroid panel should include the next (as a minimum):
TSH | Reverse T3 |
Free T3 | T4 antibodies |
Free T4 | Thyroid peroxidase antibodies |
Women: You mightiness desire to run into if your MD volition assay out estrogen levels, too. (More on this later.) | |
As exactly ane instance of the things these dissimilar values tin tell you, my ain TSH is low. (So are my T4 in addition to T3.) This suggests that the occupation is probable non alongside my thyroid gland, but rather, upstream of the thyroid, either inward the pituitary or the hypothalamus. Of course my T4 in addition to T3 are low; my pituitary is non sending my thyroid gland the message to make T4. (And if T4 is low, in addition to hence it’s exclusively logical that T3 would live low, too.)
All I know is, I’ve had several clients who were on thyroid medication, but who had no noticeable improvement inward symptoms. If this describes individual reading this correct now, NEWS FLASH: Your meds ain’t workin’! Get alongside your MD in addition to endeavour something else! If your MD won’t piece of work alongside yous on this, find ane who will. It’s your body, your money, your misery, in addition to YOU WANT TO FEEL BETTER!
Last time, nosotros talked most nutrient deficiencies that impact thyroid health. Today, let’s cover…
Other Things That Interfere alongside
Healthy Thyroid Function
Stress Soup
Reverse T3 may live elevated when cortisol levels are real high. Reverse T3 basically “mimics” T3 at the receptor level, but it doesn’t perform the action of T3. In fact, contrary T3 blocks the activeness of T3. Think of contrary T3 every bit a “T3 imposter” – it fits into the thyroid hormone receptor, but it doesn’t do anything. It exactly sits there, blocking the real hormone’s access. This is the body’s way of non burning out in addition to completely falling apart and/or shutting down. I guide hold said this to numerous clients, typically the “Type As,” in addition to typically women, who are burning the candle non exactly at both ends, but at five ends: stressful job, raising kids, doing the lion’s part of the cooking in addition to household chores, in addition to nevertheless finding fourth dimension for intense workouts a few times a week—ALL WHILE TYPICALLY UNDER-EATING. (To all the hardworking fathers out there, yes, I know in that location are plenty of men who stand upward for this description. The divergence is, yous typically nevertheless deal to feed yourselves sufficient food.) Since the adrenal glands tin exclusively maintain upward this ridiculousness for hence long, their principal way of getting these people to dull the heck down—since they won’t dull downwardly on their own—is to clit on the thyroid in addition to force them to dull down, past times making them tired in addition to depressed. (I’ve had many clients alongside signs of adrenal hyperfunction coupled alongside thyroid hypofunction—i.e., the adrenals working overtime at the expense of the thyroid. I run into this All. The. Time.)
This is why general hormonal mayhem ensues. It’s rare that individual alongside a thyroid number only has thyroid lab values that are off. If they piece of work alongside a knowledgeable practitioner who knows which tests to order, they’ll probable run into that several other things are off, too—usually cortisol levels, but sometimes other hormones every bit well. Remember what I’ve said inward past times posts: biochemical input—be it inward the shape of food, medication, supplements, or lifestyle practices—does non occur inward a vacuum. The human trunk is non a static entity. It is a dynamic, responsive organism whose internal workings are constantly inward flux. You can’t render an input somewhere in addition to non guide hold it adjusted for somewhere else—for amend or worse.
Moving along to the antibodies: elevated thyroid antibodies may live indicative of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or Graves’ disease—hypo- in addition to hyper-thyroid, respectively. (Your symptoms volition tell yous which, but, if you’re here, reading a postal service most stubborn weight loss, most probable yous do not guide hold Graves’.)
Aaaaanyway, my betoken is, knowing only TSH tells yous around nothing most what’s going on alongside your thyroid, nor most how the rest of your body is responding to thyroid hormones. My feeling is that T4-only medications are mostly useless. I guide hold attended seminars on thyroid business office from some real experienced functional MDs who specialize inward thyroid, in addition to they agree. Even giving a T3-only or T4/T3 combination pill isn’t e'er plenty to larn individual feeling better. Optimizing thyroid business office in addition to the body’s response to the hormones oft requires nutritional supplementation in addition to exogenous hormones, in addition to it doesn’t e'er gear upward things quickly. It tin guide hold months earlier individual feels better, but if they’re on a protocol that’s suitable for them, eventually things volition kicking in.
Halogen Havoc
Iodine is a element of group VII element. Meaning, on the snazzy periodic tabular array yous in all likelihood haven’t seen since high schoolhouse chemical scientific discipline class, it belongs to the halogen/halide group. This is grouping 17, the minute inward from the right, in addition to inward add-on to iodine, halogens include fluorine, chlorine, bromine, in addition to astatine. I know absolutely goose egg most astatine, hence I’m going to sheepishly ignore it. (Plus, according to that paragon of trustworthy info, Wikipedia, astatine has no known biological role.) Elements that autumn into the same grouping guide hold somewhat similar chemic properties, owing to details most electrons, chemic bonding, in addition to other scary stuff nosotros don’t demand to locomote into special alongside here.
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The halogens are circled inward red, minute column from the right. |
The argue this is of import is that, having similar chemic reactivity way that some of these elements are known to ship away iodine inward the body. That is, instead of iodine beingness able to larn where it needs to locomote in addition to locomote constituent of an enzyme, other molecule, or stand upward for into a receptor, bromine or fluorine mightiness locomote in that location instead, in addition to said enzyme or molecule volition non interact alongside its receptor properly, resulting inward all the weird & wacky things that tin hand when biochemical reactions locomote awry.
There may live a beneficial role for topical fluoride when applied to the teeth, but this does non hateful nosotros should live ingesting it via our drinking water. On the grand scale of time, fluoridation of world H2O supplies is brand-spanking-new. It’s exclusively been going on since exactly after the Second World War. Massive amounts of fluoride were basically a waste matter production of the weapons/munitions industry, in addition to rather than finding a way to dispose of said waste, a couplet of geniuses got the bully thought of putting it into the water. As far every bit I’m concerned, this is a full disaster. Has in that location been a huge driblet inward the number of cavities in addition to the amount of overall molar decay since volume fluoridation locomote a “thing?” Doubtful. Has in that location been a huge increase inward the incidence of thyroid dysfunction? Yes. Can nosotros say, conclusively, that this is due to the fluoride? No, but I retrieve we’re kidding ourselves if nosotros retrieve it’s non contributing on at to the lowest degree some level. (And if everyone inward a special municipality is drinking the same fluoridated water, why doesn’t everyone guide hold a thyroid issue? I dunno…how come upward I tin eat one-half a jounce of peanut butter inward ane sitting in addition to live exactly fine, but if a nipper ate a PB&J sandwich yesterday in addition to accidentally breathes close piddling Billy inward kindergarten, Billy passes out in addition to individual needs to inject him alongside an epi pen? People are different, folks. It would live dainty if our regime officials would give us the choice of whether we’d like to ingest fluoride or not, but inward many places, this isn’t the case. [And a whole-house fluoride-removing H2O filtration organization is exactly non economically or logistically viable for some people.])
But I digress. My betoken is, I believe fluoride is bad thyroid juju. You tin purchase fluoride-free toothpaste, but frankly, I’m far less concerned alongside toothpaste—which nosotros don’t swallow—than I am alongside fluoridated water, which nosotros are encouraged to imbibe multiple spectacles of daily. (Do I guide hold a fluoride removal organization inward my home? No. Do I lose slumber over this? No. Am I nevertheless annoyed? Yes. But volition I permit this dominion my life? No.) If you’re interested inward the seedy underbelly of fluoridation, I highly recommend this book: The Fluoride Deception. (It blew my heed most fluoride the same way Tripping Over the Truth blew my heed most cancer.)
(Also, let's non forget that tubes of fluoride toothpaste are usually printed alongside warnings most calling a toxicant command middle if yous accidentally swallow to a greater extent than than is typically used for brushing. Why? Because anything to a greater extent than than itty bitty delineate amounts of fluoride are poisonous, that's why.)
Another element of group VII that is real problematic for displacing iodine is bromine. You mightiness non think yous come upward into contact alongside a lot of bromine, but au contraire, mon ami. It’s everywhere. As a low-carb, Paleo, or Primal eater, yous mostly avoid most dietary sources of bromide. (It’s used to maintain the artificial coloring looking dainty in addition to non separating out inward such selection beverages every bit Mountain Dew in addition to Gatorade. I retrieve Gatorade mightiness guide hold been reformulated to stage it out, but it used to live inward there, in addition to some bottles of Mountain Dew in addition to other freakishly bright-colored soft drinks nevertheless listing “brominated vegetable oil” amid the ingredients. You mightiness also run into it on labels every bit exactly “BVO.”)
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Yum…bromide. |
The other origin of bromine inward nutrient is potassium bromate, which is used every bit a dough conditioner, hence if yous swallow piddling to no commercially prepared/mass produced bread, no worries. How interesting is it, though, that large commercial breadstuff makers used to use potassium iodate (i.e., from iodine)? They used it non exclusively because it was goodness for the concluding product, but it was seen every bit a way to increase people’s intake of iodine, which they knew was insufficient. (Kind of similar why they iodize salt. Too bad the "experts" are e'er harping on us to eat a low-salt diet, though. We're gonna position something yous really, really need inward salt, but in addition to hence we're going to tell yous to avoid salt. Nice, huh? I swear, folks, you can't build this stuff up. Are yous familiar alongside the acronym BOHICA? Bend over; hither it comes again...) Also interesting to greenback that potassium bromate has been banned inward the U.K. in addition to Canada (and the terra firma of California requires warning signs for foods that comprise higher upward a for certain marker of bromate). With regard to toxicity in addition to carcinogenicity, studies are mixed, every bit usual, but according to the thyroid experts whose lectures I’ve attended, bromide excess does occur, in addition to it is non uncommon inward people alongside thyroid problems. (There are ways to do a bromide “detox,” if necessary, in addition to larn it out of your system.)
Our largest sources of bromide exposure come upward from products nosotros are exposed to in addition to surrounded past times daily. Bromide is used inward flame-retardant materials (clothing, carpet, vehicle upholstery), inward some plastics (including automobile interiors), etc. Y’know that novel automobile odor nosotros all kinda like? Um, yeah. Lots of stuff is outgassing, in addition to nosotros are breathing it in. Same matter alongside novel carpet. There’s a argue you’re supposed to permit it air out for a spell earlier yous close all your windows in addition to resume living your life indoors alongside it.
Okay, look. I’m non trying to live alarmist. I’m non Joe Mercola, in addition to yous volition never run into headlines similar this here on my blog. I don’t guide hold some nifty, proprietary gadget to rid yourself of fluoride & bromide, that yous tin larn only through my website, for the low, depression cost of $29.99—but exclusively if yous ACT NOW, because THIS DEAL WON’T LAST! All I’m maxim is, nosotros are surrounded past times “stuff” that could potentially interfere alongside the proper shuttling of iodine inward the body. And nosotros couplet this alongside what is typically your progesterone is inward the basement, hence the estrogen is basically “unopposed.”)
It is beyond the reach of this postal service for me to larn into the details most high estrogen levels. Just know that if that is an number for you, chances are, it’s causing or exacerbating your hypothyroid symptoms, in addition to yous mightiness non guide hold a thyroid issue at all. Fortunately, clearing upward the estrogen/progesterone imbalance is non terribly hard to do, provided yous guide hold a physician or naturopath who is knowledgeable most this. (There are fifty-fifty some nutritionists, hint, hint, who know a matter or 2 most it in addition to mightiness live able to help.)
*WHEW!*
Boy, was that to a greater extent than than yous ever cared to know most thyroid function, or what? I apologize for wandering hence far off the trail here, but I thought it was of import to locomote into a flake of special alongside thyroid, considering it’s such a huge instrumentalist inward metabolism in addition to trunk weight/weight loss, in addition to that’s what this serial is supposed to live about. We’ll larn dorsum on rail side past times side time, when we’ll hold back at some of the lifestyle factors that mightiness assist intermission a weight loss stall/plateau, or assist those amid us who haven’t yet lost whatever weight at all.
If yous guide hold a thyroid number in addition to your medical and/or nutrition professionals guide hold been utterly useless to you, yous owe it to yourself to cheque out these 2 sites. You volition detect to a greater extent than helpful data than yous ever could guide hold hoped for. (Warning: have on sunglasses. So many lightbulbs are going to maintain over your head; you’ll demand protection, haha!)
- Stop the Thyroid Madness (It’s also a book, alongside a sequel, but the website has to a greater extent than up-to-date information)
- Miss Lizzy: My Journey Recovering from Hypothyroidism, Low Energy, Weight Gain, Adrenal Fatigue
I also encourage yous to lookout adult man the iodine video in addition to yous mightiness also desire to cheque out the book, The Iodine Crisis: What You Don’t Know About Iodine Can Wreck Your Life. (A sensationalist title, for sure, but if yous are experiencing debilitating thyroid dysfunction, in addition to hence yous know exclusively likewise good it’s non an exaggeration.)
Another helpful volume is Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? (When My Lab Tests are Normal).
Remember: Amy Berger, M.S., NTP, is non a physician in addition to , LLC, is non a medical practice. The data contained on this site is non intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or forestall whatever medical condition.
Sumber http://www.tuitnutrition.com/