Thyroid Tests - Know what they mean!

 Before you start reading this blog, please understand that you don’t have to know what all these terms mean. All you need to know right now is what the ranges are for the tests, and what that means. So relax. If you want to research this more, and if you have thyroid problems, I really think you should, toward the end of this blog, I have included a wonderful website as a great place to start.

Okay, so let’s say you you’ve done some research, or seen your doctor, and you have decided to have your thyroid tested. If you go to a conventional physician, here is what probably will happen.

Your doctor will have the following tested:

1.     TSH – TSH is short for Thyroid Stimulating Hormone. TSH is produced by your pituitary gland. TSH stimulates your thyroid gland to make several different thyroid hormones.

2.     Free T4 – This test measures the amount of T4 that is not bound by proteins.

3.     Free T3 – This test measures the amount of T3 that is not bound by proteins.

A naturopath will definitely perform the same tests, but will probably test a couple of other things:

1.     Antibodies – If you have an thyroid autoimmune disease such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (hypothyroidism) or Graves Disease, (Hyperthyroidism), you will most likely have anti bodies present in your blood.

2.     Reverse T3 – RT3 is made when T4 is converted to RT3. This happens for a ton of reasons.

3.     TSH – using the new updated range factor.

So this is how this works out.

TSH Old Range 0.5-5.0 New Range .3-3	FT4 Range 0.7-2.0	FT3 Range 2.3-4.2	Antibodies	RT3 Ratio Divide T3 by RT3 A good number is 23 – 24.	What’s probably Happening
High	High	Low			Hyperthyroidism –  pituitary problems
Low	Low	Low			Secondary  hypothyroidism
High	Normal	Normal			Very mild hypothyroidism
High	Low	Low			Classic hypothyroidism
Very low	High	High			Over medicated with thyroid hormone  or hyperthyroidism
Low	Normal	Normal			Mild hyperthyroidism
High	Normal	Low			Possible secondary  hypothyroidism
			Antibodies present		High likelihood of some type of thyroid disease such as Hashimoto’s or Grave’s Disease
	High	Low		Number is lower than 23 or 24	Secondary hypothyroidism

Here is where many conventional doctors mess up.

1.     They only test TSH – and many labs still use the outdated range of 0.5-5.0. This causes far too many people to go undiagnosed.

2.     They don’t test for the presence of anti bodies, thus they miss diagnosing a pretty significant autoimmune disease, which can partially treated using other methods along with hormone medication.

3.     They don’t test for RT3 – Secondary Thyroidism is a whole different issue, and can be greatly treated using methods other than just hormone replacement.

When you go to see your doctor regarding your thyroid test, take this paper and discuss the results with your doctor. This way, you look and sound like you care enough about your health to be taken seriously.

This is just a bare bones explanation of thyroid blood tests. For a deeper explanation into all things thyroid, check out the website, www.stopthethyroidmadness.com. The book of the same name is an excellent read for anyone who has thyroid problems, or knows someone with thyroid problems.

If your doctor is using the old test range for TSH, I recommend that you go get tested somewhere else where they use the updated range for TSH.

If you’re doctor insists that your tests are normal, and there is NO PROBLEM with your thyroid gland, AND YOUR SYMPTOMS PERSIST, I high suggest you consider seeing a health professional who practices medicine holistically.

Next blog, I will discuss some other reasons, other than thyroid hormones that your thyroid gland might not be working.

So, next time, stay tuned.

The difference between synthetic and natural thyroid medication, and how you can get totally messed up if you don't know the difference.

Currently, there are two types of thyroid medication available to those of us who are hypothyroid. These are the synthetic and natural forms of thyroid hormones

On the synthetic side there are:

Synthetic Thyroxine – (T4) – Levothyroxine –

T4 is the “storage,” and most abundant form of thyroid hormone in your body. Most conventional doctors prescribe only Levothyroxine to their patients.

They do this because they say T4 is more stable, lasts longer in the body and that the body is able to convert T4 to T3, the active form of thyroid hormone.

The only problem is that many people do not convert T4 to T3, and so people who only take T4 are under treated, and many of their symptoms do not diminish. As a matter of fact, for many people who take just T4, as they get older their symptoms often get worse.

And, because their doctor tells them they are being adequately treated for thyroid issues because their blood tests come back just fine (we’ll get into this in a later blog) these poor people head down that long, lonely, expensive and often futile highway of trying to figure out what the heck could be wrong with them.

2.     Synthetic Triiodothyronine (T3) – Liothyronine -  T3 is the “active” form of thyroid hormone. It is not stored in your cells, but is converted from T4 to T3 by your body. Depending on who you talk to, T3 is three to five times more powerful than T4. One of the reasons that some doctors don’t like to prescribe T3, is that unlike T4 that stays in your system for days, T3 clears your system within several hours, requiring patients to take a pill twice a day.

On the natural side of the thyroid hormone equation is Desiccated Natural Thyroid. There are different brands available such as, Nature-Throid, Wes-Throid, Armour Thyroid, and a Canadian brand from the manufacturer Erfa.

Desiccated Natural Thyroid is made from the thyroid gland of pigs. Yes, that's right, pigs. Unlike the synthetic form, Desiccated Natural Thyroid includes both T4 and T3, as well as the other less talked about thyroid hormones, T2,T1 and calcitonin.

Folks on the conventional side of medicine will tell you that you can’t trust the purity and consistency of Desiccated Natural Thyroid. However, that is a bunch of BS, because Desiccated Natural Thyroid is produced under very strict guidelines and is tested again and again for consistency and purity. In fact, before synthetic thyroid hormones were produced back in the 1950’s, patients were effectively treated for hypothyroid issues using Desiccated Natural Thyroid.

What happened? Big Pharma and money got involved! There was a lot of money to be made, billions and billions of dollars in fact, in the production and sale of synthetic thyroid hormone. So, a smear campaign ensued, and Desiccated Natural Thyroid fell out of favor. However, it is making a comeback, and more health professionals, particularly naturopath’s, and those physicians who practice integrative and functional medicine are prescribing Desiccated Natural Thyroid.

This is very important to those who suffer from thyroid issues. The body was never meant to function on only one type of thyroid storage hormone. The body needs the complete package, and Desiccated Natural Thyroid hormone is all that.

In my next blog I will discuss the different types of thyroid tests, and how the conventional medical guidelines for reading these tests leaving millions of people to fall through the cracks and never get the help they need.

Till then, don't just do what doctor's tell you! Read! Research! Ask Questions! It's your body! Own it!