"Does A Normal TSH Mean That Your Thyroid Is Healthy?

Happy "hump day"!  Today, I want to discuss something that I see very frequently in my clinic.  Oftentimes, a patient will come in to see me because they have various symptoms of hypothyroidism and they'll say "my doctor has been checking my TSH and it's normal".  How could this be?

Well, it's pretty simple.  TSH is just ONE marker.  There are many different markers that should be tested in a person with chronic thyroid symptoms.  For most people, all that's tested is TSH and MAYBE T4, while the rest of the panel is ignored.  In order to discover what's really going on with the thyroid, we must have a complete picture of the thyroid function.

This would include (at a minimum):

• - Thyroid Stimulating Hormone: the message sent from the pituitary gland to the thyroid to "kick start" the gland
• Free T3: this is the biologically active form of thyroid hormone, meaning, this is the form you body can use.  Only 7% of the hormone made in the thyroid gland is T3
• Free T4:  93% of the hormone made by the thyroid gland is T4.  This has to be converted into T3 for the body to be able to use it.  This conversion takes place in the liver, GI tract and peripheral tissues.  So, even if the thyroid is functioning properly, if there is a conversion problem, you can have thyroid symptoms.  Measuring TSH will not tell us if there is a problem with the conversion of T4-T3
• Thyroid Antibodies:  this is check to see if there is an autoimmune attack on the thyroid.  We will discuss autoimmunity in the next few posts.  By some estimates, 90% of hypothyroidism is caused by an autoimmune condition.  The only way to know for sure if there is an autoimmune condition, like Hashimoto's thyroiditis, is to test for thyroid antibodies.  This test is rarely done because it doesn't influence the typical medical treatment.
• Reverse T3:  A form of T3 your body cannot use
• Free Thyroxine Index (FTI):  a measure of how much T4 is available
• Resin T3 Uptake:  measures the unsaturated binding sites on thyroid proteins

There are also additional tests to consider.  It is very important to test a patient's blood glucose, liver markers, adrenal function, food sensitivities, GI function, etc.  The reason is because the thyroid interacts with every organ and system of the body. 

Remember...it ALL matters...your nervous system, your hormones, GI system, etc. Everything is tied to your thyroid function!

In the coming weeks, I will help to put the pieces of this puzzle together.  I think it would be helpful to give you an understanding of how the thyroid works, so we'll cover that in the next post.

In the meantime, please visit www.wvthyroidrelief.com for more information.  And, as always, you can reach me at drb@drdanboggs.com or (304)255-4325 if you'd like to schedule a consultation.