If you are experiencing symptoms of hypothyroidism, you should have comprehensive blood testing done to determine the health of the thyroid. As a Homeopathic Doctor, I look for patterns that reveal a poor functioning thyroid and work with my patients to prevent disease whenever possible.
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗛𝘆𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗵𝘆𝗿𝗼𝗶𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗺❓
In my practice, I make it a point to order a complete thyroid panel test on all of my patients, especially those with symptoms or who have just had a baby. And while testing is important, test results should be interpreted with the person’s symptoms in mind.
Primary Hypothyroid: TSH high or normal. T4 low. T3 low. Ab’s negative
Secondary Hypothyroid: TSH low. T4 low. T4 low. Ab’s negative
Hashimoto’s: TSH normal or high. T4 normal or low. T3 low. Ab’s high
While running TSH only is common in many doctor’s offices, it’s important to know that it’s not enough. Yes, an abnormal level of TSH is a good indication that something is wrong with the thyroid, but it’s just one piece of the puzzle. But there’s another problem with testing TSH by itself. TSH as a pituitary measurement alone does not indicate the response of the thyroid to the pituitary signal or the ability of the body to convert T4 to the active T3 hormone.
Since autoimmunity is found in about 90% of thyroid patients, a full thyroid panel is vital for finding and diagnosing the possible autoimmune disease early.
We already know that the “normal” range for TSH has been widened. This means that while a “functional” or optimal TSH range is about 1-2, the conventional range goes all the way up to 5.0 (which is pretty high, indicating hypothyroidism).
It’s important to test for antibodies as they are predictive of the disease, meaning they can show up years before enough thyroid tissue has been destroyed to render you hypothyroid.
So, confirming that you do or do not have Hashimoto’s as opposed to hypothyroid alone is important because those two conditions are treated differently which I will discuss in detail soon.
Article written by Dr Tharushka Naidoo
