Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH)- one
important test among many
When testing for thyroid dysfunction there many pieces that have to be examined to give us an
insight as to where the thyroid and its relating hormones are failing. Unfortunately traditional
medicine relies primarily on the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) blood test to measure thyroid
function. Thyroid stimulating hormone is not a thyroid hormone. It is a hormone released by the
pituitary that stimulates the production of thyroid hormone when the brain detects a need for
more thyroid hormone. TSH regulates the level of thyroid hormone production. When thyroid
hormone drops, TSH increases in order to stimulate the production of more thyroid hormone.
When thyroid hormone levels are up then TSH levels go down. It is very important to
understand that this is only one crucial aspect of the large chain of events that comprise the
whole thyroid picture. Those with symptoms of hypothyroidism need a more complete evaluation
in order to find the true cause of their thyroid symptoms.
Testing TSH alone is not sufficient to assess thyroid function because it doesn’t take into
account the conversion of thyroid hormone into its active form. When thyroid hormone is
produced in response to TSH, it is produced in the form of T4, which has to be converted into
the active form of thyroid hormone that is T3. If proper conversion is not taking place, then what
good would it do to dump a synthetic form of T4 (i.e. Synthroid, Levothroid, Levoxyl,
Levothyroxine) in your body? The T4 level is not the issue in this case, it is the conversion.
TSH does not account for the relative sensitivity or resistance of thyroid hormone receptors
either. In order for this complex chain of events to occur fully, the active thyroid hormone (T3)
must bind to little docking ports in every cell in your body. Those docking ports are called thyroid
receptors. Once attached to the thyroid receptor, the hormone will tell the cell to rev up its
metabolism. If your thyroid receptors are resistant to thyroid hormone due to chemical exposure
or even from excess thyroid medication, your TSH test results may come back completely
normal. But in reality you will have all of the symptoms of low thyroid due to something
completely unrelated to TSH or even the level of thyroid hormone produced.
Another shortcoming of testing just TSH is that it does not determine the cause of low thyroid. It
only detects the existence of the hypothyroid condition. Sadly it does not detect the most
common cause of low thyroid; autoimmunity. It is estimated that as many as 90% of hypothyroid
cases are caused by autoimmunity and as many as 10% of the entire United States population
could be suffering from autoimmune related hypothyroid!
The TSH level range on a standard blood test is .5-5.5. This is a broad range that leads to
failure of proper diagnosis. The ideal range of TSH should be much narrower. This wide range
unfortunately misses many types of developing cases of hypothyroidism and it is common for a
patient walk out of their physician’s office being told that their thyroid is “normal,” when it is not.
Sadly, their problems such as weight gain and fatigue will continue and become much more
difficult to correct.
TSH is a fantastic marker for thyroid production but the reality is that comprehensive thyroid
testing needs to be completed on anyone who has symptoms of hypothyroidism. Settling for a
simple TSH test will waste your time and not give you the answers you deserve.
If you have any symptoms of low thyroid, including difficulty losing weight, call Complete Health
and Weight Loss today. We will help you discover the underlying cause and often help you
correct the cause naturally.
972-735-0707
If you might have hypothyroid but you don't live in the Dallas Fort Worth area, we can still
help you through phone consultations.
important test among many
When testing for thyroid dysfunction there many pieces that have to be examined to give us an
insight as to where the thyroid and its relating hormones are failing. Unfortunately traditional
medicine relies primarily on the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) blood test to measure thyroid
function. Thyroid stimulating hormone is not a thyroid hormone. It is a hormone released by the
pituitary that stimulates the production of thyroid hormone when the brain detects a need for
more thyroid hormone. TSH regulates the level of thyroid hormone production. When thyroid
hormone drops, TSH increases in order to stimulate the production of more thyroid hormone.
When thyroid hormone levels are up then TSH levels go down. It is very important to
understand that this is only one crucial aspect of the large chain of events that comprise the
whole thyroid picture. Those with symptoms of hypothyroidism need a more complete evaluation
in order to find the true cause of their thyroid symptoms.
Testing TSH alone is not sufficient to assess thyroid function because it doesn’t take into
account the conversion of thyroid hormone into its active form. When thyroid hormone is
produced in response to TSH, it is produced in the form of T4, which has to be converted into
the active form of thyroid hormone that is T3. If proper conversion is not taking place, then what
good would it do to dump a synthetic form of T4 (i.e. Synthroid, Levothroid, Levoxyl,
Levothyroxine) in your body? The T4 level is not the issue in this case, it is the conversion.
TSH does not account for the relative sensitivity or resistance of thyroid hormone receptors
either. In order for this complex chain of events to occur fully, the active thyroid hormone (T3)
must bind to little docking ports in every cell in your body. Those docking ports are called thyroid
receptors. Once attached to the thyroid receptor, the hormone will tell the cell to rev up its
metabolism. If your thyroid receptors are resistant to thyroid hormone due to chemical exposure
or even from excess thyroid medication, your TSH test results may come back completely
normal. But in reality you will have all of the symptoms of low thyroid due to something
completely unrelated to TSH or even the level of thyroid hormone produced.
Another shortcoming of testing just TSH is that it does not determine the cause of low thyroid. It
only detects the existence of the hypothyroid condition. Sadly it does not detect the most
common cause of low thyroid; autoimmunity. It is estimated that as many as 90% of hypothyroid
cases are caused by autoimmunity and as many as 10% of the entire United States population
could be suffering from autoimmune related hypothyroid!
The TSH level range on a standard blood test is .5-5.5. This is a broad range that leads to
failure of proper diagnosis. The ideal range of TSH should be much narrower. This wide range
unfortunately misses many types of developing cases of hypothyroidism and it is common for a
patient walk out of their physician’s office being told that their thyroid is “normal,” when it is not.
Sadly, their problems such as weight gain and fatigue will continue and become much more
difficult to correct.
TSH is a fantastic marker for thyroid production but the reality is that comprehensive thyroid
testing needs to be completed on anyone who has symptoms of hypothyroidism. Settling for a
simple TSH test will waste your time and not give you the answers you deserve.
If you have any symptoms of low thyroid, including difficulty losing weight, call Complete Health
and Weight Loss today. We will help you discover the underlying cause and often help you
correct the cause naturally.
972-735-0707
If you might have hypothyroid but you don't live in the Dallas Fort Worth area, we can still
help you through phone consultations.
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