The current blood testing methods simply do not tell the whole story.
75 % of your thyroid hormone is in the skin, muscle and brain, so how then is it possible to get an accurate measurement on thyroid function from your blood? The other issue is that TSH, the standard blood test used to establish thyroid function doesn’t take into account that you may have ample thyroid hormone in the blood, giving a good healthy reading, but that it cannot tell you if the hormones are working well or not. In short thyroid hormones are not active in the blood.
What blood tests are available?
- TSH – Thyroid Stimulating Hormone This is secreted from the pituitary to signal the thyroid to produce more T4 and T3 thyroid hormones. Reference range: 0.3 -4.5 mlU/L
- Free T3 (the active form of T3 thyroid hormone which is not bound to a protein) Ref: 2.5-6 pmol/L) But should be up in the upper 25 percentile.
- Free T4 – (Thyroid hormone T4 – not bound to protein) Ref: 8-22 pmol/L . High T4 can indicate low cellular thyroid function not hyperthyroidism.
- Thyroid Antibodies (TgAB anti thyroglobulin antibody) – indication of autoimmunity hashimoto’s thyroiditis (hypothyroid). Ref: Less than 35 IU/mL
- Anti-Microsomal Antibody Ab (TPOAb) also called thyroid peroxidase – Indication of autoimmunity. Graves (hyper) or Hashimoto’s (Hypo) Reference Range: Less than 20 IU/mL
- Reverse T3 –Can indicate how well T4 is converting to T3. If RT3 is elevated it shows this is not happening well. Ref: 140-500pmol/L. The optimal results would be lower than 150.
- T3U (T3 uptake)- Low T3U indicates low thyroid function Ref: 10 – 26 mcg/dL
The Standard Blood Tests miss many cases of Thyroid Disease. TSH markers are different around the globe because it cannot be decided where they should be.
Dr. Kent Holtorf (a well revered thyroid specialist in the USA) stated:
“A normal TSH does not rule out thyroid dysfunction and a low TSH is shown to be an indication of excessive tissue thyroid levels only 20% of the time (80% of the time that is not the case). The TSH becomes an extremely poor marker for tissue thyroid levels if there is any inflammation, depression, chronic illness, chronic dieting, obesity, stress, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, diabetes, insulin resistance, leptin resistance present.”
If patients still have thyroid symptoms when their TSH levels are normal, how can the blood test be correct? The symptoms show otherwise.
In 1971, in his speech at the Medical Society’s Transactions Dr. R.I.S. Bayliss, a famous Endocrinologist (one of the most renowned endocrinologists in the USA on blood tests) was asked after many decades of treating thyroid conditions how he could tell when a patient had adequate thyroid replacement.
“I am often asked how the correct dose of thyroxine is determined. The answer is clinically by the patient’s pulse rate, his sense of wellbeing, the texture of his skin, his tolerance of cold, his bowel function, and the speed with which his deep tendon reflexes relax.” Is thyroid not the hormone capable of raising the constitution and well-being of the patient? Anyone can be brought up to the top of their constitutional capabilities when tested adequately for thyroid hormone. This would only be done by clinical assessment, not blood tests; there is no relation between the signs and symptoms of low thyroid disease, the TSH, or the other related blood tests”.
Testimonial:
“I had seen lots of doctors and been to every specialist under the sun and was always told that my blood tests were normal and that there was nothing wrong with me. I kept saying, why am I so tired then, why can’t I lose any weight even though I eat like a rabbit? It wasn’t until I had the thyroflex test done that I realised the severity of my condition. It was the first time anyone had told me what was going on. My thyroid function was terrible. I cannot begin to tell you the relief I felt when they told me! I now know WHY I have been feeling the way I have and I am now starting to feel the best I have ever felt in my life thanks to The Lucy Rose Clinic and the treatments they have been giving me.” Julie, Sydney
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