Skipped to method 3, 3, though the rest is worth a read!
METHOD 3:
Functional testing through blood, urine, stool and saliva to elicit detailed information not only about current health status, but also to predict health trends with multiple tests over time...
3. Comprehensive thyroid function – Feeling ‘tired all the time’ (TATT) is a leading cause of why people visit their doctors. Given that the thyroid is the master controller of the hormonal system and also regulates metabolism, it’s not surprising that thyroid testing has increased. Visit your conventional doctor displaying a major symptom of thyroid under activity (hypothyroidism), or over activity (hyperthyroidism), and you’ll likely have just two markers run to determine thyroid function – T4 (thyroxine) and TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). TSH is a pituitary hormone that monitors levels of thyroid hormone in the body. When the need increases, TSH tells the thyroid gland to release active hormone (T3, triiodothyronine) by converting T4. From the broader clinical perspective in functional medicine, these two hormones are insufficient markers to determine true thyroid function. In a comprehensive thyroid screen, by contrast, you’d find TSH, free T3, free T4 (free refers to the amount of hormone being used by the tissues), total T4 (the amount in ‘storage’), reverse T3 (inactive), T3 uptake and thyroid antibodies, to check for the presence of autoimmune activity. In our increasingly hectic and stress-filled modern world, reverse T3 is coming into play more and more. It’s the body’s evolutionary ‘safeguard’, the brake on the system, when energy needs to be saved and channelled into more important systems like the immune system, on which survival depends. Reverse T3 has the ability to decrease active T3, bind to receptors and prevent what’s left of the T3 getting in. It increases symptoms of hypothyroidism, yet doesn’t change the T4 or TSH levels, which to your doctor, makes your thyroid function look normal and increases the likelihood of your symptoms being put down to a psychosomatic cause! With autoimmune diseases rising at a rapid rate, full functional thyroid screening is becoming more and more relevant given it’s often the first predictive chink in the armour to show. Catch these things early and the chance for recovery is greatly enhanced before someone descends into full pathology. Again, another tick for preventative and sustainable....
Another paper (USA) showing TSH alone is not a good indicator of therapy.
Why is tsh test the only one used?
