Thyroid Tests
Thyroid tests are misunderstood by patients and doctors alike. Here is a run down of the various options for thyroid testing. We typically run the basic thyroid panel and/or thyroid antibodies panel. The less helpful / more specific tests are not that useful and/or reserved for monitoring thyroid cancer, etc. Basic Thyroid Panel Thyroid Stimulating […]
Thyroid Hormone Chemistry
Thyroid hormones are combinations of the amino acid tyrosine and iodine. Two tyrosines are linked to either 1, 2, 3 or 4 iodine molecules to create what are known as T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively. T4 (levothyroxine) is the main thyroid hormone released from the thyroid gland, but is not considered significantly metabolically active. […]
Pitfalls of Standard Thyroid Tests
Standard thyroid tests such as TSH and T4 may miss low thyroid conditions, while T3 and reverse T3 testing often tells a more accurate story. There are numerous, well documented reasons for this disparity. Conditions that are shown to cause disruption of standard thyroid testing include: physiologic and emotional stress depression dieting obesity leptin or […]