We all know a “thyroidectomy” is the surgical removal of a thyroid gland. Nobody removes a vital gland without a patient’s informed consent. If your medical system and doctor are ethical, you as a patient have the opportunity to weigh… Read More ›
TSH test
The TSH-T3 disjoint in thyroid therapy
There’s a deep lie behind today’s TSH-based definition of “euthyroid” status and today’s policies of TSH normalization in therapy. The lie is that the loss of the thyroid and the initiation of thyroid hormone dosing has NOT altered and skewed… Read More ›
LifeLabs BC handout reveals thyroid testing policy failure
This week, a thyroid patient from British Columbia posted an image of a piece of paper handed to her at a LifeLabs laboratory. LifeLabs BC was using this paper leaflet to explain to her why “Free T3 and Free T4… Read More ›
Individual thyroid ranges are far narrower than lab ranges
We’ve known since at least 2002 that being within “normal range” is never good enough when it comes to thyroid hormone blood tests. An important set of articles has taught us that each human being has an optimal range for… Read More ›
What if TSH levels were like shoe sizes, thyroid meds like mobility aids
Seeing things visually might help clarify what thyroid therapy is like. Our thyroid hides in our neck and our hormones hide in every inch of our body. Nobody sees our thyroid gland distort, die, or shrivel. Nobody sees what fatigue… Read More ›
Several fallacies in the TSH-T4 paradigm of thyroid therapy
When you are steeped in a medical paradigm, its fallacies can be as comfortable and taken for granted as an old pair of sneakers. In this post, I’ll take apart several thyroid therapy fallacies, starting with the fallacy “description is… Read More ›
TSH “can be very misleading” during thyroid therapy, say researchers
How many treated hypothyroid patients’ TSH has fallen below range even when both their thyroid hormones are in normal range and when they have no symptoms or signs of hyperactivity or hypermetabolism? In my observation on thyroid patient forums, the… Read More ›
Thyrotoxicosis can occur with high or normal TSH?
Table 17.1 in Braverman & Cooper’s 2013 chapter in Werner & Ingbar’s The Thyroid textbook, 10th edition, lists many causes of thyrotoxicosis. The only time the TSH _hormone_ is listed as a cause of thyrotoxicosis is in the case of… Read More ›