No one wants to be ageist or sexist in thyroid screening or diagnosis. But if we are blind to the way that age and sex can distort the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis, our interpretations of thyroid hormone levels and TSH will… Read More ›
TSH test
Age bias may hide hypothyroidism under a normal TSH
Scientists have been explaining that TSH responds to thyroid hormones differently in childhood, early adulthood, late adulthood and very advanced age. This poses a problem for regions that have implemented TSH-only screening for thyroid dysfunction. The effect of age on… Read More ›
Can a normal TSH rule out thyroid disease?
If you are well-informed by current thyroid science, you already know the answer to the question in the title. “No. A normal TSH cannot rule out thyroid disease.” Since the 1990s, physicians have been taught to use simplistic category-based interpretations… Read More ›
The myths that idolize TSH and denigrate FT3
There are myths in medical practice, and misguided policies in health care systems, that prevent Free T3 (FT3) from being tested. It could save a patient years or decades of suffering and illness to perform this cheap test to reveal… Read More ›
Caution: Doctors perform T3-ectomies without our consent
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 ›
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 four articles has taught us that each human being has an optimal range… Read More ›