Our medical system has invested so much in the TSH test that we've given it authority to override medical discernment about thyrotoxicosis. The oft-repeated mantras that "TSH is the most sensitive and specific test" and "the only necessary test" have blinded many doctors to the diverse influences that can suppress or inflate TSH secretion. Unscientific …
Thyrotoxicosis? Many factors can lower TSH
Many substances and health factors can, independently of thyroid hormones, lower TSH secretion significantly. These factors are not listed in Braverman & Cooper's chapter on thyrotoxicosis in Werner & Ingbar's The Thyroid textbook, 10th edition 2013, because their chapter avoids defining the syndrome by a low TSH. Nevertheless, these TSH-lowering factors should always be mentioned …
Thyrotoxicosis: Symptoms and signs
Much confusion exists about the value of symptoms and signs in the diagnosis of thyrotoxicosis. The most common view is to dismiss symptoms entirely because each, considered separately, is "nonspecific" to thyrotoxicosis. However, there is no such thing as a "thyroid-specific" symptom because thyroid hormones have their effects in every organ and system of the body. What's …
References for Thyrotoxicosis vs. Low TSH series
Posts in this series (Some were not published yet as of posting this reference list -- links TBA) Thyrotoxicosis? Many factors can lower TSH Thyrotoxicosis: Symptoms and signs Thyrotoxicosis vs. Low TSH Thyrotoxicosis can occur with high or normal TSH? TSH "can be very misleading" during thyroid therapy, say researchers How TSH ultrashort feedback works, …
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The impact of thyroid hormone dysfunction on ischemic heart disease, and how T3 therapy may help
Finally! In the past, the overemphasis on hyperthyroidism and thyrotoxicosis and heart diseases has made many doctors think that only excess T3 and T4 is bad for the heart. We finally have an article that focuses on the real cause-effect relationships on the opposite end of the thyroid dysfunction spectrum: HYPOthyroidism. This May 2019 article …
Analyze thyroid lab results using SPINA-Thyr
This post walks through the process of using the SPINA-Thyr to interpret thyroid lab test results. OVERVIEW SPINA-Thyr is a free diagnostic application. SPINA-Thyr takes thyroid laboratory test values TSH, Free T4 and Free T3 and performs calculations that enable in-depth evaluation of thyroid function, pituitary function, and T4-T3 conversion for people who are on no …
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Evidence-based thyroid advocacy
My previous post talked about "evidence-based thyroid therapy." Sometimes, thyroid therapy goes terribly wrong, despite the efforts of doctors and patients, and I tell my experience and hopes in this post. Failures are not just individual. In thyroid therapy, there are systemic failures. Many factors have led to challenges in thyroid therapy: History and trends …
