Overlooked hypothyroidism and TSH

>> YOUR LINK HERE: ___ http://youtube.com/watch?v=qEUl2mbEpi8

I show my factory analogy for understanding what's actually tested in thyroid bloodwork, especially the common test that focuses on TSH levels to the exclusion of T3 and T4. • I find the factory analogy useful because it treats TSH testing as a quality control complaint from the pituitary and hypothalamus, thus the name thyroid stimulating hormone. Seeing it as a complaint about thyroid output helps avoid the mistake of thinking higher numbers imply higher thyroid output when the opposite is usually true. And seeing TSH as a pituitary complaint also helps avoid a common mistake where a doctor interprets levels that are within the reference range as ruling out hypothyroidism in someone with symptoms that would otherwise suggest a need for thyroid medication. Using TSH alone for that kind of diagnosis misses several reasons TSH could be low while the person still has a reduced metabolic rate: • 1. The hypothalamus and pituitary may be more responsive to T4 (thyroxine) levels than to T3 (triiodothyronine) levels, when T4 alone may not be enough to prevent hypothyroidism symptoms, particularly in someone whose liver is doing a poor job of creating the active thyroid hormone from T4. This can also cause misleading results when people are given T4-only medication that makes their TSH drop. • 2. There can be problems with the hypothalamus or pituitary that cause them to release inadequate TSH. • 3. The tissue that needs the thyroid hormones may not be getting enough of the more easily-accessible T3 (triiodothyronine) hormone it needs, or may have problems making use of either form of the hormones. • 4. Several factors can cause a TSH measurement be artificially high or low, including meal patterns, time of day, biotin supplements, and even the time of year. • I have a site about ordering your own blood tests without a doctor: https://www.selftestable.com • I post on Facebook and Twitter about biomarkers and self-testing: • / selftestable • / selftestable • • Credits on the images and music I used: • 1. Modified orangutan, originally from Brad Coy, https://www.flickr.com/photos/bradfor... • 2. Adipose tissue, Wagner, Roger C. and Hossler, Fred E. from http://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/... • 3. Testicle histology, Uwe Gille, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... • 4. Neuron, ZEISS Microscopy, Sample courtesy of Stefanie Kaech Gary Banker, https://www.flickr.com/photos/zeissmi... • 5. Ending music: Ludwig van Beethoven - Paul Rosenthal - Edward Auer - Violin Sonata No. 8 in G major - 1. Allegro assai

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