The Unreliable TSH Lab

[Gene Devine]

There is so much written and studied now on the TSH assay as an unreliable lab to diagnose Thyroid health it's not even funny.

But the uneducated patient and under trained Physician still look at the TSH assay as the "be all tell all" lab for assessing Thyroid health...and nothing could be further from the truth.

You can learn more by going to http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/ and see for yourself.

Or, you can go to Dr. Dach's website and read his three part article, which I think for us non-medical types, is a great read!

http://jeffreydachmd.com/the-unreliable-tsh-lab-test-by-jefrey-dach-md/

From my point of view, if your Physician diagnoses you as being either Hyperthyroid and Hypothyroid by just looking at TSH values alone, and worse writes you a prescription...you have a right to second guess that assessment and seek further diagnostic testing to see what's really going on.

Read on....

 

[Jerry Brainum]

In my articles, I've suggested for the last 20 years or so that dessicated, or Armour brand thyroid is probably the best form of thyroid hormone for most people. It has a low incidence of side effects, and was actually the favored form of thyroid by the top bodybuilders, such as Arnold, Zane, and others years ago because it helped maintain resting metabolic rate while on a CR diet, but did not cause any loss of lean mass whatsoever. When Serge Nubret brought over Triacana, and told the guys to take 12 a day, they all lost muscle. For years, the pharmaceutical industry has falsely written that Armour thyroid isn't standardized, which is a blatant lie.In fact, it constitutes the safest and most natural method for thyroid replacement.

 

[Jasen Bruce]

It seems most conventional physicians rely on TSH to determine deficiency, and then blanket prescribe levothyroxine. Literally only scratching the surface when it comes to the complexity of our thyroid. Does anyone know the incidence of patients who cannot convert T4 into T3 (thus making levothyroxine moot)?

I have a lot to learn when it comes to thyroid! Looking forward to picking up some knowledge on this forum.

By the way if Armour is ever on backorder like it was a few years ago, most compounding pharmacies can make it very cheap (~$0.25 per capsule) Be sure to confirm that the source is porcine, although I am not sure if they even carry bovine or other sources anymore.

 

[Dave Barry]

Does anyone know the incidence of patients who cannot convert T4 into T3 (thus making levothyroxine moot)? I have read that about 20% of patients are unable to properly convert T4 to T3. Based upon the labs that I have conversed with recently, it appears that Nature-Throid has grown in popularity and is being prescribed at a significantly higher rate by physicians that prescribe natural thyroid such as Armour. However, I have used Armour thyroid since 1995 and have not done well on other formulas during the few periods, in which it was not available since I have been using it.

Any doctor that uses Tsh levels as a main determinant for hyper-hypothyroidism treatment, I would suggest is not knowledgeable. Relying on only the Tsh levels is similar to relying on total cholesterol alone. "Additionally, the following two ratios are far better indicators of heart disease risk than total cholesterol alone:

Your HDL/Cholesterol ratio-- HDL percentage is a very potent heart disease risk factor. Just divide your HDL level by your cholesterol. This percentage should ideally be above 24 percent. Below 10 percent, it's a significant indicator of risk for heart disease.
Your Triglyceride/HDL ratios—Divide your triglycerides by your HDL level. This percentage should ideally be below 2."