Thyroid Labs - Optimal Levels
One of the most frequent and important tests we run in functional medicine is a thorough thyroid panel. Once that thyroid panel is run looking at not just normal levels, but are the levels optimal?
The thyroid gland is an important part of endocrine system. It produces the hormones T4, T3, and calcitonin and plays an important role in many body processes. Dysfunction of the thyroid is common and expected to affect 1 in 8 adults.
How does the thyroid gland and hormones work?
The major thyroid hormone secreted by the thyroid gland is thyroxine, also called T4 because it contains four iodine atoms. T4 is converted to triiodothyronine (T3) by the removal of an iodine atom.
This conversion happens mainly in the liver and in certain tissues where T3 acts, e.g. brain. The amount of T4 produced by the thyroid gland is controlled by thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), which is produced in the pituitary gland. The amount of TSH that the pituitary sends into the bloodstream depends on the amount of T4 that the pituitary sees. If the pituitary sees very little T4, then it produces more TSH to tell the thyroid gland to produce more T4.
The autoimmune condition known as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is the most common type of hypothyroidism. It should also be mentioned that experts will often make differing recommendations when it comes to subclinical hypothyroidism (TSH elevated, but circulating thyroid hormones are normal). Causes of low thyroid function often cause other diseases.
There are many factors that may impact thyroid health, but endocrine disruptors are a huge problem. They can be found in a variety of things, such as foods, food packaging, water, and personal care product and include the ingredients bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, and flame retardant compounds.
Other factors that negatively impact thyroid health is stress and chronic inflammation. Also visit my post on inflammation for a deep dive into this.
It is extremely important when looking into thyroid health that you address toxicant exposures, inflammation, gut health and chronic stress. Without looking into these items and only focus on supplementing with medications like levothyroxine you are missing some key pieces.
Addressing suboptimal thyroid labs is the next step and will be covered later!
*This is not intended to be taken as medical advice and as always consult your healthcare professional.
