Can Anyone Advise Following Test Results?

[Guest guest]

I finally have some test results but am a bit surprised to see that apparently I

am perfectly 'normal', despite being constantly exhausted and having basal temps

between 33.8 - 35.9...

Can anyone suggest my next step in trying to identify my problem?

Test results:

Free T4 - 13.5

TSH - 1.62

Free T3 - 4.2

I ended up being sent for the 8am cortisol blood test, not the 24 hour saliva

test i had expected, and that result was:

635 with the note that it is an " elevated cortisol value which may be seen with

physiological states (eg stress response) or pathological conditions.

There were 'general chemistry' tests also,with the only result commented on

being that my urea is low at 2.0, and it was suggested that this may be due to

insufficient protein intake, as a vegetarian.

From everything I have read on this forum, and examining my health and life in

detail, based on the symptom checklists, I was convinced I had adrenal issues

and was hypothyroid, which is what a naturopath diagnosed a few months ago. I'm

a bit stuck now, and would really appreciate any input as to what i might

consider next. Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

[Guest guest]

, we need the reference range for the tests that you show

and also need to know what medications you are taking when you had these tests

done.

The NHS will not give you the 214 hour salivary adrenal profile,

only the early morning serum cortisol test, and if that shows any problems they

would then give you the short synacthen test. Are you taking any form of

adrenal supplementation at present and if so, did you tell the doctor who did

the test? If you are, this would make a difference to the serum test result and

would look falsely elevated.

Have you asked for the following to be checked: iron,

transferrin saturation%, ferritin, vitamin B12, vitamin D3, magnesium, folate,

copper and zinc. If any of these are low in the reference range, no amount of

thyroid hormone (not even your own) can be fully utilised at the cellular

level, and you will continue to suffer symptoms of hypothyroidism. Ask for these

tests to be done and post the results on the forum with the reference range,

but meanwhile, let us know what medications you are taking and what the

reference ranges are for the above results.

Luv - Sheila

I finally have some test results but am a bit

surprised to see that apparently I am perfectly 'normal', despite being

constantly exhausted and having basal temps between 33.8 - 35.9...

Test results:

Free T4 - 13.5

TSH - 1.62

Free T3 - 4.2

I ended up being sent for the 8am cortisol blood test, not the 24 hour saliva

test i had expected, and that result was:

635 with the note that it is an " elevated cortisol value which may be seen

with physiological states (eg stress response) or pathological conditions.

There were 'general chemistry' tests also,with the only result commented on

being that my urea is low at 2.0, and it was suggested that this may be due to

insufficient protein intake, as a vegetarian.

[Guest guest]

Sorry, Sheila, I get confused about the significance of the reference range!

I'll add them in below

Test results: reference range:

Free T4 - 13.5 9.0 - 25.0

TSH - 1.62 0.35 - 5.50

Free T3 - 4.2 3.5 - 6.5

8am cortisol - 635 110 -550

urea - 2.0 2.5 - 8.0

I was taking no medication at the time and have taken nothing yet specifically

for thyroid or adrenals, the only thing I take is general multi-vitamins.

The doctor thinks I may be low in iron, as I am vegetarian, and I will have

blood tests for iron levels when I get out from the remote aboriginal community

where I am working, but that's not for another 5 weeks. I've made a note of the

other tests you recommend and I will ask for referrals for those, too.

Thanks for your suggestions Sheila, and can you tell me how the reference range

works? (Sorry if that's such a basic question - I have looked at it before and I

thought it was the 'normal range' against which to compare results - have I

misunderstood?!!)

Thanks,

>

> , we need the reference range for the tests that you show and also need

> to know what medications you are taking when you had these tests done.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi - see comments below highlighted.

Test results: reference range:

Free T4 - 13.5 9.0 - 25.0 (This result is too low. For

anybody not taking any thyroid hormone replacement, the free T4 level should be

just above the half way mark in the reference range, which means that your fT4

should be somewhere in the region of 16.0.)

TSH - 1.62 0.35 - 5.50 - (This result would be better at

around 1.0 - so you need to keep an eye on this to see it doesn't start to go

higher.)

Free T3 - 4.2 3.5 - 6.5 - (free T3 should be in the upper third of the

reference range, but it is actually in the lower third.)

8am cortisol - 635 110 -550 (This doesn't appear to be a

problem, but this one test is only a snapshot of what level of cortisol you are

secreting at that particular time. - it is best to get the 24 hour salivary

adrenal profile done privately, or the 24 hour urine profile)

urea - 2.0 2.5 - 8.0 - this is outside the bottom of the reference range

and should perhaps be investigated further. Low urea levels are not common and are

not usually a cause for concern but they can be seen in severe liver disease or

malnutrition. See . T http://www.labtestsonline.org.uk/understanding/analytes/urea/test.html

Every blood test has a so called 'normal reference range' so you

can check the actual result to see whether it is at the bottom, the middle, the

top or even outside of the reference range , otherwise, there would be no point

in doing such tests. Your doctor should know where your levels should be if he

has done his research or paid attention to what he was taught at medical

school. If your free T4 (for instance) is very h high in the reference range,

it is usually an indication that it is not converting to the active thyroid

hormone T3, so the T4 is floating around in the blood with no where to go and

causing your symptoms of toxicity. A low level of fT3 means the thyroxine is

not being converted. T3 should be in the upper third of the ref. range to make

everything function as it should.

Luv - Sheila

Thanks for your suggestions Sheila, and can you tell me how the reference range

works? (Sorry if that's such a basic question - I have looked at it before and

I thought it was the 'normal range' against which to compare results - have I

misunderstood?!!)

Thanks,

>

> , we need the reference range for the tests that you show and also

need

> to know what medications you are taking when you had these tests done.

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks again Sheila for the info. Based on your comments on my FT3 & FT 4

levels, would you do anything in particular to address this? Is there anything

you would take that would help?

Thanks,

> Hi - see comments below highlighted.

>

> Test results: reference range:

> Free T4 - 13.5 9.0 - 25.0 (This result is too low. For anybody not taking

> any thyroid hormone replacement, the free T4 level should be just above the

> half way mark in the reference range, which means that your fT4 should be

> somewhere in the region of 16.0.)

> TSH - 1.62 0.35 - 5.50 - (This result would be better at around 1.0 - so

> you need to keep an eye on this to see it doesn't start to go higher.)

> Free T3 - 4.2 3.5 - 6.5 - (free T3 should be in the upper third of

[Guest guest]

You need to start with the basics and find out what might be happening

that is stopping your thyroid hormone from working - this is your own thyroid

hormone we are talking about, not any replacement.

There are MANY reasons and many medical conditions associated

with thyroid disease that stop thyroid hormone from getting into the cells,

where it does its work. I mention these over and over and over again - ad

nauseum - people must be bored with the same old stuff, but as each new member

joins us, they need to know about these.

The main condition responsible for stopping thyroid hormone from

working is, quite simply, a patient’s thyroxine dose is too low because

the doctor or consultant refuses to increase it, because the serum thyroid

function test results appear OK. Sometimes, the thyroxine dose is too high, yet

patients still don't feel well. They continue to suffer. Some reasons

for this:

They may be suffering with low adrenal reserve. The production

of T4, its conversion to T3, and the receptor uptake requires a normal amount

of adrenal hormones, notably, of course, cortisone. (Excess cortisone can shut

production down, however.) This is what happens if the adrenals are not

responding properly, and provision of cortisone usually switches it on

again. But sometimes it doesn’t. If the illness has been

going on for a long time, the enzyme seems to fail. This conversion

failure (inexplicably denied by many endocrinologists) means the thyroxine

builds up, unconverted. So it doesn’t work, and T4 toxicosis

results. This makes the patient feel quite unwell, toxic, often with

palpitations and chest pain. If provision of adrenal support doesn’t

remedy the situation, the final solution is the use of the active thyroid

hormone, already converted, T3 - either synthetic or natural.

Then, we have systemic candidiasis. This is where candida

albicans, yeast, which causes skin infections almost anywhere in the body,

invades the lining of the lower part of the small intestine and the large

intestine. Here, the candida sets up residence in the warmth and the

dark, and demands to be fed. Loving sugars and starches, candida can make

you suffer terrible sweet cravings. Candida can produce toxins which can

cause very many symptoms of exhaustion, headache, general illness, and which

interfere with the uptake of thyroid and adrenal treatment. Sometimes the

levels - which we usually test for - can be very high, and make successful

treatment difficult to achieve until adequately treated.

Then there is receptor resistance which could be a culprit. Being

hypothyroid for some considerable time may mean the biochemical mechanisms

which permit the binding of T3 to the receptors, is downgraded - so the T3

won’t go in. With slow build up of T3, with full adrenal support

and adequate vitamins and minerals, the receptors do come on line again.

But this can be quite a slow process, and care has to be taken to build the

dose up gradually.

And then there are Food allergies. The most common food allergy

is allergy to gluten, the protein fraction of wheat. The antibody generated by

the body, by a process of molecular mimicry, cross reacts with the

thyroperoxidase enzyme, (which makes thyroxine) and shuts it down. So

allergy to bread can make you hypothyroid. There may be other food allergies

with this kind of effect, but information on these is scanty. Certainly

allergic response to certain foods can affect adrenal function and imperil

thyroid production and uptake.

Then we have hormone imbalances. The whole of the endocrine

system is linked; each part of it needs the other parts to be operating

normally to work properly. An example of this we have seen already, with

cortisone. But another example is the operation of sex hormones.

The imbalance that occurs at the menopause with progesterone running down, and

a relative dominance of oestrogen is a further case in point – oestrogen

dominance downgrades production, transportation and uptake of thyroid

hormones. This is why hypothyroidism may first appear at the menopause;

the symptoms ascribed to this alone, which is then treated – often with

extra oestrogen, making the whole thing worse. Deficiency in progesterone

most especially needs to be dealt with, since it reverses oestrogen dominance,

improves many menopausal symptoms like sweats and mood swings, and reverses

osteoporosis. Happily natural progesterone cream is easily obtained: when

used it has the added benefit of helping to stabilise adrenal function.

Then, we must never forget the possibility of mercury poisoning

(through amalgam fillings) - low levels of iron, transferring saturation%,

ferritin, vitamin B12, vitamin D3, magnesium, folate, copper and zinc - all of

which, if low, stop the thyroid hormone from being utilised by the cells -

these have to be treated. Please ask your GP to check these for you and

let us have the results when they are returned. In case your GP tells you that

he knows of no connection or association between these specific minerals and

supplements and low thyroid, print off the attached document to show him just

some of the research/studies that have been done to show the connection.

As Dr Peatfield says " When you have been quite unwell for a

long time, all these problems have to be dealt with; and since each may affect

the other, it all has to be done rather carefully.

Contrary to cherished beliefs by much of the medical

establishment, the correction of a thyroid deficiency state has a number of

complexities and variables, which make the treatment usually quite specific for

each person. The balancing of these variables is as much up to you as to

me – which is why a check of morning, day and evening temperatures and

pulse rates, together with symptoms, good and bad, can be so helpful.

Many of you have been ill for a long time, either because you

have not been diagnosed, or the treatment leaves you still quite unwell.

Those of you who have relatively mild hypothyroidism, and have been diagnosed

relatively quickly, may well respond to synthetic thyroxine, the standard

treatment

For many of you, the outstanding problem is not that the

diagnosis has not been made – although, extraordinarily, this is

disgracefully common – but that is has, and the thyroxine treatment

doesn’t work. The dose has been altered up and down, and clinical

improvement is variable and doesn’t last, in spite of blood tests, which

say you are perfectly all right (and therefore you are actually depressed and

need this fine antidepressant).

The above problems must be eliminated if thyroid hormone isn't

working for you.

Luv - Sheila

Thanks again Sheila for the info. Based on your

comments on my FT3 & FT 4 levels, would you do anything in particular to

address this? Is there anything you would take that would help?

Thanks,

>

1 of 1 File(s)

LOW MINERALS AND VITAMINS AND THE THYROID CONNECTION.doc