OT - TSH is not useless - I stand corrected :-)

[Guest guest]

Dr. Dow,I am appropriately washed and basked and have a very strong stomach so there was no regurgitation ;-)And since I love getting on my soap boxes - please feel free to get on yours - it's how we learn! :-)I do realize that TSH has its purposes, and probably - no did - misspeak when I declared it patently useless. I got my phrase "the TSH test is basically useless" from this page of the STTM website: http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/tsh-why-its-useless/ titled, "TSH Why It Is Useless". In this page they do mention what the TSH is good for and it correlates with what you said: "The best use for the TSH pertains to what it IS: a PITUITARY HORMONE! And for that, it’s a good guide to reveal if you have a malfunctioning pituitary gland, especially if you have a very low TSH and low free T3, accompanied by raging hypothyroid symptoms". The problem is that Most GPs and even the majority of endocrinologists use the TSH as a marker for thyroid function when it is only a measure of pituitary function.But even if you found an endocrinologists who understands that the TSH isn't a good indicator of thyroid function, most of them still don't get the RT3/T3 imbalance issue - "most" of them aren't even looking for it and it is a very common co-condition with exhausted adrenals. My GP took a look at my labs and told me I was fine. I went back and requested a new set of tests to include RT3, and FT3 and with the help of the Stop The Thyroid Madness book, the RT3_T3/ email list and tons of additional books, websites, and research came up with the protocol that FINALLY got me back on my feet. Critical was getting my ferritin up from 20 to 59 (latest test results). Nothing worked until my ferritin and adrenals were addressed.But I digress...Doctors are loath to treat patients based on anything but lab results and therein lies the problem. Lab results are important, but in thyroid treatment - the patient's experience has to be factored in. It turns out that what is working for me is not even the protocol for purging RT3 that is promoted on the group that I linked to above. I treat myself based on my symptoms and my dose changes just as my life and stressors change. Luckily I have a doctor who will work with me. I have cortisol for when I need it (rarely these days, but it was essential a few months back) and T3 only medication that has been a God send once I figured out how much to take. I think that you and I are in agreement that the problem is with the physicians who don't understand that a patient can have "normal" TSH labs concurrent with a raging hypothyroid condition. Too often they dismiss the patient completely! (or a doctor's favorite fall back to deal with fatigue... RX antidepressants) or they RX Synthroid which is only T4 (a storage hormone) when the patient really needs T3 - the active hormone! Some patients (like myself) need T3 only (because T4 can produce more RT3 which just keeps clogging up the cell receptors) and others benefit from the combo of T1/T2/T3/T4 and calcitonin that comes in Armour and is the same as what our own thyroid produces. So the poor patient suffers all because of doctors who won't do anything but follow the accepted protocol and who don't understand how to treat patients based on symptoms.And , I am thrilled to have a professional opinion to catch me when I err ;-)

Blessings,Lea Ann SavageSatellite Beach, FL(321) 773-7088 (home)(321-961-9219 (cell)))><'>www.VitamixLady.comwww..com<))><

On Jan 28, 2011, at 12:16 PM, n1jcx2 wrote:

umm... *ahem*.... *cough*... Is this thing on?

This is normally mild mannered Dow signing in as "Dr. Dow" now.. As I step onto my soapbox, please allow the persona to wash over you for a moment, basking in its profundity. (I'll wait until the vomiting stops....)

TSH is not as useless as you might think.. TSH comes from the pituitary gland and is a signal to the thyroid to create its little cocktail. If you have an abundance of TSH and low T3/T4, typically (not always) this is a sign of thyroid weakness. If could also be a sign of other things, and a lazy doctor will just stop here and put a patient on synthroid.

If TSH is low and T3/T4 is high, then you start to look at the reasons why the thyroid is overproducing.. There are numerous reasons for this, ranging from tumors to nutritional deficiencies. A lazy doctor will stop here and write a prescription.. (Do you start seeing a pattern here?)

If TSH is low and T3/T4 is low, this is often a sign of a pituitary problem. Usually doctors don't get TOO lazy here, but it happens. This can also be nutritional in nature but bears investigation.

The problem here is the physician in many cases.. Now, I'm a chiropractor, so I don't prescribe (and don't want to!), but I certainly propone that someone who goes to a general practitioner and has a T3/T4/TSH imbalance goes directly to an endocrinologist rather than letting the GP do the medicking...

Ok -- you've all basked enough... I'm stepping off the soap box.

We now return to our regularly scheduled program, already in progress.

- Dow, D.C.

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> >> I am so frustrated and I hope my friends here can help. I need to lose 30 pounds and for 2 weeks now have made green smoothies and soups. I have changed my diet from no fruits and veggies to 1 smoothie in the morning and soup with veggies for dinner. I have cheated once or twice but at the end of 2 weeks I got on the scale this morning and have lost a whopping 2 oz.. ok - stop laughing - lol. Even with cheating a little I thought I would lose a pound or two. What am I doing wrong? I bought the Vitamix with the intention of using it to get healthy and lose weight. I am so discouraged.

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> >> Has anyone lost weight and can lend me some good advice or diet tips.

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> >> Many Thanks,

> >> Marilyn

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