Re: TSH 1-2

[Guest guest]

Explain to her why that may not be the best route for you to go.....

Topper ()

On Sat, 10 Jan 2004 12:23:15 EST susbarb1@... writes:

> New doc says she likes to see a TSH between 1-2 along with a FreeT3

> test.

> Now I'm scared.

>

[Guest guest]

IF it helps, give her this article and she may be able to work with you better

: ) Hope it helps

And your T3 should be on the high end even over what is considered normal. MIne

is...and my TSH is 0.01 and I feel wonderful am as healthy as I've ever been

before.

Let me know how you do.

Does Your Doctor Know About the New TSH Lab Standards?

Jun 26 2003

Even though recommended changes to clinical laboratory standards were

announced last year, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists

(AACE) identified changes early this year, and journals are publishing

information about the findings, your doctor probably is still unaware that a

major revamping has been done to the so-called " normal range " for Thyroid

Stimulating Hormone (TSH) tests -- the primary blood test used by conventional

doctors to diagnose thyroid disorders.

Until recently, the standard was that the normal range for TSH at most

laboratories has fallen in the 0.5 to 5.0 range, with hyperthyroidism being

below .5, and hypothyroidism above 5.0.

The new guidelines, however, the range for acceptable thyroid function,

and thyroid treatment should be considered for patients who test between the

target TSH levels of 0.3 to 3.04, a far narrower range.

The AACE estimates that the new guidelines actually double the number of

people who have abnormal thyroid function, bringing the total to as many as 27

million, up from 13 million thought to have the condition under the old

guidelines.

What to Send to Your Doctor

Since your doctor is likely to say " I haven't heard anything about these

new changes, " or " the lab is still showing .5 to 5 as the normal range, and I'm

not changing anything until the lab does, " you will want to send some materials

to your doctor ahead of your next appointment. These include the following:

1. January 2003 Press Release from the American Association of Clinical

Endocrinologists

Get a copy now

Highlight the third paragraph for your doctor. this paragraph reads:

" Until November 2002, doctors had relied on a normal TSH level ranging from 0.5

to 5.0 to diagnose and treat patients with a thyroid disorder who tested outside

the boundaries of that range5 . Now AACE encourages doctors to consider

treatment for patients who test outside the boundaries of a narrower margin

based on a target TSH level of 0.3 to 3.04. AACE believes the new range will

result in proper diagnosis for millions of Americans who suffer from a mild

thyroid disorder, but have gone untreated until now. "

2. The National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry, part of the Academy of

the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC), Laboratory Medicine

Practice Guidelines: Laboratory Support for the Diagnosis and Monitoring of

Thyroid Disease

Get a copy now

You may want to highlight the sections that read:

" It is likely that the current upper limit of the population reference

range is skewed by the inclusion of persons with occult thyroid dysfunction. "

" In the future, it is likely that the upper limit of the serum TSH

euthyroid reference range will be reduced to 2.5 mIU/L because >95% of

rigorously screened normal euthyroid volunteers have serum TSH values between

0.4 and 2.5 mIU/L. "

" A serum TSH result between 0.5 and 2.0 mIU/L is generally considered the

therapeutic target for a standard L-T4 replacement dose for primary

hypothyroidism. "

" Thyroxine requirements increase during pregnancy. Thyroid status should

be checked with TSH + FT4 during each trimester of pregnancy. The L-T4 dose

should be increased (usually by 50 micrograms/day) to maintain a serum TSH

between 0.5 and 2.0 mIU/L and a serum FT4 in the upper third of the normal

reference interval. "

~ Shomon

TSH 1-2

New doc says she likes to see a TSH between 1-2 along with a FreeT3 test.

Now I'm scared.

[Guest guest]

I have seen holistic views on this...feeding the pituitary what it needs

etc....it only works to a certain point. Case in point..I have a friend who is

full blown HYPO and she opted to see a holistic doc for this. He put her on

Thyro-Stim and heart supplements. She felt pretty good right away....still had

all the symptoms just to a lesser degree. She was on as much thyro-stim that

you can take. She is now bottoming out again and feeling terrible. Also with

this view you are to alter your eating habits 100%. That can be very very hard

for a person who is suffering from this disease. They do not have the

emotional strength to do this. She didn't either. I have always said that when

I suffered so badly that I needed something to make me healthy again before I

could detox or change my eating habits. And I was correct.

When you target the pituitary that way..it takes 3 times as long to feel

better...it is a much harder struggle...while all along a patient could feel

100% on the Armour...the pituitary gland is being helped either way...only this

way is faster and emotionally non crippling.

Patti

Re: TSH 1-2

I'm still confused why we want our pituitary to scream for thyroid hormone.

The only thing that makes sense to me is to satisfy that pituitary by giving

it what it wants. Am I missing something?

in AZ

Mom to Kayla(10), Jenna(8), (8), (6), (6), (5), Junie(3)

and Jillian (12 mo)

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Arizona_Thyroid_Groups/

> New doc says she likes to see a TSH between 1-2 along with a FreeT3 test.

> Now I'm scared.

>

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

I'm on the same track as you.. I've not read anything, anywhere, ever

that suggests that TSH serves any purpose other than stimulating the

thyroid to produce more.... Now, that makes perfect sense if your

thyroid is producing normally and needs that instruction to keep it

producing... but if it is NOT producing, or producing very little... why

tax the pituitary into producing more and more and more TSH for no

reason? AND what if there are symptoms that are caused by consistently

elevated levels of TSH in the blood stream?

I've been wondering about that lately.... what if they adrenals are one

of the body organs that is over worked/stress whatever... but

consistently elevated levels of TSH in the bloodstream? Folks that aren't

having thyroid or immune problems aren't having their thyroid levels

checked... what if truly 'normal' folks have a period of time during the

day... or maybe a series of days in a month where there is no TSH

released and the system coasts and cleans itself? So now, here we are

with no slack TSH periods... what if by having consistent TSH levels

between even 2 and 3, safely within 'normal' range is causing low grade

adrenal fatigue.... pain in joints... emotional issues.... ???????

Okay... Another one of my observations... if you're bored with them...

skip now and save yourself some grief....

I went through a hyper phase this last few weeks that got pretty

crappy... horrendous appetite, shakes, palps, panic attack (one big long

one)... the whole bit..... so I backed off on my meds for a few days,

dropping down to one grain.... then I'm noticing I'm having slumps

between doses so I decided to pull out my OTC thyroid, it's weaker than

the generic I've been on... my thought being that I'd take the slightly

weaker tabs, five doses per day... and get rid of the slumps... that went

well for the first couple of days then I noticed I was feeling really

tired, sluggish.... hypo...?

My appetite dropped..... and my cravings changed... carbs... Just like a

switch... during the couple of weeks of hyper state, increased appetite,

craving meat and calories.... Now swinging to hypo... not much of an

appetite but wanting carby things... So my thinker got to thinking.....

carbs... concentrated calories in a form that is quick to digest

resulting in quick body reaction to the calorie intake, energy

availability.... higher blood sugar...

Is this the body striving to feel as it should and lacking in the proper

hormone levels in the blood stream triggers hunger for foods that will

simulate that feeling?

Somebody run with this with me...? Could this be what the whole carb

thing is for us? We are trying to feel as we should... the carb/sugar

rush gives that to us for the short term... but then wears off quickly..

leaving us with excess calories for a body that is metabolically slow due

to the hypo state that we are in... and then craving another hit of the

carb/sugar to bring that feeling of well-being again?

I increased my dosage last night and slept better than I have in the last

several days.... I took a quarter tab (of the OTC) at 6 am... and by 8 I

was actually sleepy... I took another quarter tab.... by 10 I was feeling

sleepy.... I took two quarter tabs.... it's not a bit after 12 and I feel

great....

It still sucks to be this sensitive.. but it's kinda neat (trying to

focus on the positive here) that I can see some of this stuff so clearly

not that I understand better what it is. I'm hoping that you guys can

pick out bits of what I'm seeing and make some sense out of it.... maybe

we'll all learn something here.....

Topper ()

On Sat, 10 Jan 2004 10:28:01 -0800 " AZ " writes:

> I'm still confused why we want our pituitary to scream for thyroid

> hormone.

> The only thing that makes sense to me is to satisfy that pituitary

> by giving

> it what it wants. Am I missing something?

> in AZ

> Mom to Kayla(10), Jenna(8), (8), (6), (6), (5),

> Junie(3)

> and Jillian (12 mo)

> http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Arizona_Thyroid_Groups/

[Guest guest]

AND what if there are symptoms that are caused by consistently

> elevated levels of TSH in the blood stream?

Good point! I'll bet there are...this is why we still sometimes have

symptoms if our TSH is not suppressed.

My doctor say the TSH is absolutely irrelevant once a person is

being supplemented with thyroid....the pituitary does not need to

signal the thyroid to secrete anything if there's enough in the

bloodstream and in the cells.

[Guest guest]

> New doc says she likes to see a TSH between 1-2 along with a

>FreeT3 test. Now I'm scared.

Which is why I cannot go against anyone who chooses to self-medicate.

As far as the TSH--the docs are looking at the TSH of a normal

person!!!! Yes, in a normal, non-thyroid diseased person, the TSH

may be ideally between 1 and 2. And the TSH is responding to what

you are DOING, and thus, what you need. The TSH knocks on the door

of the thyroid and says " Hey, the person you reside in needs a bit

of T3 to do what she is doing:.

BUT when you are hypothyroid, when you have a DISEASED thyroid, you

are NOT normal. Your thyroid CANNOT respond to a knock on the door

adequately. So now, having a TSH of between 1 and 2 as a result of

meds may NOT be giving the person what she needs at the MOMENT she

needs it!!!

The TSH is informative in a NORMAL person. The TSH is informative

when making the FIRST diagnosis (and even then, it is FAULTY). But

the TSH is useless when you are on treatment. If ANY lab counts for

anything, it's the free T3. And even more important, it's

SYMPTOMS!!!!

For 80 strong years before the TSH was created, folks were

ADEQUATELY treated by symptoms. We did NOT go forward when the TSH

was created.

Janie aka ThyroDiva

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Well said, Janie!

Topper ()

On Sun, 11 Jan 2004 03:41:04 -0000 " loboshe " writes:

> > New doc says she likes to see a TSH between 1-2 along with a

> >FreeT3 test. Now I'm scared.

>

> Which is why I cannot go against anyone who chooses to

> self-medicate.

>

> As far as the TSH--the docs are looking at the TSH of a normal

> person!!!! Yes, in a normal, non-thyroid diseased person, the TSH

> may be ideally between 1 and 2. And the TSH is responding to what

> you are DOING, and thus, what you need. The TSH knocks on the door

> of the thyroid and says " Hey, the person you reside in needs a bit

> of T3 to do what she is doing:.

>

> BUT when you are hypothyroid, when you have a DISEASED thyroid, you

>

> are NOT normal. Your thyroid CANNOT respond to a knock on the door

> adequately. So now, having a TSH of between 1 and 2 as a result of

> meds may NOT be giving the person what she needs at the MOMENT she

> needs it!!!

>

> The TSH is informative in a NORMAL person. The TSH is informative

> when making the FIRST diagnosis (and even then, it is FAULTY). But

> the TSH is useless when you are on treatment. If ANY lab counts for

>

> anything, it's the free T3. And even more important, it's

> SYMPTOMS!!!!

>

> For 80 strong years before the TSH was created, folks were

> ADEQUATELY treated by symptoms. We did NOT go forward when the TSH

> was created.

>

> Janie aka ThyroDiva

>

>

> >

> >

> >

> >