Autoimmune diseases affect millions of people worldwide, causing the immune system to mistakenly attack healthy cells and tissues. These conditions can have a significant impact on individuals’ lives, affecting various organs and systems. In this comprehensive blog post, we will explore the most common autoimmune diseases, their symptoms, potential causes, and available treatment options. Rheumatoid…

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Prior to the current use of TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) to assess thyroid function, doctors used much simpler, yet highly effective ways to grade thyroid function. Doctors in the 1940’s used signs and symptoms to make a working diagnosis and relied on basal metabolic rate to confirm the diagnosis. Basal body temperature, metabolism and heart…

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Quick Notes Goitrogens are substances which interfere with thyroid function They can work on the thyroid gland or the hormones themselves Certain otherwise healthy foods can act as goitrogens, so anyone with low functioning thyroid function may want to be weary Thyroid Function Proper thyroid gland function and hormone metabolism is key for optimal health.…

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A diagram of the thyroid gland with a text bubble saying what is thyroid hormone conversion?

Normal Thyroid Physiology When we refer to ‘thyroid hormones’ we are talking about T3 and T4. They are the ones the thyroid gland secretes. T4 is more stable in the blood and better for transport around the body; T3 is more biologically active. Of the thyroid hormones produced, 85-90% is T4 and 10-15% is T3.…

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thyroid gland with an arrow over top and text bubble saying what is hypothyroid disease?

Hypothyroidism is the term used for abnormally low activity of the thyroid gland. Since the thyroid gland serves so many functions, signs and symptoms are varying and can affect many aspects of human health. Hypothyroidism is diagnosed by signs and symptoms, and confirmed with blood tests. It affects about 1 in 4,000 newborns and approximately…

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doctor confused by thyroid blood work

Normal Lab Testing Thyroid Function Tests (TFTs) are among the most commonly requested lab investigations. For most of the population, interpreting the lab work is fairly straightforward when we look at a combination of TSH, T4 and perhaps T3. Learn more about the routine lab work here. For a quick review of Basic Thyroid Anatomy…

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Gloved hand hold an empty vial with text bubble saying confusing thyroid blood work: assay intereference

When your doctor assesses or treats your thyroid function, they will usually rely on blood work. Sometimes, we see confusing blood test results, which don’t follow the predictable relationships between the various hormones being tested. Normal Testing Usually, testing is straightforward, and results align with symptoms. In cases of hypothyroidism, we expect elevated TSH and…

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suprised doctor looking at a pile of medications, which are causing confusing thyroid blood work

Thyroid lab tests are commonly run. Oftentimes, the lab results make sense and treatment is straightforward. However, there are a lot of cases where the lab results don’t correlate with your symptoms, or the lab results contradict each other. Click here to learn more about how thyroid test results can be confusing. This article focuses…

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Man palpating his neck with thyroid gland superimposed on throat and text bubble saying confusing thyroid blood work: non-thyroidal illness

When your doctor assesses or treats your thyroid function, they will usually rely on blood work. In a lot of patients suffering from hypothyroidism, blood test results are confusing, and don’t follow the expected findings; one cause is non-thyroidal illness. Normal Testing Usually, testing is straightforward and results align with symptoms. In cases of hypothyroidism, we…

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