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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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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skeleton with thyroid gland in the background, and bottles of thyroid medications in the foreground with text bubble saying confusing thyroid blood work with thyroxin medications

Thyroid medications (such as Eltroxin and Synthroid) are some of the most prescribed medications in the world. Patients taking these medicationss often undergo routine blood work to track the progress of their hypothyroidism. Often times, patients taking thse thyroxin based medications have blood work that doesn’t make sense based on their symptoms. This article will…

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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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collage of dietary goitrogens related to thyroid function including soy, cruciferous vegetables, sweet potato, brussel sprouts

To Summarize: Goitrogens are substances which may interfere with thyroid function They may interfere with the thyroid gland and how the thyroid hormones are made Certain foods contain dietary goitrogens. Those foods are otherwise healthy, good foods. People with low functioning thyroid need to be aware of these, and may need to avoid them Thyroid…

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Sticky note on mirror reading tired. and text bubble saying Hypothyroid disease? Test these too!

Hypothyroidism is a common condition, characterized by low functioning thyroid. Lab testing is routinely conducted to diagnose and monitor thyroid conditions. While assessing your health, there are various other important things to test, as they can actually be contributing to your thyroid dysfunction, or your thyroid can affect them. For a full review of thyroid…

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