A Simple Guide to THYROID HEALTH (understanding a complete thyroid panel)
WHAT IS THE THYROID?
Your thyroid is the gland that acts like your body's thermostat.
When metabolism is too low, your brain initiates a hormone cascade to "turn up the heat".
When your metabolism is too high, thyroid hormones will be deactivated so they cannot signal.
WHAT IS HYPO- & HYPER-THYROIDISM?
A healthy thyroid can respond to these fluctuations and keep everything in balance.
But if the thyroid is compromised at a cellular or glandular level (by stress, toxins, autoimmune damage, nutrient deficiency, etc), then every system in the body will be affected.
Thyroid dysfunction is either HYPO (too low) or HYPER (too high).
THYROID MARKERS
*tested with complete thyroid panel
THYROID RELEASING HORMONE
when the TRH signal is "off", so is the rest of the cascade
THYROID STIMULATING HORMONE*
if TSH is really high or really low, then the thyroid is likely not receiving its signals
TOTAL T4 & T3*
bound & circulating levels of thyroid hormones that give a general idea of thyroid function
FREE T4 & T3*
unbound & circulating levels of thyroid hormones that can signal to body cells
THYROID BINDING GLOBULIN*
too much TBG will bind & prevent T4 & T3 from signaling
THYROID ANTIBODIES*
TPO, TG, and TSHR antibodies are high when the body starts to attack the thyroid, often before any other symptoms are present
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References
Thyroid Disease. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/8541-thyroid-disease
Jones, D. S., Bland, J. S., & Quinn, S. (2010). Textbook of Functional Medicine. Institute for Functional Medicine.
Gaby, A. R. (2017). Nutritional Medicine (2nd ed.). Fritz Perlberg Publishing.
Magnesium and Thyroid Health. Retrieved from: https://thyroidpharmacist.com/articles/new-studies-on-magnesium-and-thyroid-health/