Trying to find something I read here... help!

[Guest guest]

I'm trying to dig up either an old post or a file that talked about

the fluctuations of thyroid hormones over the course of the day -

that they're not a constant and they can be lower / higher during

the day and during the week.

I can find all kinds of support for TSH rising and falling, but I

can't seem to find info on FTs - and I'm sure I read something here

recently to that effect (there's just so much good stuff to read

here that I can't find half of it when I want to!!)

Thanks!

Nat

[Guest guest]

It's logic that thyroid levels fluctuate since thyroid controls

energy and the more energy you expend, the more thyroid you need.

Other hormone fluctuations affect thyroid needs and use. Eating or

fasting also have an effect. The level of hydration of the body and

salt levels probably affect it. Activities that raise or lower

cortisol will affect thyroid levels. But, here is one quote I know

of on your topic:

Dr. Barry Peatfield from his book " The Great

Thyroid Scandal " Page 87-88:

The disgraceful fact is that all these measurements (except the

last) may not be worth the paper they are written on; or may be so

flawed that treatment based on them is bound to be wrong. So what

goes wrong? And why are doctors not aware that they may be so badly

off the beam? And why do so many have minds so closed?

The reasons blood tests may be so flawed we need now to examine.

First and foremost these are measures only of the levels of thyroid

hormone in the blood. What we need to know is the level of thyroid

in the tissues, and, of course, this the blood test cannot tell us.

The nearest we can go is the Basal Temperature Test, or the Basal

Metabolic Rate. The first we have discussed; the second is now of

historical value. The patient is connected up to an oxygen uptake,

carbon dioxide excretion, measuring device, and the rate of usage

determines the metabolic rate. This is also subject to various

errors. The amount of thyroid hormones being carried by the

bloodstream varies in a highly dynamic way, and may be up at one

point and down the next. The blood test is simply a two-dimensional

snapshot of the situation at that moment. The slowed circulation may

cause haemo-concentration from fluid loss, so that the thyroid

levels are higher than they should be. (A simple way to explain this

is to think of a spoonful of sugar in your cup of tea. If it is only

half a cup of tea but you still put in your teaspoon of sugar, then

although the amount of sugar is the same, the tea will be twice as

sweet.)

But the blood levels depend mostly on what's happening to the

thyroid hormones. If the cellular receptors are sluggish, or

resistant, or there is extra tissue fluid, together with

mucopolysaccharides, the thyroid won't enter the cells as it should;

so that part of the hormone is unused and left behind, giving a

falsely higher reading to the blood test. It is simply building up

unused hormone. This may apply to both T3 and T4. Further

complications exist if the T4 + T3 conversion is not working

properly, with a 5'-diodinase enzyme deficiency. There will be too

much T4, and too little T3. If there is a conversion block, and a T3

receptor uptake deficiency, both T3 and T4 may be normal or even

raised. The patient will be diagnosed as normal or even over-active;

in spite of all other evidence to the contrary. It grieves me to

report that I have intervened several times to prevent patients,

diagnosed as hyperthyroid, having an under-active thyroid removed

when the only evidence was the high T4 level (due to receptor

resistance) and the patient was clinically obviously hypothyroid.

The patients thanked me, but not the consultants.

Adrenal insufficiency adds another dimension for error to the T4 and

T3 tests. Adrenal insufficiency, of which more anon, will adversely

affect thyroid production, conversion, tissue uptake and thyroid

response. It may make a complete nonsense of the blood tests.

The most commonly used test of all is the TSH. I have sadly come

across very few doctors who can accept the fact that a normal, or

low TSH may still occur with a low thyroid. The doctrine is high TSH

= low thyroid. Normal TSH = normal thyroid. But the pituitary may

not be working properly (secondary or tertiary hypothyroidism). It

may not be responding to the Thyrotrophin Release Hormone(TRH)

produced by the hypothalamus, which itself may not be producing

enough TRH for reasons we saw earlier. The pituitary may be damaged

by the low thyroid state anyway, and be sluggish in its TSH output.

______________________________

[Guest guest]

It's logic that thyroid levels fluctuate since thyroid controls

energy and the more energy you expend, the more thyroid you need.

Other hormone fluctuations affect thyroid needs and use. Eating or

fasting also have an effect. The level of hydration of the body and

salt levels probably affect it. Activities that raise or lower

cortisol will affect thyroid levels. But, here is one quote I know

of on your topic:

Dr. Barry Peatfield from his book " The Great

Thyroid Scandal " Page 87-88:

The disgraceful fact is that all these measurements (except the

last) may not be worth the paper they are written on; or may be so

flawed that treatment based on them is bound to be wrong. So what

goes wrong? And why are doctors not aware that they may be so badly

off the beam? And why do so many have minds so closed?

The reasons blood tests may be so flawed we need now to examine.

First and foremost these are measures only of the levels of thyroid

hormone in the blood. What we need to know is the level of thyroid

in the tissues, and, of course, this the blood test cannot tell us.

The nearest we can go is the Basal Temperature Test, or the Basal

Metabolic Rate. The first we have discussed; the second is now of

historical value. The patient is connected up to an oxygen uptake,

carbon dioxide excretion, measuring device, and the rate of usage

determines the metabolic rate. This is also subject to various

errors. The amount of thyroid hormones being carried by the

bloodstream varies in a highly dynamic way, and may be up at one

point and down the next. The blood test is simply a two-dimensional

snapshot of the situation at that moment. The slowed circulation may

cause haemo-concentration from fluid loss, so that the thyroid

levels are higher than they should be. (A simple way to explain this

is to think of a spoonful of sugar in your cup of tea. If it is only

half a cup of tea but you still put in your teaspoon of sugar, then

although the amount of sugar is the same, the tea will be twice as

sweet.)

But the blood levels depend mostly on what's happening to the

thyroid hormones. If the cellular receptors are sluggish, or

resistant, or there is extra tissue fluid, together with

mucopolysaccharides, the thyroid won't enter the cells as it should;

so that part of the hormone is unused and left behind, giving a

falsely higher reading to the blood test. It is simply building up

unused hormone. This may apply to both T3 and T4. Further

complications exist if the T4 + T3 conversion is not working

properly, with a 5'-diodinase enzyme deficiency. There will be too

much T4, and too little T3. If there is a conversion block, and a T3

receptor uptake deficiency, both T3 and T4 may be normal or even

raised. The patient will be diagnosed as normal or even over-active;

in spite of all other evidence to the contrary. It grieves me to

report that I have intervened several times to prevent patients,

diagnosed as hyperthyroid, having an under-active thyroid removed

when the only evidence was the high T4 level (due to receptor

resistance) and the patient was clinically obviously hypothyroid.

The patients thanked me, but not the consultants.

Adrenal insufficiency adds another dimension for error to the T4 and

T3 tests. Adrenal insufficiency, of which more anon, will adversely

affect thyroid production, conversion, tissue uptake and thyroid

response. It may make a complete nonsense of the blood tests.

The most commonly used test of all is the TSH. I have sadly come

across very few doctors who can accept the fact that a normal, or

low TSH may still occur with a low thyroid. The doctrine is high TSH

= low thyroid. Normal TSH = normal thyroid. But the pituitary may

not be working properly (secondary or tertiary hypothyroidism). It

may not be responding to the Thyrotrophin Release Hormone(TRH)

produced by the hypothalamus, which itself may not be producing

enough TRH for reasons we saw earlier. The pituitary may be damaged

by the low thyroid state anyway, and be sluggish in its TSH output.

______________________________

[Guest guest]

It's logic that thyroid levels fluctuate since thyroid controls

energy and the more energy you expend, the more thyroid you need.

Other hormone fluctuations affect thyroid needs and use. Eating or

fasting also have an effect. The level of hydration of the body and

salt levels probably affect it. Activities that raise or lower

cortisol will affect thyroid levels. But, here is one quote I know

of on your topic:

Dr. Barry Peatfield from his book " The Great

Thyroid Scandal " Page 87-88:

The disgraceful fact is that all these measurements (except the

last) may not be worth the paper they are written on; or may be so

flawed that treatment based on them is bound to be wrong. So what

goes wrong? And why are doctors not aware that they may be so badly

off the beam? And why do so many have minds so closed?

The reasons blood tests may be so flawed we need now to examine.

First and foremost these are measures only of the levels of thyroid

hormone in the blood. What we need to know is the level of thyroid

in the tissues, and, of course, this the blood test cannot tell us.

The nearest we can go is the Basal Temperature Test, or the Basal

Metabolic Rate. The first we have discussed; the second is now of

historical value. The patient is connected up to an oxygen uptake,

carbon dioxide excretion, measuring device, and the rate of usage

determines the metabolic rate. This is also subject to various

errors. The amount of thyroid hormones being carried by the

bloodstream varies in a highly dynamic way, and may be up at one

point and down the next. The blood test is simply a two-dimensional

snapshot of the situation at that moment. The slowed circulation may

cause haemo-concentration from fluid loss, so that the thyroid

levels are higher than they should be. (A simple way to explain this

is to think of a spoonful of sugar in your cup of tea. If it is only

half a cup of tea but you still put in your teaspoon of sugar, then

although the amount of sugar is the same, the tea will be twice as

sweet.)

But the blood levels depend mostly on what's happening to the

thyroid hormones. If the cellular receptors are sluggish, or

resistant, or there is extra tissue fluid, together with

mucopolysaccharides, the thyroid won't enter the cells as it should;

so that part of the hormone is unused and left behind, giving a

falsely higher reading to the blood test. It is simply building up

unused hormone. This may apply to both T3 and T4. Further

complications exist if the T4 + T3 conversion is not working

properly, with a 5'-diodinase enzyme deficiency. There will be too

much T4, and too little T3. If there is a conversion block, and a T3

receptor uptake deficiency, both T3 and T4 may be normal or even

raised. The patient will be diagnosed as normal or even over-active;

in spite of all other evidence to the contrary. It grieves me to

report that I have intervened several times to prevent patients,

diagnosed as hyperthyroid, having an under-active thyroid removed

when the only evidence was the high T4 level (due to receptor

resistance) and the patient was clinically obviously hypothyroid.

The patients thanked me, but not the consultants.

Adrenal insufficiency adds another dimension for error to the T4 and

T3 tests. Adrenal insufficiency, of which more anon, will adversely

affect thyroid production, conversion, tissue uptake and thyroid

response. It may make a complete nonsense of the blood tests.

The most commonly used test of all is the TSH. I have sadly come

across very few doctors who can accept the fact that a normal, or

low TSH may still occur with a low thyroid. The doctrine is high TSH

= low thyroid. Normal TSH = normal thyroid. But the pituitary may

not be working properly (secondary or tertiary hypothyroidism). It

may not be responding to the Thyrotrophin Release Hormone(TRH)

produced by the hypothalamus, which itself may not be producing

enough TRH for reasons we saw earlier. The pituitary may be damaged

by the low thyroid state anyway, and be sluggish in its TSH output.

______________________________