I’m happy to report that the Total Thyroid screen including Reverse T3 measurement is now much cheaper to do. The lab has brought out a combined test instead of us having to add the reverse T3 onto it. The total was £162 and is now down to £136 so well done them.
Here is the info on the Thyroid Test for you and why Reverse T3 is important – but sadly rarely looked for.
Known as the ‘unsuspected illness’, hypothyroidism accounts for a great number of complaints amongst children, adolescents and adults alike. Thyroid imbalances may elicit fatigue, depression, coldness, constipation, poor skin, headaches, PMS, dysmenorrhea, fluid retention, weight gain, anxiety/panic attacks, decreased memory and concentration, muscle and joint pain, and low sex drive.
The total thyroid screen gives you a way to investigate suspected thyroid dysfunction, including central gland activity, possible secondary gland involvement, hormone secretion, peripheral conversion of T4 to T3 and to Reverse T3. Reverse T3 is chemically similar to T3 but it is completely inactive and lowers the level of active hormone available to cells. This is termed low T3 syndrome or ‘sick euthyroid’ and is rarely looked for in standard tests.
The test will also highlight autoimmune responses such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or Grave’s disease. These represent the most common autoimmune disorders, affecting women 10 times more frequently than men and increasing in incidence with age.
Both standard medical and optimal ranges are given.
Thyroid hormones are essential and primary regulators of the body’s metabolism. Imbalances can affect virtually every metabolic process in the body, exerting significant effects on mood and energy level.
Thyroid function has a profound impact on overall health via:
• Modulation of carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism
• Vitamin utilisation
• Mitochondrial function
• Digestive process
• Muscle and nerve activity
• Blood flow
• Oxygen utilisation
• Hormone secretion
• Sexual and reproductive health
• Many other physiological parameters
Thyroid Testing
The Total Thyroid Screen reveals imbalances that often go undetected with more limited assessments. Testing measures:
• Unbound levels of T4 and T3 which reflect the bioactive portion of thyroid hormone. This assessment can identify not only overt hyper-and hypothyroidism, but subtle sub-clinical manifestations of thyroid dysfunction.
• Reverse T3, levels of which can increase when peripheral conversion of T4 to active T3 is impaired. Peripheral thyroid imbalances may arise from nutrient shortages, heavy metal exposure, adrenal stress, enzyme deficiencies, and other chronic illness.
• Thyroid antibody levels, which help gauge autoimmune response and may reflect metabolic irregularities and hypothyroidism even when TSH and T4 levels appear normal. Thyroid antibody levels may rise in response to trauma, dysbiosis, inflammation (including thyroiditis) or progressive thyroid degeneration.
Ensuring healthy thyroid function is clinically essential. Optimal thyroid function may help safeguard against the pathogenesis of diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and depression. Thyroid hormones also play central metabolic roles in healthy sexual and reproductive function in both women and men. Because they are essential for IGF-1 production, thyroid hormones significantly affect lipid metabolism.
Analytes:
Hypersensitive thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)
free serum thyroxine (fT4)
free triiodothyronine (fT3)
Total thyroxine (TT4)
anti-thyroglobulin antibodies(anti-TG)
anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies fT4/fT3
Reverse T3 (rT3)
I’ve just had some muscle testing which showed I was low in thyroid and iodine and have been given a metabolic iodine tincture. However, I’m really unsure as to whether muscle testing is accurate because previous blood tests always come back negative for thyroid saying it’s OK. I’m really dubious about mucking it up by taking something that could do more harm than good.
Have you any experience of muscle testing for thyroid – is it accurate and the iodine is one drop in a glass of water. What would that do to me?
Hi Janet, I am always wary of altering hormone stuff if you haven’t biochemically tested personally. Most NHS lab tests come back normal as they don’t look for all the indicators which is why I offer the more comprehensive one for conversion problems. My advice would be to get a proper test and look at iodine loading levels to be sure. If you feel better on the iodine, that would be one indicator but most people don’t take enough. Muscle testing can be good in the right hands but hormones need to be checked in my view. You could save yourself an awful lot of time (and fatigue etc!) by checking what the state of thyroid hormones, conversion and iodine levels are. Hope that helps.
Yes I’m very wary of interfering with anything re thyroid and I feel OK in myself. I may go to the Doc and ask for a blood test because I feel happier with that. It showed low B6 and pantothine so not sure if that would be any indicator. The tinture he sent was to take only one drop in juice or water. What would iodine do to me – I’ve read some pretty damning stuff about it to be honest and as my energy levels are good (I’ve been really blessed on this one) I don’t want to muck it up
To be honest all I wanted was a classical homeopath who would choose a remedy but I got a whole load of stuff I didn’t really want – was quite annoyed about it and should have spoke up – I knew they did this other stuff but I just asked for homeopathy – got the lot – muscle testing and iris testing – he was going to do a Bowen treatment but I stopped it there because it was all mounting up – shock of my life when I got my bill! Lesson well learnt. I did get a remedy but a very good friend who practices homeopathy didn’t think even my remedy was correct. Oh well – back to drawing board!