Autoimmune Dysfunction Of The Thyroid
Learn more about several autoimmune dysfunctions of the thyroid such as Hashimotos, graves’ disease and more from Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND.
Tag: inflammation
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All About Thyroid Tests
thyroid
Written by Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
For further questions or concerns email me at carcidiacono@invitehealth.com
If you want to know how your thyroid is functioning, these are the factors you need to check out!†
Important Thyroid Hormones
To start off, there are certain blood tests that are done to determine thyroid health. The first is TSH, or thyroid stimulating hormone. This hormone is in an inverse relationship to thyroid function. This hormone stimulates the thyroid to produce more or less hormones. For example, if there is too much thyroid hormone, the TSH will go down in order to stop stimulating the thyroid and lower the amount of hormone. If there is too little thyroid hormone, the TSH will go up in order to stimulate the thyroid to produce more hormones.†
A great way to think about this is to imagine two people talking. In order to get someone to listen, you might increase your volume, or in this case, if you wanted the body to hear you asking for more hormone, you would produce more TSH.†
Low TSH is associated with hyperthyroidism, or high amount of thyroid hormone, and high TSH is associated with hypothyroidism, or low amount of thyroid hormone. While the range for TSH is quite large, the optimum range is actually close to 2.0. Anything much above or below 2.0 should be addressed by working with one of our qualified nutritionists.(1)†
Moving on to thyroxine, or T4, and triiodothyronine, or T3. These are the main thyroid hormones that we test. These hormones come in two forms called bound and free. Bound refers to T3/T4 that is attached to a protein, kind of like a passenger on a ship traveling through the ocean. Free or unbound T3/T4 is the form that is active. One way to think about this is to think of a storage closet. The TSH is produced to tell the body to make more T4 and T3. Some of it is promptly put into storage, aka bound. The rest is put to use right away. Now, in case you were wondering what the heck the difference between T4 and T3 is, it is pretty simple. The T4 becomes T3, which then goes out to do its jobs, which is all the things we talked about in the last article.†
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Free T4 is the most common test, although free T3 is often done as well. If T4/T3 is low or high, it can indicate hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism. If only one of these markers is abnormal, that can indicate a conversion issue that should be addressed. (2)†
Moving beyond hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, there are tests for autoimmune, as well as thyroid inflammation. One of the causes for hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism is autoimmune. In the case of the thyroid, there are two antibodies that are highly sensitive for thyroid autoimmune. These are called anti-TPO and antithyroglobulin. In addition to these tests, thyroglobulin can be measured as a test for thyroid inflammation. While this can be measured in a healthy thyroid, they are elevated in the presence of inflammation. (3)†
Additional Tests
In addition to blood tests, ultrasound of the thyroid can also be useful. This can be used to differentiate between “growths” such as nodules/goiters/cysts and can usually determine if a lesion is cancerous or not. Additionally, radio-labeled iodine can be used to determine the activity of nodules and even if cancer has spread beyond the thyroid.†
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A fine needle aspiration as well as computer tomography of the thyroid helps to evaluate the presence of cancer. (4)†
Last but not least is a new test available! Thermography is being used to help detect malignant thyroid tumors since they have a higher temperature than the rest of the thyroid.†
Ok if this seems like a lot to take in let me give you a fast summary: TSH, T3/T4 and thyroid antibodies are the most valuable tests for your thyroid. If TSH is high, the amount of thyroid hormone being produced is too little. If TSH is low, the amount of hormone being produced is too much. If T3/T4 is too high or too low, there is too much or too little thyroid hormone in the body. Antibodies are just bad and no one wants those.†
Now next week comes the exciting stuff. I’ve explained what the thyroid is and what it does. I’ve gone over tests. Now, let’s talk supplements!†
- Dayan CM (February 2001). “Interpretation of thyroid function tests”. Lancet. 357 (9256): 619–24. doi:1016/S0140-6736(00)04060-5. PMID 11558500. S2CID 3278073.
- Military Obstetrics & Gynecology > Thyroid Function Tests In turn citing: Operational Medicine 2001, Health Care in Military Settings, NAVMED P-5139, May 1, 2001, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Department of the Navy, 2300 E Street NW, Washington, D.C., 20372-5300 “Archived copy”. Archived from the original on 25 December 2011. Retrieved 2011-12-25.
- https://www.thyroid.org/thyroid-function-tests/
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Getting to Know Omega-3s – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 526
omega-3s
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Please see below for a complete transcript of this episode.
Getting to Know Omega-3s – InViteⓇ Health Podcast, Episode 526
Hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH
*Intro music*
InViteⓇ Health Podcast Intro: Welcome to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast, where our degreed healthcare professionals are excited to offer you the most important health and wellness information you need to make informed choices about your health. You can learn more about the products discussed in each of these episodes and all that InViteⓇ Health has to offer at www.invitehealth.com/podcast. First time customers can use promo code PODCAST at checkout for an additional 15% off your first purchase. Let’s get started!
*Intro music*
Amanda Williams, MPH:
[00:00:40] You’ve probably heard by now that omega-3 fatty acids are pretty important in the body, and indeed they are. They’re actually essential. We have to have them in order for our bodies to function properly. We also know that when it comes to our dietary intake of omega-3s, most Americans are certainly lacking in that and this can create problems. So today I want to talk about omega-3 fatty acids, where we saw some problem and some reasons other than diet that could be creating low omega-3s in your system.† [00:01:14]
[00:01:15] So let’s talk a little bit about the importance of these essential fatty acids. We understand that we have to have these in our body in order to have good health just for things to function, right? And when you think about omega-3s, many times people think about heart health and cholesterol. And of course, they definitely play a role into this when it comes to the rhythm of the heart. So when you think about arrhythmias, for example, if the heart is misfiring, oftentimes we can look at low omega intake as being a causative reason for this, not only for the electrical conduction pattern of the heart, but also for the inflammation. And we know that omega-3s help to lower inflammation in the body. We know that it helps to keep our blood vessels more protected from any type of a plaque buildup. We certainly can see how omega-3s work to convert nutrients from food into usable forms of energy for us. We definitely now understand the full impact of these important fatty acids when it comes to the health of our brain, our immune system from the time that we’re born. Our bodies are heavily reliant in terms of keeping us healthy and our immunity strong because of omega-3 fatty acids. So it’s definitely much more than just the support of healthy cholesterol.† [00:02:40]
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[00:02:42] When it comes to food sources, many Americans just fall way short. It’s not just coming from fatty fish. We also recognize that things like walnuts and flaxseeds, for example, would be excellent choices for a plant-based omega-3. They actually just did a research study over at Penn State University, and they showed that ALA, this is the specific omega-3 that is found in those plant-based foods like walnuts and flaxseed, actually was associated with a 10% lowered risk of cardiovascular disease, which is really quite profound. That just incorporating these foods into your diet as part of a diet that was rich in healthy fruits and vegetables and these wonderful healthy fats coming from those seeds and nuts, actually helped to improve upon your cardiovascular health and lower the risk of a major cardiovascular event.† [00:03:42]
[00:03:42] So that in and of itself should tell you, “Yeah, maybe I should be taking in some more omega-3s in my diet, as well as supplementation.” Because remember, even if you’re eating walnuts and flaxseeds and salmon, for example, there’s other reasons as to why you could potentially have low omega-3 status in the body. Maybe you partake too much in the consumption of alcohol. Perhaps it’s just the way that your body has an inability to properly absorb fatty acids. It could be that you have a high intake of sugar. We definitely know that stress can lower your omega-3 stores. There are many different things that can offset your omega status, and definitely, we know that the high intake of omega-6 fatty acids will lead to lowered omega-3s.† [00:04:39]
[00:04:41] So all of these things are certainly important when you think about your overall health and wellness, because when you understand that omega-3 deficiency in the body can be linked to so many different conditions and the symptoms that people present with can certainly vary. It can be that your memory is starting to decline. Could be that you have arthritis. It could be that you have low mood, depression, anxiety. Perhaps you have hair loss or brittle nails. It could be that you go to the bathroom more frequently than you would like, so excessive urination. Maybe you experience issues such as dry skin or dandruff. Everyone’s seen the commercials for the dandruff shampoos, but maybe it has something to do with not having enough omega-3 fatty acids in your body. Maybe you find that every year you get sick with the common cold and you don’t think about omega-3s playing this essential role when it comes to your immune system. So no matter what system in the body we’re looking at, whether we’re thinking about our endocrine system and the regulation of different hormones such as the thyroid, your pancreas, your sex hormones, we know that omega-3s play a critical role into these. Like you can look at women who maybe experience painful menstrual cycles. Omega-3 fatty acids often times, when they start to supplement with additional omega-3s, higher amounts of fish oil, that they will find that this helps in terms of not having as severe of pains during their menstrual cycle. You can have someone who maybe for years has dealt with, as I mentioned, dandruff and they start to use fish oil, and all of a sudden, their hair feels better and they’re not having that dry, itchy scalp.† [00:06:44]
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[00:06:45] So deficiencies in omega-3s are incredibly common. When you look at the Standard American Diet, the intake of omega-3s is so lacking that the average American has a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 of anywhere from 20:1 to 25:1, which is horrible. We ideally want this ratio to be closer to 4:1, even 2:1, to two omega-6 for every one omega-3. But because of the ultra processed foods that the majority of people take in on a daily basis, we get this shift and you can see how our body can present with indications of omega-3 deficiency. And you can assess this in your blood. You can actually see how much omega-3 is circulating in your system. And when you look at the science behind omega-3 supplementation and having higher amounts of omegas in your diet just from the foods that you’re eating, how many different conditions omega-3s have been shown to be able to treat. When you look at mood issues, attention deficit, I mentioned anxiety and depression. When you look at metabolic syndrome, when you look at different adrenal disorders, so high stress. Certainly skin conditions, migraine headaches, PMS, as well as menopausal symptoms. I had mentioned menstrual cramps. There are so many different utilizations for your omega-3s. But the important thing is to know that dietary intake from your foods is usually not going to be enough. Even if you are adhering to a very healthy diet such as the Mediterranean diet, your intake of omega-3s may still not be enough to offset some of the other reasons why your body may deplete that omega-3 status. Maybe you’re incredibly stressed out. This can lower your omega-3s, and we know that low omega-3 is directly linked to high inflammation, and high inflammation is linked to every single chronic disease state. So when it comes to your omegas, do make sure that you are taking those on a regular basis. Your choice whether you’re using krill oil, you’re using fish oil or if you choose to use flax.† [00:09:17]
[00:09:18] So that’s all that I have for you for today. I want to thank you so much for tuning in to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast. Remember, you can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting invitehealth.com/podcast. Do you make sure that you subscribe and you leave us a review. You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @invitehealth and we will see you next time for another episode of the InViteⓇ Health Podcast.† [00:09:18]
