Feeling tired? Lethargic, feeling the cold when it’s not really cold, putting on weight or generally not firing on all cylinders? It’s a good time to visit your Doctor for a blood test and general check up. But the bloods come back as normal, including the thyroid specific markers and still feeling dismal? This could be the case for a few different reasons (once other causes have been ruled out)… often standard thyroid level blood tests aren’t enough to determine whether your thyroid gland is underperforming. It may be that the conversion of T4 to T3 is not adequate. T3 is 300 times more potent than T4 so it is dependent on this conversion for its’ effect in the body… So not only T4 levels and TSH should be tested but T3 and possibly thyroid antibodies to rule out an autoimmune condition. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is one such condition in which the body has an intolerance to itself and affects the thyroid gland and thyroid hormone production. High cortisol levels and high oestrogen levels are also contributing factors to poor thyroid function so it is important that all hormones are tested and corrections made to bring about balance. A clinical picture gives us a good indication of what is going on in combination with the blood results and other pathology testing.
Chat to your Doctor if you are having concerns or contact us if you have further queries.