<< Blood tests such as T4, T3, and TSH are notoriously
inaccurate indicators of hypothyroid.  Mercola reports
that as many as 90% of his hypothyriod patients have
normal standard thyroid functions tests >>


Too many doctors request only a TSH test, which can be
misleading if the results are in the "normal" range.
I was diagnosed hypothyroid (Hashimoto's/autoimmune
thyroiditis) two years ago, but tests I'd had for
years before that came back in the "normal" range.  It
wasn't until I went to a more "enlightened" doctor who
recognized all the hypo symptoms I was having that I
got a full thyroid panel with not only TSH but Free
T3, Free T4, and thyroid antibodies (anti-TPO and
anti-TG), that gave the full picture.  The TSH results
were high normal (5.50, with top of the range 5.75) --
which many docs would have interpreted as acceptable
and no need to medicate despite the symptoms -- but
Free T3 and Free T4 were bottom of the range, and high
thyroid antibodies (anti-TPO), thus indicating
autoimmune thyroiditis.

It takes finding a doctor who knows the right tests to
order, who knows about the new guidelines for
suspected thyroid condition (>3) and then interpret
them in line with the patient's symptoms.  In fact
many folks on the thyroid forum I subscribe to seem to
feel best with TSH at 1.5 or lower and Free T4 and
Free T3 values at midrange or slightly higher.


<< The most reliable way of determining a hypothyroid
condition is the body temperature test that you can do
at home >>


My holistic doc disagrees with the body temp method --
believes it is not reliable.  But then she's not a big
fan of Mercola's, either.  :)


Lynda

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