HTMA, Thyroid, and the Limitations of Blood Tests
The production of hormones in the body is controlled by the pituitary gland located at the base of the brain. One of the hormones it produces is thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), which instructs the thyroid gland on the amount of T4 and T3 to generate. By examining TSH levels in your blood, it is possible to determine how much T4 your pituitary gland is requesting from your thyroid gland. High TSH levels may indicate hypothyroidism or an underactive thyroid since it means the pituitary gland is producing more TSH to stimulate the production of thyroid hormones.
Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis results can often provide additional and diverse insights into thyroid activity compared to a blood test. The confusion that arises is due to the fact that blood thyroid tests do not reveal much about thyroid physiology. Typically, they only measure the levels of circulating hormones (T3 and T4) and pituitary stimulation of the thyroid (TSH). In many cases, TSH is the only hormone tested. Some practitioners may request a full thyroid panel to learn more information about a person’s thyroid function.
Full Thyroid Panel
A full thyroid panel is a blood test that measures different thyroid hormone levels, as well as thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and other related markers. The information that can be gleaned from a full thyroid panel includes:
Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels: This hormone is produced by the pituitary gland and stimulates the thyroid gland to produce thyroid hormones. High TSH levels can indicate an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism), while low TSH levels can indicate an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism).
Free thyroxine (FT4) levels: FT4 is a thyroid hormone that is produced by the thyroid gland. It plays a role in regulating metabolism and energy levels. Low FT4 levels can indicate hypothyroidism, while high levels can indicate hyperthyroidism.
Free triiodothyronine (FT3) levels: FT3 is another thyroid hormone that is produced by the thyroid gland. It is more active than FT4 and has a stronger effect on metabolism. Low FT3 levels can indicate hypothyroidism, while high levels can indicate hyperthyroidism.
Thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) levels: These antibodies are produced by the immune system and attack the thyroid gland. High levels of TPOAb can indicate autoimmune thyroid disease, such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
Thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb) levels: These antibodies attack a protein called thyroglobulin, which is used to produce thyroid hormones. High levels of TgAb can indicate autoimmune thyroid disease.
One of the main benefits of a full thyroid panel is that it provides a comprehensive evaluation of thyroid function, which can help diagnose thyroid disorders that may not be identified through the typical basic thyroid hormone testing of TSH, T4 and T3. This can be particularly important for individuals with symptoms that are difficult to diagnose or those who have risk factors for thyroid disorders.
Another benefit of a full thyroid panel is earlier detection. By measuring multiple thyroid hormones and related markers, a full thyroid panel can help detect thyroid disorders early, before symptoms become severe. Early detection can lead to earlier treatment and improved outcomes.
A full thyroid panel is also useful for monitoring thyroid function in individuals who are undergoing treatment for thyroid disorders. Regular monitoring can help ensure that treatment is effective and adjusted as needed. In addition, a full thyroid panel can be used to assess an individual's risk for developing thyroid disorders. This can be particularly important for individuals with a family history of thyroid disorders or other risk factors.
However, there are also some limitations to a full thyroid panel. For example, false positives can occur with certain markers, such as TPOAb and TgAb, which can sometimes occur in individuals who do not have autoimmune thyroid disease. This can lead to unnecessary testing and treatment. In addition, the interpretation of thyroid function tests can be complex and requires expertise. Results can be affected by factors such as age, gender, medications, and other health conditions. Therefore, it's important to work with a practitioner who is experienced in interpreting thyroid function tests.
Another limitation of a full thyroid panel is cost. A full thyroid panel can be more expensive than a single hormone test. Therefore, it may not be covered by all insurance plans or be accessible to everyone.
Finally, while a full thyroid panel can be used to diagnose thyroid disorders, it may not provide information on the underlying cause of the disorder. Additional testing may be needed to identify the cause and guide treatment.
A full thyroid panel provides a comprehensive evaluation of thyroid function and can be useful for diagnosing and monitoring thyroid disorders. However, it is important to be aware of the limitations of this test, including the potential for false positives and interpretation challenges, as well as the cost and limited information on the underlying cause of thyroid disorders.
Thyroid Physiology
Thyroid metabolism consists of four crucial stages, each of which plays an important role in maintaining the proper functioning of the body. The first stage is hormone production, which requires various micronutrients such as manganese, iodine, tyrosine, cyclic AMP, vitamin C, B-complex, and others. However, factors such as radiation toxicity, excessive oxidant stress, or toxic chemicals can disrupt hormone synthesis. Interestingly, mercury and copper toxicity can stimulate hormone production.
The second stage of thyroid metabolism is hormone release, which requires sympathetic nervous stimulation. However, autonomic imbalances, such as exhausted adrenal glands, can impact the sympathetic nervous system and interfere with hormone release.
The third stage of thyroid metabolism is absorption into the cells, which is critical for the proper functioning of the body. For this to happen, cell membranes must work effectively. Accumulation of biounavailable calcium and magnesium can excessively stabilize cell membranes and decrease cell permeability, while deficient calcium and magnesium can increase cell permeability. Oxidant stress, impaired fatty acid metabolism, and damage to cell membranes can also hinder the absorption of thyroxine. Additionally, copper can influence absorption by altering calcium and potassium levels, while cadmium or nickel toxicity can impact hormone absorption by affecting calcium, sodium, and other essential minerals.
The fourth and final stage of thyroid metabolism is utilization in the mitochondria. Once inside the cells, thyroxine must be converted to T3 and utilized in the mitochondria. Potassium plays a critical role in sensitizing the mitochondria to thyroid hormone. However, fluoride in drinking water and chlorides found in bleaches used to make white flour are powerful inhibitors of thyroid hormone utilization, as they interfere with iodine metabolism. Furthermore, substances found in soy and raw cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli can also hinder thyroid hormone utilization.
Certain foods, such as soy products and those made with white flour, can be detrimental to one's thyroid. Packaged foods that are processed with water can also contain high levels of fluorides that can enter water supplies and interfere with thyroid hormone utilization.
Finally, it's worth noting that cells must also respond to thyroid hormone stimulation, and a range of vitamins and minerals are required for energy production in the glycolysis and carboxylic acid cycles in the mitochondria. If these co-factors are missing, or if toxins block steps in the pathway, thyroid hormone will be ineffective in increasing energy production.
Thyroid Problems
The production and utilization of thyroid hormone can be disrupted at any stage, leading to imbalances in the body. The terms hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, which are commonly used to describe thyroid disorders, only focus on hormone production and release and can be misleading.
For instance, an individual may have inadequate hormone production due to damage caused by radiation, while another person may produce enough hormones, but an autonomic imbalance may prevent its release. Some individuals may face challenges in transporting enough hormones into the cells due to low cell permeability. On the other hand, an individual may have adequate hormone production but may not be able to utilize the hormones effectively in the cells due to a manganese deficiency or fluoride toxicity.
In some cases, an individual may experience a mixture of hypothyroid and hyperthyroid symptoms, such as excess hormone production due to copper or mercury toxicity and inadequate cell permeability. However, these factors are not assessed by routine blood tests, which only measure hormone levels in the blood. As a result, many issues go undetected, or blood tests may indicate a problem where none exists, or may indicate one imbalance when the opposite condition exists at the cellular level.
In some cases, serum thyroid tests may appear normal, but a thyroid imbalance may still be present. This can occur because the normal range for TSH in most laboratories is too wide, and many doctors still use outdated upper limits of normal. Additionally, blood tests may not detect deficiencies and toxins affecting thyroid activity.
The most common imbalances occur in slow metabolisers who experience low thyroid effect due to impaired cell permeability and individuals with hyperthyroid symptoms caused by copper or mercury toxicity of the thyroid gland. These imbalances often occur together, leading to a mixture of symptoms. Soy products and foods made with white flour are some of the foods that may be detrimental to thyroid health. Additionally, many packaged foods processed with water may contain high levels of fluorides that can interfere with iodine metabolism and thyroid hormone utilization.
Hair Analysis for Thyroid Assessment
Hair analysis is a valuable screening test for assessing thyroid function as it can provide insight into various steps involved in thyroid hormone metabolism. For instance, hair calcium levels can be an approximate indicator of thyroid activity as thyroid hormone reduces calcium levels in the body. Therefore, the higher the level of hair calcium, the lower the effective activity of the thyroid gland.
Similarly, hair potassium levels are associated with tissue sensitivity to thyroid hormone. When hair potassium levels are low, it indicates reduced sensitivity of the mitochondrial receptors to the thyroid hormone. This means that even if circulating hormone levels are normal and hormones can be absorbed into the cells, they may not be utilized, resulting in a low thyroid effect. This commonly contributes to thyroid problems in slow metabolisers. However, supplementing with potassium is rarely effective as the problem lies in the loss of potassium due to kidney dysfunction and electrical imbalances at the cellular level.
Furthermore, manganese deficiency can reduce thyroid activity as manganese is required for T4 production. However, manganese deficiency or bioavailability is becoming increasingly common. A manganese deficiency is associated with a low hair manganese level, while a high hair manganese level often indicates bioavailability. Adrenal exhaustion can cause manganese to become bio-unavailable as the binding protein, transmanganin (a manganese-carrying protein in human plasma), is not produced in sufficient quantity.
Metabolic typing can also help assess vitamin needs. For instance, vitamins C and B-complex tend to enhance thyroid activity. Higher doses are given to slow oxidisers and less to fast oxidisers to help balance thyroid activity. Supplementation without testing for metabolic type is often ineffective or can aggravate thyroid imbalances.
Hair calcium and magnesium levels are associated with cell permeability, and biounavailable calcium and magnesium stabilize cell membranes. This causes reduced cell membrane permeability that decreases thyroid hormone uptake into the cells, producing a cellular thyroid hormone deficiency. Serum hormone levels may be normal or even elevated, and high hair calcium and magnesium levels indicate some degree of biounavailable calcium and magnesium. This occurs mainly in Slow Oxidisers. Since serum hormone levels are normal or elevated, practitioners may not give thyroid support when it is, in fact, needed.
On the other hand, when tissue calcium and magnesium are low, as in Fast Oxidisers, cell membranes are more permeable. This causes a more rapid uptake of thyroid hormone into the cells and an increased thyroid effect. Serum thyroid hormone levels may be normal or even decreased. A practitioner who only measures serum hormone levels (T3 and T4) or TSH might conclude that the person needs thyroid hormone. A Full Thyroid Panel, although much better, may also suggest thyroid medication. However, this could make the person’s condition much worse, although it may provide a temporary energy boost.
Understanding a person’s cellular thyroid status, along with what is circulating in the blood can be very complementary since an HTMA provides a deeper insight into the mineral matrix of a person, which can identify disturbing factors.
Copper and Thyroid
Copper is a significant indicator of thyroid function, but relying solely on hair copper levels to assess copper status may not be accurate. This is because copper is not always found in hair, but can instead accumulate in organs such as the brain and liver. Supplementation of copper should not be based solely on hair copper levels. Other test results can provide valuable information about copper status.
Elevated levels of copper can raise calcium and lower potassium, resulting in a slow metaboliser pattern. This pattern is associated with excess tissue copper and reduced thyroid utilization, which can lead to hypothyroidism. It is important to note that the hair copper level, whether it is low, normal, or high, does not always correlate with this pattern.
In some cases, compensatory effects may occur, where copper stimulates the production of biogenic amines such as epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine. This can lead to symptoms similar to hyperthyroidism, such as anxiety and sweating. In response, the body may increase T3 and T4 to force more thyroid hormone into the cells, which can result in fluctuating TSH levels. Unfortunately, this can lead to a misdiagnosis of hyperthyroidism and unnecessary approaches like irradiation or surgery. It is crucial to identify and address any underlying copper imbalances instead.
Weak adrenal glands can cause copper to become biounavailable, leading to a low sodium/potassium ratio or low hair copper level. Even in cases where hair copper levels are normal or elevated, copper supplementation may be necessary to alleviate symptoms until copper becomes biologically available.
Fast Oxidisers are often copper deficient, which is reflected in their relatively low hair calcium levels and elevated hair potassium levels. Their cells are excessively permeable and sensitive to thyroid hormone, which means that copper supplementation may be necessary even if hair copper levels are normal or elevated.
Other factors like toxic chemicals and heavy metals can also impair energy production, which can affect thyroid hormone stimulation. Hair analysis can help identify indicators of impaired energy production, such as cadmium toxicity or zinc deficiency.
Finally, it is worth noting that most Slow Oxidisers have depleted sympathetic nervous systems and are in a pathological parasympathetic state. This can impact thyroid hormone release, further emphasizing the importance of a comprehensive approach to thyroid assessment and a deep understanding of a person’s biochemistry to address the cause to improve overall health.
The Mayo Clinic states that the pituitary gland, located at the base of the brain, controls hormone production in the body. This gland produces thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), which signals the thyroid gland to produce T4 and T3. The TSH level in the blood is an indication of the amount of T4 that the pituitary gland is asking the thyroid gland to make. Elevated TSH levels could imply hypothyroidism, where the pituitary gland produces more TSH to stimulate the thyroid to produce thyroid hormone.
Hair analysis may reveal different information about thyroid activity compared to blood tests. While blood tests measure circulating hormones (T3 and T4) and pituitary stimulation of the thyroid (TSH), hair analysis can indicate imbalances in the different stages involved in thyroid metabolism. The four stages include hormone production, hormone release, absorption into cells, and utilization in the mitochondria.
Thyroid hormone production requires manganese, iodine, tyrosine, cyclic AMP, vitamin C, B-complex, and other micronutrients. Radiation toxicity, excessive oxidant stress, or toxic chemicals can hinder hormone synthesis, while copper toxicity can stimulate hormone synthesis. Secretion of thyroid hormones requires sympathetic nervous stimulation, which may be affected by exhausted adrenal glands or other autonomic imbalances.
Once T4 is released into the blood, it needs to be absorbed into body cells. This process requires proper cell membrane function. Excessive calcium and magnesium can stabilize cell membranes and reduce cell permeability, while deficient calcium and magnesium can cause excessive cell permeability. Oxidant stress, impaired fatty acid metabolism, and other damage to cell membranes can also prevent thyroxine absorption. Copper affects absorption by altering calcium and potassium levels, while cadmium or nickel toxicity affects hormone absorption by influencing calcium, sodium, and other critical mineral levels. Potassium plays a role in sensitizing mitochondria to thyroid hormone utilization, but fluoride and chloride found in bleached white flour and drinking water, respectively, can hinder thyroid hormone utilization. Substances found in soy, raw cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli can also inhibit thyroid hormone utilization.
Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis can detect imbalances in thyroid hormone metabolism in many steps, such as the hair calcium level, which can indicate the approximate thyroid effect. Low hair potassium is associated with reduced sensitivity of mitochondrial receptors to thyroid hormone, leading to low thyroid activity. Manganese deficiency can also reduce thyroid activity because it is required for T4 production. Serum thyroid tests are limited in assessing these factors and miss many problems, leading to misdiagnosis. Hair analysis can help in assessing thyroid difficulties.