Posted by KaraS on April 8, 2005, at 22:04:51
In reply to here is what I just found on TSH levels, posted by Spriggy on April 8, 2005, at 13:19:09
> Okay, DR. Bob, I don't know if this is against some rule to copy and paste or not so if it, delete me and forgive me. I repent ahead of time if I am committing some sin here.
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> But this is what I just found:
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> What is a “Normal” TSH Level?
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> In the United States, most laboratories have as the normal TSH reference range from approximately 0.5 to 5.5. Yet, in early 2001, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) made what constituted a fairly dramatic reversal of its previous doctrine, stating that a "Even though a TSH level between 3.0 and 5.0 uU/ml is in the normal range, it should be considered suspect since it may signal a case of evolving thyroid underactivity."
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> A groundbreaking study published in the February 2002 issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism examined levels of undiagnosed thyroid disease in different U.S. populations between 1988 and 1994. In addition to discovering that nearly five percent of Americans suffer from often undiagnosed thyroid disease, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report on the National Health and Nutritional Survey (NHANES) found that among the disease-free population (those who did not have any presence of thyroid antibodies, or diagnosed thyroid disease), the mean TSH level was 1.5. This finding could bolster the assertions of some practitioners and many patients that the optimal TSH levels are between 1 and 2, and that levels above that may in fact represent an abnormality. It certainly points up the need to reconsider the basis for most U.S. labs measuring hypothyroidism as only at levels of approximately 5.0 and above.
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Yes, those are more accurate numbers for judging thyroid health. I've also read that for those of us with depression, that a TSH of .5-1.0 may be best. TSHs over 3 probably indicate a hypothyroid condtion. Why some people with high TSHs present with HYPERthyroid symptoms is a mystery to most doctors. A friend of mine has the same problem and her doctor told her that her thyroid was working too hard to try to keep up thus accounting for the high TSH. I don't know if that really makes any sense or not. I just know that her TSH levels have recently been between 11-16 yet she's always hot, has lots of energy and has NO DEPRESSION. Another possible explanation I've seen for this may be due to pituitary problems.
poster:KaraS
thread:481499
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050408/msgs/481850.html