Thyroid testing and treatment in Edmonton

Dr. Muradov is knowledgeable in Thyroid health.

Our Naturopath clinic offers Edmonton herbal, nutritional and natural Thyroid options.

Symptoms our Naturopaths screen for:

Fatigue (most common)
Dry Skin
Weight Gain
Constipation
Hair Loss
Poor Memory & Brain fog
Cold Hands and Feet
Low Libido
Menstrual issues
Sleep Issues
Low Mood
Easy irritability

Naturopathic Doctors at TruMed have seen many patients in Edmonton where Thyroid disease was missed because of antiquated testing - primarily relying solely on TSH testing.

Experienced in Thyroid Testing and Treatment.

Comprehensive Thyroid Testing

Proper Thyroid treatment requires the right type of testing.

Our Naturopathic Doctors run comprehensive Thyroid panels to address Thyroid concerns that may have been missed through conventional testing methods.

Here is a video we made discussing a few Thyroid parameters you can get tested through your medical doctor.

Free T3, Free T4, TSH, Thyroid Antibodies, Ferritin and Cortisol and basal body temperatures are all used to assess Thyroid status.

We also measure: Iodine, Zinc, Selenium and Vitamin A as well as Bromine & Cadmium levels in our Edmonton patients.

Occasionally our Naturopaths screen for Heavy Metals to see if they are interfering with Thyroid function.

TSH - TSH is the signal from the pituitary gland to the thyroid to produce additional Thyroid hormone.

For this reason, the TSH itself is not a Thyroid hormone per se, as it does not have direct cellular biological activity.

The reference range for TSH in Edmonton is 0.2 - 4.00 mU/L with values above 4.00 considered to reflect hypothyroidism (although it increased to 6.50 in 2022).

However, in Functional Medicine circles values above 2.00 are considered potentially problematic.

However, we've noted that even with an ideal TSH (around 1.00) levels of Free Hormones can be suboptimal or even low.

For this reason the TSH can be grossly misleading indicating normal Thyroid hormone levels when it isn't the case.

TSH testing is most helpful for large swings in Thyroid status - obvious hyper or hypothyroidism can reliably be detected with a low or high TSH respectively.

Free T4 & Free T3 - Free T4 & Free T3 are the actual metabolically active Thyroid hormones with T3 being much more potent than T4; therefore our efforts are almost always to improve T3 levels relative to T4.

Our Naturopathic doctors are usually measuring free versions of these hormones - the active and unbound versions of the main thyroid hormones.

With regards to T3, the reference range our Naturopathic Doctors typically see in our Edmonton patients is 3.5-6.5 pmol/L and we consider anything below 5.00 to be potentially problematic (although this also widened in 2022).

Optimizing Iodine, Selenium & Zinc are key areas for increasing Free T3 and herbs such as Guggul can also be helpful.

Ferritin - Ferritin is a reflection of our iron stores and iron not only for red blood cell production but also for proper mitochondrial function as well as conversion of T4 to T3.

Reference range in Alberta changed for 2020 to 20-300 ug/L.

Our Naturopathic doctors try and get our patients' ferritin levels at least over 40 for adequate mitochondrial, hematologic and thyroid function.

Iodine - Iodine is a crucial component of Thyroid hormone (T4 & T3 are a tyrosine molecule attached to 4 and 3 iodine ions respectively).

It is also an essential mineral for Thyroid hormone conversion of T4 to the more metabolically active T3.

We've seen many patients in Edmonton with deficient iodine levels.

Depending on the situation our Naturopathic doctors may recommend iodide (I-) or an iodide/iodine (I2) combination.

Iodine testing also gives us bromine levels so we can see if that halogen interferes with the function of iodine.

We occasionally see elevated Bromine levels in our patients causing signs of hypothyroidism.

Reverse T3 - RT3 is also produced from FT4 in a process similar to FT3 production.

However, RT3 is inactive and can bind T3 receptor sites and interfere with its function. RT3 is measured by our Naturopathic doctors as part of a large Thyroid Panel run through Genova laboratories.

We don't always use this particular test because of the costs involved but it can be helpful in certain situations.

RT3 levels can increase because of stress, starvation and overactivity as well as liver dysfunction and from heavy metal exposures.

Adrenal testing is always done alongside comprehensive Thyroid Testing.

We often begin with Natural treatments (herbs and supplements) to balance hormone levels gently.

Precise Thyroid Testing

Thyroid problems are associated with:

Fatigue

Weight gain

Poor memory and focus

Cold body temperature

Constipation

Fluid retention

Dry skin

Infertility and menstrual issues

Muscle and joint aches

Natural Desiccated Thyroid*

In our experience, Desiccated Thyroid is often superior to Synthroid for the alleviation of Thyroid symptoms.

Synthroid contains only T4, whereas Desiccated Thyroid Contains T4 and T3 primarily (active hormone) which helps patients achieve thyroid hormone levels closer to their intended natural levels in approximately an 80:20 ratio.

In our experience, patients more often "feel like themselves" on Desiccated when they transition from Synthroid.

Desiccated Thyroid easily allows for optimization of patients Free T3 levels into the ideal range discussed earlier.

T1 & T2 - We're not talking about Terminator 1 & 2, we're talking about two lesser known Thyroid hormones.

We don't measure T1 or T2, however we sometimes supplement our patients with products containing T2 as it seems to be helpful likely as another intermediate for producing T4 & T3.

T2 is thought that one of the reasons that Desiccated is thought to be better than just a combination of T4 & T3.

*Desiccated is through referrals to collaborative professionals we work with.

Hashimoto's & Graves' Disease

Our Naturopathic Doctors have experience with numerous autoimmune diseases including Hashimoto's & Graves' Disease.

Anti-TPO & Anti-TG - are often measuring and tracking these two antibodies in our patients with autoimmune Thyroid dysfunction such as Hashimoto's, although they can also be seen in Graves' but this is less common.

We think it's worthwhile screening patients for Thyroid antibodies especially if there is a family history of Thyroid dysfunction or a personal history of autoimmune Thyroid disease.

Dropping antibody levels can be complex but some simple interventions can include: Gluten Free Diets, Selenium, Vitamin D & Magnesium.

In our Graves' disease patients were also track TRAb levels to assess disease state and remission.

Autoimmune Thyroid treatment may also involve assessing for Food Sensitivities as well as screening for infections

Common infections include: Epstein Bar Virus and H. pylori & Yersinia as well as Blastocystis & Toxoplasma.

Assessing infectious status is usually done through blood and stool testing.

Other considerations

Zinc & Selenium - Zinc and Selenium are minerals that are both needed for proper T4 conversion and zinc is also needed for TSH production.

Selenium is useful in both Graves' and Hashimoto's for preventing and treating opthalmopathy and reducing TPO antibodies respectively.

Vitamin D & A - Vitamin D is also a critical component of autoimmune Thyroid treatment plan as it is considered an immune system balancer.

Optimal levels for an adult with autoimmunity are usually between 60-80 ng/ml.

Vitamin A is also involved in proper immune function however in the context of hypothyroidism we want adequate levels for Thyroid hormone entry into cells.

Other considerations: Vitamin B2 & B12 are needed for numerous energy production processes but can also affect Thyroid status.

Magnesium, like zinc, is needed for TSH production as well as ATP utilization