Module 4
Understanding the Your Labs
In this module you will gain an in-depth understanding of the labs your provider is having drawn and what the results mean.
Understanding Your Bloodwork and The Results
Thyroid Blood Work Can Seem Confusing and....
Hashimoto's can be tricky to diagnose since the symptoms overlap with several other conditions. But once diagnosed, with proper management of diet and lifestyle, it is possible to go into remission. It is important to be your own health advocate in regard to being properly diagnosed, because in many cases, medical providers will only run baseline tests for the thyroid which will not paint an adequate picture. Without running a complete thyroid panel, it can lead to misdiagnosis or no diagnosis of Hashimoto’s.
Here is a list and description of the blood tests that you may need to request of your medical provider to help diagnose Hashimoto's:
- TSH Test (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone): is produced by the pituitary gland, which regulates the production and release of thyroid hormone by the thyroid gland. TSH Test measures the amount of thyroid hormone in the bloodstream. An above normal reading suggests decreased thyroid activity because the pituitary gland increases TSH production when there is a decrease in thyroid hormone production. Elevated TSH may be an indicator of Hashimoto's while low TSH may be an indicator of Grave's Disease.
- T4 Test: T4 test measures the actual amount of thyroid hormone (thyroxine, the main hormone produced by the thyroid gland) circulating in the bloodstream. Lower than normal range indicates hypothyroidism. Higher than normal range can indicate Grave's disease, nodular tumor, or can be elevated due to pregnancy.
- T3 Test: T3 test measures the amount of triiodothyronine in the bloodstream. Meaning it is testing the function of the thyroid. Again, same as T4; when the test is below normal it can indicate an underactive thyroid. When above normal it can indicate an overactive thyroid.
Note: Abnormally low T3 is the result of thyroiditis which is a result of inflammation in the thyroid.
- Anti-thyroid Antibody Test: Is probably one of the most important tests in diagnosing Hashimoto's and sadly, it is often the tests that most practitioners don't perform; especially when the tests above are in normal ranges. The antibody test is used to detect the presence of thyroid antibodies in the bloodstream. A positive test for antibodies means you have Hashimoto's. There are two antibodies that are tested:
- Anti-TG antibodies - these antibodies attack a specific protein in the thyroid called thyroglobulin.
- Anti-thyroperoxidase (TPO) - these antibodies attack an enzyme in the thyroid called thyroperoxidase, which is the enzyme that helps convert T4 into T3.
A positive anti-thyroid antibody test is a clear indicator of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.
Be sure your medical provider is running these tests every 4 to 6 months. You will want to monitor the results as you change your diet to ensure that your antibodies are coming down and healing is taking place.
In addition to the complete thyroid panel, you will want to request that your provider run a panel to check for a current or past case of Epstein Barr Virus. Here is what the typical EBV panel looks like: Epstein Barr Virus VCA Ab Panel
- EBV VCA IgG
- EBV VCA IgM
- EBV Early Antigen Ab, IgG
- EBV Nuclear Ag Ab
Having these labs run will allow for your provider to prescribe the treatments and protocols necessary to help you heal faster of your autoimmune symptoms and put your Hashimoto's into remission.
What is Bloodletting and How Does It Affect Me?
Bloodletting is the practice of withdrawing blood from a person's veins.
In ancient times this was done as a means to remove illness and disease from an individual by cutting open their arm or part of the body to allow the blood to flow out. Thankfully, medical science has come a long way and this technique is no longer used. However, medical science does still use the pulling of blood from a person's veins to help them to diagnosis underlying illness, disease, and to assess the overall health of an individual.
But have you ever just looked at all those vials of blood after you've had a blood draw and wonder exactly what was inside there? Of course, the easy answer is your blood. But what is your blood made of? And does having multiple blood draws with multiple vials of blood have any effect on the immune system?
In essence our blood contains our immune system, because in our blood lies our white blood cells. White blood cells are the part of your immune system that protects your body from infection. These cells circulate through your bloodstream and tissues to respond to injury or illness. Thankfully, our body reproduces white blood cells every day. However, production (either too high or too low) can be affected by having an autoimmune diagnosis. Multiple blood draws with large amounts of blood being withdrawn can eventually have an adverse effect on the immune system due to the removal of white blood cells and an already weakened immune system that is struggling to keep up.
Blood draws are definitely effective in helping medical providers to diagnosis illnesses and underlying conditions. Tracking your results using the 12 Month Thyroid Lab Tracker is a great way for you to personally monitor your progress in healing. However, it's important to have a healthy balance when it comes to the quantity and frequency of blood draws. If it looks like you are going to have multiple tests run when having a blood draw, ask your provider if you can split it up over more than one appointment. For routine blood draws, try to space them out every 4 to 6 months if possible, giving your immune system time to strengthen and recover in between. Boost your immune system ahead of time with supplements such as Vitamin C, Zinc, Magnesium, and B 12 Complex.
My Personal Case Study...The Numbers Don't Lie
Over recent months, I've been hearing about how bloodletting (frequent multiple blood draws) could have an adverse effect on the immune system. This got me thinking about how often I've gotten my blood drawn over the years and had me wondering if some of my chronic and reoccurring illnesses were directly related to this.
I'm not going to lie; I became pretty obsessed with having my labs drawn often when I began this journey. The lab results were like a secret portal letting me see what was going on inside my body. It was helping to stay motivated as I watch the numbers go down, letting me know that my change in nutrition and fitness was really working to heal me. But then due to life changing events in 2018 I actually had to go an entire year before I could get my labs drawn. I stayed the course with my nutrition and fitness and prayed that my numbers would look good when I finally could have the labs drawn again. To my surprise, when I had my labs drawn in the early part of 2019, my thyroid antibodies were the lowest they had ever been my whole adult life at 109 (when I first started this journey, they were at 501).
I was ecstatic and eager to go back to having my blood draws every 3 months. That's when my numbers started climbing back up and I started having more and more autoimmune flares, to the point where in the latter part of 2020 I was experiencing reoccurring shingles. I obviously was getting frustrated as it appeared I was moving backwards in my healing. I remember being at, yet another doctor's appointment, and I asked my provider to run another set of labs within a few weeks of the appointment. She said how about we wait 3 or 4 months because frequent bloodletting is not good. This was the first time I had heard the term bloodletting. So, of course, I had to go home and research why she would advise me to wait so long in between blood draws.
I've had two blood draws since then, both which were 4 months apart. Both times my numbers went down (back into the low 130s) and I am experiencing less severe and frequent shingle outbreaks. I'm not sure if the results are due to less blood draws and allowing my body time to do more healing in between, it could be a coincidence, but maybe not.
I think moving forward, I am going to go back to blood draws every six months, unless it is deemed medically necessary to do it sooner. I want to give my body the necessary time to do what it's designed to do...heal!