Greenville SC Low Thyroid Doctor Answers: What is TSH?
If you see your doctor about symptoms you suspect to be thyroid related, TSH is one of the first markers that’s likely to be checked through blood work. If you are already a thyroid patient, you’ve probably had TSH levels tested multiple times. You may have heard your TSH levels are too high, too low, or that they are normal. Practitioners in standard medicine often rely on TSH to prescribe and adjust thyroid medications.
What is TSH?
Although it is heavily involved in traditional evaluation and support for thyroid problems, TSH is actually released by the pituitary gland. The abbreviation stands for thyroid stimulating hormone, and this reflects what it is and what it does. This hormone stimulates the thyroid to produce another hormone known as T4 or thyroxine. Once released, T4 circulates throughout the body until it is converted to T3, or triiodothyronine. T3 is the active thyroid hormone that is used by the body’s cells.
When levels of T4 or T3 are low, or the body’s metabolic rate is low, the pituitary gland is stimulated to secrete TSH. Yet another gland—the hypothalamus—is responsible for stimulating the secretion of TSH. The hypothalamus is what senses the body’s low metabolic rate or low levels of T4 or T3. It releases a hormone known as thyrotropin releasing hormone or TRH to stimulate the secretion of TSH by the pituitary.
Why Test TSH?
The functional interrelationship between the hypothalamus, pituitary and thyroid glands is multifaceted. Still, TSH is often used as the primary indicator of thyroid disease or dysfunction. If TSH levels are high, the conclusion is the thyroid is not producing enough thyroid hormones. So, the pituitary gland releases TSH to stimulate the thyroid to produce more. In cases of low TSH levels, the conclusion is that the thyroid is over-producing hormones. The metabolic rate is too high; the pituitary is not secreting TSH to stimulate more production of thyroid hormones. Most people who have thyroid symptoms struggle with what’s commonly called ‘low thyroid,’ where there are too few thyroid hormones being released.
TSH Levels and Thyroid Care
If your TSH levels test as elevated indicating low thyroid and inadequate thyroid hormones, you may experience symptoms like fatigue, depression, weight gain or low sex drive. Practitioners typically prescribe medications to try to bring TSH levels down to normal levels, hoping that in the process you’ll feel better. Unfortunately, medications that lower TSH levels do not always have a positive impact on how thyroid patients feel. There are many reasons why this may occur.
Some patients have symptoms of low thyroid, but the root cause is never identified by TSH testing alone. A more comprehensive evaluation by a functional wellness practitioner will get to the bottom of the patient’s problems. Why are TSH levels too high or too low? There may be many reasons that involve much more than TSH. A functional wellness care provider will find out, so the underlying reasons for the TSH imbalance can be managed.
Schedule your FREE thyroid consultation today and learn how we may be able to help your thyroid symptoms.
