Hypothyroidism is The Most Common Misdiagnosis in Medicine.
Have you been told that your thyroid gland is “sluggish” or that it just “needs a little support?”
A recent study showed that up to 90% of thyroid prescriptions were given to patients with normal thyroid function.
This problem spans across all areas in medicine. Misdiagnosis and over prescription is rampant both by conventional doctors who often want a quick fix so they can move to the next patient as well as integrative who are ignoring established science in favor of unproven hypotheses and group think.
I made the video above to dive deeply into this topic because I am tired of seeing patients being hurt by doctors. In the video I cover many topics related to this issue.
Understanding TSH, T3 and T4
Did you know that TSH changes minute to minute, hour to hour, from morning to night, and is 0.6 points different in winter than in summer?
Did you know that an elevated TSH will spontaneously return to normal in a large number of cases, without treatment?
Yet so many doctors are quick to prescribe hormones based on a single blood draw.
I want you to understand the basics of thyroid diagnosis so you can advocate for yourself and question your doctor if something doesn’t seem right. A correct diagnosis of hypothyroidism hinges on two key markers: a high TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) level and a low T4 (Thyroxine) level. If your TSH is above 10 and your T4 is low, you are indeed hypothyroid and need medication.
Why Low T3 Doesn't Mean Hypothyroidism
One reason that T3 is not appropriate for diagnosis is that when the body is stressed it will intentionally lower T3 levels as a protective response. Another reason is that the lab tests for T3 are notoriously inaccurate.
T3 Matters For Replacement, Not Diagnosis
When replacing thyroid hormone it is important to give both T3 and T4. (Here is a wonderful study on the topic.) I’ll have more on this topic in a separate post.
Red Flags Your Doctor May Be Overprescribing
The biggest red flag is when practitioners create their own reference ranges for lab results. This is a huge red flag, and should lead you to question their clinical acumen. In most cases they are getting bad information rather than spending the time learning the established medical science.
Another red flag is if your doctor runs a hormone based clinical office - where the solution to every problem is often more and more hormones. Unfortunately, these doctors often lack the broader perspective and experience that is needed to help patients truly heal.
Harms of Inappropriate Prescriptions
This isn't just a minor issue — millions of people are being prescribed medications that they don’t need, exposing them to side effects like atrial fibrillation, anxiety, insomnia, osteoporosis and heart disease. Fatigue is actually a surprisingly common symptom of thyroid hormone, but when you give the body hormones that it doesn’t need, things slow down.
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