The Thyroid Factory (Possible Series?)

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Dan W

Dan W

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Thanks again to everyone for the kind words.

Why do you say thing life biotin can effect the test? The gauge went all the way down when you mentioned biotin
It can artificially lower the results:
Higher levels of biotin falsely increased results with the competitive free T4, free T3, total T4 and total T3 assays, and decreased results with the sandwich TSH assays.
(source)

High doses apparently have the potential of affecting all kinds of tests: PTH, FSH, prolactin, cortisol, testosterone, SHBG, DHEA-S, vitamin D, vitamin B12, folate, ferritin, and more.

I haven't read up on it much, but I get the impression a few days of "washout" period would be enough to prevent problems.

LabCorp and Quest's test directories will often tell you what methodology/machine they use for their test, along with the substances that might interfere with it.
 

freyasam

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Loved it! I vote for "failures in the factory" for a new topic.

Some people talk about primary vs secondary hypothyroidism -- is this something Peat recognizes?

What about measuring free t3 and free t4 -- are those important to know for assessing thyroid health?
 

NFF

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This is probably too basic for most people on the forum. But I made it after talking to friends and family about their thyroid bloodwork, so maybe it'll be helpful to yours. And I might do some more advanced ones with time.

Def. Make the whole series, pls! Really excellent.
 
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Dan W

Dan W

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Some people talk about primary vs secondary hypothyroidism -- is this something Peat recognizes?
Yeah, I think he acknowledges the interaction between the hypothalamus/pituitary/thryoid, but usually in a more nuanced way than just "deciding which organ's at fault." I did laugh at his apparent eye-rolling towards TRH testing:
Ray Peat said:
Another expensive and entertaining test has been the thyrotropin release hormone (TRH) test...
(source)

What about measuring free t3 and free t4 -- are those important to know for assessing thyroid health?
I have been wanting to dig into these versus the total hormone testing. I think I understand the gist of Peat's objections to them, but I've been thinking they could probably still be helpful if we take into account all the caveats.
 
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Dan W

Dan W

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My next thyroid one is up for people that support me on Patreon (I'll post it here publicly next month). I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, which is rare for me. Here's a horribly-compressed teaser:
ankle-teaser.gif
 

Amazoniac

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Daniel, you sound like one of the nicestest gurus to hang around with. I want to increase my chances of being approved as friend. Do you have any tips other than not referring to you by your name? I wanted to sound familiar for knowing it but I figured that it doesn't help. I was thinking about buying the friendship with an edited picture of yours next to an I amisterdan sign.
 
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Dan W

Dan W

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Don't worry, Amazoniac, you're already in my pantheon of internet friends who might be imaginary. And it's dangerous allowing people to choose their own nicknames, otherwise everyone will just have names like Bloodthunder Dangerman.
 

Philomath

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These are great Dan. I’ve been tossing around the idea of making videos for some time now. I need a better way to explain these concepts to my family. It seems you’ve found a good way to do it. I’d love to see a video explaining the dangers of PUFA, maybe one on CO2, and one covering the stress hormones. I’ll check out the Patreon site too.

[steampunk farmer....I almost spit out my drink when I heard that!]
 

goodandevil

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Thanks again to everyone for the kind words.


It can artificially lower the results:

(source)

High doses apparently have the potential of affecting all kinds of tests: PTH, FSH, prolactin, cortisol, testosterone, SHBG, DHEA-S, vitamin D, vitamin B12, folate, ferritin, and more.

I haven't read up on it much, but I get the impression a few days of "washout" period would be enough to prevent problems.

LabCorp and Quest's test directories will often tell you what methodology/machine they use for their test, along with the substances that might interfere with it.
I wonder if it interferes with the essay or if it's actual increase in thyroid hormones, , the latter case would argue for other b vitamins having a similar effect.
 

DrJ

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I never write in caps because it is obnoxious, but risking that: THAT WAS AMAZING! HOW DID I NOT REALIZE MY TSH WAS LIKE A TPS REPORT. YOU ARE A GENIUS, COMEDIC AND OTHERWISE! I WAS LAUGHING THE WHOLE WAY THROUGH AND GETTING SMARTER. FANTASTIC WORK!
 
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Dan W

Dan W

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I wonder if it interferes with the essay or if it's actual increase in thyroid hormones, , the latter case would argue for other b vitamins having a similar effect.
Yeah, that's what makes me believe the assay interference explanation: biotin has special properties they exploit for the detection of those molecules, which is why I think there's no warnings about the other B vitamins. Plus the effects seem to disappear when run side-by-side with assays that use "non-biotinylated" techniques. And supplementation throws off some values in ways that would be weird to explain otherwise, raising detected levels of vitamin D, B12, folate, and thyroid antibodies.

I think I remember there being a lab tech on the forum, maybe they (or anyone else that understands it) could offer an opinion on whether the changes in the values make sense with the assay explanation.

I never write in caps because it is obnoxious, but risking that:
thanks DrJ! i'll write in lowercase to help keep the balance.
 

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