Anyone Have Experience With Everylywell At-home Thyroid Test?

[PopRBop]

Just learned about this at-home thyroid test for $99 ...

At Home Thyroid Levels Test - Easy to Use and Understand - Everlywell

Fingerstics and blood dots on a card are sent back to the lab for analysis. Looks like they only report Free T3, T4 and TSH. No rT3 or other markers. The report seems very simplistic, but does include a sort of consult with a nurse or nurse practitioner (I'm not clear) on what your results might indicate.

I'm still relying on temperature and pulse and other general health ques to determine thyroid state function rather than blood tests. But, I'm interested on any take on this test and if it has any value.

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

Just learned about this at-home thyroid test for $99 ...

At Home Thyroid Levels Test - Easy to Use and Understand - Everlywell

Fingerstics and blood dots on a card are sent back to the lab for analysis. Looks like they only report Free T3, T4 and TSH. No rT3 or other markers. The report seems very simplistic, but does include a sort of consult with a nurse or nurse practitioner (I'm not clear) on what your results might indicate.

I'm still relying on temperature and pulse and other general health ques to determine thyroid state function rather than blood tests. But, I'm interested on any take on this test and if it has any value.

Me too! I wonder about the accuracy of these tests, and have heard conflicting opinions on them. Did you end up trying one PopRBob?

 

[Ingenol]

It looks like the accuracy of TSH and T3 is probably good, T4 perhaps not, based on findings of this paper. They reported T3 and TSH were relatively stable at room temperature, but noted a 50% decline in apparent T4 within four days at temperatures between 4-30 C.

 

[yerrag]

I consider these thyroid tests giving little bang for the buck.

Why not use Achilles Tendon Reflex tests. All you need is a buddy to hit your Achilles tendon with a cheap neuro hammer that you can buy from Amazon for $5. It isn't rocket science. Ray Peat talks about this, and this was used by Broda Barnes back when we still didn't rely so much on digital readouts for everything.

And then there is the ECG in case one is too lazy to learn a new skill. Unfortunately, the US medical tyranny does not allow anyone to take an ECG without a cardiologist doing it, or something like that. But it's a small device no larger than a dot-matrix printer with leads that attach to the body. I can get a printout from a diagnostics lab in my neighborhood (in Manila) for $10 and I can check if the QTc is less than or equal to 440msec, then I'm not hypothyroid.

You can test your Achilles Tendon Reflex any given time, without having to wait for your primary doctor's approval for a test that doesn't amount to ***t, especially when there's no rT3 included.

Relying on temperature is a bare minimum but it doesn't really tell you if you're optimal thyroid-wise. It just tells you at the very least you're still able to develop a fever when the body needs to contain an infection.

And heart rate? That is a useless metric when better ones are available. Does a person with poor heart function where the valves leak not have really high heart rates? How do you know the high heart rate you may have is a sign of health or is a sign of poor health? Get a nice oximeter that measures also the perfusion index, and the perfusion index can give you a better idea of your metabolic health. It measures the strength of your heart by measuring how much of your the blood flow is accounted for by heart pumping. It ranges from 0-20%. The higher, the better.

 

[yerrag]

The attachment of people to everything that is digitally interpreted and spits out in discrete values is fascinating. What is wrong in observing one's Achilles tendon reflex and making a qualitiative determination from observation how the Achilles tendon reacted? Don't we trust our own senses? Do we need a digital guide when we shoot a ball or fire a gun? Do we need a digital taste device to tell us if something is too salty or not, or too sweet?

How much does a thyroid panel that is useful costs (with the rT3 included)?

This is probably what Ray means when he said he prefers the world to be analog rather than digital.

 

[Doc Sandoz]

ECG test. Perfusion index. Very interesting stuff. Must check into this.

 

[yerrag]

Does QTc indicate relaxation rate of the heart muscle, much as the Achilles Reflex test shows relaxation rate of the leg muscle?

Yes, this is really about how fast the muscles gets back to a state of relaxation, where it is energetic.

I happen to have a fairly recent ECG owing to an incident of sinus tachycardia from taking the wrong herb. I pulled the record up just now and the QTc was 497 msec. Does the relative size of the number - about 12% over 440 - suggest the degree of hypothyroidism? (Temp and pulse method, brittle nails and hair, etc already indicate hypothyroidism.)

I'm not sure, but I think it's reasonable to think so. I only have myself as the sample size, so I can only try to be logical about it

Sounds like the perfusion index might be somehow related to QTc, at least they both have to do with heart performance. Perfusion index might be a good way to monitor dosing of T3/T4, increasing the dose as the body can tolerate it and checking the effect on the perfusion index. Certainly more practical than trying to get an ECG on a regular basis.

Perhaps. As the plethysmograph typically seen in an oximeter operates on the same principle for which the basis the perfusion index is derived. And there are studies available that show how the plethysmograph waveform in many ways can act as a surrogate for the ECG. If you have the Samsung Galaxy S6-S9, and Note 4 to Note 9 phones, which contains heart rate sensors, you can download a free app called Heart Rate Analyzer and get many cool stats about heart rate, perfuxion index and a few more less popular metrics. You can save them and have a history of it.

Could you further explain these two tests, Yerrag?

I think your questions and my answers cover much of what I know about these tests.

My understanding of the QTc is at best very basic, and I'm pretty sure that someone in the field of diagnostics would be able to find a lot of fault with my statement, as there would always be exceptions to the rule. I've manually computed the QTc once as there is a formula for it, but I don't like to do it given how small those graphs are and it's a pain to measure them. Being that I'm like a technician that doesn't understand the theory behind the formula, and just plugs in numbers without qualifying whether I should or shouldn't be doing it, I may be prone as well in some cases to make a poor interpretation. Still, for the most part, and if I'm being my own test subject, I can find its use helpful even as another confirmation of my thyroid status.

If I had time, I would like to brush up on interpreting ECG's with this site:

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

But I know I won't as I would quickly forget what I learn for lack of opportunity to practice what I read.

As for Achilles tendon reflex, the theory is explained well in McGavack's book The Thyroid, which Peat recommended. On how to do one, you can search for it on Youtube and you'll see how simple it is. But a little practice is needed with willing subjects among family and friends. I have used it and it doesn't take long to get familiar with it. i don't think conventional doctors know how to use the neuro hammer. Physical therapists use the neuro hammer, but they aren't really familiar with using it to test the Achilles tendon reflex correctly. I've seen a doctor use it, and I know he's doing it the wrong way.

 

[Doc Sandoz]

Yes, this is really about how fast the muscles gets back to a state of relaxation, where it is energetic.


I'm not sure, but I think it's reasonable to think so. I only have myself as the sample size, so I can only try to be logical about it

Perhaps. As the plethysmograph typically seen in an oximeter operates on the same principle for which the basis the perfusion index is derived. And there are studies available that show how the plethysmograph waveform in many ways can act as a surrogate for the ECG. If you have the Samsung Galaxy S6-S9, and Note 4 to Note 9 phones, which contains heart rate sensors, you can download a free app called Heart Rate Analyzer and get many cool stats about heart rate, perfuxion index and a few more less popular metrics. You can save them and have a history of it.


I think your questions and my answers cover much of what I know about these tests.

My understanding of the QTc is at best very basic, and I'm pretty sure that someone in the field of diagnostics would be able to find a lot of fault with my statement, as there would always be exceptions to the rule. I've manually computed the QTc once as there is a formula for it, but I don't like to do it given how small those graphs are and it's a pain to measure them. Being that I'm like a technician that doesn't understand the theory behind the formula, and just plugs in numbers without qualifying whether I should or shouldn't be doing it, I may be prone as well in some cases to make a poor interpretation. Still, for the most part, and if I'm being my own test subject, I can find its use helpful even as another confirmation of my thyroid status.

If I had time, I would like to brush up on interpreting ECG's with this site:

Dr. Smith's ECG Blog

But I know I won't as I would quickly forget what I learn for lack of opportunity to practice what I read.

As for Achilles tendon reflex, the theory is explained well in McGavack's book The Thyroid, which Peat recommended. On how to do one, you can search for it on Youtube and you'll see how simple it is. But a little practice is needed with willing subjects among family and friends. I have used it and it doesn't take long to get familiar with it. i don't think conventional doctors know how to use the neuro hammer. Physical therapists use the neuro hammer, but they aren't really familiar with using it to test the Achilles tendon reflex correctly. I've seen a doctor use it, and I know he's doing it the wrong way.

Thank you for the information, Yerrag. Here is a study abstract I came across linking long QTc with subclinical hypothyrodisim in women who didn't know they had it. Subclinical hypothyroidism is characterized by increased QT interval dispersion among women - PubMed Wish I could access the study itself, would like to know the particulars, especially the actual QTc data.

Regarding the Achille's test, I've found it most valuable to film the reactions for later study. Then you can clearly familiarize yourself with the difference between a floppy foot, very slow relaxation and anything in between.

 

[yerrag]

Thank you for the information, Yerrag. Here is a study abstract I came across linking long QTc with subclinical hypothyrodisim in women who didn't know they had it. Subclinical hypothyroidism is characterized by increased QT interval dispersion among women - PubMed Wish I could access the study itself, would like to know the particulars, especially the actual QTc data.

Regarding the Achille's test, I've found it most valuable to film the reactions for later study. Then you can clearly familiarize yourself with the difference between a floppy foot, very slow relaxation and anything in between.

You're welcome Doc Sandoz.

I think that if one could use such simple tests, one may be able to forego with expensive tests that give plenty of false negatives. Since hypothyroid is a root cause of many diseases, a lot of downstream diseases can be eliminated.

I also think that hypothyroid is part of a vicious cycle together with blood sugar dysregulation. In that sense, they reinforce each other in a cause and effect relationship that goes both ways. Before I joined RPF, I have already learned the value of having optimal blood sugar relation. Having experienced both poor and optimal conditions, I cannot overemphasize the importance of optimal blood sugar regulation.

HbA1c and FBS are the common tools to gauge blood sugar regulation, and are both very deficient in identifying poor blood regulation, much less optimizing it. Since I've had 5 hr. Oral Glucose Tolerane Tests before, and found them very useful in correctly diagnosing my state of blood sugar regulation, I now do my own 5ht DIY OGTT as this test has become less and less popular, and if available, it is watered down to a pretty much useless 2hr duration.

A lot of times, merely improving blood sugar regulation improves the thyroid. Ray Peat talks a lot about the adrenals and cortisol, and people here like to dwell into the deeper levels, including discussions even deeper going into the HPA axis. One can get lost in that maze very easily. I rather like to keep things simple and recommend using the 5hr OGTT as a diagnostic tools. A very affordable blood glucose meter is all you need, and some pure glucose. And a willingness to be finger-pricked.

It seems that most, if not all of RPF, is in with this. And then a lot complain about having gained weight with the so-called Ray Peat diet. They could be helped if they're not so much into the instant results test mentality. If one can't even do a simple Achilles Tendox Reflex, I don't see how one would want to do a 5hr OGTT. Touche.

I have a thread on it and you can use the search function to find it.

 

[PopRBop]

Me too! I wonder about the accuracy of these tests, and have heard conflicting opinions on them. Did you end up trying one PopRBob?

Hey R&R, (catchy handle, btw)

Nope. Never tested the test. Ha!

I'm just sticking to fundamental markers of thyroid function and health. So far, so good.

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

Hey R&R, (catchy handle, btw)

Nope. Never tested the test. Ha!

I'm just sticking to fundamental markers of thyroid function and health. So far, so good.

I like my new nickname! So I am not only Rinse & Repeat, but also Rest & Relaxation

 

[PopRBop]

I like my new nickname! So I am not only Rinse & Repeat, but also Rest & Relaxation

Hey, that's my moniker! ?

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

Hey, that's my moniker! ?

Look what you did, gotta share now!

 

[yerrag]

Thank you for the information, Yerrag. Here is a study abstract I came across linking long QTc with subclinical hypothyroidism in women who didn't know they had it. Subclinical hypothyroidism is characterized by increased QT interval dispersion among women - PubMed Wish I could access the study itself, would like to know the particulars, especially the actual QTc data.

Regarding the Achille's test, I've found it most valuable to film the reactions for later study. Then you can clearly familiarize yourself with the difference between a floppy foot, very slow relaxation and anything in between.

I bought a personal ECG unit, the FL20 and have been taking readings for a month. It costs about $100-$130 depending on deals. Sometimes the website facelake.com of the manufacturer sells it cheaper than Amazon. It has some nice reviews on Amazon.

Yesterday, I got an ECG from the diagnostics lab I frequent for blood tests. I wasn't expecting the QTc to be close, but it was pretty damn close. The QTc value I got in the lab was 488 msec, and from the personal handheld unit was 482 msec.

From a recent sickness that got me somewhat bedridden for a month and now recovered but not at `00% yet, I have some work to do to get myself euthyroid. Even my ECG showed I have a reverse T-curve, which I guess must be from being in ischemia when I was sick.

The FL20 is a good unit. It's a good addition to my DIY testing and monitoring toolbox.

 

[yerrag]

It's regular price is $99-

FL20 Handheld Portable ECG Monitor

FL20 Handheld ECG Monitor is designed for home use with the purpose of healthcare, and is suitable for every people, especially for those who may suffer from cardiovascular disease, such as hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, etc., or those who have the symptoms of heart-throb...

facelake.com

Warning: It's documentation can stand a lot of improvement, but I figured out how to make it work for me, so I'm good.