Your Thyroid Levels May be “Normal,” but are they OPTIMAL? Daily, we hear from our patients that their thyroid bloodwork is normal, but the patient has all the textbook thyroid symptoms. How is it possible to have normal thyroid bloodwork markers, have all the classic thyroid symptoms, but be told that your thyroid is normal? Is it normal are you’re imagining things? Or is there something wrong with the reference ranges your doctor is using? It’s time to look at Functional Thyroid Lab Ranges.

Functional Lab Ranges for Thyroid Markers-Pathological Range VS Functional Range 

This is a daily conversation I have with patients, and I felt it was long overdue to have an article explaining why functional medicine practitioners use Functional thyroid lab ranges.

Functional lab ranges refer to a set of reference values used in Functional Medicine to assess an individual’s health status beyond what traditional lab ranges typically provide.

Unlike conventional lab ranges, which are based on statistical averages from a large population and focus on the diagnosis of diseases, functional lab ranges take into account optimal or “functional” levels of markers that may indicate early signs of dysfunction or imbalances in the body. It’s also worth noting that these statistical averages from the population are based on sick people.  Think about it this way: who goes to doctors? healthy people or sick people with problems who need bloodwork?

Functional medicine practitioners use a narrower range of values for various laboratory tests to identify potential issues before they progress to a disease state. These narrower ranges are based on the concept of optimal health and aim to identify imbalances or trends towards dysfunction, even if the results fall within the broader, conventional reference range.

For example, in conventional medicine, a thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level between .5 and 5.0 is considered “Normal”. In Functional Medicine, a narrower range of TSH values is used to detect early signs of thyroid dysfunction, often before symptoms are present. By catching imbalances at this early stage, interventions, lifestyle strategies, and nutritional support can be implemented to support the body’s natural healing mechanisms and potentially prevent the progression to a full-blown disease.

Functional Medicine is different than traditional medicine, in that our approach is focused on addressing the root cause. Let me give you an example. A person who suffers from anxiety or depression may have problems with serotonin, dopamine, or some other Neurotransmitter.

A Functional Medicine approach may not only look at Neurotransmitters, but we may look at genetic mutations in those neurotransmitters, we may exlpore the relationship between the brain-Gut connection and gut inflammation, we may look at hormones like the Thyroid and Sex hormones and we may also test a patient for nutritional deficiencies.

Compare this to standard conventional medicine. In Conventional medicine, there is no testing, no recommendations on how to address the root cause, and no attempt to identify the root cause. A doctor just prescribes an antidepressant or antianxiety medication, and you are on your way.

In Functional Medicine, we are looking at a broader picture of health and considering the interconnectedness of various body systems as well as personalizing the treatment plan.

Most health care providers within the allopathic medical field believe that care should only be provided when a disease is present. This view is generally formed from conventional medical training which ignores the philosophies of preventative medicine and nutrition. Traditional medical training teaches physicians to evaluate blood chemistry in comparison to ranges that determine pathology. If pathology is not present, the patient is considered “healthy.” Again, this kind of mentality and philosophy is what has created the health care crisis we now face.

The main difference between health care providers who embrace or reject Functional Medicine reference ranges boils down to the definition of health.

Some healthcare providers define “health” as the absence of disease, and therefore, if you are not “diseased,” then you must be “healthy.” Functional Medicine Doctors providers define “health” as not only being free of disease but also having Optimal function. When you are “Optimal,” you have adequate energy levels, healthy digestion, good quality of sleep, balanced emotions, hormones, and mood are good, good memory and focus, and your testing indicates that you are in functional or optimal ranges.

Grab your Thyroid Blood tests and compare your Thyroid levels to the Functional Thyroid ranges

Understanding Your Thyroid Bloodwork

1. The TSH gives me an idea of how the pituitary is responding to serum levels of Thyroid hormone. The pituitary has different deiodinases than the rest of the body, so it can’t be used as a marker for tissue levels of thyroid hormone, but it can be helpful if elevated. Why is TSH alone not reliable
2. Free T3 – How much active thyroid hormone is floating around in the blood and is “Free”. This can be artificially elevated if reverse T3 is high.
3. Free T4 – This gives me an idea of what kind of thyroid “store” your body has. Remember that not all T4 will turn into T3, and in the presence of inflammation, leptin resistance, or nutrient deficiencies, your body may turn T4 into Reverse T3.
4. Reverse T3 – This gives me an idea of what kind of “Stress” the body is under, how much inflammation is going on, and what nutrient deficiencies the patient may be experiencing. High levels of reverse T3 are associated with Thyroid resistance and tissue level hypothyroidism.
5. Thyroid Peroxidase antibodies and Thyroglobulin antibodies – antibodies are associated with thyroiditis and autoimmunity. If elevated treatment should be targeted at uncovering your autoimmune Triggers. and balancing your immune system.

Order A Complete Thyroid Testing Panel BELOW. Learn why a TSH and Free T4 is not Enough.

All testing comes with a 30 minute consult with Dr Hagmeyer or one of his associates and a Free guide that explain in more detail the patterns of thyroid disease.