I cringe at the word “normal” and I try my hardest never to use it in my vocabulary. I am increasingly amazed when my patients get blood tests done and their doctor calls them and says everything is “normal.” They think, great, but exactly does that mean?
What is normal? When they still feel bad and experience symptoms and they are told they are “normal” it can be frustrating at the least.
Of course, it’s good to be “normal” but if you don’t feel normal, then what is the problem?
In particular, thyroid tests are notorious for coming back “normal.” The lab values for thyroid tests are so huge that almost everyone is within normal range. And doctors are busy so they often just look to see if there is a flag that is out of range. If they see no flags, they proclaim you are normal.
But doctors often miss the big picture. Are your values at the low end of normal, or the high end of normal? Your number could be one number away from being out of the range, but doctors often won’t take the time to really look and see where you are at in the spectrum.
Thyroid problems are often misdiagnosed. Doctors routinely run just a TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) test as their gold standard, yet they often show “normal” and the patient is still feeling bad.
What must be looked at also are the Free T3 and Free T4. These are the circulating hormones that are actually getting to your tissues and cells. But these are rarely ordered, or if they are, they are “normal” too.
I always ask my patients to get a copy of their tests so I can review them and they should always have copies for their own files. I take the time to look at where they are in the range and take into account their symptoms. Are they tired, depressed, have a lack of focus? Is their dry skin or is hair falling out? These are often signs of hypothyroid.
The beauty of holistic medical practitioners is that we look at the whole picture. And I look even further with a different perspective from Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture. We have more time to delve deeper.
If you really think you are “normal,” then great! If you don’t feel normal, then trust your intuition and give acupuncture and functional medicine a try