McCall McPherson for Thyroid Nation Community

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When it comes to thyroid treatment nothing is more important than proper lab testing.

At Thyroid Nation we are about giving you solutions to your thyroid problems. We are going to introduce the concept of total thyroid care and then break down the steps for your success! 

The Why:

Hi, my name is McCall McPherson, as the founder of Modern Thyroid Clinic and Chief Hope-Giver at Thyroid Nation, I truly believe objective and measurable data is the key and number one necessity to help me give my patients get their life back. Without it, thyroid diagnosis and treatment is a guessing game, and as a thyroid expert, over the years I’ve found that thyroid absolutely must be done with objectivity, precision, diligence and with a tad bit of finesse.

The When:

It cannot be stressed enough how vital it is to get your labs at the start of your thyroid journey and to test and retest every three months until your thyroid medicine and function is completely stabilized. After which I recommend testing annually to make sure it stays within an adequate range. Of course, if you feel as though your thyroid has suddenly shifted, I always recommend getting labs and following up with your doctor early.

For more information in what your thyroid labs mean, read below….

Thankfully, obtaining these kinds of labs even without an endocrinologist or primary care doctor willing to order them is no longer a struggle.  You can now order all of these labs yourself without having to go to your doctor first.  This is a cash-based model that allows you to save money and bypass the hassles and expense of using insurance. 

The What:

TSH: There are numerous tests that are necessary for a true thyroid workup.  The most commonly ordered thyroid lab test is TSH, or thyroid stimulating hormone. This is absolutely not enough to gauge your thyroid status. It really just tells us how much work your body is doing in order to get your output hormones, it doesn’t at all tell us what your output hormones actually are.

Free T4: After your thyroid is stimulated by TSH, it secretes a hormone called free T4 which is your inactive hormone, that then must be converted and activated before it takes effect. The analogy I use for free T4 is crude oil. You have to make it into gasoline before it’s useful.

Free T3:  The real-difference maker in your quality of life, mood, metabolism, sex drive, and all those other pesky thyroid symptoms, is a hormone called free T3 This is what I refer to as your gasoline hormone and is the end step when free T4 is properly activated.

Reverse T3: Lastly there is an in Inhibitory hormone called reverse T3, which blocks the absorption of your gasoline hormone, free T3. This is the hormone left out of most lab orders, and truly it is absolutely necessary, especially for patients on Levothyroxine, Synthroid, Tirosent or any other T4 based medication.

Antibodies: To rule out and screen for Hashimoto’s disease, the autoimmune disease associated with hypothyroidism, TPO antibodies and thyroglobulin antibodies are necessary.

STEP ONE:  Gauging your current thyroid status.

We appreciate how complex your thyroid is so getting real and accurate information is essential.

STEP TWO: Knowing what to do the day of your labs.

You can get a copy of our quick guide on How to Take Your Thyroid Medication Before Your Labs HERE because it is VITAL that it’s done properly. Again, we are all about the nuances of your thyroid function because THEY MATTER and part of that is an accurate read of how well your medication is working (or isn’t working).

STEP THREE: Knowing how to interpret your lab values.

Again, we want to pull away the curtain and give you all the necessary information we can to help you get your life back. That’s why Thyroid Nation’s Chief-Hope-Giver, thyroid expert and Founder of Modern Thyroid Clinic, McCall McPherson PA-C, has created a FREE thyroid lab guide for you download HERE so you can better understand your lab values.

You can find more out about optimal ranges at www.thyroidnation.com/gift. Here you can download our “Thyroid Lab Guide, What labs you need and what they mean.”

After your thyroid has been stabilized, you can then move to obtaining labs every year so long as you continue to feel good.

In the presence of Hashimoto’s, I always recommend additional testing of antibodies every three months along with regular thyroid labs.

In addition to hypothyroidism, my patients often suffer from hormone dysfunction. For this reason I frequently also order hormone labs on my patients. These include estradiol, progesterone, estriol, FSH, LH, DHEA-Sulfate, testosterone, and sex hormone binding globulin. You can pick and choose individual labs all here. This is a very accurate way of giving us a well rounded picture of hormonal status. One important note, in premenopausal women this is often done on day 21 of their cycle (day 1 is the first day of the period) in order to obtain really good and accurate information. In postmenopausal women, testing can be done anytime.

Feel free to look around and determine any other labs, individual or packaged, that may provide the information you need to help you get your life back

GET A FREE COPY OF MCCALL MCPHERSON’S AND THYROID NATION’S THYROID LAB GUIDE SO YOU’LL KNOW HOW TO LOOK AT YOUR LABS.

  • $250.00
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    These labs serve as a baseline of your thyroid function and critical nutrient needs. When you are trying to optimize your thyroid medication you must get labs about every three months and adjust medication every 3 1/2 months. This goes on until your labs are just right, and within an extremely narrow and optimal range.
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    Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH)
    Free T4
    Free T3
    Reverse T3
    Thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibodies
    Antithyroglobulin antibodies


  • $199.00
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    My key nutrients for optimal thyroid function are included in this panel. This panel is an optional add on for any draw or you may select individual nutrients in the custom configurator below under the nutrient tab.
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    Ferritin
    RBC Magnesium
    Selenium
    Vitamin D
    Vitamin B12
    Zinc


  • $179.00
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    This is the bare minimum you need to know how your medication is working and what needs adjusting. This must be done at the 8 week mark after any medication changes. (That means the last medication change, not when you started making medication changes, the details matter!).
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    Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH)
    Free T4
    Free T3
    Reverse T3


  • $250.00
    Add to cart
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    Once you’re stable, this is the (minimally) annual lab panel you need to see if you continue to be in good thyroid standing (maintenance mode).  
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    Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH)
    Free T4
    Free T3
    Reverse T3
    Thyroid peroxidase (TPO) Antibodies
    Thyroglobulin Antibodies


View our extensive test offering, learn more about individual tests, or add additional tests to enhance your selected panel.

Select the marker(s) you would like to test from the lists below. Click on the test categories on the right to view additional information for each.

Test Descriptions

Custom Panel

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Category:
Hormones – Thyroid

TSH

Reasons to check it: Are you concerned about your thyroid or are you on thyroid medication? Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) is a hormone released by your brain to signal your thyroid gland. It can be used to monitor dosing of your thyroid medication or as a screening test for the presence thyroid disease.

Free T4

Reasons to check it: Are you concerned your thyroid is not making enough thyroid hormone? The thyroid makes predominately T4. Free T4 is what your body uses to make the active thyroid hormone called free T3. These are advanced biomarker tests, not routinely done, but very helpful to determine if the thyroid can be effecting how you feel.

Free T3

Reasons to check it:  Symptoms of hypothyroidism include tiredness, weight gain, constipation, depression, sleepiness, memory loss, decreased sex drive and more. All these may be symptoms of low thyroid that may be missed unless the active thyroid hormone (free T3) is measured. High levels may indicate hyperthyroidism. Symptoms of hyperthyroidism include fatigue, anxiety, sudden weight loss, rapid heartbeat, irritability, more frequent bowel movements, difficulty sleeping, sweating and tremors. Free T3 is advanced screening biomarker that helps screen routinely missed thyroid issues.

Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies

Reasons to check it: Do you have a family history of thyroid problems? Are you concerned about inflammation in your thyroid gland? Thyroid disease has become very common and we can often pick up inflammation in the thyroid years before the thyroid fails. This is important because natural interventions may help reverse the inflammation of the thyroid gland.

Thyroglobulin Antibodies

Reasons to check it: This is another test that can be positive in people with inflammation of the thyroid gland and it can be seen years before complete thyroid failure – giving you time to take action!

Reverse T3

Reasons to check it: Reason to check it: Taking thyroid meds but don’t feel like they are working? Do you have symptoms of low thyroid but have been told you are fine? Reverse T3 is the storage form of the active thyroid hormone. Many conditions can cause you to store thyroid instead of use it as active free T3. If your reverse T3 is high then you may need to address the reasons why!

Selenium

Reasons to check it: Want to improve your thyroid hormone function? Make sure you have plenty of selenium which you can get in many natural foods like brazil nuts, sunflower seeds and eggs.
Sex Hormones – Female

Estradiol

Reasons to check it: Women - missing periods, having hot flashes, gaining weight? As women age, they begin to make less estradiol which can lead to these uncomfortable symptoms.

Progesterone

Reasons to check it: Progesterone levels are normally high in pre-menopausal women and become elevated during pregnancy. Levels are lower after menopause. High levels may indicate ovarian cancer or adrenal cancer, while low levels may be associated with amenorrhea (lack of menstruation), or problems with pregnancy.

Follicle Stimulating Hormone and Luteinizing Hormone

Reasons to check it: Women - are you concerned you are entering menopause? Are you concerned about Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)? These signaling hormones rise significantly as women enter menopause. An LH/FSH ratio is helpful in the evaluation of polycystic ovarian syndrome. In healthy premenopausal women, the ratio is about 1:1; however, women with PCOS may have a ratio of 2:1 or higher. Women with PCOS are prone to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

Sex Hormone Binding Globulin

Reasons to check it: Are you concerned about your overall biohealth? SHBG is used to keep excessive free estrogen out of the blood stream, looking at these levels can help identify if hormone control health habits can improve your overall health. Sex hormone binding globulin is a protein mainly produced by the liver, and studies show that diets high in simple sugars cause the liver to produce less SHBG. Low levels of SHBG are seen in obesity, prediabetes, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

Free Testosterone

Reasons to check it: Knowing your total testosterone is important but free testosterone is what is immediately available to your system. Looking at both of these measurements can make sure you are at the optimal levels that will enhance weight loss and improve memory and strength.

Testosterone

Reasons to check it: Women - developing acne, excessive hair growth, moodiness? Elevated testosterone could be causing these symptoms. Women with high testosterone are more likely to develop Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).

DHEA-S

Reasons to check it: Reason to check it: Are you worried about declining sex hormones? DHEA-S is a major precursor for sex hormones including estradiol and testosterone. DHEA-S levels begin to decline by age 30. DHEA-S is also used to evaluate adrenal function.

Pregnenolone

Reasons to check it: Want to ease the many effects of aging? Look to see if your “mother hormone” is optimal. Pregnenolone is made directly from cholesterol and it may improve libido, enhance memory and combat depression symptoms.
Sex Hormones – Male

Sex Hormone Binding Globulin

Reasons to check it: Are you concerned about your overall biohealth? SHBG is used to keep excessive free estrogen out of the blood stream, looking at these levels can help identify if hormone control health habits can improve your overall health. Sex hormone binding globulin is a protein mainly produced by the liver, and studies show that diets high in simple sugars cause the liver to produce less SHBG. Low levels of SHBG are seen in obesity, prediabetes, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

Free Testosterone

Reasons to check it: Knowing your total testosterone is important but free testosterone is what is immediately available to your system. Looking at both of these measurements can make sure you are at the optimal levels that will enhance weight loss and improve memory and strength.

Testosterone

Reasons to check it: Men - tired, trouble concentrating, trouble losing weight or putting on muscle? Testosterone deficiency is common as we age. There are natural ways to improve testosterone and numerous commercially available products.

DHEA-S

Reasons to check it: Are you worried about declining sex hormones? DHEA-S is a major precursor for sex hormones including estradiol and testosterone. DHEA-S levels begin to decline by age 30. DHEA-S is also used to evaluate adrenal function.

Pregnenolone

Reasons to check it: Want to ease the many effects of aging? Look to see if your “mother hormone” is optimal. Pregnenolone is made directly from cholesterol and it may improve libido, enhance memory and combat depression symptoms.

Estradiol

Reasons to check it: Men - are you moody, do you have a belly or man-boobs? This could be a sign that your estradiol is too high. Elevated levels of estradiol can make it much harder to lose weight and there are ways to lower estradiol in men.

Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA)

Reasons to check it: If you are a man taking testosterone replacement, most physicians recommend following PSA levels to make sure you do not have any indication of a slow growing prostate cancer. It is thought that prostate cancer cells have androgen (testosterone) receptors on them and that giving a man with prostate cancer could potentially cause the cancer cells to grow more quickly.

Follicle Stimulating Hormone and Luteinizing Hormone

Reasons to check it: Men - is your brain failing? Trouble concentrating and staying on task? As men age the signaling hormones for the creation of testosterone markedly diminish. There are natural ways and an available medication which can boost these signaling hormones.
Fat Hormones – Male and Female

Leptin

Reasons to check it: Is your belly fat unhealthy? Elevated leptin levels can indicate unhealthy belly fat. Unfortunately, this can be present even if you are at your ideal body weight. It is largely genetically-determined but natural intervention strategies can help if you have high levels of this pro-inflammatory hormone.

Adiponectin

Reasons to check it: Is your belly fat healthy? Elevated adiponectin levels are associated with less heart attack risk. This is genetically determined but also can be improved with exercise and other natural interventions. People with low levels of adiponectin are 8X more likely to develop diabetes.
Hormones - Stress

Total Cortisol

Reasons to check it: Are you stressed? This test may allow you to see how stress is effecting your health. Early morning cortisol measurements screen for a poorly functional adrenal gland which can indicate massive amounts of stress or significant sleeping problems that need to be addressed.
Sugar Metabolism and Diabetes Screening

Fasting Glucose

Reasons to check it: Tired, sluggish, thirsty? (Is there too much sugar in your blood stream?) Fasting sugar levels above 125 can indicate the presence of diabetes. Levels between 100-125 are suggestive of prediabetes. What’s your level?

Fasting Insulin

Reasons to check it: Having trouble losing weight? Concerned about your metabolism? Fasting insulin levels that are elevated may indicate insulin resistance syndrome, a condition that unless addressed can promote continued weight gain.

Hemoglobin A1c

Reasons to check it: Do you have too much sugar in your diet day to day? Family members with sugar problems? This test indicates how well-controlled your sugar levels have been over the past 3 months and can indicate a prediabetic or a diabetic condition.

2 hour Oral Glucose Tolerance Test with Insulin

Reasons to check it: Ever wonder how your pancreas is responding to a sugar load. This test provides detailed information. Before you are given a 75 gram dose of sugar, your fasting insulin and fasting glucose are measured. After the sugar load, the insulin and glucose are measured at one and two hours respectively. The information is used to evaluate impaired glucose tolerance.
Cholesterol Tests/Heart Health

Fasting Lipid Panel

Reasons to check it: Do you or a family member have high cholesterol? Taking cholesterol medicine and want to know how well it is working? This group of tests measure both good and bad cholesterol levels.

Lp(a)

Reasons to check it:  Concerned about your genetics? This is the worst genetically-inherited bad cholesterol particle. Up to 1 in 5 people may have elevated Lp(a)? It is included in the advanced lipid panel but can be ordered in isolation here.

Advanced Lipid Panel

Reasons to check it:  Do you have a strong history of heart disease or stroke in your family? If so, this is a must have test to understand the particles of your vascular system. Lifesaving changes can be made with natural interventions once you understand your detailed cholesterol pattern. This is new science and insurance is not yet covering this test.
Inflammatory Markers

hsCRP

Reasons to check it: Do you feel inflamed? High-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) is one of the major markers of inflammation. Researchers now believe that inflammation is at the root cause of many diseases. In fact, the higher your hs-CRP level is the greater your risk for cancer, heart disease, stroke and autoimmune diseases. Be on the cutting edge of your health and check out your inflammation.

Homocysteine

Reasons to check it: Do you have a family history of Alzheimer’s or early stroke or heart attack? This amino acid can build up in our blood stream and can be predictive of future problems. Finding out your results and implementing changes may help dodge devastating diseases. What is your measurement?

Lp(a)

Reasons to check it:  Concerned about your genetics? This is the worst genetically-inherited bad cholesterol particle. Up to 1 in 5 people may have elevated Lp(a)? It is included in the advanced lipid panel but can be ordered in isolation here.

CK

Reasons to check it: There is such a thing as over exercise and the impact may show up in your blood work. Are you sore all over? Creatinine kinase is a breakdown product of muscle and when elevated significantly may be a serious health concern.

Uric Acid

Reasons to check it: Do you or a family member have aching joints? Elevated levels of uric acid may put you at risk of developing gout. Check it now because dietary intervention can help.

ESR

Reasons to check it: Useful in differentiating inflammatory and neoplastic diseases and as an index of disease severity.
Nutrient Panel

Magnesium

Reasons to check it: Are you taking medication that lowers your body’s stores of magnesium? Or you worried you are not getting enough in your diet? Magnesium is an important mineral in our body and is very important for sleep, mood and metabolism.

Vitamin B12

Reasons to check it: Are you vegetarian and concerned that your diet may not be providing an adequate amount of B vitamins? Low B12 can affect our energy levels while optimal Vitamin B12 levels may be essential to rev up your metabolic rate.

Vitamin B9 (folic acid)

Reasons to check it:  Are you taking a medicine that depletes your body of B vitamins or just concerned you may not be getting enough in your diet? Folic acid is a B-vitamin that is necessary for the normal function of our blood cells. Folate occurs naturally in foods such as green leafy vegetables. Folic Acid is crucial for proper brain function and plays an important role in mental and emotional health.

Vitamin D

Reasons to check it: 70% of Americans are deficient in this Vitamin. Are you? Optimal levels of Vitamin D may reduce your chances of developing certain types of cancer. Autoimmune diseases, like lupus, thyroid disease, bowel disorders, occur less frequently in those with plenty of Vitamin D. There is also less depression, improved mood and better blood pressure. It is also thought that Vitamin D improves the function of the pancreas, by making insulin more sensitive. When insulin works better, our metabolism works better.

Vitamin A

Reasons to check it: Check your vitamin A level to make sure you are getting plenty of this vitamin that supports healthy teeth and eyes.

Serum Ferritin (Indicative of Iron Levels)

Reasons to check it: Are you vegetarian? Or do you have heavy periods? If so, you may have very low ferritin. Ferritin is a protein that stores iron in your body’s tissues. Research has shown that ferritin is a very reliable indicator of the status of your body’s iron stores. People who have very low or very high ferritin levels may have a condition that results in fatigue. Interventions can be done to correct iron levels.

Iron and TIBC

Reasons to check it: Reason to check it: Want to take a deeper dive into your iron levels? Checking your iron directly and measuring the amount of iron bound to protein (TIBC) helps physicians determine the cause of anemia.

CoQ10

Reasons to check it: Concerned about your athletic performance? Or are you taking a statin or have diabetes? High level athletes want to improve their CoQ10 levels to enhance performance. As we age or develop diseases, naturally occurring CoQ10 levels diminish significantly, and so can our performance.

Zinc

Reasons to check it: Can you improve your immune system? This test evaluates your zinc levels since the body does not store this important mineral. Interestingly, low levels of zinc have been associated with altered taste and smell.

Omega 3/6 Index

Reasons to check it: Nearly 90% of all Americans are deficient in Omega 3 fatty acids. Are you one of them? Having adequate levels of Omega 3’s can lower your risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
General Health Screening

Complete Blood Count (CBC)

Reasons to check it: Are you tired, fatigued, anemic? The Complete Blood Count measures the amount of blood cells and various types of blood cells we have. This is an important annual screening test. Anemia is a deficiency of hemoglobin, the part of the red blood cell that carries oxygen to the body. It is a very common disease affecting 1 in 50 men and 1 in 10 women.

Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP)

Reasons to check it: Want to measure the health of your liver and kidney? Are you a drinker and want to see how it is affecting your liver? The comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) evaluates the function of your liver and kidneys and amount of electrolytes you have in your blood stream.

ABO Blood Type

Reasons to check it:  Many doctors think that everyone should know their blood type but so few of us do. Are you interested in knowing your blood type? You can check it here!

Lyme Disease Antibodies (IgG, IgM)

Reasons to check it:  Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted by ticks. A screening test with high sensitivity is used as the first step in the CDC recommended algorithm. Immunoblot testing qualitatively examines, with high specificity, antibodies in a patient's specimen. Immunoblot testing is appropriate for confirming a detected screening result.

Celiac Disease Comprehensive Panel

Reasons to check it:  Celiac disease is caused by an immune response to gluten in genetically sensitive individuals. The diagnosis is largely based on a biopsy of the small intestine, but serologic tests also help support a diagnosis and may assist identification of patients who may require biopsy.

Epstein-Barr Virus Antibody Panel

Reasons to check it:  Primary infection by EBV causes infectious mononucleosis. IgM antibody is typically detectable at clinical presentation, then declines to undetectable levels within 3 months. IgG antibodies persist for life. The testing also includes Epstein-Barr Nuclear antigen IgG antibody. It typically appears during 3-4 months after clinical presentation and remains detectable for life.
Exposure

Arsenic

Reasons to check it: Contamination of our food supply does happen. One way to monitor for this is to measure levels of arsenic in your bloodstream.

Lead

Reasons to check it:  Have you been exposed to lead in cosmetics, pain, and urban living? Contamination of our food and water supply has occurred and lead has been shown to leach out of our pipes and directly into our water supply.

Mercury

Reasons to check it: Have you recently had dental work removed, eat a lot of fish or have exposure to a poor water supply? Check your mercury levels here.

Mold Allergy Panel

Reasons to check it: Nearly 1 in 4 people are predisposed to suffer when exposed to mold. This test is IgE allergy testing for: Alternaria alternataAspergillus fumigatusCandida albicansCladosporium herbarum, and Mucor racemosus.
Food Tolerance Testing

Adult Food Allergy Panel

Reasons to check it:  IgE allergy testing for: Almond, Cashew Nut, Codfish, Cow's Milk, Egg White, Hazelnut, Peanut, Salmon, Scallop, Sesame Seed, Shrimp, Soybean, Tuna, Walnut, Wheat.

Advanced Food Sensitivity IgG - 90+ foods plus Candida

Reasons to check it:  Reasons to check it: This comprehensive food sensitivity panel measures allergic IgG reactions to 90+allergens. The Food Safe Allergy test comes conveniently packaged as a kit. It requires a “finger stick” blood spot to be collected and shipped directly to the laboratory in a pre-paid envelope. All necessary components for the “finger-stick” are included in the kit with a complete set of instructions for easy collection.

Premium Food Sensitivity IgG - 190 foods plus Candida

Reasons to check it:  This comprehensive food sensitivity panel measures allergic IgG reactions to 190 allergens. The Food Safe Allergy test comes conveniently packaged as a kit. It requires a “finger stick” blood spot to be collected and shipped directly to the laboratory in a pre-paid envelope. All necessary components for the “finger-stick” are included in the kit with a complete set of instructions for easy collection. The combo panel tests for many common foods, herbs, spices, sweeteners, nuts, and candida. For all foods tested and a sample report click here.

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