This morning due to a “coincidence” I stumbled upon an article posted on the Canary Club web site, www.canaryclub.org. The title of the article is: “Drs. R&K Shames Urge Saliva Testing for Hormones: More effective than standard blood tests.” Oh my goodness, the article contains information that I need right this moment.
My doctor ordered me to have a repeat TSH, Free T3, and Free T4 in two weeks. My original testing was done via a blood spot test kit I obtained from the Canary Club. However, since I have other lab that also must be done, I thought I’d just have the repeat thyroid tests drawn at the local laboratory, all in one stick…until I read this article.
We all need to be aware of the following information written by Dr. Karilee Shames, PhD, RN, A-HNC:
For example, TSH tests are most often drawn in the morning at conventional laboratories. The blood often sits around in tubes all day long until run by some large machinery at a central lab far from the draw station, generally in the evening. More often, blood is drawn in your doctors’ office or at a small satellite lab, then courier trucks come and pick up the samples and deliver them elsewhere. The point is that during all of this time, sometimes many hours, fragile TSH molecules are degrading in the tube as a liquid. This results in the test showing a lower TSH than you actually have, which means, ultimately, that you don’t get diagnosed until much later than you should, and once diagnosed, you don’t get as high a dose of thyroid medicine as you truly need.
Far better is the new technology of finger-prick blood spot testing. Several drops of blood from your finger are placed on a special filter paper. Once dry (within a few minutes) the level of TSH in that sample if fixed and solidly reliable for weeks! (It’s only in a liquid form that TSH degrades rapidly).
Best of all, however, is that saliva testing and finger prick blood assay testing are now available without a doctor’s prescription. You can order on-line at CanaryClub.org, a kit arrives in the mail to your home. You provide the samples, to the lab, at your convenience and from the privacy and comfort of your own living space. Then, you simply send the kit back directly to the lab, in its prepaid mailer. Your results are mailed back to you within 7-10 days from the time the lab receives the results.”
WOW, I am so grateful that I read this information on this day. My thyroid test kit is now ordered and on its way! I encourage you to go to the site and read the entire article, which also addresses why saliva hormone testing is more effective than standard blood tests.
