Biomedical Autism TreatmentThyroid Evaluation And Autism
A gland in our body that is very important in regards to metabolism is the thyroid gland. It aids our body in energy production. And without good thyroid output we can end up with an energy production deficiency in our gut, bones, immune system, brain or cardiovascular system including our lung and heart. We know that many children with Autism have underlying medical problems which contribute to many of their problems. Some of these problems include mitochondrial issues which can negatively impact energy production and metabolism and methylation issues which can impair attention and focusing. We also see immune system problems as well as digestive issues, etc.
Something that does not get a lot of attention is imbalances in the thyroid. And with regards to Autism the thyroid often goes un-assessed or under assessed. And for many patients with mental health issues like bipolar, depression, etc. thyroid dysfunction often is a contributing factor and when you optimize thyroid function you can improve the overall health of the person. And so I wanted to cover the importance of thyroid function in individuals with Autism and also in general for the health of your child.
If you are going to do blood testing on your child, I would suggest you ask your doctor to include a thyroid panel and look specifically for the free T4, the free T3 and TSH, thyroid stimulating hormone. What is acting physiologically on the cellular level is that free fraction, especially the free T3, which is why this is important to look at. You may also want to look at the reverse T3. When the body produces too much reverse T3 it can inhibit thyroid function and that is often overlooked. So tests I recommend are the TSH, free T3 and free T4.
In the upper 2/3 of the normal reference range is where I personally like to see the free T4 and free T3. I will often use natural thyroid such as Armour Thyroid or Westhroid to try and replenish thyroid function if the levels are low. We often try this for 6 months to a year to try and re-establish thyroid function. Many times this aids in growth, brain, cognitive and energy function.
Including a thyroid panel, TSH, free T4 and free T3 is helpful when working with your childs physician and when running blood work since the thyroid is so important to assess, in my opinion. You could also look at panels called anti-TPO and anti-thyroid globulin antibodies that rule out auto-immune processes that may be occurring. The thyroid would be adversely affected if there is an auto-immune process at work and antibodies being produced to the thyroid. This test would really complete the thyroid panel but minimally it is very important to at least look at the free T3, free T4 and TSH.
Something that does not get a lot of attention is imbalances in the thyroid. And with regards to Autism the thyroid often goes un-assessed or under assessed. And for many patients with mental health issues like bipolar, depression, etc. thyroid dysfunction often is a contributing factor and when you optimize thyroid function you can improve the overall health of the person. And so I wanted to cover the importance of thyroid function in individuals with Autism and also in general for the health of your child.
If you are going to do blood testing on your child, I would suggest you ask your doctor to include a thyroid panel and look specifically for the free T4, the free T3 and TSH, thyroid stimulating hormone. What is acting physiologically on the cellular level is that free fraction, especially the free T3, which is why this is important to look at. You may also want to look at the reverse T3. When the body produces too much reverse T3 it can inhibit thyroid function and that is often overlooked. So tests I recommend are the TSH, free T3 and free T4.
In the upper 2/3 of the normal reference range is where I personally like to see the free T4 and free T3. I will often use natural thyroid such as Armour Thyroid or Westhroid to try and replenish thyroid function if the levels are low. We often try this for 6 months to a year to try and re-establish thyroid function. Many times this aids in growth, brain, cognitive and energy function.
Including a thyroid panel, TSH, free T4 and free T3 is helpful when working with your childs physician and when running blood work since the thyroid is so important to assess, in my opinion. You could also look at panels called anti-TPO and anti-thyroid globulin antibodies that rule out auto-immune processes that may be occurring. The thyroid would be adversely affected if there is an auto-immune process at work and antibodies being produced to the thyroid. This test would really complete the thyroid panel but minimally it is very important to at least look at the free T3, free T4 and TSH.
Source...