LGR Holistic Wellness

High TSH levels are usually the result of an under-active thyroid, or hypothyroidism. Your thyroid is a gland which produces hormones, accordingly called … thyroid hormones. The 3 hormones produced by your thyroid have been named …

1. Triiodothyronine or T3
2. Tetraiodothyronine, also called Thyroxine, or T4
3. Calcitonin

While your thyroid is extremely important for you to live a healthy life, it doesn’t produce hormones haphazardly. The amount of T3 and T4 chemicals your tiny thyroid pumps out is dictated by your pituitary gland, which acts as a central controller, overseeing many other glandular functions.

TSH – Thyroid Stimulating Hormone

In a healthy individual, the pituitary sends a messenger, called Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, or TSH, which tells the butterfly-shaped thyroid which hormones to produce, and how much of each, to maintain ideal ratios for proper body function.

When sufficient thyroid hormones have been produced by the thyroid, the pituitary gland switches off its production of TSH. It realizes that its goal has been accomplished, sufficient thyroid hormones have been released, and so it slows down production of thyroid stimulating hormone. The thyroid responds by decreasing its hormone output.

When one hormone can inhibit or cause the lack of production of another, this is known as a feedback loop in medical terms. Everything is wonderful when your thyroid is working properly.

Thyroid Problems

For various reasons, your thyroid may not understand the message it is receiving from the pituitary gland. If the thyroid is inflamed or has developed some type of disease or is otherwise not working properly, this can cause incorrect levels of thyroid hormones to be released.

When insufficient levels of thyroid hormones are being developed, a condition called hypothyroidism, your pituitary may switch to overdrive. It can’t understand why the thyroid isn’t releasing sufficient levels of T3 and T4 hormones, so it continues hammering at your thyroid with more TSH.

With a compromised thyroid, the problem may be that the thyroid lacks the ability to recognize the TSH stimulus, or is unable to produce sufficient hormones if it does. Regardless, the pituitary gland keeps releasing TSH.

Unfortunately, the reasons for this are not really understood. Some people are born with a thyroid that doesn’t function properly, and others develop thyroid diseases and disorders. There does appear to be a genetic link.

Pituitary Gland Problems

An under-active thyroid is the most common but not the only reason for high TSH levels.

Sometimes, a form of brain cancer can cause high TSH levels. A pituitary adenoma is a type of cancer affecting the brain that develops from cells which secrete hormones. This cancerous development of the pituitary gland sometimes secretes TSH unnecessarily, when thyroid hormones are already sufficient.

Along with regular TSH manufacture, this means too many of these hormones are stimulating the thyroid. Since the pituitary gland is cancerous and not healthy, it doesn’t recognize that your thyroid is producing enough hormones. The release of TSH continues, and excess levels are the result.

Thyroid Hormone Resistance

This is a condition where the body simply does not respond properly to thyroid hormones. Your thyroid gland is pumping out plenty of healthy hormones, but your pituitary gland simply does not notice.

In an effort to do its job properly, the pituitary continues to send out TSH messengers, the thyroid system continues to answer the call, but the pituitary just doesn’t recognize that production. This results in elevated TSH levels.