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Real Strategies to support our body's stress response and improve resilience.Download our Stress, Cortisol and Sleep Guide: hhttps://mailchi.mp/marsdencentre.com/stress-guide

Testosterone, muscle and bone: a connection beyond libidoTestosterone tends to be discussed in terms of energy and libid...
10/08/2026

Testosterone, muscle and bone: a connection beyond libido

Testosterone tends to be discussed in terms of energy and libido. The published research describes a broader role. Swipe to read.

- Testosterone supports muscle protein synthesis.
- In men, part of testosterone's effect on bone happens after it is converted to estradiol.
- Low testosterone is associated in the literature with lower bone density and muscle mass.

In June we covered SHBG and free vs total testosterone. This post adds the muscle and bone side of the story. Educational content only; not a substitute for individual assessment.

Save this for your next lab conversation.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month: the overnight fast and breast cancer researchOctober is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Ra...
10/05/2026

Breast Cancer Awareness Month: the overnight fast and breast cancer research

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Rather than repeating the usual messages, here is a study that links our metabolic series to breast cancer research. Swipe to read.

- In 2016, researchers analysed data from about 2,400 women with early-stage breast cancer (JAMA Oncology, Marinac et al.).
- Women who usually fasted fewer than 13 hours overnight had a 36% higher risk of breast cancer recurrence than those who fasted 13 hours or more.
- There was no significant difference in breast cancer mortality. Longer overnight fasting was also associated with lower HbA1c and longer sleep.

This was an observational study, so it shows an association rather than cause and effect. It is one reason meal timing, glucose regulation and sleep are part of how we think about integrative cancer care. Educational content only; not individual medical advice.

Save this. Share with someone interested in integrative cancer care.

Is muscle the most underrated organ in metabolic health?In September we looked at the thyroid, which sets the body's met...
10/02/2026

Is muscle the most underrated organ in metabolic health?

In September we looked at the thyroid, which sets the body's metabolic pace. This month: the tissue that does much of the work. Swipe to read.

- Skeletal muscle is one of the main sites where glucose is taken up after a meal.
- The published research describes muscle mass and strength declining gradually from midlife, in both women and men.
- Muscle also signals to other tissues, including bone.

This month's series: 'Strong at Every Age', covering muscle, bone and the hormones that connect them. Educational content only; not a substitute for individual care.

Save this and follow the series (new post Mon/Wed/Fri)

The Thyroid Panel, Decoded - 5 of 5: TPO and thyroglobulin antibodiesPart 5 of 5: thyroid antibodies. The final post in ...
09/29/2026

The Thyroid Panel, Decoded - 5 of 5: TPO and thyroglobulin antibodies

Part 5 of 5: thyroid antibodies. The final post in the series.

Swipe to read.

- The two commonly measured are TPO antibodies (against thyroid peroxidase) and thyroglobulin antibodies. TPO is measured more often.
- Their presence indicates an autoimmune process directed at thyroid tissue. This is the finding that underlies a diagnosis of Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
- Important distinction: antibodies indicate an immune process. They do not by themselves establish that thyroid function is currently impaired. Some people have detectable antibodies with entirely normal thyroid hormone levels.
- Antibody levels are not a reliable measure of symptom severity, and published guidance generally does not support repeat testing to track them over time.
- Why they are worth knowing about: their presence is documented to change the likelihood of future thyroid dysfunction, which can inform how closely function is monitored.

That completes the panel: TSH, free T4, free T3, reverse T3, and antibodies. Five markers, one axis, and a recurring theme - no single number describes a system.

Educational content only.

The whole series is collected in our free guide. Comment THYROID and we will send it to you.

World Heart Day is today, September 29. Here is a thyroid connection to it.Swipe to read.- Hypothyroidism is associated ...
09/29/2026

World Heart Day is today, September 29. Here is a thyroid connection to it.

Swipe to read.

- Hypothyroidism is associated with elevated LDL cholesterol. The mechanism is reasonably well characterised: thyroid hormone influences the expression of hepatic LDL receptors, which clear LDL from circulation.
- Because of this, published guidance commonly recommends assessing thyroid function when lipid levels are unexpectedly elevated, or when they do not respond as anticipated.
- The association is also described for subclinical hypothyroidism in some studies, though the findings there are less consistent.

The point is not that thyroid explains cholesterol. It is that an unexplained lipid result is a reasonable prompt to look at what else is being measured - and thyroid function is one of the standard items on that list.

Educational content only. Not a substitute for cardiovascular risk assessment with your physician.

Unexplained lipid results are worth a wider workup. Ask our team what that includes.

The Thyroid Panel, Decoded - 4 of 5: Reverse T3Part 4 of 5: Reverse T3 - the most debated marker in this series, and we ...
09/24/2026

The Thyroid Panel, Decoded - 4 of 5: Reverse T3

Part 4 of 5: Reverse T3 - the most debated marker in this series, and we are going to say so plainly.

Swipe to read.

- Reverse T3 (rT3) is an isomer of T3 produced when T4 is deiodinated at a different position. It is metabolically inactive.
- Levels are documented to rise in acute illness, prolonged fasting, surgery and other states of physiological stress. This pattern is well described.
- Where the disagreement sits: whether measuring rT3 changes clinical decisions in people who are not acutely unwell. Most major guidelines do not include it in routine panels.
- Some clinicians use it as contextual information; others consider it uninformative outside specific settings. Both positions appear in the published literature.
- We include it here because you may see it on a panel and deserve to know what it is - and what is still contested about it.

Educational content only.

Part 5 - the series finale - on Monday, September 28.

Estrogen, thyroxine-binding globulin, and why 'total' thyroid results can mislead.One of the most practically useful thi...
09/23/2026

Estrogen, thyroxine-binding globulin, and why 'total' thyroid results can mislead.

One of the most practically useful things to understand about thyroid labs, and it is specific to women.

Swipe to read.

- Most circulating thyroid hormone travels bound to transport proteins. The main one is thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG).
- Estrogen increases hepatic TBG production. This is well documented.
- Pregnancy and oral estrogen therapy therefore raise TBG - which raises TOTAL T4, because there is more bound hormone in circulation.
- FREE T4, the unbound and available fraction, may be unchanged. The body compensates.
- The published literature describes a smaller effect on TBG with transdermal estrogen than with oral, because transdermal delivery bypasses first-pass hepatic metabolism.

Why this matters: a total T4 result can look abnormal in these contexts while thyroid function itself is unchanged. It is a strong argument for free fractions and clinical context over a single number.

Educational content only. Do not change any prescribed therapy based on a social media post.

If you are pregnant or on estrogen therapy, say so whenever thyroid labs are being interpreted.

Your thyroid is normal' - what that sentence does and does not settleAugust's most-read posts were about fatigue. This o...
09/22/2026

Your thyroid is normal' - what that sentence does and does not settle

August's most-read posts were about fatigue. This one sits directly on top of them.

A very common experience: persistent fatigue, a thyroid test, a normal result, and no further conversation. Here is what that result does and does not establish.

Swipe to read.

What a normal TSH does establish:
- It makes overt thyroid dysfunction considerably less likely. That is genuinely useful information, and it is not nothing.

What it does not establish:
- That the full panel was run. TSH alone is a screen, not a complete assessment - which is the point of this month's series.
- That thyroid antibodies are absent, if they were not measured.
- That the fatigue has been explained. Iron status, B12, vitamin D, sleep, and several other documented contributors sit outside the thyroid panel entirely.

The useful next question is not 'is my thyroid normal' but 'what else was measured, and what was not'.

A caution in the other direction: a normal result is not something to keep re-testing in search of a different answer. The productive move is usually to widen the assessment, not repeat the same narrow one.

Educational content only - not a suggestion that any result has been misread.

What were you told after your last thyroid test? Tell us in the comments.

Part 3 of 5: Free T3.Swipe to read.- T3 (triiodothyronine) is the metabolically active thyroid hormone. It is what tissu...
09/21/2026

Part 3 of 5: Free T3.

Swipe to read.

- T3 (triiodothyronine) is the metabolically active thyroid hormone. It is what tissue actually responds to.
- Most circulating T3 does not come from the thyroid. It is produced by removing one iodine atom from T4, largely in the liver and kidney.
- The enzymes that perform this conversion are the deiodinases, which are selenium-dependent.
- Because conversion happens outside the thyroid, T3 levels can reflect what is happening elsewhere in the body.
- Acute illness, prolonged caloric restriction and physiological stress are all documented to alter conversion. This is a well-described phenomenon, not a fringe idea.

Educational content only.

Part 4 next: reverse T3, and why it is debated.

A connection that often goes unmentioned: thyroid status and menstrual cycle changes.Swipe to read.- Both hypothyroidism...
09/18/2026

A connection that often goes unmentioned: thyroid status and menstrual cycle changes.

Swipe to read.

- Both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism are documented in the literature as associated with menstrual irregularity - changes in cycle length, flow volume, and predictability.
- Heavy or prolonged bleeding appears in published descriptions of hypothyroidism in particular.
- The relationship runs in more than one direction: heavy menstrual bleeding is also a well-documented route to depleted iron stores, which we covered in August.
- Cycle changes have many possible causes, and thyroid is only one of them. It is on the list of things reasonably assessed, not at the top of it.

Why this matters: cycle changes in the mid-thirties and forties are frequently attributed to perimenopause without anything else being checked. Sometimes that attribution is right. It is worth confirming rather than assuming.

Educational content only - not diagnostic guidance.

If your cycle has changed and nothing has been assessed, ask our team what a workup covers.

Address

9131 Keele Street Unit A1
Vaughan, ON
L4K0G7

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 3pm

Telephone

+19055084498

Website

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