I have had multiple clients that have suffered for years before getting relief via proper testing, diagnosis, and treatment of their thyroid condition. It’s hard to believe, but I see this in my practice regularly.
Our medical system only evaluates the TSH marker when assessing thyroid health, and I’m here to tell you- they are very misinformed!
TSH is actually a pituitary hormone which signals your thyroid to produce thyroid hormone. It seems obvious to me that assessing the thyroid hormone itself is an important aspect of understanding how the thyroid is functioning. This is not rocket science!
The thyroid controls fertility and menstrual regularities. If you’ve been struggling to conceive, had recurrent miscarriages, or have had irregular cycles, then it’s wise to get your thyroid function assessed.
If you struggle with debilitating fatigue that no amount of sleep can fix, then you want to get your thyroid checked.
Depression, low libido, hair loss, cold hands and feet, chronic constipation, and unusual weight loss or gain are also signs to get your thyroid function checked.
And don’t be fooled by conventional thyroid test reference ranges that were established based on people with existing thyroid disorders. Back in 2002, the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry acknowledged that thyroid reference ranges were probably “skewed by the inclusions of persons with occult thyroid dysfunction,” – yet little has been done to update them!
Conventional ranges are very wide, and the conventional approach is that diagnosis and treatment aren’t indicated until and unless you are outside of those ranges. The way I see it, the optimal “functional” ranges are narrow and catch people while they are symptomatic. This allows them to make changes before things get worse.
In the functional medicine world, optimal thyroid reference ranges look something like this:
- TSH: 1-2
- Total T4: 6-12
- Free T4: 1.4-1.8
- Total T3: 120-180
- Free T3: 3.4-4.4
- Reverse T3: <15
- TPO Ab: < 10
- Tg Ab: < 20
Ask your doctor to run a full thyroid panel to include all of these markers. If they won’t, find someone like me who will.
When I’m looking at thyroid markers I’m trying to find a trend before it becomes a diagnosis, but often find someone in a situation quite worse.
In my opinion: people are not being seen or heard by their doctors and are falling through the cracks in our medical system.
They go to their doctors with symptoms and concerns and leave having been told “everything is normal” or even worse, “it’s all in your head”. Sometimes the only intervention offered is antidepressant medication.
This is my bleak vantage point on this situation!
It seems to me there are a few things going drastically wrong.
- #1- People are not being heard when it comes to their experience and symptoms
- #2- Doctors are not following up with the correct lab work (ie. comprehensive thyroid panel)
- #3- Within the medical field, there is a major deficit of understanding hormones
It feels silly that I, a functional health practitioner, should have to clarify this to medical professionals, but this is one of the cruxes of our current healthcare system.
I’m here to empower you and tell you that TSH is not the full picture of thyroid health.
In my opinion, the thyroid is the canary in the coal mine, and that coal mine represents our stressful lifestyle, underlying gut health, and constant exposure to toxins.
Most people who are diagnosed are immediately prescribed a thyroid medication. This can provide immediate relief for those who are suffering, but medication is not necessarily a long-term solution- and it certainly does not solve the root of the problem. In fact, medication can become less effective over time, while the root cause goes unaddressed and the thyroid continues to deteriorate.
Medication doesn’t address why you might have thyroid dysfunctions in the first place, and with an autoimmune disorder it doesn’t stop the body from attacking healthy tissue; that’s simply not the mechanism of thyroid medication.
The good news is, there are natural ways to support your thyroid health! You can prevent and reverse thyroid disorders.
I want to help you elevate your thyroid knowledge so you can heal your thyroid and get back to feeling like yourself once and for all!
Oftentimes, it’s not just one thing that triggers a thyroid issue. It’s a combination of factors over a period of time that disrupt the natural balance of your body and ultimately your thyroid.
At first the list of contributing factors might seem daunting, make you feel guilty about the choices you have made, or leave you wondering where to even start; BUT the silver lining is that with a little education, the right lab tests and resources, you can take control of your thyroid health.
Heal the Root Causes
The majority of thyroid disorders can be improved by healing the root causes. Here are some common strategies to improve overall thyroid health:
Remove gluten from your diet
Heal your gut and improve digestion
Improve the quality and quantity of sleep
Support stress and emotions
Avoid exposure to toxins (heavy metals etc.)
Nutrient Deficiencies
Improve your body’s capacity to detox
Fully address underlying hormonal imbalances
Build Trust and Communication- the “throat chakra”
Along with this process, you need to remember to trust your body again. Your body didn’t fail you!
Take one day at a time and shift the mindset by…
Looking in the mirror with appreciation
Writing down 3 things you’re grateful for daily
Working with healers and coaches to realign beliefs
Taking time to do one thing for yourself each day (meditate, long lunch, massage, etc.)
Talking openly about your journey and letting those around you know how they could support you
You can reclaim your thyroid health with getting the proper testing and healing the root causes, so that you can feel like yourself again… or for the very first time.
Many of the clients I’ve worked with have either been diagnosed with a thyroid condition, have a family history of it, or suspect that they have one. If you think this might be the case with you, then find a trusted practitioner to run your thyroid markers or reach out to me. I would be happy to help you with this!
If you want to get your hands on the right lab tests, resources and guidance to prevent or reverse a thyroid issue, I would be honored to support you!
Click here to Schedule a Complimentary Strategy Session with me today!
