What is the Thyroid?
Your thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland situated at the base of the front of your neck, just below your Adam’s apple. Hormones produced by the thyroid gland, such as — triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) — have an enormous impact on your health, affecting all aspects of your metabolism.
Each week, in my family practice, I’d have many patients asking me to test their thyroid. The results were almost always normal, and when they weren’t, the treatment sometimes didn’t make much of a difference.
When I look back, I now know I wasn’t checking all of the proper blood tests and often not using the appropriate treatment. I was following the conventional standard of care, but what I’ve learned through my functional medicine training is that isn’t always enough, especially if you are looking for optimal health.
The thyroid can play a huge role in many of the common modern-day disorders we face today. The thyroid can be too low. This is called hypothyroidism. The most common cause of hypothyroidism is an autoimmune condition called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. The thyroid can be too high. This is called hyperthyroidism. Many people wish they could have hyperthyroidism vs hypothyroidism. The truth is: there is a sweet spot, and too much of anything isn’t good either.
Testing the Thyroid
When it comes to blood testing, the most commomly ordered blood test is the TSH. TSH comes from the pituitary (in the brain) and signals the thyroid to make hormones. The lower the TSH is, the higher the thyroid. The ideal range for TSH is 1.
If your primary care doctor ordered thyroid blood tests, this is what they probably ordered. And, I still agree that if we were only going to check one test, this would be the best one. It’s the best overall measure of how much thyroid hormone you have.
But, what KIND of thyroid hormone do you have? This is not revealed by just checking the TSH. TSH stimulates the thyroid to make T4 (a hormone precursor). T4 is inactive and gets further converted to Free T3 (the good stuff) and reverse T3. Reverse T3 is a hormone produced in times of stress signaling your metabolism to slow down. Your body makes reverse T3 to deactivate your metabolism because it senses danger and needs to reserve fuel (fat) for later use.
Here’s the kicker: if you have a lot of reverse T3, your body will tell your brain (the pituitary) that you have enough thyroid hormone, so your TSH looks perfect.
An Optimal Amount of Free T3
People feel great when free T3 is as high as it can be without being too high. It’s what leads to optimal health. I like to think of it as a goldilocks hormone.
Remember the story of the three bears? First, Goldilocks comes into the cabin and tries Papa Bear’s porridge– “too hot,” she says. Then she tries mama bear’s porridge– “too cold,” she says. But, baby’s bear porridge is just right. The bottom line: if you get too much thyroid hormone, you will feel worse, not better.
The adrenals communicate with the thyroid. So, when the adrenals are fatigued or worn out from stress, they send inhibitory signals to the thyroid causing it to slow down.
How Do We Fix It?
In functional medicine, we fix the underlying problem. We fix the adrenals, which will help the thyroid! We fix the gut, which will help with autoimmunity. In addition to this if we want the truly best, fastest results: we directly optimize the thyroid.
There are also many necessary nutrients and trace minerals required for optimal thyroid function, such as selenium, zinc, iodine, and much more. Food isn’t just calories. Food is medicine.
If you are or someone you know has gotten their thyroid checked, and the results came back “normal,” but they’re still not feeling their best, it may mean you or they didn’t receive the most comprehensive testing.
At Best Life Functional Medicine, we approach treatment by first looking at the root cause and the pathways leading to a poorly functioning thyroid in the first place.
Many patients come to us with hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and autoimmune disorders, desperately looking for answers. We help clients find the answers they need once and for all. At Best LIfe we believe in not just normal but optimal, where you can not just survive but truly thrive.
You deserve so much more than just ok. You deserve to feel amazing!
