True Story Time
A woman coming to the doctor complaining of hypothyroid symptoms-Low mood, anxiety, gained 7 pounds in just a couple months, fatigued and always constipated.
Doctor ran a TSH, and told her that as long as it’s under 5 she’s fine. She was told to decrease her stress and left the office with an Rx for an antidepressant.
Sound familiar?
Convinced something deeper was going on she reached out to a functional practitioner (hello! it me).
We ran a FULL thyroid panel. Low and behold-she had hashimotos (autoimmune hypothyroidism) and was able to get a personalized holistic treatment plan in place.
So Typical…
The sad thing is this is such a typical story and getting your conventional doctor to run a full thyroid panel is like pulling teeth. There is a (valid) fear of over diagnosis here, but the end result is a massive problem of under diagnosis (and medical gaslighting).
Your doctor fears over diagnosis, because they’ve been taught that giving you thyroid hormone replacement is the only treatment option. Giving thyroid hormone replacement when it isn’t warranted is dangerous. However, there are numerous diet and lifestyle changes that have been proven successful (in addition to getting thyroid meds when warranted).
Get the FULL Panel
There is much debate around these lab results, but if your doctor is just running a TSH, its like trying to figure out what a finished puzzle looks like with one piece-you’re probably gonna get it mostly wrong.
The functional, optimal ranges that a lot of newer endocrinologists and other practitioners do agree on based on what they have seen actually help people feel optimal again.
My preference is getting people to know early so we can intervene early with diet and lifestyle, instead of ignoring patients symptoms and waiting until it gets bad enough to give them medication. That’s a no from me dog.
So Your Doctor Won’t Run the Full Panel…
You can get the panel ran yourself (paying privately)!
The best option is getting a practitioner on your side that can order the right labs based on your symptoms. This way you aren’t missing any major pieces of the puzzle, you can interpret them correctly and can translate to a real life game plan to transform your health.
If you are ready to take these next steps away from surviving to thriving, book a free discovery call to give your healing process some direction.
Don’t Stop Going to Your Doctor
It’s all about a team approach here. Your doctor is (typically) on your side, but it is YOUR job to advocate for yourself. There is no way for your doctor to act as your dietitian because that isn’t their job, their training and they simply don’t have time. And your dietitian is not your doctor! But a team an approach here can be a magical combo!
