Weight gain, hair loss, fatigue, insomnia, loss of energy, depression, anxiety, bloating, dry skin… Do any of these sound familiar?
I see patients in my office every day who are tired of being sick and tired! There are millions of Americans who suffer from all of symptoms, but have no idea why. Others, receiving a variety of incorrect diagnoses over their lives, continue to suffer even while on medication. Are there any diseases out there that could account for all of these symptoms? Absolutely!
Thyroid disorders are often called the “invisible diseases”. Thyroid sufferers often look fine on the surface, but underneath they are often exhausted, moody, and in excruciating pain. This invisibility is one of the major reasons why thyroid conditions often misdiagnosed or missed altogether. But not so with my patients.
What makes my approach different for people who suffer from symptoms of thyroid disease? I test for the “Root Cause” of your thyroid disorder:
Comprehensive Blood testing
When testing your blood for thyroid issues, I run a full array of thyroid markers that includes Free T3 and thyroid antibodies. I will also look at your laboratory testing with a lot more scrutiny than most doctors do. There is a big difference in what is considered “lab normal” and what I use, which is “functionally normal”. Functional normal is what I would refer to as the optimal range of thyroid function. Let’s take your TSH, for example. Lab normal for TSH is typically 0.5 to 5.5. But in order for the body to function at its maximum level, TSH should be between 1.5 and 3.0. Running comprehensive lab testing with an eye on these functional ranges allows me to identify areas of concern for the patient that would otherwise be missed.
Evaluation of ALL SYSTEMS involved in thyroid function
I assess and look for underlying factors that could be affecting the health and function of the thyroid. The liver, gut, adrenal glands, pituitary, and immune system all play a role in allowing the thyroid to work as it should. This is why a simple TSH blood test cannot tell the whole story!
Testing for the “ROOT CAUSE”
I also incorporate stool testing to identify pathogens such as H. pylori or Yersinia bacteria, which are known to be a cause of Hashimoto’s Autoimmune Thyroid disease. The stool test looks for “gut bugs” such as candida fungus, pathogenic bacteria, and a variety of parasites to see what may be affecting your immune system. I also check for “heavy metals” in your urine, such as mercury and lead which place a burden on the body’s immune defenses. Finally, I check for intolerances to specific foods that may be causing immune system issues and inflammation.
Nothing gets me more excited than seeing a chronically ill patient finally get back to the person they were before they got sick! That’s why I have made it my mission in my practice to help those suffering with chronic symptoms!
One of the biggest myths about any chronic condition is that it goes away all by itself if you wait long enough! If your symptoms haven’t gone away by now, they are not likely to disappear on their own. So, if you are tired of being sick and tired, make the invisible visible by making an appointment to get your thyroid checked out today!