• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Email: megan@holisticpractice.com.au

Phone: 0421 181 934

Integrated Holistic Health Practice | Dee Why, Northern Beaches

Integrated Holistic Health Practice | Dee Why, Northern Beaches

Achieve optimal health & wellness with naturopathy & massage

  • Home
  • About
  • Naturopathy
    • Naturopath
    • Body Composition Testing
    • Health packages
  • Massage
    • Remedial Massage
    • Aromatherapy
    • Reflexology
  • Articles
  • Recipes
  • Gift Vouchers
  • Contact
  • Covid-19 Update
  • Book Now
    • Cancellation Policy

Thyroid misdiagnosis

Posted on December 11, 2017

Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is grossly under diagnosed and may be the root cause of your tiredness, brain fog, poor stress resilience with anxiety, hair loss and dry skin.

Do you regularly wake up tired, and continue to be tired all day long? Do you end up depending on stimulants such as caffeine double shots and sugar in all its glorious forms? Maybe you even try forcing some exercise for an adrenal kick! If this is you it may be worthwhile to have your thyroid comprehensively checked.

Very often, I have patients reporting that their “thyroid is fine”, but the only parameter that is ‘fine’ is the Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH). Now, the TSH is the most widely used marker in the world to test thyroid function. The range is extremely wide (0.5 – 5.0) for a ‘normal’ TSH reading. The TSH will only tell you very limited information about the way your thyroid is functioning. It won’t tell you about the amount of T4 (thyroxoine – the precursor to T3 which is the more active hormone) being produced and how much of this is being converted to the more active thyroid hormone called T3 or Triiodothyronine. It also won’t tell you if your thyroid hormones are not converting properly … which may give you a high reading of rT3 (reverse Triiodothyronine) and a comparatively low reading of Triiodothyronine.

If your most active thyroid hormone (T3) which helps to govern energy and metabolism is actually working in reverse, there’s no wonder why you must be feeling tired all of the time! Your thyroid hormones are working against you. And to complete the picture, this may mean that your thyroid is being damaged by autoantibodies. Yes, antibodies are produced because your thyroid gland thinks that it is an invader or imposter, and they end up attacking your thyroid gland. What a miscommunication! These autoantibodies (called TPO or thyroxine peroxidase and Tbg or thyroglobulin) may continue to elevate years after you have excepted that you are tired all of the time, and that you can never lose that bit of weight around the middle.  These little guys (the antibodies) are the major parameter that singles out your low functioning thyroid as being an autoimmune disease in addition to having the low functioning thyroid called hypothyroidism.

What are the common signs and symptoms of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis OR Hypothyroidism?

  • Anxiety 
  • Digestive issues such as bloating, indigestion, poor digestion of food 
  • Flat-lined fatigue – all day
  • Hard to get out of bed in the morning
  • Hair loss 
  • Dry skin
  • Inability to lose weight or weight gain​
  • Brain fog
  • Tiredness during exercise (rather than after exercise) 
  • Low levels of iron or B12
  • Depression or apathy
  • Muscle or joint pain
  • Irritability
  • A slow emotional drive
  • Poor stress resilience
  • Feeling cold ​

What does the thyroid do?

The thyroid governs energy and metabolism. It is your body’s thermostat. It helps you to regulate your weight, provides cellular energy and beautiful hair. The Thyroid hormone affects every cell in the body. The great news is that Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism is reversible. It is very common affecting 13 – 27% of general population with women 8 x more affected with peaks times at pregnancy.

​The progression to Hashimoto’s thyroiditis

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or Hashimoto’s hypothyroid is where our own immune system as a part of the body lodges an attack leading to a destruction of thyroid tissue. This may begin in the late teens or early 20’s and progress over the years. Like all autoimmune diseases, Hashimoto’s is progressive, so as early as the diagnosis it is imperative to slow down the progression.

The precursors for autoimmunity are:

  1. Genetic predisposition
  2. Elevated antibodies – this is where the white blood cells and immune cells get into the thyroid
  3. Signs and symptoms or diagnosed hypothyroidism
  4. Other autoimmune disease such as celiac disease

What are the major causes for low functioning thyroid

  • Environmental toxins
  • Insufficient vitamins, minerals and amino acids that support the thyroid
  • Stress
  • Intestinal permeability or ‘leaky gut’
  • History of viral or bacterial infections e.g. Epstein Barr virus (glandular fever); Blastocystis hominis
  • Cross reactive proteins such as gluten via molecular mimicry
  • SIBO – small intestinal bacterial overgrowth

​If you suspect that your thyroid may be the root cause of your tiredness and other symptoms, book in for an initial naturopathic consultation so we can get your health, energy and vitality back on track!


So, what steps are taken when testing for low-functioning thyroid conditions? Click here to find out more.

Category: Autoimmune, Chronic Diseases, Thyroid

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Search Articles

Recent Blogs

The 4 Day Mini Cleanse to get your mojo back

By: megan | November 1, 2020

If you’re feeling a little sluggish or tired compared to usual, it may be time …   about The 4 Day Mini Cleanse to get your mojo back

Why Massage Therapy is the perfect body and mind tonic!

By: megan | October 31, 2020

Here's WHY massage is an important body tonic What happens when we push …   about Why Massage Therapy is the perfect body and mind tonic!

Light Your Digestive Fire

By: megan | October 1, 2020

Do you suffer from indigestion, bloating, burping and flatulence? Has this …   about Light Your Digestive Fire

Mind Full or Mindful - Meditation for sleep

Meditation for Moods and Sleep

By: Christine Blanchard | September 23, 2020

We hear a lot about why we should take up meditation, especially now when we are …   about Meditation for Moods and Sleep

Categories

  • Anxiety
  • Autoimmune
  • Body Work
  • Chronic Diseases
  • Detox
  • Digestion
  • Environmental Toxins
  • Gluten Free
  • Gut Problems
  • Health Tips
  • Holistic Health
  • Hormonal Issues
  • IBS
  • Immune System
  • Insomnia
  • Massage Therapy
  • Mental Health
  • Metabolic syndrome
  • Musculoskeletal
  • Naturopathy
  • Nervous System
  • PCOS
  • Skin Health
  • Stress
  • Thyroid
  • Uncategorized
  • Weight Loss
Connect with us

Phone: 0421 181 934

Email: megan@holisticpractice.com.au

Review Us on Google Badge
Integrated Holistic Health Practice Australian Traditional-Medicine Society
Our Location

Suite 9, 2A Redman Road,

Dee Why 2099

  • Can Too

    We are proud to support “Can Too” in their Cancer research endeavours.

© Copyright 2021 Holistic Health. All Rights Reserved

  • Cancellation Policy |
  • Privacy Policy |
  • Terms of Use
  • Managed by
  • Click Here Web Design