12 Jul Have we met?

The other day a doctor told me she has a hypothyroid patient she is going to refer to me. I’ve never met the patient, but I’ll tell you a little about her.

She is middle aged, and menopausal. She doesn’t sleep well at night, and she keeps putting on more pounds no matter what. She’s dieted but you’d never know it looking at her. She carries around a sweater or a scarf, even though we are in the dead of summer. She doesn’t talk about this, of course, but she’s irregular. She is constantly looking for lotions that will finally cure her dry skin. She has lots of responsibilities, at home and at work, and she finds herself feeling more scattered than she’s used to, which is frustrating. And she’s so tired all the time which makes things worse. She’s been to several doctors and none really made much difference for her. Until she found the functional medicine doctor who’s referring her to me. Now she has hope.

How could I possibly know this? I don’t even know the patient’s name yet.

For one, I went through a lot of this and a good doctor made a big difference in my thyroid health. Also, I have clients like this.

I know what my clients are going through because I’ve been there. Or I’ve had similar struggles so I can empathize.

Each thing I mentioned about this patient describes symptoms of low thyroid. Hypothyroidism is most common in older women and symptoms can include poor sleep, weight gain, thinning hair, dry skin, sensitivity to cold, constipation, depression, impaired memory, among others. The lab ranges for thyroid tests are very broad, based on the middle 90% of all people. So people with sub-optimal thyroid, but whose labs aren’t very low, are not usually treated. Sometimes they’re offered an antidepressant.

This is so frustrating for the patient. They are not depressed, they have low thyroid.

Sometimes they are offered synthetic thyroid replacement medication. That may not work as well as medication derived from natural methods.

But functional medicine doctors typically use more lab tests than conventional doctors. And they are tuned in to optimal ranges of lab scores. They will prescribe whatever meds they feel the patient needs, but that’s just the beginning. The functional medicine doctor addresses the root cause of the illness.

The root causes are almost always in lifestyle. Our modern world does not support health. Food additives, processed food, lack of nutrients, lack of exercise, stress, poor sleep, and stressful relationships all contribute to poor health. How poor health shows up in each person is highly individual.

This is where I come in. I help address all the diet and lifestyle decisions. A person can’t get well if they keep doing the same things that made them sick. I can help the person take baby steps in the right direction. I can help her follow the diet recommended by her doctor. I can support her and be her cheerleader for her successes.

This is too hard to do alone. It’s way too complex and the person will be pulled off track by almost everyone and everything around her. Except me. I help her get on track and stay on track.

Imagine this patient after ten sessions with me. Now she’s got energy. Her sleep is better and she wakes in the morning and heads to the bathroom with no problem. She wears sleeveless tops now. Her mood is so much better, her family and coworkers have noticed. She’s more efficient. She’s happier with her hair and her skin. She has more confidence in her future.

On our first visit, I ask my clients to envision themselves as they want to be, without health issues dragging them down. Everyone’s vision is different, but that becomes the motivation to try new things and make changes. So this last description of the patient could have been her vision of herself without low thyroid.

I would like to help you envision your healthy future. I would like to help you get there, in your own way, on your own schedule. I’m a National Board Certified Functional Medicine Health Coach. Contact me.

How’s your thyroid? Let us know in the Comments.

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This article is for information purposes only. See Disclaimer below.