Getting the Full Picture of Your Thyroid Health

Have you been told your thyroid labs are normal, but you still feel tired, foggy, cold, or not like yourself? Do you feel like something is just off? You are not alone. Many people with thyroid issues hear everything looks fine, even when it is not. So why do lab tests often miss what is really going on? Let’s break it down and explore a more complete approach through functional medicine.

The Problem with Standard Testing

Most traditional doctors only run one test called TSH, or thyroid-stimulating hormone. TSH shows how hard your brain is asking your thyroid to work, but it does not reveal how well your thyroid is, actually functioning. It is just one piece of the puzzle.

You could have a normal TSH level and still feel awful because other critical markers are never checked.

Important hormones like T3 and T4, or markers like thyroid antibodies, are often ignored. Without testing these, doctors can miss signs of autoimmune disease, hormone conversion problems, or inflammation that affects how your thyroid works.

What Makes Functional Medicine Different

Functional medicine takes a deeper look. Instead of stopping at TSH, it uses a full thyroid panel to uncover the root causes of your symptoms. This includes:

• TSH
• Free T3
• Free T4
• Reverse T3
• Thyroid antibodies

But it doesn’t stop there. Functional testing also looks at:

• Nutrient levels like selenium, zinc, and iodine.
• Gut health, which affects hormone absorption.
• Sleep patterns and stress levels.
• Blood sugar and insulin balance.

 All of these factors can affect how your thyroid performs, even if your labs look "normal" on the surface.

Why the Full Picture Matters

When your whole body is tested, you get more than a number, you get clarity. You begin to understand the why behind your symptoms. And when you know what is truly off balance, you can take real steps to restore it. Healing begins with answers.

If your lab results say you are fine, but you feel anything but, do not settle. You deserve better than “normal.” Functional medicine looks beneath the surface to find real solutions. When your body is understood fully, you can finally feel like yourself again.

The right tests bring real answers. Functional tests go far beyond what most doctors check. They look deeper to find the root cause of symptoms.