Thyroid Health Explained: A Functional & Naturopathic Approach
At Nova Wellness, we take a functional and naturopathic approach to thyroid health that looks beyond symptoms and lab ranges to understand the whole person. If you’ve found yourself searching for a thyroid doctor near me, you’re likely looking for answers that go deeper than medication alone. This guide explains how the thyroid works, common symptoms of imbalance, and how functional and naturopathic medicine support long-term healing and balance.
What the Thyroid Is and Why Thyroid Health Matters
The thyroid is a delicate, butterfly-shaped gland at the front of the neck. The thyroid gland is responsible for producing thyroid hormones. These hormones are used by every cell of the body, which is why the thyroid is often called the master gland.
You can think of thyroid hormones as substances that speed everything up. The hormones that the thyroid produces activate every cell of your body. For example, in your hair follicles, they speed up the production of hair growth. In your muscle and fat cells, they speed up metabolism and help with exercise and exercise recovery. In your digestive tract, they speed up transit time. They help your mind think clearly and help your mood stay elevated.
Thyroid hormones also help regulate all the other hormones in your body. Hormones are like a family, so insulin, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, vitamin D, and thyroid hormones all work together as a unit to keep your metabolism, skin, hair, reproductive system, digestive system, mind, and nervous system strong and healthy.
What the Thyroid Actually Does
Thyroid hormones work as a cascade. The pituitary gland tells the thyroid how much thyroid hormone to produce by releasing Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH). More TSH tells the thyroid to produce more thyroid hormones. Lower TSH tells the thyroid to produce less hormone.
The thyroid gland itself produces T4 and T3. T4 is a slow-acting hormone, and T3 is a fast-acting, strong hormone. The thyroid gland also produces a hormone called reverse T3, which is an inactive form of thyroid hormone.
Common Signs Your Thyroid May Be Out of Balance
As discussed above, the thyroid is responsible for speeding everything up and helping the body “wake up.” If there is a lack of thyroid hormone, everything slows down. If there is too much thyroid hormone, things become very active and overstimulated.
For example, if you have too much thyroid hormone, as in hyperthyroidism, you may experience excess energy, anxiety, shakiness, and an inability to sleep.
Other Common Hyperthyroid Symptoms (Too Much Thyroid Hormone)
Anxiety or nervousness
Restlessness or feeling “wired”
Heart palpitations or rapid heartbeat
Shakiness or tremors
Difficulty sleeping
Heat intolerance or excessive sweating
Weight loss despite normal or increased appetite
Diarrhea or frequent bowel movements
Muscle weakness
Irritability
Menstrual irregularities
Thinning hair
Feeling overstimulated or “on edge”
If you have too little thyroid hormone, as in hypothyroidism, you may experience fatigue, lethargy, weight gain, depression, and excessive sleepiness. In terms of digestion, hyperthyroidism may cause diarrhea, while hypothyroidism may cause constipation.
Other Common Hypothyroid Symptoms (Too Little Thyroid Hormone)
Fatigue or low energy
Lethargy or feeling slowed down
Weight gain or difficulty losing weight
Depression or low mood
Cold intolerance
Constipation
Brain fog or difficulty concentrating
Hair thinning or hair loss
Dry skin
Brittle nails
Puffiness in the face
Heavy or irregular periods
Low libido
Muscle aches or stiffness
Feeling unmotivated or emotionally flat
Again, the thyroid impacts everything, so sometimes people just feel like their body is “off” and may experience a mix of hyper- and hypothyroid symptoms or vague symptoms. Someone thin can have hypothyroidism, and someone with fatigue could have hyperthyroidism. It’s not cut and dry.
Overlooked Thyroid Symptoms
Many thyroid symptoms get overlooked because they can fluctuate, be mild, and slowly build over time. Sometimes people get used to them or dismiss them as stress, depression, or anxiety.
What Causes Thyroid Dysfunction
There are two main causes of thyroid dysfunction: autoimmune and non-autoimmune thyroid issues.
In non-autoimmune thyroid issues, the most common trigger is stress. When someone is dealing with a lot of stress, the demand on the thyroid increases, and the thyroid can become depleted. Stress can be physical, such as nutritional deficiencies, food intolerances, toxins, or other hormonal imbalances. There can also be emotional or spiritual stress. The thyroid gland is the seat of personal expression; it rests between the heart and the mind. Imbalances in emotional expression or conflicts between the heart and the mind can also strain the thyroid.
In autoimmune thyroid conditions (the vast majority of cases), such as Hashimoto’s or Graves’ disease, the root cause lies in the immune system. To treat the autoimmune condition, the immune system must be addressed. The immune system is complex and requires attention to the nervous system, digestive system, nutrients, toxins, and mental, emotional, and spiritual components.
Conventional medicine often believes these conditions are permanent, but in naturopathic and functional medicine, we’re able to reverse them. At Nova Wellness, we treated a client in her 30s with very high Hashimoto’s antibody levels. She worked holistically on her gut, detox pathways, diet, and her relationship and job. Her antibodies are now undetectable, which indicates that the autoimmune response has turned off. She no longer suffers from hypothyroid symptoms and feels like herself - her mood, energy and metabolism are all working well again!
Thyroid Autoimmune Conditions (Hashimoto’s, Graves’)
Thyroid Lab Testing Explained in Simple Terms
When assessing a thyroid issue, there are many labs to consider. First, you want to look at all thyroid hormone and thyroid markers : TSH, Free T4, Free T3, reverse T3, and thyroid antibodies (TPO, TgAb, TSI). You also want to look at other blood work that supports thyroid function, such as CBC, CMP, vitamin D, ferritin, and CRP.
To truly assess root cause, it’s important to order specialty labs such as microbiome testing, SIBO testing, toxin testing, and sex hormone and cortisol testing.
When evaluating labs, it’s critical not to rely solely on standard lab reference ranges. For example, a normal TSH reference range may go up to 4.5 or 5, but many people experience symptoms once TSH exceeds 2.5. In fact, the optimal range is often closer to 1–1.5. This concept applies to all the labs listed above. Being outside optimal ranges can produce thyroid symptoms and affect overall health.
Remember, when treating the thyroid this way, we’re not just treating the thyroid gland directly - we’re looking at how the entire body and system interact with the thyroid. When assessed and treated this way, the results are deep, sustainable, and long-lasting.
Thyroid Medication
In conventional medicine, medication is the standard of care for thyroid issues. Medications like levothyroxine or Synthroid replace low thyroid hormone. In hyperthyroidism, methimazole suppresses thyroid hormone production.
While some people benefit from thyroid medication, many still experience symptoms even when their labs fall within normal ranges. This is often because the medication isn’t prescribed for optimization or because the deeper causes of thyroid dysfunction haven’t been addressed.
In functional medicine, thyroid medication can be used as a tool to help with symptoms. We may use combination T4/T3 therapy, T4 therapy (levothyroxine or tirosint), slow release formulas, or Armour Thyroid. Using a nuanced and individualized approach to thyroid medication management can have a profound impact on thyroid symptoms.
What truly sets functional and naturopathic medicine apart is the focus on root causes. We examine all the factors influencing thyroid health. Often, people with thyroid issues also have digestive problems, hormone imbalances, blood sugar issues, nutrient deficiencies, toxicity, emotional stress, mindset challenges, or lifestyle factors that contributed to the issue in the first place.
When we address the whole person, not only does thyroid function improve, but overall vitality, energy, and agency return. You’re not just managing symptoms—you’re reclaiming your health.
How a Functional Thyroid Doctor Looks at Root Cause
The Functional and Naturopathic Approach to Thyroid Health
In functional and naturopathic medicine, the approach to thyroid health begins with asking why the thyroid has become imbalanced, rather than focusing solely on suppressing symptoms or “normalizing” lab numbers. While medication can be an important tool, it is rarely the complete solution on its own. The thyroid is deeply influenced by other systems in the body, particularly the nervous system, immune system, digestive system, and hormonal system. Chronic stress, inflammation, gut dysfunction, nutrient deficiencies, blood sugar imbalances, and toxin exposure can all interfere with how thyroid hormones are produced, converted, and used at the cellular level.
Our approach at Nova Wellness prioritizes identifying and correcting those underlying stressors. Supporting gut health can improve nutrient absorption and reduce immune activation. Addressing inflammation and immune dysregulation is especially critical in autoimmune thyroid conditions. Regulating the nervous system helps restore healthy signaling between the brain and the thyroid, while targeted nutritional support ensures the body has the building blocks it needs to make and activate thyroid hormones.
Care is always individualized, because the root cause of thyroid dysfunction looks different for each person. By treating the whole person and working with the body’s natural healing intelligence, functional and naturopathic care aims to restore balance in a way that is sustainable, resilient, and supportive of long-term health rather than temporary symptom relief.
How You Can Support Your Thyroid Daily
If thyroid issues run in your family and you’re looking to prevent problems, here are some foundational tips:
Nutrition basics: Eat whole, unprocessed foods, and identify food intolerances. The most common intolerances associated with thyroid conditions are gluten, dairy, and soy.
Balance supporting hormones: Insulin, sex hormones, and cortisol all support thyroid function. Support insulin with balanced meals, adequate protein, and regular movement. Support sex hormones by avoiding toxins. Support cortisol through stress reduction and healthy sleep habits.
Environmental toxin awareness: The thyroid is highly sensitive to environmental toxins. Drink clean water, eat organic foods, and use non-toxic body and cleaning products.
Self-expression: The thyroid is the center of self-expression. Practices like journaling, support groups, and emotional expression help support thyroid health.
When to Seek Professional Thyroid Support
If you suspect a thyroid issue, consider working with a functional or naturopathic doctor. Thyroid issues are often overlooked and underdiagnosed.
Common signs include lack of response to psychotherapy, inability to lose weight despite diet and lifestyle changes, treatment-resistant depression or anxiety, unexplained hair loss, and chronic fatigue.
At Nova Wellness, we have seen many people prescribed antidepressants when the root issue was thyroid-related. A specialist can detect subtleties in labs and symptoms that others may miss.
If you’re on thyroid medication but still don’t feel like yourself, that’s also a good reason to seek specialized care. Often, the whole person isn’t being addressed, or medications aren’t prescribed with nuance. More vitality, energy, and health are possible beyond what you may experience with conventional medication management alone.
We recently worked with someone who had been on thyroid medication for 20 years but continued to struggle with weight gain and poor exercise recovery. By addressing food intolerances, nutrient deficiencies, and adjusting medication, he regained energy, improved digestion, and began losing weight.
At Nova Wellness, thyroid care is never one-size-fits-all—it’s personalized, root-cause driven, and grounded in whole-body healing.
Your Thyroid Is Not Separate From Your Whole Body
Your thyroid is deeply connected to your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. It affects everything—and is affected by everything. This is why thyroid health must be addressed as part of the larger system. When you do this, you don’t just heal the thyroid; you correct imbalances that support long-term health and help prevent chronic illness for decades to come.
Frequently Asked Questions About Thyroid Health
How do I know if I need a thyroid doctor?
If you’re experiencing ongoing fatigue, weight changes, mood shifts, digestive issues, hair loss, or symptoms that haven’t improved with conventional care, working with a functional or naturopathic thyroid doctor can help uncover root causes.
What’s the difference between a conventional thyroid doctor and a functional approach?
Conventional care often focuses on medication alone and symptom management, while functional and naturopathic care addresses underlying contributors such as stress, gut health, inflammation, nutrient deficiencies, and immune balance.
Is Nova Wellness a good option if I’m searching for a thyroid doctor near me?
Nova Wellness specializes in whole-person thyroid care using functional and naturopathic medicine, supporting clients who want deeper, more personalized solutions.
Your thyroid is a messenger, reflecting how your entire system is functioning. When thyroid symptoms arise, they’re often an invitation to look deeper, listen more closely, and address what your body has been carrying for some time. With the right support, the body has a remarkable ability to restore balance and vitality. You don’t have to navigate this alone.
Your thyroid is not separate from your whole body—it reflects how your systems are working together over time. With the right support, meaningful and lasting healing is possible.
If you’ve been searching for a thyroid doctor near me and want care that looks beyond symptoms, we invite you to connect with Nova Wellness. A discovery call is a chance to explore your symptoms, understand your root causes, and see whether our functional and naturopathic approach is the right fit.
Schedule your discovery call with Nova Wellness and take the next step toward lasting thyroid health.
