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Understanding Your Thyroid – Symptoms, Causes, and Functional Medicine Insights

by Stephanie Grosvenor, FMC Health Coach


The thyroid is often referred to as the body's "central intelligence center." This butterfly-shaped gland in your neck is small but mighty, influencing nearly every system in your body. Yet, millions worldwide suffer from thyroid-related issues, often without even knowing it.

1 in 8 women and 1 in 25 men will develop a thyroid condition in their lifetime. 45% of these individuals are either undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.

If you’re feeling tired, frustrated, or stuck in a cycle of unexplained symptoms, this blog will help you understand the vital role of your thyroid and how a functional medicine approach can provide the answers you’ve been seeking.




What Does Your Thyroid Do?

Your thyroid regulates some of the most critical processes in your body, including:

  • Metabolism: How your body turns food into energy.

  • Temperature Regulation: Keeping you warm or cool.

  • Mood and Brain Function: Supporting emotional balance and cognitive health.

  • Hormone Production: Producing T3 (triiodothyronine) and T4 (thyroxine), which are essential for overall health.

The thyroid also supports your heart, muscles, nervous system, and even your libido. When it’s not functioning optimally, the effects ripple through your entire body.



Common Thyroid Disorders

  • Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: An autoimmune condition where the immune system attacks the thyroid, often leading to hypothyroidism. Symptoms may include fatigue, weight gain, sensitivity to cold, hair loss, dry skin, and depression. It’s the most common cause of hypothyroidism and often goes undiagnosed until significant damage has occurred.

  • Hypothyroidism: This occurs when the thyroid has reached a state of severe damage that prevents it from producing enough hormones. While often caused by Hashimoto’s, other factors like certain medications can also contribute. 

  • Graves’ Disease: An autoimmune condition where the immune system stimulates the thyroid to become overactive, causing hyperthyroidism. Symptoms include weight loss, heart palpitations, anxiety, and heat intolerance.

  • Hyperthyroidism: This condition occurs when the thyroid is overactive and produces too much hormone. It’s often caused by Graves’ disease but can also result from thyroid nodules. 


Unfortunately, conventional medicine often focuses on managing symptoms, leaving the root cause unaddressed.



Root Causes of Thyroid Issues

Most thyroid conditions don’t occur in isolation and develop due to a mix of factors. The most common root causes of Thyroid conditions are:

  1. Leaky Gut: Over 70% of immune function is tied to the gut. Damage here often leads to the creation of antibodies and eventually autoimmune thyroid conditions. An unhealthy gut will also lead to nutrient deficiencies.

  2. Nutrient Deficiencies: Essential nutrients like magnesium, selenium, and vitamin D are crucial for thyroid function. A deficiency in any of these can lead to a dysfunctional thyroid.

  3. Toxin Exposure: Chemicals hidden in everyday beauty products, food, and water can overload your body, disrupting the thyroid.

  4. Stress and Methylation Issues: Chronic stress and genetic challenges in methylation processes impair your thyroid’s ability to function properly.



Why Conventional Medicine Falls Short

Many doctors test only TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone), T3 and T4 levels. While important, this doesn’t give a full picture of thyroid health. Functional medicine emphasizes a full thyroid panel, including T3, T4, Free T3, Free T4 and antibody levels, to uncover whether an autoimmune attack is present and at the root cause of your thyroid condition.



How Functional Medicine Is The Solution

A functional medicine approach aims to uncover the root causes of your thyroid condition and investigate what could be sabotaging your healing. By addressing imbalances through nutrition, lifestyle changes, stress management and targeted supplementation, this approach empowers you to deeply & truly heal, not just treat symptoms.



Why Work with a Functional Medicine Health Coach?

Imagine having someone in your corner who listens to your story, truly understands your struggles, and works with you to uncover the deeper issues behind your thyroid condition. A functional medicine health coach goes beyond the surface, helping you investigate what’s really going on in your body—whether it’s chronic stress, nutrient deficiencies, or lingering toxins sabotaging your healing.

With personalized guidance, you’ll learn how to nourish your body with the right foods, create sustainable lifestyle changes, and manage stress in ways that feel achievable for you. Functional medicine health coaches are your partner in progress, empowering you to take control of your health and finally feel like yourself again.


Your Next Steps

  1. Get Tested: Request a full thyroid focused blood panel (TSH, T3, T4, Free T3, Free T4, Thyroglobuline AB, Thyroid Peroxidase), along with inflammation markers like CRP. THis will provide crucial insights.

  2. Work with a Functional Medicine Health Coach: Don’t navigate this journey alone. Personalized support & accountability ensures lasting results. Work with a Functional Medicine Coach to co-create a step by step plan to help you regain your health & vitality.

  3. Detoxify Your Body: Identify toxins in your everyday life and begin to minimize them. We cannot get rid of all toxins around us but we can minimize our exposure. Support your body's detox pathways through nutrition (cruciferous veggies, clean water, etc), supplementation like NAC or Glutathione, and lifestyle medicine such as daily walks outside to stimulate lymphatic flow & detoxification.

  4. Repair Your Gut: Healing leaky gut and balancing gut bacteria are non-negotiable steps for thyroid health. Follow an 8 week gut healing protocol to reduce inflammation & antibodies, ultimately reducing symptoms.

  5. Identify & correct Deficiencies: Identify common deficiencies that play a role in thyroid dysfunction and begin to correct them through gut healing, nutrition and supplementation. Common ones to look out for are Vitamin D, Magnesium, Omega 3’s, Tyrosine, B12, Selenium & Iodine.



Take Action Today

Your thyroid health is the key to unlocking a better quality of life. Whether you’re experiencing fatigue, brain fog, or stubborn weight gain, you don’t have to settle for living this way.

Reach out to a Functional Medicine Health Coach today to help you uncover the root causes of your symptoms and start your journey to healing - it can happen faster than you think!



Author Bio:

Stephanie is a Nutritionist and Functional Medicine Health Coach specializing in helping people get rid of IBS and other digestive issues so they can lead fulfilling, energetic & symptom free lives

Through her own 15-year battle against digestive, chronic & autoimmune issues, she was able to learn how to heal her body through nutrition, nutraceuticals and lifestyle medicine

Stephanie is the founder of Unlimited You Coaching where she provides 1:1 coaching as well as group membership programs designed to help you create a daily life of energy, vitality & confidence. She is also the co founder & formulator of Vitamin G Nutraceuticals, a South African supplement range specializing in treating autoimmune conditions.

With her immense focus on education & empowerment, Stephanie is the creator & host of ‘The Good Health Revolution – South Africa's largest online health & Wellness event’, and currently holds the Vice Chairman position for the Functional Medicine Health Coaching Association of South Africa.

Her ultimate goal is to help you look, live, feel and age better than you ever have before. Stephanie has helped countless men & women overcome digestive issues, improve mental health, fix their hormones, increase energy & productivity and regain their quality of life.

For more information on the services she offers or to book a consultation call with her, email info@unlimitedyoucoaching.NET or find her on Instagram @UnlimitedYouCoaching









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