The Case:  This episode, we’re not looking at just one case, we’re looking at many.  More than 12% of the population will develop a thyroid condition in their lifetime. Thyroid symptoms vary but may affect energy levels, weight, and mood. Women are more likely to suffer from a thyroid condition.   The Investigation There’s so much confusion around the thyroid. Symptoms can often be explained away as other things - like poor sleep, poor diet, poor exercise habits. The sad part is, these easy explanations can be a part of the missed symptoms.  And, conventional medicine tends to diagnose thyroid issues using only one test. This means that many people, including those with Hashimoto’s may be misdiagnosed or not have the full picture.  In order to truly understand the thyroid and solve thyroid issues, you need the whole picture and you need to get to the root of the problem.    Thyroid  Expert Over the years, I’ve become very  familiar with this issue because of the countless clients who come into my office complaining of symptoms I know are related to their thyroid but they tell me that their doctor has told them that their levels are normal. I also know all about it because I personally went through it too. I went through the frustration of being told my thyroid was fine. I went through the doctor’s failing to diagnose my Hashimoto’s. And, I went through years of not properly treating this condition.    Hypothyroidism 101 In this episode, I’m demystifying hypothyroidism and giving you everything you need to know about having an underactive thyroid gland. Many people think that thyroid issues only affect your energy levels. In fact, the thyroid impacts everything in the body including your hair, skin, digestion, brain, and bones. The thyroid can also affect your fertility and how well your organs functions - especially your liver. Thyroid hormones are needed for every cell in your body - so we should never underestimate how it can impact our wellbeing if it’s not functioning properly.      Symptoms of an Underactive Thyroid The most common symptom, and the one most people think of is fatigue or a general lack of energy. There are many other potential symptoms of an underactive thyroid including dry skin, brittle nails, thinning hair, sensitivity to cold, constipation, brain fog, irregular menstrual periods, weight gain, hoarseness of the voice, muscle aches and cramps, low blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, fertility challenges, and sleep irregularities. There are other symptoms too but these are the most common. However, not all hypothyroid patients will experience all of these symptoms. In fact, it’s common for them to have a variety of symptoms that could change over time.    Misdiagnosis of Hypothyroidism Many people who have hypothyroidism are misdiagnosed or a diagnosis is just plain missed. This happens because doctors have a strict set of guidelines for diagnosis (which is different depending on where you live). Doctors who have patients that don’t fall into the guidelines, will often rule out a thyroid issue without doing any further testing. There are a number of additional tests that should be run, but these don’t fit into the conventional approach to diagnosing thyroid conditions. I go into detail as to why and how this happens in this episode.    Understanding TSH Anyone who has ever had their thyroid tested has to try to make sense of a hormone called TSH. This is often where confusion sets in. In this episode, I explain all the T’s involved in thyroid function including the TRH (the activation signal from your brain to your pituitary gland), TSH (the signal from your pituitary  to your thyroid) and the T3 and T4 that the thyroid makes in response. T3 is the active hormone that is needed by the body and can be absorbed and used by your cells while T4 is called a pro hormone which has to be converted to T3 in order to be used. A lot can go wrong with the production and absorption of these two hormones and signal