#290: Stop Calling My Thyroid Normal

WEBVTT
00:02:06.509 --> 00:02:14.109
If you have symptoms and your doctor told you you're normal, you're fine, nothing to see here, just part of getting older.
00:02:14.189 --> 00:02:15.389
You know, you're just getting older.
00:02:15.549 --> 00:02:17.949
So that's just what happens when you get older.
00:02:18.430 --> 00:02:25.229
No, no, no, and no, you cannot accept that because we can look deeper.
00:02:25.389 --> 00:02:29.229
We can get answers as to exactly what's going on with you.
00:02:33.949 --> 00:02:43.709
If you're tired of doing all the right things and still feeling exhausted, stuck in your body, and disconnected from God, this podcast is for you.
00:02:43.870 --> 00:02:44.430
I'm Dr.
00:02:44.509 --> 00:02:53.629
Tabitha, a triple board certified functional medicine physician, and I help women stop fighting their bodies and start healing them God's way.
00:02:53.870 --> 00:02:55.310
Let's get into it.
00:03:00.509 --> 00:03:02.509
Fatigue that won't quit.
00:03:02.750 --> 00:03:04.909
Brain fog, you just can't shake.
00:03:07.629 --> 00:03:08.509
Are you over it?
00:03:08.669 --> 00:03:10.670
Because I am so over it.
00:03:10.909 --> 00:03:14.589
I'm tired of people saying, your labs are normal.
00:03:14.670 --> 00:03:15.709
What's the problem?
00:03:15.949 --> 00:03:16.269
Right?
00:03:16.670 --> 00:03:19.469
Ladies, this episode is for you.
00:03:19.629 --> 00:03:26.670
If you have found yourself walking out of the doctor's office frustrated or even crying in your car.
00:03:26.909 --> 00:03:36.110
Like if you have been to 10 doctors and you are losing hope, I'm telling you, you're gonna want to listen to this entire episode.
00:03:36.269 --> 00:03:38.750
So let's dive right in.
00:03:38.909 --> 00:03:40.110
Welcome, Ashley.
00:03:40.269 --> 00:03:40.990
Yeah, hey there.
00:03:41.149 --> 00:03:42.189
Are you excited for this?
00:03:42.509 --> 00:03:44.030
I am excited for this episode.
00:03:44.110 --> 00:03:48.829
I know there's gonna be some good banter, and we're gonna really help women understand what's happening.
00:03:49.149 --> 00:03:51.469
Yes, my beautiful good friend Dr.
00:03:51.629 --> 00:03:56.750
Amy Horneman is joining us, and you ladies probably know her.
00:03:56.829 --> 00:03:58.829
She was on my midlife reset summit.
00:03:58.909 --> 00:04:04.990
We have podcast swapped a few times because our message is so similar.
00:04:05.310 --> 00:04:08.030
You don't have to struggle anymore.
00:04:08.349 --> 00:04:12.430
So let me just drop real quick about Dr.
00:04:12.589 --> 00:04:15.949
Amy because uh I'm gonna swear if that's okay.
00:04:16.110 --> 00:04:19.069
I don't usually on the podcast, but she's a badass.
00:04:19.709 --> 00:04:22.110
And that that's what she says.
00:04:22.269 --> 00:04:27.709
Like, I am here to not give into the status quo.
00:04:27.790 --> 00:04:31.149
I'm gonna shake things up a little bit and tell you the truth.
00:04:31.389 --> 00:04:33.629
So let me introduce her.
00:04:33.870 --> 00:04:40.189
She is known as the Thyroid Fixer, and she is dropping her book, The Thyroid Fix.
00:04:40.430 --> 00:04:41.550
I cannot wait.
00:04:41.629 --> 00:04:47.870
It's the no nonsense guide to fix your fatigue, fogginess, and fat that won't budge.
00:04:48.029 --> 00:04:50.670
I I just love how real you are, Amy.
00:04:50.829 --> 00:04:53.550
And um, for anybody listening, Dr.
00:04:53.709 --> 00:04:58.670
Amy runs a telehealth practice all over the United States and Canada.
00:04:58.909 --> 00:05:04.350
So there's absolutely no reason to not get help at this point, right?
00:05:06.029 --> 00:05:06.990
Well, exactly.
00:05:07.149 --> 00:05:07.870
And hi, Dr.
00:05:08.029 --> 00:05:08.350
Tav.
00:05:08.589 --> 00:05:09.230
I love you to death.
00:05:09.469 --> 00:05:10.189
Oh my gosh, I love you.
00:05:10.430 --> 00:05:11.790
Thank you so much for having me on.
00:05:12.029 --> 00:05:12.750
Yeah, yeah.
00:05:12.829 --> 00:05:15.310
You know, I always say, be the badass human you're meant to be.
00:05:15.389 --> 00:05:16.750
And that's the context of it.
00:05:16.829 --> 00:05:20.029
So it's more empowering instead of like an official swear word.
00:05:20.269 --> 00:05:24.990
It's like it's the strength infused into the ladies listening to this.
00:05:25.310 --> 00:05:26.430
Yes, I love it.
00:05:26.589 --> 00:05:29.629
And that's what I want women to just feel encouraged.
00:05:29.790 --> 00:05:36.430
Like, wait a second, I don't have to just listen to my doctor or take the medication they're giving me.
00:05:36.509 --> 00:05:40.269
I can question them, I can push back a little bit.
00:05:40.589 --> 00:05:43.069
And I've read your book, amazing.
00:05:43.230 --> 00:05:51.389
I cannot wait for women to get their hands on it because I want them to know, like, yeah, there is another way, right?
00:05:52.350 --> 00:05:52.909
Exactly.
00:05:53.069 --> 00:05:53.469
Exactly.
00:05:53.550 --> 00:05:55.469
And you and I are so passionate about this.
00:05:55.709 --> 00:05:58.750
And just like you said, we share the same message.
00:05:58.909 --> 00:06:08.269
We want to get this message out to the ladies listening that you don't have to accept all the symptoms that you're dealing with right now.
00:06:08.430 --> 00:06:14.589
Even if you've been to five or 10 or 15 doctors that all told you you're normal, everything is fine.
00:06:14.750 --> 00:06:17.149
Like I say in the book, normal is the setting on the dryer.
00:06:17.310 --> 00:06:21.469
It should never be used to describe your health, your body, your labs.
00:06:21.870 --> 00:06:26.269
And we know that frustration that these ladies are going through.
00:06:26.430 --> 00:06:44.509
So I love that you're helping me spread this message because we're both so passionate about really taking these women that are caught up in the medical gaslighting current system that we have and really giving them the power to get better and enjoy their lives because that's how God created us.
00:06:44.669 --> 00:06:49.310
We were we were created to be alive and vibrant and healthy.
00:06:49.469 --> 00:06:55.549
We weren't created to have disease and to throw in the towel after the age of 40 and give up on life.
00:06:55.709 --> 00:06:58.349
That's that's nowhere in the Bible officially, ladies.
00:06:58.589 --> 00:07:02.509
Nowhere does it say just throw in the towel after the age of 40.
00:07:02.669 --> 00:07:04.109
So that's what we're here to do.
00:07:04.990 --> 00:07:05.629
So good.
00:07:05.949 --> 00:07:09.389
And Ashley, you are the academy director.
00:07:09.469 --> 00:07:11.949
So you hear from a lot of women.
00:07:12.269 --> 00:07:15.149
What are they being told by their doctors?
00:07:15.469 --> 00:07:18.029
Yeah, I actually want to take it to the end of Amy's book.
00:07:18.109 --> 00:07:19.949
So there you I love how you wrapped it up.
00:07:20.109 --> 00:07:26.509
Like you, and if you're listening to this podcast right now, you're you're gaining so much knowledge, but you got to do something.
00:07:26.669 --> 00:07:28.029
Like you got to take some action.
00:07:28.189 --> 00:07:32.029
So think about how many times women sign up for stuff and then they just don't even use it.
00:07:32.189 --> 00:07:37.069
They buy a$7 book or they, you know, sign up for a challenge and they don't actually do it.
00:07:37.149 --> 00:07:38.990
Like it's time for you to take some action.
00:07:39.149 --> 00:07:42.750
And that's what our podcast is designed to do to give you that kind of fire.
00:07:42.829 --> 00:07:44.430
And that's what Amy, your book does.
00:07:44.589 --> 00:07:46.029
And so I loved how you wrapped it up.
00:07:46.109 --> 00:07:47.789
Like, hey, girlfriend, get it together.
00:07:47.870 --> 00:07:51.870
Like, you gotta, now that you've read this book, like, go do it, like do something about it.
00:07:52.109 --> 00:08:07.709
And so that I think that's what women they come to us and they're just they're struggling with constant like the same thing over and over and over, but they just lose sight of like where to actually start, and they just keep gathering all this data and not actually doing anything with it, just like information.
00:08:08.029 --> 00:08:16.189
Okay, so why don't we just be the number one resource for thyroid issues today and like trust that Dr.
00:08:16.349 --> 00:08:24.589
Amy's been through some stuff and she knows what she's talking about because she's helped thousands of women through this thyroid journey.
00:08:24.829 --> 00:08:33.389
And maybe you should share why you even are doing what you're doing so that women can know like this girl's the real deal.
00:08:34.750 --> 00:08:38.029
Well, and and so they know that that I've walked in their shoes.
00:08:38.110 --> 00:08:41.070
Yes, you know, and and that's really the story behind it.
00:08:41.149 --> 00:08:56.509
So it's a pain-to-purpose story, and I'll be brief, but in a nutshell, way back in my 20s, when I was doing everything right, the eating, the exercising, everything was regimented, I was disciplined, the scale was going up instead of down.
00:08:56.669 --> 00:08:59.149
I was actually getting ready for a bodybuilding competition.
00:08:59.230 --> 00:09:05.310
So that tells you the level of discipline that I was kind of in at the time.
00:09:05.549 --> 00:09:14.750
And every single time I got on the scale, every single time I had to do a weigh-in to check in with my coach, the scale was going up five, 10, 15, 20.
00:09:15.230 --> 00:09:21.070
25 pounds came onto my little five-two body in the matter of a few months.
00:09:21.230 --> 00:09:22.590
It was pretty rapid.
00:09:22.909 --> 00:09:28.750
So at that time, I naturally felt like, oh my gosh, my body is literally rebelling against me.
00:09:28.909 --> 00:09:32.350
This is something so, there's something so wrong.
00:09:32.509 --> 00:09:46.190
And I don't know what it is because biologically, this isn't making sense that I would be eating clean, restricting my calories, burning calories at the gym, and yet laying down fat at this rapid of a pace.
00:09:46.509 --> 00:09:49.789
Never mind the fatigue and the hair loss I was experiencing as well.
00:09:49.950 --> 00:09:52.590
I was more focused on the fact that all my clothes were tight.
00:09:52.830 --> 00:09:59.310
So I ended up going to a total of six different doctors who all misdiagnosed me.
00:09:59.470 --> 00:10:02.669
They all told me I was normal, everything is fine.
00:10:02.909 --> 00:10:08.110
One of them actually told me to eat less and exercise more, which was basically impossible at that point.
00:10:08.350 --> 00:10:08.750
Right.
00:10:08.909 --> 00:10:10.269
Like that's all you're doing.
00:10:11.710 --> 00:10:13.710
And I would hand over my diet.
00:10:13.789 --> 00:10:25.710
I would literally write down what I was eating as proof, as if to you know, validate myself to these doctors that I just kept seeing, hoping and praying that one of them would have an answer.
00:10:25.950 --> 00:10:30.269
Finally, the seventh one actually did touch my throat.
00:10:30.590 --> 00:10:34.590
First doc to actually lay hands on me, touched my throat, said swallow.
00:10:34.669 --> 00:10:38.269
She goes, I'm feeling some nodules on your thyroid.
00:10:38.590 --> 00:10:42.829
And according to your labs, it looks like you have hypothyroidism.
00:10:43.230 --> 00:10:44.269
Here's a pill.
00:10:44.750 --> 00:10:45.870
So I took that pill.
00:10:46.029 --> 00:10:48.590
I mean, listen, at the time, I was excited.
00:10:48.750 --> 00:10:54.590
I actually had a name for what was going on with my body, and then I had a pill that was gonna fix me, right?
00:10:55.069 --> 00:10:57.230
So I gave it five months.
00:10:57.389 --> 00:10:59.149
I didn't lose a single pound.
00:10:59.309 --> 00:11:00.750
I didn't feel any better.
00:11:00.990 --> 00:11:03.629
It was absolutely frustrating.
00:11:03.789 --> 00:11:07.389
I went back to this doctor and I said, you know, doing my Dr.
00:11:07.549 --> 00:11:13.309
Google research like we do, uh, this pill that you gave me is T4.
00:11:13.470 --> 00:11:15.629
That's the inactive thyroid hormone.
00:11:15.710 --> 00:11:18.429
So now, you know, of course, I'm learning more about the thyroid, right?
00:11:18.509 --> 00:11:20.990
Because I was thrown into hypothyroidism.
00:11:21.149 --> 00:11:23.069
So I'm like, I better learn about this.
00:11:23.549 --> 00:11:27.789
And I found that, you know, there's there's these other thyroid hormones out there.
00:11:27.870 --> 00:11:30.829
There's something called T3 that's the active thyroid hormone.
00:11:30.990 --> 00:11:33.230
There's T2 that's an active thyroid hormone.
00:11:33.389 --> 00:11:50.509
You're giving me this inactive thyroid hormone in this pill, and you're expecting my body to take it and convert it into the active thyroid hormone that's actually gonna give me a metabolism and give me any kind of shot at losing this excess weight that is now on my body.
00:11:50.750 --> 00:11:54.829
And she looks at me and she goes, That's not standard of care.
00:11:55.149 --> 00:11:56.350
I don't do that.
00:11:57.069 --> 00:11:58.110
And I said, Well, thank you.
00:11:58.189 --> 00:11:59.789
I'm gonna find someone who does.
00:12:00.189 --> 00:12:14.990
That's what led me into the world of functional medicine, where my mentor actually spent, I was joking about this, spent 83 more minutes with me than any other doctor, meaning every other doctor gave me that five to seven minute visit.
00:12:15.230 --> 00:12:27.389
This guy actually sat down, went through all of my labs, and asked me the four most important words that any practitioner can ever ask you.
00:12:27.789 --> 00:12:29.069
How do you feel?
00:12:29.309 --> 00:12:31.149
No one had asked me that before.
00:12:31.309 --> 00:12:32.750
And he actually cared.
00:12:32.829 --> 00:12:50.750
And he took those symptoms that I listed off and layered them over my labs to explain to me what my body was doing and to direct me in the right way, put me on the right thyroid hormone replacement that actually gave me my life back and turned everything around.
00:12:50.990 --> 00:13:08.029
So it was at that point, it was that experience, it was that frustration, that pain that led me into changing careers and doing what I do now because I knew at the time, wow, I was in a major medical system and I still was misdiagnosed six times.
00:13:08.189 --> 00:13:11.149
So, how many women out there are in a small town?
00:13:11.230 --> 00:13:15.870
They can't go to Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, where supposedly the best of the best docs are, right?
00:13:16.110 --> 00:13:17.230
They can't go there.
00:13:17.389 --> 00:13:19.629
How are they going to get the help that they need?
00:13:19.789 --> 00:13:24.509
And that's really what fueled my passion to get into this and start changing lives.
00:13:24.909 --> 00:13:25.870
Oh my goodness.
00:13:26.029 --> 00:13:28.829
Yeah, I feel all of this so deeply.
00:13:28.990 --> 00:13:35.069
I had the same challenge at 17 years old when I developed Hashimoto's after delivering my baby.
00:13:35.389 --> 00:13:37.710
And nothing is explained.
00:13:37.870 --> 00:13:44.750
You know, it's just things are done, procedures, ultrasounds, biopsies, and here's your medication.
00:13:44.829 --> 00:13:45.870
Here's your T4.
00:13:46.189 --> 00:13:47.549
We'll see you later.
00:13:47.789 --> 00:13:49.949
And I lived with that for 20 years.
00:13:50.029 --> 00:13:57.069
I actually went through medical school and still didn't understand the thyroid after I got out of medical school.
00:13:57.309 --> 00:13:59.069
How sad is that?
00:13:59.629 --> 00:14:08.909
So let's break down uh myth number one that if your TSH is quote unquote normal, you don't have a thyroid issue.
00:14:09.149 --> 00:14:10.750
Please speak to that.
00:14:10.909 --> 00:14:13.149
Drop some truth bombs on us.
00:14:13.549 --> 00:14:14.269
Oh, girl.
00:14:14.350 --> 00:14:16.509
Well, I know you see it in your clinic too.
00:14:16.590 --> 00:14:25.789
When when when patients come in and they have had their thyroid tested by another practitioner, what do we see normally on there?
00:14:25.949 --> 00:14:30.829
We see TSH and maybe, maybe a free T4.
00:14:31.230 --> 00:14:36.829
Now, the reason why this isn't enough and we can't stop there is because TSH is a brain hormone.
00:14:36.909 --> 00:14:38.429
It's thyroid-stimulating hormone.
00:14:38.509 --> 00:14:40.590
It's released by your pituitary in your brain.
00:14:40.750 --> 00:14:42.509
It's not even a thyroid hormone.
00:14:42.669 --> 00:14:48.829
You know, if it's if it's screaming high, if it's jumping off the page at us, then that's easy.
00:14:48.909 --> 00:14:53.549
That then we say, okay, Julie, you have hypothyroidism here.
00:14:53.870 --> 00:14:54.350
It's obvious.
00:14:54.429 --> 00:14:56.750
Your TSH is a you know 10.
00:14:56.909 --> 00:14:59.389
It's it's screaming at us, but what if it's not?
00:14:59.549 --> 00:15:09.789
What if it's actually within that normal range, but yet you still are suffering the same way I was with weight gain and fatigue and hair loss and constipation and brain fog.
00:15:10.029 --> 00:15:13.309
We have to look deeper than just the TSH.
00:15:13.549 --> 00:15:14.909
We have to test further.
00:15:15.069 --> 00:15:16.110
So what do we do next?
00:15:16.189 --> 00:15:21.069
We test the free T4 that you may have had tested by your doctor as well.
00:15:21.230 --> 00:15:23.789
That's an inactive thyroid hormone.
00:15:24.110 --> 00:15:27.789
Okay, again, it gives us a small piece of information.
00:15:27.949 --> 00:15:31.949
But I got to tell you, and and I know that you say this to your patients as well.
00:15:32.110 --> 00:15:39.309
If they come in with a TSH and a free T4 and they go, Well, I know it's not my thyroid because my doctor said my thyroid is normal.
00:15:39.470 --> 00:15:43.710
You go, Oh, honey, you know, we're not quite sure about that yet.
00:15:43.949 --> 00:15:50.990
Let's actually get all of the testing done so that we can see what your entire thyroid profile looks like.
00:15:51.230 --> 00:15:52.909
Do you have Hashimoto's?
00:15:53.069 --> 00:15:58.029
Do you have enough of the active thyroid hormone, that beautiful T3 that I mentioned earlier?
00:15:58.269 --> 00:16:05.069
Do you have too much of something called reverse T3, which blocks T3 from actually doing its job in your body?
00:16:05.230 --> 00:16:12.110
There's so much more information that we need outside of just TSH and one other marker free T4.
00:16:12.429 --> 00:16:14.990
Yeah, and I feel like I need to share this.
00:16:15.149 --> 00:16:26.429
I know I've said this before, but those lab ranges, they are for ruling out disease, for ruling out you needing to be hospitalized.
00:16:26.669 --> 00:16:34.189
So if the free the range is like 0.5, it used to be up to six or eight when I was in medical school.
00:16:34.269 --> 00:16:38.029
Then they kind of dropped it down to four or five, depending on the lab.
00:16:38.350 --> 00:16:43.789
But literally, that is so the doctor knows you're not going into a mixed edema coma.
00:16:43.870 --> 00:16:45.389
We don't have to hospitalize you.
00:16:45.549 --> 00:16:53.789
It has nothing to do with actually functioning well or or God forbid feeling optimal or good, right?
00:16:54.590 --> 00:16:55.230
Correct.
00:16:55.470 --> 00:16:56.029
Exactly.
00:16:56.269 --> 00:16:56.750
Exactly.
00:16:56.909 --> 00:17:06.990
It and and when women get told that, you know, I always think back to what if I would have stopped at doctor number three or doctor number four or doctor number five.
00:17:07.150 --> 00:17:09.150
I mean, that would have stopped me in my tracks.
00:17:09.230 --> 00:17:19.710
I would have accepted that there's nothing wrong with me, and I would have just continued suffering, I would have gained more weight, lost more hair because, and I wouldn't be here today.
00:17:19.950 --> 00:17:32.670
So that's the message is you have to go beyond if you have symptoms and your doctor told you you're normal, you're fine, nothing to see here, just part of getting older.
00:17:32.750 --> 00:17:33.950
You know, you're just getting older.
00:17:34.110 --> 00:17:36.430
So that's just what happens when you get older.
00:17:36.990 --> 00:17:47.390
No, no, no, and no, you cannot accept that because we can look deeper, we can get answers as to exactly what's going on with you.
00:17:47.630 --> 00:17:52.430
We don't stop at just one or two tests, we keep going to get that full picture.
00:17:52.750 --> 00:18:02.029
Yeah, and I just think like if that were happening to you right now in this day and age, you would have been offered a GLP one instead.
00:18:02.350 --> 00:18:12.190
And we would have continued to not actually diagnose you correctly and caused way more issues with you going forward, right?
00:18:12.350 --> 00:18:13.309
Are you seeing that?
00:18:14.269 --> 00:18:14.910
Amen.
00:18:15.150 --> 00:18:18.110
Honestly, that that's a yeah, that's a great point.
00:18:18.350 --> 00:18:18.910
You're right.
00:18:19.069 --> 00:18:23.789
I would have been offered a GLP one just to lose the weight, just to address the weight issue.
00:18:23.950 --> 00:18:30.990
And then that would not have addressed the fact that ultimately I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's as well, which is the autoimmune form.
00:18:31.150 --> 00:18:39.710
So I would have been walking around with an autoimmune condition, which we know can can turn into multiple autoimmune conditions, and I would have never had the actual reason.
00:18:39.950 --> 00:18:46.670
So actually, yes, a GLP one now can go into our band-aid list of medications, just like women used to get.
00:18:46.750 --> 00:18:50.990
Oh, here's an antidepressant, here's a sleeping pill, here's a statin.
00:18:51.309 --> 00:18:57.789
Now we can throw in GLPs as a band-aid as opposed to looking what actually is going on beneath the surface.
00:18:58.029 --> 00:18:58.350
Yeah.
00:18:58.590 --> 00:18:59.710
Oh, so sad.
00:19:00.029 --> 00:19:07.870
So we want to hear all about these labs that women should be ordering because this is essential, ladies.
00:19:07.950 --> 00:19:15.230
Uh I know Ashley sees a lot of women come into our practice and they have been told they had their thyroid fully checked.
00:19:15.389 --> 00:19:20.109
Oh, we got the full panel, and we laugh just like you do in a sad way.
00:19:20.269 --> 00:19:23.710
Like, yep, it was a TSH and a free T4.
00:19:23.950 --> 00:19:28.190
You know, have you ever been diagnosed with autoimmune or checked for that?
00:19:28.430 --> 00:19:28.990
I don't know.
00:19:29.069 --> 00:19:30.269
What does that look like?
00:19:30.430 --> 00:19:33.230
So we just need to break it down for women.
00:19:33.710 --> 00:19:34.269
Exactly.
00:19:34.430 --> 00:19:36.589
So we mentioned earlier T3.
00:19:36.990 --> 00:19:39.869
So I want you to have the free T3 tested.
00:19:40.029 --> 00:19:45.150
That is the unbound active thyroid hormone ready to attach to your cell.
00:19:45.309 --> 00:19:52.990
So if you think about a lock and key, every single cell in your body has this perfect little lock, and T3 is the key.
00:19:53.069 --> 00:20:03.789
So it inserts in, turns it, and that's what's turning on your body, turning on your metabolism, growing your hair, lighting your brain up, giving you energy every day, letting you poop every day.
00:20:04.109 --> 00:20:07.389
We need enough T3 to run your body.
00:20:07.470 --> 00:20:14.509
I always say from head to toe it runs the show, meaning the thyroid, but specifically the active thyroid hormone T3.
00:20:14.670 --> 00:20:26.430
That T4 pill that I was given, I like mentioning to people, especially those listening that might be on levothyroxin, synthroid, some kind of just T4 only therapy.
00:20:27.309 --> 00:20:35.629
That T4 medication, you don't have a single receptor on any cell for T4.
00:20:35.789 --> 00:20:37.950
It is completely and totally inactive.
00:20:38.109 --> 00:20:47.069
So it's almost ridiculous to give someone T4 only and then in this day and age hope that their body is going to convert it.
00:20:47.150 --> 00:20:54.670
There's a lot of things that can get in the way of that conversion of T4, the inactive thyroid hormone, to the active thyroid hormone T3.
00:20:54.829 --> 00:21:01.309
So, what do we what do we want to check to see if a person is converting properly?
00:21:01.470 --> 00:21:03.549
We want to look at reverse T3.
00:21:03.629 --> 00:21:04.829
So that's the next marker.
00:21:04.990 --> 00:21:07.789
So we want to look at free T3, your active thyroid hormone.
00:21:07.869 --> 00:21:11.389
We want to look at reverse T3, the antithyroid hormone.
00:21:11.629 --> 00:21:16.910
Basically, reverse T3, it puts your body in a survival mode, it shuts things down.
00:21:17.150 --> 00:21:24.829
And it's it's built into our bodies beautifully because we need it in times of crisis.
00:21:25.069 --> 00:21:37.710
If you are fighting for your life, if you're in a car accident, if you're lying in the IC or the ER, we hope that your reverse T3 is elevated because at that point in time, you don't need to burn body fat.
00:21:37.869 --> 00:21:41.470
You don't need to grow your hair, you don't need to make major decisions or feel good.
00:21:41.629 --> 00:21:43.069
You need to lie there and survive.
00:21:43.230 --> 00:21:55.789
So our bodies are so wonderfully made that when reverse T3 goes up, it's it's basically saying, let's shuttle all of our energy to healing this person and keeping them alive.
00:21:56.029 --> 00:22:14.670
The problem is, is if reverse T3 is elevated when you're walking around trying to live life and you're not lying in hospital bed, we don't want reverse T3 to be elevated and our bodies to be in some kind of hibernation state when we're trying to live life and take the kids to school and run a household and run a business and do all the things, take care of ourselves.
00:22:14.910 --> 00:22:18.190
So we have to check reverse T3 every single time.
00:22:18.349 --> 00:22:31.869
And that's going to give us an indication of how well you're converting your own thyroid hormone that your thyroid is producing, or how well you're converting that T4 thyroid hormone that you might be taking in the form of a medication.
00:22:32.190 --> 00:22:33.150
Always want to look at that.
00:22:33.309 --> 00:22:36.349
And then we want to check TPO and TGA antibodies.
00:22:36.509 --> 00:22:38.430
This checks for Hashimoto's.
00:22:38.589 --> 00:22:42.910
The most common form of hypothyroidism is Hashimoto's.
00:22:42.990 --> 00:22:45.150
About 95% is autoimmune.
00:22:45.309 --> 00:22:54.109
You know, you have that 5% that can occur chemo, radiation, um, severe restriction like eating disorders.
00:22:54.269 --> 00:22:56.750
We'll also see it in the overfasters.
00:22:56.910 --> 00:23:03.150
So the women that fast like one meal a day, sometimes that can downregulate their thyroid.
00:23:03.309 --> 00:23:05.869
But 95% is Hashimoto's.
00:23:05.950 --> 00:23:08.430
We want to look at those antibodies and confirm that.
00:23:08.509 --> 00:23:15.950
We also want a baseline for your antibodies to see where we're starting, especially as we're we're gonna be trying to push those antibodies to zero.
00:23:16.670 --> 00:23:34.109
I'm so glad that you acknowledged that the body is designed to function well and to heal and to get back into balance despite all the crazy things we do to it, and that your thyroid is not failing.
00:23:34.269 --> 00:23:40.029
It's actually a normal response of your circumstances, right?
00:23:40.269 --> 00:23:48.829
So that's what we hear a lot from women is they just feel like their body is failing them or it's you know, doesn't know what it's doing.
00:23:48.990 --> 00:23:55.150
And the truth of it is if your reverse T3 is elevated, there is a reason.
00:23:55.389 --> 00:24:03.389
So you mentioned we want that to be elevated when we're hospitalized, when we're trying to heal, when we're going through some stuff.
00:24:03.710 --> 00:24:15.710
But what also drives it when we're Out living life, and we're not actually quote unquote like post op sick, healing, you know, going through COVID, that kind of stuff.
00:24:15.869 --> 00:24:17.309
What else is driving that?
00:24:17.389 --> 00:24:23.470
That you see, um, because women are about to have some aha's right now.
00:24:23.950 --> 00:24:24.910
I know, I know.
00:24:25.069 --> 00:24:32.829
Well, here's the thing that that T4 to T3 conversion, I equate it to running 10 tough mutters in a row.
00:24:33.069 --> 00:24:38.269
Like, really, really, really hard for your body to do, especially these days.
00:24:38.589 --> 00:24:45.470
We have to admit that we are not living in the same world that our our parents were living in, right?
00:24:45.549 --> 00:24:57.309
Even you could go back 20, 30, 40 years, and we are in a completely different toxic soup environment, higher stress lifestyle than than ever before.
00:24:57.470 --> 00:24:59.230
And it's only going to get worse.
00:24:59.470 --> 00:25:01.950
So now we have bombardment with EMFs.
00:25:02.029 --> 00:25:04.509
I mean, everybody is on technology, right?
00:25:04.670 --> 00:25:08.670
You and I are sitting here with phones, computers, Wi-Fi, monitor.
00:25:08.990 --> 00:25:11.470
I mean, every we're being bombarded with EMF.
00:25:11.629 --> 00:25:13.230
We have more stress than ever.
00:25:13.309 --> 00:25:18.750
Like I said, societal stress, um, Instagram stress, right?
00:25:18.910 --> 00:25:21.309
Face, Facebook comparison stress.
00:25:21.470 --> 00:25:22.750
We have more stress now than ever.
00:25:22.829 --> 00:25:27.230
And that elevated cortisol absolutely will drive up reverse T3.
00:25:27.629 --> 00:25:30.990
Nutrient deficiencies, we are all deficient in magnesium.
00:25:31.150 --> 00:25:31.950
That's chronic.
00:25:32.190 --> 00:25:40.910
Iodine, I know, is a controversial supplement, but low iodine absolutely will drive up reverse T3, low selenium, low vitamin D.
00:25:41.069 --> 00:25:45.629
There are essential nutrients that we need to support that T4 to T3 conversion.
00:25:45.789 --> 00:25:50.829
There are amino acids that we need, like L tyrosine, to support that T4 to T3 conversion.
00:25:50.910 --> 00:25:53.069
And then there's even genetic SNPs.
00:25:53.309 --> 00:25:58.029
So there's these little SNPs that we can get on our DNA.
00:25:58.190 --> 00:26:05.789
Some of you may have had a genetic test done in the past, but you have these little SNPs that that show propensity.
00:26:05.950 --> 00:26:15.150
So we can actually now test the DiO1 and DiO2 SNP on your genes to see how well are you converting?
00:26:15.309 --> 00:26:17.069
Are you a non-converter?
00:26:17.230 --> 00:26:19.710
Are you a partial non-converter?
00:26:19.950 --> 00:26:24.190
I actually have a genetic SNP where I don't convert.
00:26:24.349 --> 00:26:36.029
I actually knew that before I took the genetic test, but the genetic test basically confirmed it that I flat out don't convert my T4 to T3 well at all.
00:26:36.190 --> 00:26:46.269
Even when I check all of the boxes from you know lowering stress, the nutrient support, all of that, I still tend to push toward reverse T3.
00:26:46.829 --> 00:26:53.069
So sometimes we can look at your genetics and see how well you're gonna convert your inactive to active thyroid hormone as well.
00:26:53.549 --> 00:26:55.389
Yeah, that is really important.
00:26:55.710 --> 00:27:02.509
There are some deeper things that most doctors are just not talking to you about when it comes to the thyroid.
00:27:02.589 --> 00:27:04.269
That's just the truth of it.
00:27:04.509 --> 00:27:19.710
So now we know we got to give this whole thyroid panel, but more importantly, we have to have someone who understands how to interpret the levels because it's not whether or not they're in range, right?
00:27:20.509 --> 00:27:21.069
Correct.
00:27:21.230 --> 00:27:28.509
And so I go into that in the book and I structure the book to be almost like a step-by-step guide.
00:27:28.670 --> 00:27:37.389
Or if you really want to do a throwback, Ashley's probably too young for this, but you probably remember the uh choose your own adventure books.
00:27:37.710 --> 00:27:39.069
Or Ashley, do you remember those too?
00:27:39.309 --> 00:27:39.789
Yeah, I do.
00:27:40.109 --> 00:27:40.269
Do you?
00:27:41.150 --> 00:27:41.389
Okay.
00:27:42.349 --> 00:27:46.990
So I wanted to structure the book kind of like that, to where people could get their labs.
00:27:47.150 --> 00:27:49.950
And then, of course, we have the optimal ranges, right?
00:27:50.109 --> 00:27:58.990
Just like you said, you can't go by that standard lab value range that's on your report, that's on your lab report, because those are taken from sick people.
00:27:59.069 --> 00:28:01.150
We don't want you to be sick, we want you to be optimal.
00:28:01.309 --> 00:28:03.789
So I have the optimal ranges in the book as well.
00:28:04.029 --> 00:28:13.069
And then based on where you fall, then I guide the reader into that next step of literally knowing what you need to do next.
00:28:13.230 --> 00:28:25.629
So let's just hypothetically say you're on T4 only, which I'm gonna throw out a stat just because I know, and you know, so many of our listeners are stuck on T4 only, right?
00:28:25.710 --> 00:28:27.230
Because that is standard of care.
00:28:27.389 --> 00:28:29.789
Just like my doctor told me, that's standard of care.
00:28:29.869 --> 00:28:31.150
I'm not gonna give you T3.
00:28:31.230 --> 00:28:32.589
That's all you get is T4.
00:28:32.990 --> 00:28:45.230
Well, the issue with that is that only 2% of those with hypothyroidism or Hashimoto's that are on T4 only will thrive, will do well.
00:28:45.549 --> 00:28:48.990
98% of us need T4 and T3.
00:28:49.549 --> 00:29:04.509
So accounting for the fact that the majority of the listeners out there are probably on T4 only, or maybe you're on this little baby dose of T3, I then I take you in the book to that next step of knowing exactly what you need to ask your doctor for.
00:29:04.670 --> 00:29:14.190
So, for example, let's say Susie Q is on 100 micrograms of T4, synthetroid, levo, and her reverse T3 is coming back at a 20.
00:29:14.589 --> 00:29:24.750
Well, then we need to move over to this step, and she now knows I need to lower my dose of T4 because that T4 is just pushing the reverse T3.
00:29:24.829 --> 00:29:27.710
It's putting my body in a lockdown survival mode.
00:29:27.950 --> 00:29:30.910
And I need to add in a little bit of T3.
00:29:31.069 --> 00:29:32.990
Now we have some options there.
00:29:33.150 --> 00:29:44.269
We can go the natural desiccated route, we can add in some lyothyrinine, but I'm literally walking the reader step by step through this process so they know exactly what their body needs.
00:29:44.430 --> 00:29:55.309
And then, of course, the next step is talking to your doctor to get him or her on board to collaborate in your health, which that can be the most challenging part, but I also give tips for that as well.
00:29:55.789 --> 00:29:56.670
Oh my gosh.
00:29:56.829 --> 00:29:57.470
So good.
00:29:57.629 --> 00:29:59.470
I think that's gonna be really helpful.
00:29:59.789 --> 00:30:06.349
And I would love to hear from you because you have women coming to you all over the country.
00:30:06.589 --> 00:30:12.190
What are their doctors saying when they come to them saying, Oh, I think I need T3?
00:30:12.509 --> 00:30:12.829
Dr.
00:30:12.990 --> 00:30:15.869
Amy said so on this podcast, or Dr.
00:30:16.029 --> 00:30:17.230
Tabitha did.
00:30:17.549 --> 00:30:22.109
Um, like, what is the most common pushback that you're hearing?
00:30:22.750 --> 00:30:25.789
Uh, so I have a feeling we hear the same thing.
00:30:25.950 --> 00:30:33.710
Uh, the ladies get told that their heart's gonna explode or they're gonna lose bone, which we now know.
00:30:33.789 --> 00:30:36.029
And I mean, I can even use myself as an example.
00:30:36.109 --> 00:30:44.349
I've been on C3 only now for the past 25, 30 years, and at a higher dose, because that's just me.
00:30:44.509 --> 00:30:46.349
I tend to need more of everything.
00:30:46.430 --> 00:30:49.549
I need more estrogen, I need more progesterone, I need more of everything.
00:30:49.789 --> 00:30:58.509
So if anybody was going to lose bone or suddenly develop aphib or tachycardia, it would be me.
00:30:58.670 --> 00:30:59.950
And that hasn't happened yet.
00:31:00.029 --> 00:31:02.190
I have DEXA scans every single year.
00:31:02.269 --> 00:31:04.589
I have the bones of a 20-year-old, I'm good.
00:31:04.829 --> 00:31:09.869
And really, we have seen that, we'll call it a myth, debunk through the years.
00:31:09.950 --> 00:31:20.190
Now, can there be the random person that has a propensity or has a history of AFib and you give them too much T3 and they get the heart palpitations or they get tachycardia?
00:31:20.509 --> 00:31:20.829
Sure.
00:31:21.069 --> 00:31:33.470
Can you have the random woman that maybe she's a little bit elderly and she doesn't take vitamin D and she doesn't take magnesium and she doesn't do any kind of weight-bearing exercise whatsoever for her bones and she's not on BHRT?
00:31:33.629 --> 00:31:38.190
If you give her a little bit too much T3, can it affect bone cell turnout?
00:31:38.269 --> 00:31:38.670
Sure.
00:31:38.829 --> 00:31:56.990
But again, it's those extreme cases where maybe we'll be a little bit more careful with a T3, but that is not a universal answer that women should be told when they're, you know, 45, taking care of themselves, lifting weights, and and my God, they just want to feel better.
00:31:57.230 --> 00:31:58.509
They just want to feel better.
00:31:58.589 --> 00:32:01.789
And the reverse T3 is showing that they don't convert well.
00:32:02.029 --> 00:32:04.910
We have to bring in that active thyroid hormone.
00:32:05.150 --> 00:32:05.470
Yeah.
00:32:05.629 --> 00:32:11.789
I I want to say, as a conventionally trained doctor, we're just not trained to use it.
00:32:11.950 --> 00:32:14.269
We don't understand it as a medication.
00:32:14.349 --> 00:32:16.829
And I literally was going to say that.
00:32:16.990 --> 00:32:19.470
I was like, I I that was what I was sitting here thinking.
00:32:19.549 --> 00:32:22.589
Like, the women who are listening need to hear, need to know.
00:32:22.670 --> 00:32:26.190
And you say this so much, like it's not the doctor's fault.
00:32:26.269 --> 00:32:27.710
Like, don't be upset with your doctor.
00:32:27.950 --> 00:32:31.789
Like, they really truly only have seven minutes with you, and it and it sucks.
00:32:31.950 --> 00:32:34.109
But that's just the honest to goodness truth.
00:32:34.190 --> 00:32:36.589
And that's where you have to make the decision.
00:32:36.750 --> 00:32:43.309
This is kind of where that I feel like you go back to the end of your book, like you might have to take action and go and see someone like you, Dr.
00:32:43.389 --> 00:32:44.269
Amy, or you, Dr.
00:32:44.349 --> 00:32:44.910
Tabitha.
00:32:45.150 --> 00:32:50.029
Like, you're going to have to step outside of insurance and you're going to have to, you're going to have to do it.
00:32:50.430 --> 00:32:50.589
Right.
00:32:50.750 --> 00:32:53.150
That's this is where like the action really matters.
00:32:53.309 --> 00:32:53.470
Yeah.
00:32:53.710 --> 00:33:04.349
I had to go on and learn it and get trained in functional medicine to understand the thyroid and how to prescribe T3 medication and you know, natural desiccated.
00:33:04.670 --> 00:33:10.509
And so you're going to have to do something different as the the patient, you know.
00:33:10.670 --> 00:33:12.829
That's just the truth of it in this day and age.
00:33:13.150 --> 00:33:18.910
Well, and I that's one thing when I do discovery calls, women will say, Well, you know, this is a big investment.
00:33:18.990 --> 00:33:20.990
And this is where I kind of share my story.
00:33:21.150 --> 00:33:27.869
Like, I remember sitting across from Tabitha in 2019 and going home and sharing with my husband how much it was going to cost us.
00:33:28.029 --> 00:33:33.230
But he would tell you today, like, it was worth the sacrifice because I am who I am because of that.
00:33:33.470 --> 00:33:39.389
And so you you do, you, there's going to be some sacrifices, but we were able to make them for me to feel good.
00:33:39.549 --> 00:33:45.470
Like that's it seems so silly, but I needed to feel good to function, to be a better mom, to be a better wife.
00:33:45.629 --> 00:33:48.349
And so I think you have to make those sacrifices.
00:33:48.509 --> 00:33:49.389
It's important.
00:33:50.190 --> 00:33:55.309
Real quick, I just want to interrupt this conversation for something super important.
00:33:56.269 --> 00:34:06.589
Even though we need to take care of ourselves spiritually, emotionally, and physically, we do have to take care of ourselves at a cellular level.
00:34:06.750 --> 00:34:10.110
And that is why I have my Fast to Face supplement line.
00:34:10.190 --> 00:34:18.110
So let's just take a minute to hear about something that might be the game changer that you need in this season.
00:34:18.430 --> 00:34:26.349
We didn't talk in detail about the difference in omega-3s versus omega 6s when we talked about omega lift.
00:34:26.750 --> 00:34:37.070
And it's so important because the standard American diet, one of the worst aspects of it is the high levels of omega-6s.
00:34:37.230 --> 00:34:39.630
Like that's what's destroying ourselves.
00:34:39.789 --> 00:34:39.950
Yep.
00:34:40.190 --> 00:34:40.510
Right?
00:34:40.990 --> 00:34:41.630
100%.
00:34:42.110 --> 00:34:44.750
You know, oftentimes we don't really have a choice.
00:34:44.910 --> 00:34:51.950
I mean, if you look at your labels, if you if you go out to eat like the average human being, you are going to have omega-6s.
00:34:52.190 --> 00:34:55.470
Omega-6s and omega-3s are called essential fatty acids.
00:34:55.630 --> 00:35:03.710
What the name implies, they're essential for the functioning of your body, mostly stored on your fat, um, but they're very essential for the functioning of your body.
00:35:03.869 --> 00:35:09.550
Both of them are, but however, in a one-to-one ratio, meaning you don't need a whole lot of omega-6s.
00:35:09.630 --> 00:35:12.430
Now, omega-3s are phenomenal.
00:35:12.590 --> 00:35:23.550
Omega-6s, though, in too much, like you could have a ton of omega-3s, and you're it's it's omega-6s though, if you have too much of that particular omega, it turns into inflammation.
00:35:23.789 --> 00:35:26.750
So you do not want to have too much omega-6s.
00:35:26.910 --> 00:35:38.430
Before the food industry really existed, you could get away with eating salmon once or twice a week because you were not getting omega-6s in your diet.
00:35:38.670 --> 00:35:41.789
But now we we're getting them everywhere we turn.
00:35:41.869 --> 00:35:44.590
We're getting them in their coffee drinks in the morning.
00:35:44.750 --> 00:35:48.430
We're getting them in our, you know, everything.
00:35:48.750 --> 00:35:56.190
That's why potato chips are bad for you, not because of the potatoes or the salt, because they're soaked in omega-6 seed oils.
00:35:56.349 --> 00:35:58.670
And so we're just combating this.
00:35:58.910 --> 00:36:04.670
And that is why we need omega-3s in such high levels.
00:36:04.990 --> 00:36:15.309
I can't even tell you how different I feel when I add in omega lift because I do tend to consume a lot of omega-6s.
00:36:15.710 --> 00:36:24.429
Um, just with traveling and having two teenage kids, so we're never eating dinner at the same time or we're always grabbing and on the go.
00:36:24.590 --> 00:36:26.909
And so I have to combat that.
00:36:27.070 --> 00:36:28.989
I have to counteract it.
00:36:30.269 --> 00:36:36.590
I would love for you to tie in the fact that the thyroid is the master gland.
00:36:36.750 --> 00:36:40.190
It's controlling literally everything that's happening in your body.
00:36:40.269 --> 00:36:50.670
That's why the symptoms are head to toe: hair loss, pooping, you know, constipation, dry skin, terrible nails, all the things, brain fog.
00:36:51.469 --> 00:36:58.590
But it's also affecting our sex hormones and our gut, like all of the things.
00:36:58.750 --> 00:37:01.550
I would love for you to talk about that a little bit.
00:37:02.110 --> 00:37:11.869
Well, yeah, and I'll even add in the chronic diseases that we tend to push aside because I'm I'm I'm guilty of this as well.
00:37:12.110 --> 00:37:22.750
I only talk about, usually only talk about the aesthetic part, the weight gain, the hair loss, and even just fatigue, you know, how it starts affecting us, how we feel.
00:37:22.909 --> 00:37:25.789
We just schlep through the day, we don't work out, all of that.
00:37:26.030 --> 00:37:28.030
But what about the chronic disease too?
00:37:28.190 --> 00:37:35.389
So, just like you said, it affects every single aspect, every single organ, every single system of our body.
00:37:35.550 --> 00:37:39.869
It really can be the root cause of many of your symptoms.
00:37:40.110 --> 00:37:45.630
So, we also have to think about it in terms of long-term longevity and chronic disease.
00:37:45.869 --> 00:37:58.429
I just saw a study that came out last week that showed that being in a non-optimized state, just being hypothyroid, and this could be that you're you're diagnosed and you're on T4 only, but you're not optimal.
00:37:58.590 --> 00:38:01.949
You're just falling in that within normal limits category.
00:38:02.190 --> 00:38:09.309
So an untreated or a non-optimized thyroid actually puts you at a greater risk of Parkinson's.
00:38:09.469 --> 00:38:14.829
So now they're tying this to neurological conditions, which we already knew about Alzheimer's.
00:38:14.989 --> 00:38:24.509
We know there's a strong correlation between insulin resistance, low thyroid function, and even low estrogen that you talk about, and your risk of Alzheimer's and dementia.
00:38:24.670 --> 00:38:30.670
Now we're seeing it branch out into other neurological diseases of aging like Parkinson's, heart disease.
00:38:30.829 --> 00:38:34.750
I mean, your heart has T3 receptor sites on it.
00:38:34.989 --> 00:38:41.710
We know that there's a higher propensity to have hypercholesterol, hypercholesterolemia.
00:38:41.789 --> 00:38:43.389
Oh my God, say that five times fast.
00:38:43.789 --> 00:38:50.110
Um, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, uh, high blood pressure, low blood pressure.
00:38:50.269 --> 00:38:55.309
I mean, everything becomes dysregulated in your system, which feeds something else.
00:38:55.550 --> 00:38:58.750
So the thyroid controls your insulin response, right?
00:38:58.909 --> 00:39:07.710
You could be insulin resistant and or type 2 diabetic, and you could be eating keto or carnivore and you're looking at your numbers going, why is this?
00:39:07.869 --> 00:39:09.869
Why do I have this elevated A1C?
00:39:10.030 --> 00:39:11.630
Why is my insulin elevated?
00:39:11.789 --> 00:39:13.949
I'm not even eating carbohydrates.
00:39:14.190 --> 00:39:21.150
Well, if your thyroid is not functioning well and you're not being treated properly, that will literally drive insulin resistance.
00:39:21.309 --> 00:39:23.949
Okay, what do we know about being insulin resistant?
00:39:24.110 --> 00:39:27.309
We know that will drive cardiovascular disease.
00:39:27.550 --> 00:39:36.110
That will drive um again, Alzheimer's as type three diabetes, as we're correlating Alzheimer's with insulin resistance.
00:39:36.429 --> 00:39:48.909
So there's such a tie-in to every aspect of our body, but we also have to think about it from a longevity standpoint, too, and and avoiding chronic disease as we age.
00:39:49.469 --> 00:39:50.750
I'm so glad you said that.
00:39:50.909 --> 00:39:59.789
I'm just having flashbacks to when I was on T4 only medication, you know, I was still in OBGYN, I was studying functional medicine.
00:39:59.949 --> 00:40:05.309
I had met you, and I was like, I think I need to try some T3.
00:40:05.869 --> 00:40:10.030
And at the time, you know, I was super constipated.
00:40:10.110 --> 00:40:12.670
I probably pooped like once or twice a week, right?
00:40:12.750 --> 00:40:20.269
So I always felt miserable, I was always tired, but my hemoglobin A1C was like 5.6, you know.
00:40:20.509 --> 00:40:22.670
Hello, that's way too high.
00:40:22.989 --> 00:40:31.150
And um, I was having heart palpitations, and everybody kept saying, Well, you must be on too much thyroid medication.
00:40:31.309 --> 00:40:37.150
And I'm like, I'm on like this baby dose of T4, it doesn't even make any sense.
00:40:37.230 --> 00:40:44.909
I think I was on 50 micrograms at the time, and my labs were showing a TSH 4.5, 4.7.
00:40:45.710 --> 00:40:51.710
And when I added in that T3, the heart palpitations actually went away.
00:40:52.269 --> 00:40:55.150
And I was like, okay, I'm on to something.
00:40:55.389 --> 00:40:56.349
This is crazy.
00:40:56.509 --> 00:41:10.190
And then the more I talked to you and continued to study, I was like, wow, like we actually need T3 to have a healthy beating heart for it to not go into arrhythmia.
00:41:10.269 --> 00:41:12.349
So there's this balance, right?
00:41:12.590 --> 00:41:19.710
And ever since I got my thyroid optimized, the functions started working in my body again.
00:41:19.869 --> 00:41:20.989
I started feeling better.
00:41:21.070 --> 00:41:24.110
But yes, the hemoglobin A1C came down.
00:41:24.190 --> 00:41:27.550
Now it's hanging out like 4.9, 5.0.
00:41:28.030 --> 00:41:31.389
You know, I don't have the heart flutters, all the things.
00:41:31.469 --> 00:41:40.670
It's like when you start putting these dots together and you can just see, like, oh my goodness, it is really all connected.
00:41:40.909 --> 00:41:50.590
And you're right, you cannot have longevity and prevent these chronic diseases if your master gland is not optimized.
00:41:50.989 --> 00:41:51.710
Exactly.
00:41:51.869 --> 00:41:57.070
And just touching on one thing Ashley mentioned earlier, too, it just kind of sparked something in my head.
00:41:57.309 --> 00:42:00.269
Ashley, when you were saying, like when you first started working with Dr.
00:42:00.349 --> 00:42:16.670
Tabitha, how it really changed your life and how you felt, I would even argue that a lot of our listeners, our patients, they they don't even realize that how they feel is not optimal.
00:42:17.230 --> 00:42:24.269
So I would ask you, Ashley, did you realize at the time that the symptoms that you were having wasn't just part of life?
00:42:24.429 --> 00:42:27.230
It wasn't, you know, oh, I'm just getting older.
00:42:27.309 --> 00:42:34.190
Because I think women actually medically gaslight themselves sometimes and just say, oh, you know, it's just part of getting.
00:42:34.509 --> 00:42:36.190
And you were young, obviously.
00:42:36.269 --> 00:42:43.070
I mean, look at the the 40 and 50 year olds that we all see that they're like, oh, you know, it's just perimenopause, it's nothing.
00:42:43.150 --> 00:42:49.230
I just have to learn to deal with it because you know, my neighbor is dealing with the same thing, and they don't even realize how good they can feel.
00:42:49.469 --> 00:42:55.469
Yeah, no, uh that and that's something that Tabitha said when I sat across from her, she was literally like, Your job is killing you.
00:42:55.949 --> 00:42:58.590
And I at the time was like, I don't even know what you're talking about.
00:42:58.670 --> 00:42:59.630
This is what I dreamed of.
00:42:59.710 --> 00:43:01.309
Like, this is the job I've always wanted.
00:43:01.469 --> 00:43:06.590
And so you don't realize it because you just keep raising the standard of like being okay with where you are.
00:43:06.989 --> 00:43:07.630
Misery standard.
00:43:07.789 --> 00:43:08.590
Yeah, the misery standard.
00:43:08.829 --> 00:43:09.710
Being okay with where you are.
00:43:09.869 --> 00:43:10.349
That's good.
00:43:10.509 --> 00:43:11.150
Yeah, yeah.
00:43:11.230 --> 00:43:12.030
I mean, that's what you do.
00:43:12.110 --> 00:43:14.030
You're just like, okay, this is how I'm supposed to feel.
00:43:14.110 --> 00:43:15.550
Like, this is what I've been praying for.
00:43:15.710 --> 00:43:18.349
So here I am, and I'm just gonna keep being more miserable.
00:43:18.509 --> 00:43:20.269
And that's not really what we're supposed to do.
00:43:20.429 --> 00:43:26.750
So, and yeah, I to me, like I always feel like it is such a blessing that I was able to go through this so young.
00:43:26.829 --> 00:43:36.030
And so that's why it's uh for me, I'm so passionate about trying to get younger women to get healthier and to know these things because I don't want them to be 50 and struggling.
00:43:36.110 --> 00:43:40.269
I would rather them be 30, struggling a little bit and figure it out a lot quicker.
00:43:40.509 --> 00:43:42.269
So exactly.
00:43:43.070 --> 00:43:44.030
Oh my goodness.
00:43:44.190 --> 00:43:44.509
Okay.
00:43:44.670 --> 00:43:49.150
Well, you mentioned T2, which we don't talk a lot about.
00:43:49.389 --> 00:43:50.269
Why is that?
00:43:50.429 --> 00:43:53.469
Why why is T2 not available to everyone?
00:43:53.550 --> 00:43:56.190
And why aren't the doctors talking about it?
00:43:56.670 --> 00:43:58.509
Well, I think you could answer this one.
00:43:58.670 --> 00:44:01.630
It's not a pharmaceutical, right?
00:44:01.869 --> 00:44:04.909
It's it's not it's not controlled by big pharma.
00:44:05.389 --> 00:44:19.309
So I do believe that eventually once we get past this uh GLP1 craze, that then you know big pharma will turn their sights on on bringing T2 into the the pharmaceutical list.
00:44:19.389 --> 00:44:26.110
But for now, it's still available in supplement form, which actually is is a good thing because it's available for everyone.
00:44:26.269 --> 00:44:28.269
So T2 is a thyroid hormone.
00:44:28.349 --> 00:44:33.630
I have a whole chapter in the book on it, and I've been personally studying it for 15, 20 years now.
00:44:33.869 --> 00:44:48.909
Tons of research, 30 years of research on it, showing that it literally does increase your basal metabolic rate, it lowers inflammation, it helps convert T4 to T3, it helps produce more ATP, which is the energy of your cell.
00:44:48.989 --> 00:44:52.989
So it's gonna help with steady energy through the day, helps with insulin resistance.
00:44:53.070 --> 00:44:59.469
I mean, it helps with so many different things, all the while not having an effect on your thyroid.
00:44:59.550 --> 00:45:17.230
It doesn't have a thyromemetic effect, meaning if you take T4, T3, any kind of thyroid medication, in fact, if you take any hormone, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, there's a feedback loop that occurs, basically shutting down your own natural production of that specific hormone.
00:45:17.389 --> 00:45:21.389
Now, at the end of the day, we really don't care if you're not producing enough on your own.
00:45:21.550 --> 00:45:22.989
We have to supplement with it.
00:45:23.150 --> 00:45:30.349
If you're not making enough testosterone, it doesn't matter that we shut down your own production because you're only spitting out an itty bitty amount, anyways.
00:45:30.509 --> 00:45:33.469
We're gonna replace that with testosterone replacement therapy.
00:45:33.630 --> 00:45:40.670
Same thing with the thyroid, but we have to understand that if we take T4 and T3, it's going to shut down our own natural production.
00:45:40.829 --> 00:45:48.590
So when we're replacing thyroid hormone, we want to be sure that we do so adequately because that person is gonna lose a little bit of their own production.
00:45:48.750 --> 00:45:51.309
With T2, we don't have to worry about that.
00:45:51.550 --> 00:46:04.269
So it's not going to cause your doctor to look at your thyroid labs and go, Oh my goodness, Ashley, you are now hyperthyroid, and we're gonna take away all your thyroid medication now.
00:46:04.429 --> 00:46:05.550
So it's not gonna do that.
00:46:05.630 --> 00:46:09.389
It is gonna Work at the cell level to increase your metabolism.
00:46:09.630 --> 00:46:16.909
So as I was studying this, I always joke, it was only available in this bro science formula.
00:46:17.070 --> 00:46:22.590
Literally, I kin you not, there was a gorilla on the front of the bottle with hallmarks.
00:46:22.909 --> 00:46:29.710
Yeah, I mean, and I was giving it to these women and just going, here, trust me, just like trust me and take it.
00:46:30.110 --> 00:46:35.309
But over time I realized, you know, even the husbands were like, honey, what the heck are you taking here?
00:46:35.469 --> 00:46:39.469
This looks like something like that should be in our son's gym bag, right?
00:46:39.789 --> 00:46:42.030
So I came out with my own formula.
00:46:42.269 --> 00:46:48.590
And that's where fixer formulas was basically born because I wanted to bring T2 to the market.
00:46:48.670 --> 00:46:51.869
So now I have it in my thyroid fixer and metabolism fixer.
00:46:51.949 --> 00:47:19.150
And I talk a lot about it in the book because if someone is on T4 only, and let's say they can't get their insurance-based doctor to budge and give them T3, and they just can't do one of our programs, at least they can add in T2 to make a difference in their symptoms, to help them convert that T4 to T3, to give them a little bit of a chance at a metabolism and some energy again.
00:47:19.309 --> 00:47:24.429
So that's where I really call it the forgotten thyroid hormone because we're not paying enough attention to it.
00:47:24.590 --> 00:47:29.789
But at the same time, I don't know, maybe that's good because we don't want big pharma to grab it yet.
00:47:30.349 --> 00:47:31.230
I love that.
00:47:31.469 --> 00:47:31.789
Okay.
00:47:32.269 --> 00:47:48.590
In addition to adding in some T2, getting those vitamin and mineral replacements that you talked about, what are two other things, especially with Hashimoto's, you think women really need to be doing to feel better?
00:47:49.070 --> 00:47:59.070
You know, some of the basics that they can even just do right now, where they're not stressed out about even, you know, getting new labs and convincing their doctor and going through all of that.
00:47:59.230 --> 00:48:00.829
I mean, that they they definitely have to do.
00:48:00.909 --> 00:48:02.509
They got to put it on their to-do list.
00:48:02.909 --> 00:48:08.349
But immediately, right now, number one, gluten-free.
00:48:08.509 --> 00:48:09.389
Oh my goodness.
00:48:09.630 --> 00:48:09.949
I know.
00:48:10.269 --> 00:48:13.150
That's why I say in the book, it's not a fad, it's not a fad.
00:48:13.309 --> 00:48:16.190
I know people are sick of about hearing about gluten-free.
00:48:16.349 --> 00:48:27.630
But when it comes to autoimmune, specifically Hashimoto's, specifically with your thyroid, now we can absolutely overlay the gluten-free rule over all autoimmune conditions.
00:48:27.789 --> 00:48:43.389
But when we look at the thyroid and we look at Hashimoto's, first of all, just to give an analogy for the people that understand better, when you have Hashimoto's, you basically have these little soldiers that are programmed incorrectly.
00:48:43.550 --> 00:48:47.550
They think that your thyroid gland is actually a bad guy.
00:48:47.710 --> 00:48:49.630
And they like to go out and beat it up.
00:48:49.710 --> 00:48:51.309
They go out and invade it.
00:48:51.469 --> 00:49:00.429
So when we're looking at your TPO and your TGA antibodies, that's the amount of soldiers that you have that are readily going out and beating up your thyroid.
00:49:00.750 --> 00:49:10.509
So when we look at gluten under a microscope, we're specifically looking at the little protein molecule of gluten called gliadin.
00:49:10.750 --> 00:49:16.030
And when we look at that, we go, wow, that looks a lot like the thyroid gland.
00:49:16.190 --> 00:49:20.349
It's very similar in molecular structure to the thyroid gland.
00:49:20.429 --> 00:49:22.269
We call it molecular mimicry.
00:49:22.509 --> 00:49:32.909
And so when we consume gluten, we're basically alerting the troops, alerting your soldiers that, hey, there's another bad guy coming in.
00:49:33.070 --> 00:49:37.550
So your soldiers see that gluten that you consume and they're like, hey, buddy, you know what?
00:49:37.710 --> 00:49:39.869
Uh, thyroid, bad, right?
00:49:40.110 --> 00:49:42.269
So I think we should start a war.
00:49:42.509 --> 00:49:46.030
And they go out and they basically attack your thyroid even more.
00:49:46.190 --> 00:49:48.190
And yes, you can build your troops too.
00:49:48.349 --> 00:49:58.429
So if you consume gluten on a regular basis with Hashimoto's, you are launching an autoimmune attack on the daily, and you are building your soldiers.
00:49:58.509 --> 00:50:02.269
So we will see an increase in your antibodies over time as well.
00:50:02.429 --> 00:50:04.509
So this is why we say gluten-free.
00:50:04.590 --> 00:50:07.469
We're not just, we're not just jumping on a bandwagon here.
00:50:07.550 --> 00:50:13.789
There's actually scientific reasoning behind us telling you to go gluten-free if you have Hashimoto's.
00:50:13.949 --> 00:50:15.309
So that's number one.
00:50:15.550 --> 00:50:26.030
Number two, I would say, and I know you talk about this all the time, you got to pay attention to your gut because there, I would say the majority.
00:50:26.190 --> 00:50:30.190
So we have we have a couple different sites for T4 to T3 conversion.
00:50:30.349 --> 00:50:32.829
The majority happens in your gut and your liver.
00:50:33.230 --> 00:50:45.469
And percentage-wise, nobody really lands on a percentage, but I would say the majority, gut and liver, some peripheral tissues, thyroid gland, but the majority of that conversion happens in the gut and liver.
00:50:45.630 --> 00:50:48.429
We know that your gut actually produces those enzymes.
00:50:48.509 --> 00:50:57.630
They're called diiodinase enzymes that come out and they grab that T4, they rip off an iodine molecule off of it, and then it becomes T3.
00:50:57.949 --> 00:51:02.989
We need those enzymes in proper amounts for that conversion to happen.
00:51:03.150 --> 00:51:05.070
Your gut produces those enzymes.
00:51:05.230 --> 00:51:17.150
So if you're ignoring your gut, if you're a disastrous mess, if you're consuming toxic food with ingredients that you can't pronounce, and you're not cleaning things up, and you're not listening to Dr.
00:51:17.230 --> 00:51:23.389
Tab because she's telling you how to heal your gut on the regular, then you're not going to convert properly.
00:51:23.630 --> 00:51:35.070
You know, I mean, you could throw in all the thyroid hormone you want, but you're still going to struggle and you probably won't hit that optimized state that we want you to hit because you're not paying attention to the health of your gut.
00:51:35.389 --> 00:51:36.269
Oh my gosh.
00:51:36.429 --> 00:51:39.309
I mean, I can't underscore this enough.
00:51:39.550 --> 00:51:42.750
Getting gluten out of my life saved my life.
00:51:42.909 --> 00:51:55.150
It saved every aspect of my life, not just my health, because I wasn't even able to function or do my job or show up as a parent because of my health issues.
00:51:55.309 --> 00:51:57.789
And same with you, Ashley.
00:51:57.949 --> 00:52:11.150
So I just I know it seems like insurmountable, like this mountain you possibly can't even climb, but it is way easier than it was 10 or 20 years ago.
00:52:11.389 --> 00:52:12.750
And so easy.
00:52:13.070 --> 00:52:14.190
Oh my goodness.
00:52:14.349 --> 00:52:17.550
Once you feel better, like you never want to go back.
00:52:17.710 --> 00:52:28.670
When I look at cake and pizza, I just see pain and misery and depression and eczema, you know, like you just gotta decide it's not for you anymore.
00:52:29.389 --> 00:52:29.869
Exactly.
00:52:30.030 --> 00:52:32.030
And it's like you don't have to give it up.
00:52:32.190 --> 00:52:35.230
I mean, eat a gluten-free pizza, they're actually really, really good.
00:52:35.389 --> 00:52:35.550
Yes.
00:52:35.869 --> 00:52:37.949
And like you said, it's so easy these days.
00:52:38.110 --> 00:52:43.949
Now, granted, and I know you feel the same way, we don't want people living on gluten-free versions of everything.
00:52:44.190 --> 00:52:50.590
I don't want to walk into your into your kitchen and see gluten-free cookies and gluten-free bread and gluten-free pancakes and gluten-free gluten-free.
00:52:51.230 --> 00:52:53.469
But but there are options.
00:52:53.630 --> 00:52:58.030
So we just can't use the excuse that it's too hard because it's really not too hard.
00:52:58.110 --> 00:53:06.349
And if you have to use those gluten-free versions as a crutch, as that first stepping stone, and then maybe you start branching out and you go, okay, you know what?
00:53:06.429 --> 00:53:19.550
I'm gonna make my own gluten-free cookies with this killer recipe that I found on Instagram, then you start just doing your own thing and starting to slowly eliminate the boxed gluten-free versions.
00:53:19.789 --> 00:53:21.389
Yeah, I couldn't agree more.
00:53:21.550 --> 00:53:28.269
I mean, oh, I know there's so much more to this conversation, and that's why you had to write this book.
00:53:28.509 --> 00:53:31.309
So, like, where can women find it?
00:53:31.469 --> 00:53:33.710
I need to know all the details.
00:53:34.030 --> 00:53:34.829
Yes, yes.
00:53:35.070 --> 00:53:44.750
So if you're listening to this before May 16th, I'm going to encourage you to go to thyroidfixbook.com and order it from there.
00:53:44.909 --> 00:53:49.789
Now you can jump on, you can go to Amazon, Barnes Noble, Target, all the places the books are sold.
00:53:49.949 --> 00:53:55.550
But if you go to that link, we are actually having a live launch event on the 16th.
00:53:55.710 --> 00:53:57.869
It's gonna be five hours of fun.
00:53:58.030 --> 00:53:59.869
And you get a VIP ticket.
00:53:59.949 --> 00:54:05.869
If you purchase this before the 16th, you get a VIP ticket to the Zoom room where you get to interact with me.
00:54:05.949 --> 00:54:08.429
So you're gonna be able to ask your questions live.
00:54:08.590 --> 00:54:19.550
You might even get a chance to do a live lab read where we will be on screen reading through your labs, and I'll be giving you feedback based on what I see and based on the information that you give me.
00:54:19.789 --> 00:54:22.110
So it's gonna be so much fun.
00:54:22.190 --> 00:54:28.269
You do not want to miss the live launch event, but really go to anywhere books are sold, grab the thyroid fix.
00:54:28.349 --> 00:54:34.349
It is, I'm touting it as the last thyroid book you will ever need because I did exactly that.
00:54:34.429 --> 00:55:00.509
I looked at everything that was out there available to us as thyroid patients, and there's no book to date that goes into the depth of the detail and the guidance that I go into in the thyroid fix, where, like I said earlier, literally taking the reader by the hand and guiding her through this process so she can know exactly what she needs.
00:55:00.750 --> 00:55:25.070
You don't, yes, you're going to need a willing participant practitioner to execute the prescriptions, but make no mistake that you know your body and that you can absolutely learn what your labs mean and what you need as a patient, and you can learn how to ask for that.
00:55:25.150 --> 00:55:27.389
And that's what I teach you in the thyroid fix.
00:55:27.869 --> 00:55:28.509
Yay, Dr.
00:55:28.590 --> 00:55:30.989
Amy, this was such a validating conversation.
00:55:31.150 --> 00:55:34.829
Thank you so much, and thank you for fighting for every woman out there.
00:55:35.309 --> 00:55:38.349
Well, thank you, ladies, and thank you for spreading the message like you do.
00:55:38.670 --> 00:55:39.949
Yay! So good.
00:55:40.110 --> 00:55:49.230
Okay, so we always end our episodes with a scripture to meditate on for the week because, ladies, we're not called to do this alone.
00:55:49.550 --> 00:55:55.869
We do need to invite Jesus on the journey with us, even in our thyroid health.
00:55:56.110 --> 00:56:01.230
So um let me read Isaiah 4029.
00:56:02.030 --> 00:56:07.230
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
00:56:07.469 --> 00:56:10.349
So I'm telling you that Dr.
00:56:10.509 --> 00:56:14.750
Amy's pain to purpose story is probably for you today.
00:56:14.989 --> 00:56:20.909
If you have been struggling, our stories are not meant to just stay to ourselves.
00:56:21.070 --> 00:56:23.869
They are meant to be shared and help.
00:56:23.949 --> 00:56:25.869
We're just supposed to learn from each other.
00:56:25.949 --> 00:56:31.230
And so I know that you got something out of this, even if you personally don't have thyroid disease.
00:56:31.389 --> 00:56:34.030
There's one in eight women struggling with this.
00:56:34.269 --> 00:56:42.030
So someone you know is struggling, your mom, your sister, the men have it too, just not as much as the women.
00:56:42.269 --> 00:56:47.550
So I would ask God, like, what was I supposed to get out of this episode?
00:56:47.710 --> 00:56:51.150
What and you'll you'll feel it, you'll hear it.
00:56:51.309 --> 00:56:52.670
That's that little whisper.
00:56:52.829 --> 00:57:02.670
He's gonna nudge you to do something, like get the book, go to the Zoom call, get your questions answered, or even book a call with Dr.
00:57:02.829 --> 00:57:03.550
Amy's team.
00:57:03.630 --> 00:57:09.550
Like, if you need a provider, there's literally no excuse in this day and age for you not to get help.
00:57:09.789 --> 00:57:13.389
There is a way, and God will make that way for you.
00:57:13.630 --> 00:57:27.869
So lean in, ask him to give you the strength, tell him to increase whatever it is that you need: the the power, the motivation, the finances, the time, all of it, ladies.
00:57:28.190 --> 00:57:29.789
So we are here for you.
00:57:29.949 --> 00:57:30.909
I love you so much.
00:57:31.070 --> 00:57:33.789
Go be Christ's chance to serve, and we'll see you next week.
00:57:33.949 --> 00:57:34.909
Bye, ladies.
00:57:40.190 --> 00:57:44.670
If you like that episode, I have one favor to ask, maybe two.
00:57:44.989 --> 00:57:48.829
Can you hit subscribe and give me a heart?
00:57:48.989 --> 00:57:56.590
I want Apple to know that this is important information to you because when we tell them that, you will get more of it.
00:57:56.750 --> 00:57:58.429
So use your voice.
00:57:58.590 --> 00:58:03.469
Hit subscribe, hit the like button, share with a friend.
00:58:03.630 --> 00:58:09.070
And the other thing, I want you to download the five day challenge and get started on it.
00:58:09.230 --> 00:58:10.750
Take imperfect action.
00:58:10.909 --> 00:58:13.070
I will see you in the Fast of Faith Sisterhood.
00:58:13.230 --> 00:58:14.190
Till next time.