Could It Be My Thyroid? By Terri DeNeui, DNP, ACNP, APRN-BC
Tired all of the time? Keep gaining weight for no apparent reason? Hands cold all of the time? Eyebrow and hair thinning? Dry skin, dry hair, brittle nails? You have asked your practitioner about these symptoms because you are SURE it's your thyroid, but alas your thyroid blood tests come back "NORMAL"! These are complaints I hear time and time again in my practice. Most practitioners understand traditional hypothyroidism, where we look at ONE thyroid lab test (the TSH) and forget the most important one (the free T3). Or worse yet, we ONLY look at the labs, and never look or listen to the patient! Historically practitioners have been taught if the TSH is normal, then your thyroid is working just fine. According to Dr. Mark Starr, thyroid guru, "Centuries ago, before thyroid tests were available, the ultimate test of whether or not a patient was hypothyroid was the patient's