ICF and National Board Certified Holistic Life & Wellness Coach
We all want to live “normal” lives despite having an autoimmune disease like Hashimoto’s. We want to have that confidence and energy that we know in our hearts is possible. Who’s with me here? I don’t know about you, but sometimes I felt like my body had betrayed me – and…
Wondering what to tell people who don’t understand your need to go gluten-free or change up your diet? Been there, done that. It can be so frustrating when people don’t understand (not always their fault) or don’t care (not much you can do there). You…
When it comes to basic thyroid labs, it shouldn’t be this hard.
Insurance may only pay for a TSH lab and a T4 lab. Unfortunately, this doesn’t give a full picture of what’s going on! Speaking from experience here. I’m not a doctor and don’t even pretend to play on on tv (or elsewhere).
Free T3
Free T4
TSH
Reverse T3
TPO and TgAb (antibodies for Hashimoto’s) and TSI (antibodies for Grave’s).
Note that upwards of 80% of those with hypothyroidism also carry elevated antibodies that indicate Hashimoto’s. So while it’s good to check those, if you can’t afford the tests or your doctor won’t check them, assuming you DO have Hashi’s may not be a bad idea, just to err on the side of caution.
And remember: Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid. They thyroid is an innocent bystander here! Even though thyroid meds may help a little, getting that diet under control is key as it is with any autoimmune disease. More on diet in my What Is AIP? post.
Free T3 and Free T4 labs measure the free (unbound) T3 and T4 hormone in the body. Total numbers measure the free and bound hormone, and those aren’t as helpful for determining thyroid med dosage.
Unfortunately, many insurance companies will not cover a Free T3 test, so many doctors will not order it, thinking they are doing their patients a favor. If your Free T3 is low, you may have fatigue or poor gut motility (having a bowel movement every 3-4 days instead of 1-3x per day), low body temps/feel cold all the time…. I could go on and on here. Thyroid hormone is needed by every single cell in your body, so if there is not enough hormone to go around, it stands to reason that myriad symptoms and issues can result!
Many feel best with their Free T3 lab in the top part of their lab’s range. If your doctor will not order it, you can always self-order labs yourself, I do it all the time. Lots of places online to help you do this, Google is your friend! My favorite lab linked below.
A word about TSH: While initially, this test may be helpful for diagnosis, it is not that helpful in determining thyroid med dosage (that is where the Free labs come in!). TSH may, in fact, become quite suppressed on T3-containing meds like Cytomel, Armour, Naturthroid, etc.
TSH is a pituitary hormone, not a thyroid hormone. So if your TSH is still quite high while your Free labs are optimal, this may be indicative of pituitary issues, not thyroid issues.
A word about antibodies: They go up and down and up and down all the time. Some have antibodies in the 10,000’s, some have them only in the 100’s. The actual number doesn’t matter *that* much. Let me repeat that, the actual number doesn’t matter.
What does matter is two things:
One, that you monitor your symptoms. Some can have antibodies in the 10,000’s and feel great! Some can have slightly elevated antibodies and feel terrible. This is because you can have tons of antibodies and they won’t be doing anything. Just hanging out and… waiting. They haven’t waged their attack yet, but they’re there.
This is an excellent time to remove gluten and dairy 100% from your diet. For some, this is all they have to do and are on the road to remission. You may or may not need meds. One way to find out (get a full thyroid panel!).
Two, that you keep an eye on the number to see that it comes down over time. I don’t test antibodies every time I do thyroid labs. But that’s just me. Antibody counts fluctuate all the time, and I’ve seen too many people get upset over the fact that their antibody counts went up a few points in 4-6 weeks.
Think of this number as a roller coaster – if there are a few small dips and turns, that’s normal. If you keep climbing ever higher, time to get to work!
I test maybe once a year to see the general trend. If those numbers keep going up-up-up, then something is going on. If dietary and lifestyle interventions don’t help, then it’s time to dig deeper, looking for infections, heavy metal toxicity, mold or chemical issues, other AI disorders (like Lyme disease), etc.
If you have changed your diet recently (going gluten/dairy-free or starting the AIP), know that antibody counts may actually *rise* in the next 3-4 months as your body adjusts to your new diet.
It’s best to not take any thyroid meds prior to your labs, as T3 spikes rather quickly in the blood and may give you a false high reading in your labs – and your doctor may want to decrease your meds, which may not be the best thing. Skip your meds for 12 hours prior to blood work.
I also do all my labs first thing in the morning, while fasting. This gives a good baseline with fewer variables – for example, food may also affect TSH/hormone levels. Fasting lessens the chance of this variable affecting labs.
Biotin has also been known to skew labs, so it’s good to stop taking it a few days before any blood work.
If your doctor refuses to order these labs, it may be time for a new doctor…! Know that you can also self-order labs from many places online, I’ve been doing this for years due to insurance issues on my end. Easy peasey!
Many of us with thyroid conditions are “poor converters”. This means that our body has trouble converting T4 into the useable T3.
And here’s the kicker: synthetic meds like Levothyroxine or Synthroid contain only T4, which means trouble for us poor converters!
This is a quick and easy explanation from Dr. Datis Kharrazian (if you haven’t read his book “Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms If My Lab Tests Are Normal”, I highly recommend a read):
You can read the full post from Dr K here.
If you are looking for a new doctor to help you wade through the thyroid puzzle, I invite you to check out this post.
If you are overwhelmed, frustrated, and need a pair of ears or someone to walk the journey with you, I would love to be a support to you if you are looking to make either big or little shifts in your life.
As your coach, I will listen deeply, offer empathy, and help you make sense of what’s going on in your life right now. We can talk about anything that’s on your mind:
To book your Complimentary “Meet & Greet” Session and Assessment, click here.
Sandy Swanson is a Certified Functional Health Coach (A-CFHC) and a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC). You can learn more about her here and more about what coaching is here.
So many of us with thyroid conditions are put on synthetic meds like Levothyroxine or Synthroid. These meds contain synthetic versions of the thyroid hormone T4. However, many of us are “poor converters”. This means that our bodies have trouble converting T4 into the useable…
20 tips for starting the AIP! I often hear the question “how do I start the AIP (Auto-Immune Protocol)?” Dramatically changing up your diet and lifestyle can be daunting, that’s for sure. So, as requested, here are my favorite tips. First, the food part: 1)…
Functional medicine – what is it? What is a functional medicine practitioner, or functional MD? What is a functional medicine health coach?
Good questions all! Functional medicine, in general, looks at the whole body, instead of just a part at a time. Everything is connected, remember – the gut, the brain, the sensory organs, the endocrine system (glands), etc.
The easiest way to answer the second part is to compare conventional medicine doctors to functional medicine doctors. So, imagine, if you will, that you went to the doctor after being diagnosed with high blood pressure. Here’s how a conventional doc may respond:
“Your blood pressure is high. Here, take this medication.”
A functional MD may respond this way:
“Your blood pressure is high. What is the cause of this? How is your diet? What are your sleep habits? How about exercise?” What kinds of stressors are you currently facing day-to-day? Do you have a meditation, spiritual, or energy work practice?
As you can see, while conventional doctors are mainly trained to treat disease after it has occurred, functional practitioners are trained to *prevent* or reverse disease by looking for root causes.
Prescription medicines are sometimes just band-aids for underlying causes*. And until that cause is addressed, will not solve anything long-term. Chris Kresser has a great analogy that suggests if a person with a rock in their shoe goes to a conventional doctor complaining of foot pain, that doctor will give them Tylenol for the pain and send them on their way. Doesn’t this sound ridiculous? It IS, but it is basically what happens every day in doctor’s offices across this country.
A functional doctor might actually look at the shoe, turn it upside-down, and find the rock (hopefully not as big as the rocks in the above photo!), the source of the pain. Problem solved! If only all health concerns were that easy to fix, right? Well, change is hard. And is where a coach can be of great support.
While we can’t diagnose or tell you what labs to get or what meds to take or not take, we can work with your doctor to help you make positive changes in your diet, sleep habits, and how to best manage stress. Long-lasting behavior changes are sometimes hard to figure out and implement by oneself. For more information on this please see my post “What Is Coaching?”
*Please note that I do not suggest that all medicines are bad. For those with chemical or hormonal imbalances either caused by “genetic wiring” or chronic disease, medicines may be life-saving. I consider my thyroid hormone replacement med to be in this category. The point is not to get OFF these meds, but to get OPTIMAL on them.
That said, many find that once diet, sleep, and stress are addressed, that they may be able to reduce or even go off certain medications. This should not ever be the goal, but instead, a really nice side effect.
Shouldn’t all interventions have side effects this nice?
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Institute for Functional Medicine “Find a Practitioner” tool
Kresser Institute ADAPT trained practitioners
If you have a thyroid condition, Izabella Wentz has a database of doctors well-versed in thyroid issues.
RLC labs (makers of Nature-Throid and WP Thyroid) also has a Find A Thyroid Doctor tool.
I would love to be a support if you are looking to make either big or little shifts in your life and what beliefs you currently hold surrounding your health and autoimmune disease. To book your Complimentary Session and Assessment, click here.
Sandy Swanson is a Certified Functional Health Coach (A-CFHC) and a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC). You can learn more about her here and more about what coaching is here.
What is AIP? AIP is the AutoImmune Protocol (sometimes called AutoImmune Paleo). The most important thing to remember about the AIP is that it is NOT a diet – it is a PROTOCOL that includes dietary interventions. Aside from diet, the protocol addresses lifestyle, sleep, and…
New to Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis? Need guidance and help? Learn more about my online course, “Reimagining Hashimoto’s”. If you are new to Hashi’s or just need some guidance when it comes to thyroid disease (yeah, it can be overwhelming, complicated, and frustrating), I invite you…
The road to healing while experiencing illness can be long and lonely. As a National Board Certified and Holistic Life & Wellness Coach, I walk alongside my clients and help them untangle the web of confusion, frustration, and overwhelm surrounding autoimmune and chronic health issues.
I take my clients past the usual tangible goal-setting. You can set goals on your own, so why do you need me to help you write down things in your calendar?
In other words:
What is it about your current situation that is requiring the help of a coach? What is holding you back from moving forward on your own accord?
Usually, there are seemingly harmless thoughts or beliefs lurking beneath the surface of actionable, tangible goal setting. Perhaps there is a conflict of values – when what society and culture demand of us doesn’t align with what we hold dear to our hearts. Sometimes there are strong emotions holding us back – emotions that need to be fully processed before we can move forward.
These thoughts, beliefs, values, and emotions are just some of what we will uncover and address in our work together. My clients and I often also talk about the power of choice, language, how intuition and faith can impact our healing, and the concepts of awareness and acceptance
This type of transformational coaching helps you not just in one part of your life; all parts of your life will be improved as a result of our work together.
To hear more about how I work, I invite you to read the posts in the links above.
I look forward to meeting you!
Sandy Swanson
ACC, NBC-HWC, A-CFHC
“Sandy brings a higher level of compassion and empathy to her service because she’s suffered through the low points of poor health and understands the emotional and mental toll that autoimmune disease can take on a person. I would absolutely trust her sanguine advice with my physical and mental health.” – Tamra Westberry, Co-Founder Hashimoto’s 411
“Sandy has an amazing gift as a listener, healer, and coach. She provided me with tools and techniques that allowed me to get to the heart of what I truly needed to thrive. Working with her opened up a new and empowering avenue to how I viewed and approached my life and health.” – Luanne Sawatzky, homeschooling mom
“Sandy is not only a brilliant, compassionate, deeply engaging and skilled coach, but her knowledge and expertise of Hashimoto’s is also vastly comprehensive. She understands the mental, emotional, and lifestyle side of Hashimoto’s and how it can affect women’s overall health, wellness, and quality of life.” – Kelli Saginak, EdD, A-CFHC, NBC-HWC
I offer a free Assessment and Complimentary Session to all prospective clients. During this session, we’ll discuss what brings you to coaching and I’ll answer any questions you may have about me or the coaching process. We’ll also see how we “fit” together – we may not have good chemistry, which is important to establishing trust and an open client-coach relationship. I am always happy to refer out to a colleague who may be a better fit for your needs.
NOTE: While my coach training gave me an excellent education in terms of functional medicine, chronic illness, and autoimmune disease, I am not a doctor. I do not give medical advice. I simply speak the language, I do not teach it.
I am also not a nutritionist or dietician. I do not do meal plans. I invite you to seek the help of these professionals if this is the type of help you are looking for.
Please see this page for more on what coaching is – and isn’t.
“Sandy is not only insightful, thoughtful, and supportive but she also has a wonderful sense of humor. I would absolutely recommend Sandy to anyone who is struggling with Hashimoto’s and looking for a way forward where you feel heard and cared for.” – Will Welch, Board-Certified Health and Leadership Coach
“Coaching isn’t about finding someone who will tell you what to do. However, if you are looking for a compassionate, clear-headed, inspirational partner in your journey of self-discovery, whose talent lies in helping reflect your best self back to you as you find your path to freedom and self-acceptance, then you are absolutely in the right place!” – Kristina M., professional musician, Luxembourg
“As a highly sensitive being, Sandy brings compassion, love, and gentleness to her coaching sessions along with the strength to stand by the client. Sandy will listen to you with a depth of a musician and the heart of a lover. If you are looking to be understood, cared for, and transformed, Sandy is your coach.” – Tijen Genco, MCC, NBC-HWC
I coach via phone or video; Zoom is the platform I use for video calls. Just let me know what you prefer when you book and I’ll send along a link and password to my Zoom meeting room.
If you do not receive an email from Practice Better regarding this booking by the end of the day, please check your spam/junk folder. I will need you to confirm your session via the green button in that initial email; links to Zoom and my phone number will be sent the day before our session – these will also be sent through Practice Better. Check your spam folder!
If you have changed your mind about meeting me, I appreciate the courtesy of canceling 24 hours prior to your session if this is possible.
If you are more than 5 minutes late to this session I will consider this session forfeited; please reschedule if you are still interested in working together.
If booking below gives you trouble (scroll down to see all booking options), please visit my booking portal at Practice Better.
I look forward to working with you!
Join me for my 6 week LIVE online course, Reimagining Hashimoto’s. Read what former students are saying about this transformational course below!
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If you have any questions about Hashimoto’s I cannot recommend this course enough! The road to health can be a long and complicated one but now I feel that I’m equipped with a good roadmap. Every aspect of the course was relevant and important. You will also find a highly supportive group of people that are on the same ride with you – the deep exchange in content, feelings, thoughts, and even recipes lets you know that you are not alone. If you are on the fence about this course, do it because you will be better for it! – Amy Palacios, Administrative Specialist at Public Health
Whether you are diagnosed with Hashimoto’s or not, anyone who’s ready and willing to make positive changes in their life and health should definitely take this course! Each Module left me with a lot of useful information to learn from and it helped me get a better understanding of my current condition as well as new tools to slowly start moving forward. The knowledge and perspective I gained has allowed me to create a more balanced approach in all areas of my life. – Mariana Osuna, Independent Filmmaker
The camaraderie among the Reimagining Hashimoto’s group was amazing! Sandy was a great leader who created a safe environment so we could all share and benefit from each others’ knowledge and experience. I highly recommend this course to anyone seeking information and encouragement as they navigate forward from their Hashimoto’s diagnosis, regardless of where they are in their journey! – Diane Corey, Realtor and Multi-Million Dollar Producer
I didn’t expect how beautifully and completely presented this course would be. Sandy is a consummate professional and everything she presented in this course was relatable, useful, fascinating, enriching, and deeper than I could ever have imagined. Her research was in-depth, and the links she added in the resources section was fantastic. I have gone on more “deep dives” into subjects I never anticipated were related. I HIGHLY recommend participation in this course, and working with Sandy in any capacity you are able to. She is wonderful. – KC Still, Professional Musician and Suzuki Instructor
