Thyroid Disease 101 - #33
Conventional medicine and functional medicine approaches butt heads when it comes to optimizing the thyroid gland. The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland situated at the base of the front of your neck, just below your Adam's apple, and controls your metabolism, or how your body converts the food you eat into energy the body can use, such as regulating how fast your heart beats, how deep you breathe, and whether or not you lose or gain weight. The thyroid can also regulate body temperature, cholesterol levels, and women’s menstrual cycles.
Twenty-three years ago I had a partial thyroidectomy, removing ½ of my thyroid, due to nodules and a cancer scare. Luckily, I did not have cancer. However, the removal of my thyroid has led me down a path of health-related issues for many years, including chronic hair shedding and thinning, depression, lack of motivation and focus, insomnia, and losing weight or gaining weight. I continue to struggle with mild insulin resistance. My libido was affected for years, and I experienced waves of chronic fatigue during the day. My story is not unique. There are many women, and men, suffering from thyroid disease, and getting the equation right is crucial to overall health and wellness.
There’s hypothyroidism, which is what I have, hyperthyroidism, Grave’s disease, and Hashimoto’s, as well as goiter’s. Getting your thyroid tested in the conventional healthcare model is incomplete, often not receiving the proper tests to look at the full story of your thyroid health. The results are also skewed, using “normal” lab ranges versus the functional medicine approach, which includes a comprehensive thyroid lab panel, looking at “optimal” ranges. In the world of “normal” ranges, you are being compared to about 90% of the population, which these days, is pretty ill. Do you want to be compared to a 72-year-old, diabetic woman with heart disease? I do not.
My guest today is going to share her expertise on all things thyroid related. She’s going to talk about what to do if you suspect your thyroid is not functioning properly, or what to do if you’ve been working with a doctor who may not be serving you and your thyroid any longer.
Dr. Amie Hornaman, a.k.a The Thyroid-Fixer, is a woman on a mission to optimize thyroid patients around the world and give them their lives back using her proprietary transformational program: The FIX Method. She is also the founder of the Institute for Thyroid and Hormone Optimization.
After her own experience of insufferable symptoms, misdiagnoses, and improper treatment, Dr. Amie set out to help others who she KNEW were going through the same set of frustrations and who were on the same medical roller coaster.
She grabs your hand, gives you answers about your health that no one has told you, and gives you the actual tools and personalized treatment to fix you. What makes her program unique is the extra support and accessibility that you can’t find anywhere else. That’s the transformational journey. With a focus on optimizing thyroid and hormone function, and thus optimizing her patients, Dr. Amie looks at you as a unique individual and not JUST a lab value. She examines all factors that tie into thyroid dysfunction and thyroid symptoms and FIXES you to give you your life back.
Medical Disclaimer:
By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice or for making any lifestyle changes to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others. Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having. This entire disclaimer also applies to any of my guests on my podcast.
To contact Dr. Amie Hornaman:
website: https://dramiehornaman.com/
FB: amiehornaman
IG: dramiehornaman
Youtube: DrAmieHornaman