How healthy is your thyroid?

I commonly see patients who have had their thyroid blood tests done, and told that they are all good. The problem is, they still feel fatigued, and know that something is not quite right.

Sub-clinical hypothyroidism is fairly widespread, but is often not recognised by your GP, as they will only look for overt signs of thyroid disease on your blood tests. As a Naturopath, I look to support people in optimal health, and just because you might not yet have thyroid disease, your thyroid might need some support to prevent it from moving this way in the future.

The medical reference range for a thyroid assessment is:

TSH 0.5-5.00, – But ideally we want to see it around 1-2

T4 10-20  – ideally  >15

T3  0.5-4.00 but ideally should be a 3:1 ratio to T4.

thyroid antibodies: ideally less than <60


Symptoms of a sluggish thyroid can present as: cognitive decline, cold hands and feet, dry skin, fatigue, weight gain, inability to lose weight, hair loss, depression, constipation, infertility, ovulation failure, miscarriage, muscle cramps and weakness, swelling and fluid retention.. to name a few.

There are many factors that interfere with our thyroid function:

Inflammation, oestrogen excess, aggressive caloric restriction (really low carbohydrate diets), environmental toxins, stress, and nutritional deficiencies.

The thyroid also needs the liver to work efficiently to help regulate thyroid hormones. The liver can often become overtaxed from an increased workload of processing medications, environmental toxins, too much sugar and excess alcohol. Liver function should always be assessed and supported when addressing thyroid health.

So, what is needed for optimal thyroid function?

There are some key nutrients that your thyroid needs to work effectively: these are iodine, zinc, selenium, iron, and vitamin B2.

You also need to make sure there are no hidden causes of inflammation in your body, such as poor gut health or stress, as this will greatly affect your thyroid function also.

If you are experiencing these symptoms, come and see one of our practitioners in clinic for a comprehensive assessment of your health and thyroid function.

Your Wellbeing Matters

Monica Roberts 

Make an appointment to come and have a chat.

(03) 9723 9755
Reference: Poppe K et al,2007, Nishimura Net a, 2004, 1998 Kelly G 200


Friedman, M 2014.

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