Thyroid Health and Functional Medicine: Getting to the Root Cause
Are you struggling with fatigue, weight gain, brain fog, or thinning hair and wondering if your thyroid might be to blame?
Thyroid issues are more common than you might think, especially among women. But while most doctors test your TSH levels and send you off with a prescription, functional medicine takes a deeper look at why your thyroid isn’t working properly—and what you can do to feel better naturally.
Let’s explore how functional medicine can help restore your thyroid health from the inside out.
🧠 What Does the Thyroid Do?
Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in your neck that controls your metabolism, energy levels, mood, digestion, and even your hair and skin. It makes two main hormones—T4 and T3—that help regulate almost every system in your body.
When your thyroid isn’t working right, it can lead to symptoms like:
Tiredness or low energy
Unexplained weight gain or loss
Constipation
Depression or anxiety
Brain fog or memory issues
Thinning hair and brittle nails
🌱 How Functional Medicine Approaches Thyroid Issues
Instead of simply managing symptoms, functional medicine asks: “What’s causing this?” Here are the main areas we investigate:
1. Comprehensive Assessment
A thorough history and evaluation, including advanced thyroid panels, micronutrient testing, and inflammatory markers. Many patients with thyroid dysfunction have underlying autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto's thyroiditis—often missed with standard TSH-only screening. 1
2. Nutrient Levels
Your thyroid needs certain nutrients to make and activate hormones—especially selenium, iodine, zinc, and vitamin D. Low levels of these nutrients can contribute to thyroid problems. Supporting your diet with the right foods and supplements may help reduce inflammation and improve how your thyroid works. 2
3. Gut Health
Did you know 70% of your immune system lives in your gut? Research shows that gut imbalances (like leaky gut or dysbiosis) can play a big role in autoimmune thyroid diseases, including Hashimoto’s and Graves’. 3
Healing the gut with foods that reduce inflammation—and adding probiotics or digestive support—can help calm the immune system and support thyroid health.4
4. Stress and the Thyroid
Chronic stress throws off your hormones, especially the HPA axis (your brain–adrenal–thyroid connection). Over time, this can lower thyroid hormone levels and leave you feeling drained. Mindfulness, yoga, deep breathing, and good sleep hygiene are powerful (and often underrated) tools to reset your system. 5
5. Toxin Exposure
Certain chemicals in plastics, personal care products, and even food packaging can impact your thyroid. These are called endocrine disruptors. In functional medicine, we work to reduce your exposure and support gentle detox pathways. 6
✅ What You Can Do
Get comprehensive thyroid testing (not just TSH)
Eat a whole-foods diet rich in selenium, iodine, and zinc
Heal your gut with anti-inflammatory foods and probiotics
Incorporate stress-relief practices daily
Reduce chemical exposure in your home and products
🧬 Functional Medicine = Personalized Healing
Your thyroid symptoms aren’t just “in your head”—and they’re not just a number on a lab test.
Functional medicine can help you get to the root cause of your thyroid issues and guide you toward lasting, whole-body wellness.
📚 References
Benvenga S, Antonelli A. Serum TSH and thyroid autoimmunity in early pregnancy: New evidence for an old problem. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2020;11:578252. doi:10.3389/fendo.2020.578252
Winther KH, Rayman MP, Bonnema SJ, Hegedüs L. Selenium in thyroid disorders—essential knowledge for clinicians. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2020;16(3):165–176. doi:10.1038/s41574-019-0311-6
Virili C, Centanni M. “With a little help from my friends” – The role of microbiota in thyroid hormone metabolism and enterohepatic recycling. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2017;458:39–43. doi:10.1016/j.mce.2017.01.033
Pan Q, Yu T, Wu Y, et al. Probiotic effects on thyroid function: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2024;14:1465928. doi:10.3389/fcimb.2024.1465928
Asif M, Khan A, Khalid N, et al. Effectiveness of yoga in hypothyroidism: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2024;54:101826. doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2024.101826
Zoeller RT, Tan SW, Tyl RW. General background on the hypothalamic–pituitary–thyroid (HPT) axis. Crit Rev Toxicol. 2007;37(1-2):11–53. doi:10.1080/10408440601123446