How to interpret your thyroid quiz results
The thyroid assessment (aka hormone assessment) is one of the most popular downloads and the one with this most frequently asked question... Why aren’t the quiz results given with a key? Here's the deal...
no matter how many (or how few) symptoms you’re experiencing on that list, they’re caused by low thyroid. Does that mean you have a thyroid problem? Not necessarily.
So often, we’re looking at things in black and white and approaching health from the assumption that something’s wrong with us. And, chances are, if you’ve found me, you’re dealing with symptoms that you know aren’t right and not getting the answer for why from your doctor.
So, it doesn’t matter how many or how few of those symptoms you’re experiencing. Refuse to continue quieting your intuition. You know your body better than anybody else, and so here’s how to interpret your quiz…
When you look at your quiz results, what do you feel in your heart?
Were any of the symptoms you checked surprising to you? Did you feel a light bulb moment and think "oh my gosh, could this really be it? The thing that's been missed?"
Now, simply having the symptoms doesn’t mean it’s a problem with your thyroid.
There are four main reasons why people are hypothyroid:
- Iodine deficiency: very common because iodine is depleted within the body by :
- fluoridated water (fluoride is very difficult to remove from water and most water filters don’t remove it… in case you think you’re safe because you drink bottled water, it’s worth pulling up the water quality report for the bottled water you’re drinking)
- chlorine (swimming pools, chlorinated water)
- bromide (bromide replaced iodine/iodide as a dough conditioner in bread and other flour products back in the 1970s and bromide/bromine is common in quite a few pharmaceuticals… most notably specific asthma medications)
How much iodine is necessary? That’s the million dollar question. The RDA is 0.15 milligrams (150 micrograms). Some doctors recommend up to 150 milligrams (10,000 times the RDA).
Doses of iodine above around 12 milligrams/day will likely impact ovulation and may kill off beneficial gut bacteria, so up to 1 milligram/day is more widely accepted as a safe upper limit. Iodine’s most readily found in specific types of seaweed, and this whole food organic kelp supplement’s one of my favorites.
- Selenium deficiency: The enzymes that make thyroid hormone require selenium. With this mineral, it’s possible to overdo it, so double checking to be sure you’re not already getting enough in your diet, your drinking water (some areas have selenium rich water), and in your current supplement’s something you’ll want to check first
- Other nutrient deficiencies: Working one-on-one with clients to assess nutrient deficiencies is one of the things I specialize in. Specifically, copper and vitamin A play a big role in how well the cells are able to use thyroid hormone.
- Cortisol dysregulation: High or low cortisol will disrupt thyroid function. Cortisol’s a deep topic, so we’ll have to table this one for another time.
The great news is you’re able to start getting more iodine into your day immediately and this will support your thyroid. Drinking fluoride free water and using non-bromated flours will reduce your exposure to iodine competitors.
And, in case you want to go the extra mile and rule out a thyroid problem from the get-go, on that very last page of your quiz, there's a list of thyroid markers that need to be run in order to accurately determine whether or not you have a thyroid problem (don't have that list of necessary lab tests? Click here to get it).
If your doctor tries to convince you these are unnecessary, it’s worth pushing back. It’s worth saying “in many patients, autoimmune thyroid disease is only diagnosable through elevated thyroid antibodies”. It’s worth saying “TSH has no bearing on how well the thyroid is making thyroid hormones because TSH is made by the pituitary”.
As you’re having these conversations, try to keep in mind that your doctor has been conditioned to believe TSH is sufficient, so your role is to lead and gently challenge this way of thinking. As much as possible, remember you are a team, and you are in charge. You are the guru of your own health. If you’ve got a great doctor, they’ll order the tests. If you don’t, don’t fret, I’m here to help you.
If you’re struggling to convince your doctor(s), share these resources with them:
- Holtorf, K. (2007). Diagnosis and Treatment of Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis Dysfunction in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Fibromyalgia (FM). Journal Of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, 14(3), 59–88. https://doi.org/10.1300/J092v14n03_06
-
A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Cardiovascular and Bone Health Care Utilization During Treatment With Thyroid Hormone.
A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Cardiovascular and Bone Health Care Utilization During Treatment With Thyroid Hormone. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2024 Feb 20; 109(3):e1143-e1150. PMID: 37878964
- Bindra A, Braunstein GD. Thyroiditis. Am Fam Physician. 2006 May 15;73(10):1769-76. PMID: 16734054. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16734054/
And, if your doctor still won’t budge, reach out to me, I’ll help you get these tests ordered.
P.S. In case this post's got you thinking TLDR, watch this video instead.
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