HOW TO FIND YOUR THYROID ROOT CAUSES

WITH WHITNEY MORGAN

It’s important to remember that thyroid medication is NOT a solution to the root cause of WHY you have a thyroid problem, even though it might be necessary for you. You need to become a self-detective ️‍♀️ and look into what the root causes are for your thyroid problem.

Whitney Morgan, functional nutritionist joins me on the podcast to talk about common root causes to hypothyroidism & Hashimoto’s, how to find yours and then how to work with a practitioner or DIY your own investigation. Once unrooted, you have to address the root causes for the best long term thyroid health.

Living with a thyroid condition really is a lifelong adventure.

Key Root Causes for Hypothyroidism (Non-Hashimoto’s)

You can be hypothyroid (ie have an under active thyroid WITHOUT the autoimmune component (Hashimoto’s)

1. Nutritional deficiencies eg B Vitamins, Zinc, Selenium, Magnesium. NOTE some medications can lead to nutritional deficiencies eg the birth control pill.
2. Stress response – this can impact on your body’s conversion of T4 to T3, thyroid cell receptors being ,well receptive, can increase TSH and decrease T4/T3.
3. Aging, pregnancy and peri/menopause can also impact on thyroid hormones.
4. Gut inflammation and liver burden can also impact on thyroid hormones leading to hypothyroidism.

ACTIONS you can take:

➡️ Support your adrenal health

➡️ Test for nutritional deficiencies and then supplement as necessary and as guided by a health professional.

➡️ Have your thyroid hormones checked from time to time as part of a regularl health check.

Key Root Causes for Hashimoto’s:

Hashimoto’s is the autoimmune disease where the thyroid gland is attacked by the immune system. This can result in hypothyroidism depending on how much damage is done to the thyroid gland.

(I explain the ‘thyroid basics’ in chapter 3 of my book: Let’s Talk Thyroid)

It’s important to remember when I talk about ‘thyroid health’ I’m really talking about whole body health the supports the thyroid gland – not just the health of the thyroid gland itself.

1. All of the above root causes can also be at play in Hashimoto’s.

2. Gluten and other food intolerances – also coeliac disease is a common co-conspirator!

3. Leaky gut – this sets you up for an autoimmune trigger.

4. Cross reactive food sensitivities.

5. Toxins.

6. Viruses eg EBV, Covid, Lyme.

7. Various stressors.

How do you go about finding your root cause/s?

It’s best to work with a functional health practitioner as functional medicine is ‘root cause’ medicine. Here are some ideas of where a functional practitioner (like Whitney) will start:

1. Check your medication is ‘clean’ and doesn’t contain fillers that might be triggering an autoimmune response.
2. Get tests for things such as:
   1. Comprehensive thyroid panel
   2. Adrenal hormones
   3. Leaky Gut/gut health tests
   4. Food sensitivity tests
   5. Liver function tests to check for burden and toxins eg heavy metals.
   6. Chronic viral infections.
3.  Then you can work with your practitioner to implement individualised strategies together.

How to DIY your own thyroid health management:

The reality is there are a range of reasons as to why you might not be able to work with a practitioner, so how can you go it alone?

1. Get educated. There are lots of great resources. I have a whole resource page of my favourites! Whitney mentioned these as hers:
   1. Let’s Talk Thyroid (thank you!)
   2. The Paleo Thyroid Solution by Elle Russ
   3. Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: Root Cause by Dr Izabella Wentz.

2. Google but remember that Google isn’t reliable.

3. There are some tests that you can order for yourself, however you really do need an professional who can interpret them for you and help you devise a plan.

3. Join a community. Whitney has recently started an online community where you can implement changes with others going through thyroid challenges. You can find it and join it for free here:

functionalhealthalliance.com

Thank you Whitney for another  helpful conversation.

related podcast episodes

If you enjoyed this episode and are looking for similar discussions, check out these episodes:

#40 What’s the big deal about gluten? | Whitney Morgan

#6 What causes Hashimoto’s

#57 Reversing Hashimoto’s | Anshul Gupta

Whitney Morgan

Founder of Morgan Nutrition and the creator of the Thyroid Reboot Method and the Gluten Gauntlet Mini-course. I have helped dozens of women with chronic Hashimoto’s, and other autoimmune conditions, bust through the obstacles keeping them from the life they want by uncovering the root causes of their symptoms and eliminating their unique triggers.

I am a licensed acupuncturist, a functional nutritionist, and a certified gluten-free health coach. In addition to my private practice, I serve as a clinical advisor for the Association of Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioners, assisting other functional practitioners with their client cases.

Connect with Whitney:
https://MorganNutrition.com

Social Media @whitneymorgannutrition

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