According to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, an estimated 27 million Americans have thyroid disease, and more than half of those individuals are undiagnosed and unaware that they have a thyroid condition.

However, it’s important to understand that if more comprehensive thyroid testing was used by doctors and functional reference ranges were used to interpret that testing instead of the overly lax lab reference ranges, a much larger number of people would be classified as having some type of thyroid dysfunction.

Most doctors rely almost exclusively on the thyroid stimulating hormone or TSH test to detect thyroid dysfunction, yet TSH is not even technically a marker of thyroid function, it’s actually a marker of pituitary function. Even worse, the medical community can’t even agree on what the normal reference range is for the TSH test.

My other issue with conventional medicine is its refusal to actually look at underlying causes of thyroid dysfunction including but not limited to gut inflammation, chronic stress, adrenal issues, nutrient deficiencies, toxins in our food, air, and water, and chronic infections such as periodontal disease and h. Pylori.

The thyroid’s primary function is to control the body’s metabolism – the rate at which cells perform duties essential to living. It manages how we turn our food into energy by facilitating the processes of energy production in the mitochondria. I want you to think of your thyroid as your body’s “engine,” which sets the pace at which the body operates. Too little thyroid hormone can cause the body’s systems to slow down, and too much thyroid hormone can cause the body’s systems to speed up.

In today’s episode, I’ve brought back my friend and pharmacist Jim Paoletti to talk about this amazing gland that does so much for us. In fact, there’s not a single cell in the body that doesn’t depend on thyroid hormone in some way.

Jim Paoletti, B.S. Pharmacy, FAARFM, FIACP is an independent clinical consultant on hormones, nutrition, and wellness. Jim has 40 years of experience with bio-identical hormone therapies in clinical practice, both in retail pharmacy and as a consultant and educator. Jim served previously as Director of Provider Education for ZRT Laboratory, Beaverton, Oregon, and as consultant and Education Director for Professional Compounding Centers of America of Houston, TX.

He is a graduate and former faculty member of the Fellowship of Anti-Aging and Functional Medicine. Jim has lectured extensively and internationally on all aspects of compounding and BHRT to medical practitioners and consumers, and has several articles published on BHRT and compounding pharmacy issues. Jim has published the book A Practitioner's Guide to Physiologic Bioidentical Hormone Balance.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• Why your doctor may be relying on testing that provides an incomplete picture of thyroid function
• How laboratory reference ranges don’t reflect optimal functional ranges that end up leaving patients frustrated and without resolution
• Why assessing adrenal function is key to evaluating and treating thyroid issues
• Why synthetic vs natural thyroid hormone replacement is misleading

Learn more about Jim Paoletti, BS Pharmacy, FAARFM, FIACP:

• A Practitioner's Guide to Physiologic Bioidentical Hormone Balance

Learn more about Sami:

• Eatfor.life
• Book Your Complimentary Consultation
• Eat For Life cookbooks for each unique biotype

Resources:

• Overcoming Thyroid Disorders 3rd Edition
• Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? when My Lab Tests Are Normal: a Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Hashimoto's Disease and Hypothyroidism, Dr. Datis Kharrazian
• Thyroid Calculator