top of page

Was that a Hot Flash or My Thyroid?


How Nutrition Response Testing can Help

A staggering number of women take thyroid medications! Even teenage girls are taking thyroid medication, undergoing surgeries or receiving radiation therapy. Why do so many women need help with their thyroid glands?


The classic story begins like this: Energy is down, mood is sadder or swings up and down for no apparent reason, unexplained weight gain that won’t drop on any diet. Other symptoms may include, high cholesterol, hypertension, hair loss, muscle and joint pain, menstrual irregularities, and constipation.

Next stop: a visit to a doctor who recommends a blood test (often with the words “to rule things out”). Or, possibly, a psychiatrist to address the mood swings or depression who recommends mind altering medications (often with the words “help you feel better”). Even if these tests indicate low or high hormone levels, these tests still don’t answer the vital question: Why is my thyroid stressed? Commonly, the first test is for Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) a hormone that can get the thyroid going. The thyroid is under direct control of the pituitary gland. The idea is that if thyroid hormone goes low, the body sends a signal to the brain (to a region called the hypothalamus) that tells the pituitary to make more TSH. Medical school students learn that a high-range TSH level often indicates that your body isn’t getting enough thyroid hormone; this is called hypothyroidism (hypo- for below). A low-range TSH level may indicate the opposite, or hyperthyroidism.

Unfortunately, it is not this simple. The TSH test is a very unreliable measure of thyroid function and correlates poorly with symptoms. Some people with TSH outside what is considered “normal” have no symptoms; others have horrible symptoms but on that day with that test the TSH was “in range.” This is because TSH and thyroid activity are dynamic, in other words they change throughout the day, month and seasons based on the body’s needs. TSH is typically higher in the morning than later in the day, lower in the spring...


Even if the test was accurate, which is arguable, there is enough normal variation that conventional reference ranges don’t always reflect “normal” hormone levels.

Let’s return to our story… based on this one test, a doctor may recommend thyroid medication (commonly Synthroid™), they may call for more tests, needle biopsy, scans, etc., or may suggest the possibility of Hashimoto’s disease. In 1912, Dr. Hakaru Hashimoto described a condition involving an inflamed thyroid organ, fatigue, mood swings, and other symptoms, later named Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and that is also associated with diabetes and celiac disease—which all have altered immune status (more on that later).

No matter the disease label, it is important to understand that Synthroid and similar drugs are not the natural hormone that your thyroid would make were it able. Eventually your body notices the difference; Synthroid loses its effectiveness over time, the drug doses go up and up and up to get the same effect and your thyroid becomes truly incapable of producing the natural hormone. Unfortunately, you still have the underlying problem; we do not know WHAT is affecting the thyroid. What about testing the thyroid directly?

Definitely a logical line of thinking: TSH was high? Let’s “rule out” an overactive pituitary; maybe the thyroid is fine. Or, perhaps the doctor is being thorough and wants to see a bigger picture or look at thyroid hormone levels directly. The plot thickens. There is much more to this picture! And the potential for many more tests...

The thyroid secretes two main hormones known as thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). But this is very complicated. Most of the T3 in the blood is converted from T4 by the liver. Further, T4 and T3 are bound to a larger “carrier” proteins when sent to different parts of the body for use. They are inactive when bound to this carrier protein. Active, or “free,” T3 or T4 are found in very, very minute amounts. In other words, even if the thyroid is making a perfect amount of T4 and T3, there may be a problem elsewhere with conversion of T4 to T3 or there may be inappropriate levels of the binding protein for these hormones. Any of these scenarios could result in symptoms yet the thyroid is not the problem. Worse, this might send a signal to the brain to “get the thyroid working,” TSH goes up causing the thyroid to work extra hard—then it gets exhausted and quits.

What about fixing the underlying problem?

What if the thyroid wasn’t “diseased” at all? “Exhausted” means it was overworked and now needs time and building blocks to heal and repair. Ultimately, the cause behind the exhaustion needs to be addressed.

The thyroid can’t be viewed in isolation from the rest of your endocrine system. Symptoms of adrenal fatigue are similar to thyroid disorders; there is confusion distinguishing between the two. Adrenal stress may impair thyroid function and/or block the conversion and use of thyroid hormones by the body. Similarly, insulin resistance presents many of the same symptoms as hypothyroidism, is often found to coexist with it, and may play a role in contributing to its development.Insulin resistance is itself tied to poor nutrition, which also impairs thyroid function.


True thyroid stress may result from any one or a combination of the following: food allergies (most usually to sugar and flour), heavy metal or toxic chemical poisoning (especially mercury, aluminum, chlorine and household chemicals), sub-clinical chronic viruses, bacteria, even parasites. Interestingly, diabetes and celiac disease—diseases often seen in people with thyroid problems—are also food issues. In order to find and fix what is really wrong a health professional must evaluate the whole body.


From a letter to the British Medical Journal in June 2000: “..if a patient has signs and symptoms of illness and test results are negative, you aren’t performing the right tests.” No more guessing. What to do? Limit your intake of grains, sugars and processed foods. As a result, your weight, blood pressure,and even cholesterol may go down! Use Nutrition Response Testing to find the specific stressors that are creating illness. An accumulation of toxic chemicals, food sensitivities, or infections of viruses, yeast, bacteria or parasites commonly need to be addressed. Also get checked to ensure your body has the nutritional support it needs and does not lack any building blocks—a problem that can itself limit production of key hormones. Rebalance your body and provide the building blocks it needs. You will rapidly recover your energy, mood and likely shed years off your appearance. Most importantly, you will have your health back.



Dr. Susan Duve

  • Facebook Classic
  • Twitter Classic
  • Google Classic
bottom of page