Understanding Hashimoto’s can be complicated but it’s not that hard once you understand the basics of how it works. If you’ve been told your thyroid labs are “normal” but you still feel exhausted, foggy, bloated, or like your body is working against you… you’re not alone.Let’s break it down: what’s really going on in Hashimoto’s, what labs are actually helpful, and how we can support healing with a more holistic and functional approach.
Many women with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (an autoimmune condition where the immune system attacks the thyroid) go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for years because traditional medicine often relies on a very small lens when it comes to thyroid stuff.
Traditional Thyroid Testing Misses the Full Picture
In most doctors’ office visits, your doctor may only check TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) and maybe Free T4 if you’re lucky. But these markers don’t always reflect what’s happening inside the body when Hashimoto’s is developing.
Here’s why:
- TSH is a brain hormone that responds to thyroid function, but it doesn’t tell us much about inflammation or autoimmunity.
- Hashimoto’s often starts years before TSH becomes abnormal. So your labs might look “fine” even if your immune system is actively attacking your thyroid.
Functional Lab Testing for Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis
To fully understand what’s going on, we need a full panel that looks at both thyroid hormones and immune activity. These are the core markers I run for clients
Full Thyroid Panel:
- TSH, Total T4, & Total T3
- Free T3 – your active thyroid hormone (often low in Hashimoto’s)
- Free T4 – the inactive hormone that converts to T3
- Thyroid antibodies – TPO (thyroid peroxidase antibodies) and TgAb (thyroglobulin antibodies). These confirm an autoimmune process is present, even if TSH is normal.
What Gut Health Has to Do With Your Thyroid
Here’s something most people don’t realize: Hashimoto’s is not just a thyroid issue it’s an autoimmune disease, and that means we need to look at the gut.
Over 70% of the immune system lives in the gut lining. So if your gut is inflamed, imbalanced, or “leaky,” your immune system may start misfiring—and that’s where autoimmunity can take hold.
Holistic Approaches to Thyroid Health
Once we understand the full picture through functional lab testing, we can build a personalized healing plan.
That usually includes:
- Gut repair protocols (removing pathogens, healing the lining, balancing the microbiome)
- Anti-inflammatory nutrition
- Blood sugar regulation (so key for thyroid conversion + energy)
- Nervous system support to reduce the stress load
- Targeted supplementation to replenish nutrient deficiencies and lower antibodies
This is what I call an autoimmune wellness strategy not chasing symptoms, but working with the body to restore balance and resilience.
Final Thoughts
If you suspect Hashimoto’s but your labs keep coming back “normal,” or if you’ve been diagnosed but still feel tired, bloated, and not like yourself, please know this: you’re not crazy!!!
& your body is not broken. There’s often so much more going on under the surface, and when we take a functional lens, the path forward becomes much clearer.
You deserve to be heard, to understand your body, and to feel empowered.
About Rachel:
Rachel is a functional medicine and holistic health coach who partners with a network of clinicians to provide lab testing, treatment plans, supplement protocols, and health coaching to those struggling with thyroid conditions, gastrointestinal problems, hormone concerns, and autoimmune conditions.
Check out her website for more information: www.rachelclairehhc.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/rachelclaire.hhc/
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Email: rachelclaire.hhc@gmail.com
Phone: 385-425-5794
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