19d • General discussion
A thyroid story. (If you feel dismissed by your doctor, please read this.)
In case you missed it, here's a common client story from my latest newsletter - one you may relate to if you've ever felt exhausted and desperate, but dismissed by your doctor. ❤️
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Sarah’s story is a powerful example of what happens when we stop settling for “you’re fine” and start looking towards optimal health instead.
Sarah is 49, a high-powered executive at a financial firm with an insanely full life:
A demanding career, husband, two kids and a dream of getting back to running races for fun like she used to.
She had been dragging her butt through every day for years with severe fatigue, brain fog, mood swings and an extra 40 pounds that seemed to come out of nowhere.
These symptoms were starting to threaten everything she cared about: her work, her family life, and the active lifestyle she missed dearly.
Her GP kept telling her that her blood work was “normal.” Every visit, she left feeling brushed off and discouraged.
Deep down, she knew something was wrong.
When Sarah and I began working together, I reviewed her labs through a functional medicine lens:
Instead of asking “Is this in the normal range?”, I asked, “Is this truly optimal for a woman in midlife who wants energy, stable mood, a healthy metabolism and weight loss?”
The answer is almost always no when I review labs…
That difference means everything.
Through midlife and beyond, it becomes especially important that markers like thyroid hormones, blood sugar, insulin, vitamin D and key nutrients fall into narrower, ideal ranges - not just anywhere inside the conventional “normal” range.
These finer distinctions really matter when we care about energy, weight, sleep, longevity and disease prevention…when we want to feel GREAT in our bodies!
Through that lens, it became clear that Sarah was functionally hypothyroid and had been for YEARS!
This means her thyroid function was too low for her body to thrive (ie. make enough energy, lose weight, sleep well, feel good), even though it didn’t trip the alarms on standard tests.
Here’s what was going on behind the scenes - 2 big problems:
Problem 1: Her doctors (she had seen 2) had only checked TSH, and occasionally T4...
Not T3, the actual hormone we care about - it’s the active one in the body!
This is STANDARD OF CARE, and it’s nuts!!
Anyway, Sarah’s TSH was “normal” and her T3 was functionally low (but still within normal range)...
So she felt like crap.
[Dorky side note: Someone can have a “normal” TSH and still have “sluggish” thyroid function. Why? TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) is a brain hormone, not a thyroid hormone. It tells the thyroid to make T4 (inactive thyroid hormone), which then must be converted into T3 (active thyroid hormone). T3 actually drives metabolism, energy, plays a big role in mood, motivation, sleep, immune health and more. Without looking at T3 (+ the T4:T3 ratio, reverse T3 and thyroid antibodies where needed), you miss a HUGE part of the picture.]
Problem 2: Sarah had been on a medication called Synthroid for over a decade to “treat” hypothyroid for 15 years.
Synthroid is T4 only.
Many people do not convert T4 to T3 efficiently due to genetics, inflammation, nutrient deficiencies, other metabolic issues or just plain AGING!
So even thought she was on thyroid medication, it wasn’t working well for her at all.
So we adjusted her thyroid treatment approach and, just as importantly, we looked at the terrain that supports thyroid and hormonal health—things like vitamin D, B12, insulin, and other key nutrients and metabolic markers that get overlooked in a rushed conventional visit.
Once we addressed these underlying issues — not just her lab numbers on paper — everything began to shift for Sarah:
☀️Her afternoon energy crashes disappeared and she no longer felt like collapsing on the couch at 7 pm.
☀️She started performing better at work, with sharper focus and mental stamina through long days.
☀️She got back to running! She even completed a race in the fall, something that felt impossible not long before.
☀️Her moods evened out - instead of feeling flat and discouraged, she felt optimistic and emotionally stable.
☀️The scale finally began to move in the right direction, and her body started responding to her efforts. 🎉
Partway through our work together, she messaged me:
“I promise not to message you every day, but Recently, even a walk was exhausting and made me sore. I walked last night and felt better when I got home for the first time in ages. I did a run at lunch today and felt WAY better than I have in years. I actually have energy. I’m out of shape, but I have gas in the tank.”
And she’s continued to build on that momentum.
I’m telling you this because Sarah’s story is not unusual.
By midlife, years of stress, nutrition gaps, shifting hormones, sleep issues and “pushing through” often add up to a body that feels completely out of sync.
Symptoms get chalked up to being busy, getting older or “it’s just perimenopause,” and many women are told their labs are fine — even when they feel anything but. 😢
This is exactly why I created the Better Beyond 40 Formula program.
Inside the program, we identify and address your personal imbalances using a functional, root-cause approach.
We combine that with proven core strategies to optimize your hormones, metabolism, nervous system and overall health so you can feel like yourself again and create changes that actually last.
If you want to know more watch this and book a free Clarity Call. Bring your blood work and we’ll chat about your unique situation and - if it feels like a fit - how I can help.
Your friend,
Mary
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A thyroid story. (If you feel dismissed by your doctor, please read this.)
skool.com/better-beyond-40-formula-free-8337
Where midlife women find empowering, science-based solutions for hormone balance, metabolic health & weight loss so they can live in bodies they love!
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