Your Questions My Answers (Q & A #1) - Diagnosing Hashi's, Finding your dose, Swelling & more

Time for another round of thyroid questions and answers! If you have questions, leave them below!

Have questions that you want answered? Please leave them in the comments below! I am going to try and answer your questions at least a couple of times per month.

Questions in this video come from a post I left on youtube and I will draw from future questions here for additional videos.

Questions answered in this video include:

Q - Does Hypothyroidism cause swelling/edema? And how do you fix it?

A - YES! Low thyroid function can absolutely lead to edema and swelling. The key to fixing this problem is to fix your thyroid. Not ALL cases of edema/swelling are caused by low thyroid, however.

Q - How do I know if I am hyperthyroid and whether or not it's due to my medication or Hashimoto's?

A - You have to be careful about how you define hyperthyroid. Taking thyroid medication may drop your TSH but that doesn't necessarily mean that you are hyperthyroid. Many patients can be low thyroid with a low TSH even though their lab tests look hyperthyroid.

Q - How do I know if I have just Hashimoto's or an under active thyroid? How do I diagnose Hashimoto's?

A - The key is that you must have BOTH low thyroid symptoms AND elevated thyroid antibodies. Some people have what's known as seronegative Hashimoto's but that is not common. When in doubt it's statistically in your favor to assume you have Hashimoto's.

Q - Can you still have symptoms even if your thyroid lab tests are in the normal range? My doctor says no.

A - YES! You can definitely have symptoms even with "normal" or "optimal" thyroid lab tests. Each person is different and thyroid lab tests should not be used without also evaluating your symptoms.

Q - Can you comment on the connection between Hashimoto's and high testosterone? Is this normal?

A - Most women with Hashimoto's tend to have low testosterone but some women with Hashimoto's do have high testosterone, it's just far less common. Sometimes treating your thyroid can completely improve your testosterone levels.

Q - How do know what the right dose of Nature-throid is? It's hard to pinpoint what my dose should be.

A - When trying to adjust your dose of thyroid medication you may find that compounded T4/T3 thyroid medication allows for finer tuning of your dose. Sometimes taking a small dose one day and then a larger dose another day can solve the problem as well.

Download my free thyroid resources here (including hypothyroid symptoms checklist, the complete list of thyroid lab tests + optimal ranges, foods you should avoid if you have thyroid disease, and more): https://www.restartmed.com/start-here/

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