If You’ve Been Told It’s Your Thyroid… Read This First.

You’re exhausted no matter how much you sleep. You’ve gained weight despite eating clean. Your brain feels foggy, your mood’s unpredictable, and maybe your period has gone off track too.

So you go to your doctor, they run some labs, and you hear:

“Your thyroid’s low. Let’s get you on medication.”

But here’s the thing:The thyroid rarely just breaks.It’s usually responding to something deeper.

I see this often: women handed a diagnosis of hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s without any conversation about why their thyroid is struggling. So let’s have that conversation here.

What If Your Thyroid Isn’t the Root Problem?

Your thyroid is incredibly responsive. It takes signals from your brain (via the hypothalamus and pituitary) and adjusts your metabolism based on your internal and external environment.

When that environment is stressful, inflamed, or depleted, your thyroid downshifts to protect you — it’s an intelligent response, not a malfunction.

Let’s break down the most common (and overlooked) root causes of thyroid dysfunction:

1. Chronic Stress and HPA Axis Dysfunction

Stress isn’t just a mindset — it’s a hormonal cascade. When your body perceives threat (whether from emotional trauma, overexercising, under-eating, or chronic infections), it activates the HPA axis: your hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands.

Over time, this stress response shifts your hormone production. Specifically:

• It slows the conversion of T4 (inactive thyroid hormone) to T3 (active)

• It increases reverse T3, a “blocker” that prevents thyroid hormone from working in your cells

Translation? You can have “normal” labs and still feel hypothyroid if this conversion process is off.

2. Gut Health and Autoimmunity

Most people don’t realize that over 90% of hypothyroid cases in women are autoimmune — specifically, Hashimoto’s.

That means your immune system is attacking your own thyroid tissue, often triggered by gut imbalances like:

• Leaky gut (intestinal permeability)

• Bacterial or viral infections (e.g., H. pylori, EBV)

• Food sensitivities (gluten is a common culprit due to molecular mimicry)

Your gut is where immune tolerance is built — when it breaks down, your thyroid can become a target.

3. Nutrient Deficiencies That Disrupt the Thyroid Pathway

Making thyroid hormone is like running a complex factory — and it requires raw materials.

If you’re low in these, the whole system struggles:

• Iodine – essential but delicate: too little or too much is problematic

• Selenium – protects thyroid tissue and helps activate T3

• Zinc – required for TSH and thyroid receptor sensitivity

• Iron – needed for TPO, the enzyme that makes thyroid hormone

• Magnesium & B Vitamins – critical for energy, detox, and hormone metabolism

Modern diets, stress, medications (like birth control or PPIs), and even intense exercise can drain these quickly.

4. Blood Sugar Imbalances and Insulin Resistance

Blood sugar instability is one of the most silent but damaging stressors on your thyroid.

Why?

• It taxes your adrenals, which can reduce thyroid hormone conversion

• It impacts the liver, where much of your T4 gets turned into T3

• It creates inflammation, which makes your cells less responsive to hormones

Symptoms like sugar cravings, energy crashes, or waking at 3 AM are signs that your thyroid isn’t the only system struggling.

5. Toxin Load and Environmental Stress

We live in a world filled with endocrine disruptors. And unfortunately, the thyroid is one of the most sensitive glands to toxins.

Common disruptors include:

• Fluoride and chlorine (block iodine uptake)

• Plastics (like BPA) and pesticides (disrupt hormone signaling)

• Heavy metals (like mercury, aluminum)

• Mold toxins (impact mitochondria and hormone receptors)

When the detox pathways are sluggish, these toxins accumulate — and your thyroid feels the effects.

6. Structural Tension and Neurological Interference

This is the most overlooked piece: your thyroid is innervated by your brainstem and supported by lymph, blood flow, and nerve tone — all of which can be affected by structure.

If you have:

• Forward head posture

• Cranial compression

• Vagus nerve dysfunction

• Tension in your neck or jaw

…your thyroid’s messaging system may be disrupted.

This is why we assess structure in every hormone case — because you can’t fix chemistry if communication is off.

In My Office…

We don’t just run a basic TSH test and send you on your way. We look at:

• Full thyroid panels (including antibodies, reverse T3, and more)

• Nutrient markers

• Structural assessments (cranial, cervical, vagus nerve tone)

• Emotional and neurological stress patterns

Because thyroid healing isn’t just about the gland — it’s about the whole ecosystem around it.

Ready to Get to the Root?

Book a New Patient Appointment → [https://www.nmccenters.com/new-patients]

— Dr. Kendra Kautz  Chiropractor | Holistic Health Consultant | Women’s Wellness Advocate

Costa Mesa, CA | Virtual Appointments Available for California Residents

Text or Call: 714-540-0555 to schedule