Normal Thyroid Bloods But Still Exhausted? | AF Health Podcast Ep 1

Told your thyroid bloods are normal but you still feel exhausted? Naturopath Victoria Pikul explains what a standard TSH test misses, why thyroid medication can leave symptoms behind, and what else is worth investigating. A lot of people are told their thyroid blood test is normal, and still feel exhausted, cold, foggy and flat. Others are on thyroid medication like thyroxine, have been for years, and still do not feel like themselves. In episode 1 of the AF Health podcast, Alex Fisher sits down with Victoria Pikul, a naturopath at AF Health in Adelaide, to talk through why that gap happens so often. They cover what an underactive thyroid and an overactive thyroid actually feel like day to day, why a TSH result can sit inside the reference range for years while someone feels steadily worse, what T4 and T3 are and why the conversion between them matters so much, where reverse T3 fits and why it is rarely tested in Australia, and how thyroid antibodies can be present long before anything else shows up on a blood test. Victoria is clear on where medication sits in all this. Thyroxine replaces the hormone, and for a lot of people it is genuinely valuable. What it does not do is answer the question of why the thyroid stopped working in the first place, and that question is where the rest of the conversation lives. Nobody here is telling anyone to change or stop a prescription. Victoria works alongside GPs and endocrinologists, sends people back for retesting, and says plainly in this episode that most patients stay on their medication. Chapters 00:00 Why we made this episode 01:56 What an underactive thyroid actually feels like 03:28 Overactive thyroid, and how common each one is 04:09 Your thyroid as the body's thermostat 07:21 The TSH range, and why diagnosis takes so long 10:17 TSH comes from the brain, not the thyroid 11:39 Which thyroid markers a GP usually tests 13:57 Why reverse T3 is almost never tested 16:31 T4 and T3, money in the bank and a market that takes cash 19:00 The nutrients that turn T4 into T3 22:29 Reverse T3, the key that jams the lock 23:49 What pushes reverse T3 up 25:47 "My bloods are normal, but I still feel awful" 29:34 A TSH of 3.5 for five years 33:05 Hashimoto's is an immune condition, not only a thyroid one 34:55 Why iodine can backfire 42:35 Inside a first appointment 48:03 The patient whose GP said thyroid antibodies do not exist 50:24 Supplements, optimal versus adequate 54:31 Do you stay on your medication? 58:32 How to book Thyroid support at AF Health, Adelaide AF Health is a naturopathic clinic in Adelaide. Victoria Pikul is a naturopath with a particular interest in thyroid and autoimmune conditions, including Hashimoto's and Graves' disease. Thyroid support: https://www.alexfisherhealth.com.au/t... Hashimoto's and underactive thyroid: https://www.alexfisherhealth.com.au/a... Graves' disease and overactive thyroid: https://www.alexfisherhealth.com.au/a... Chronic fatigue: https://www.alexfisherhealth.com.au/c... Book an appointment: https://AFHealth.com.au/book Free 15 minute discovery call: https://AFHealth.com.au/discovery Everything in this episode is general information. It is not personal health advice and it does not replace your doctor. If you take thyroid medication, talk to your GP or endocrinologist before changing anything.