Unlocking the Secrets of Hidden Thyroid Disease

Dr. Stephanie Warner
Aug 5
4 min read

Why “Normal” Lab Results Don’t Always Mean a Healthy Thyroid

If you live in the Scottsdale area and you’ve been told your thyroid labs are “normal,” but you still feel tired, foggy, anxious, or like your body is working against you—you’re not alone. At Elixir and Wellness, we specialize in identifying and treating hidden thyroid conditions that often go undiagnosed in conventional care.

As a Naturopathic Doctor in Scottsdale and a board-certified functional medicine provider, I see this scenario almost daily: a patient walks into our clinic with classic thyroid symptoms—fatigue, weight gain, mood swings, hair loss—only to say their doctor told them everything looks “fine.”

Let’s explore why that happens, and what you can do to finally get answers.

The Problem with Standard Thyroid Testing

Most conventional doctors screen thyroid function using just one marker: TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone). While TSH is important, it’s just a signal from the brain—not a direct measure of how your thyroid is functioning.

To make matters more frustrating, most labs use overly broad reference ranges, often considering TSH normal anywhere from 0.5 to 4.5 (or even 5.0). But in the world of functional medicine, we’ve found the optimal range for TSH to be much narrower: between 1.5 and 2.5. This is the range where most people truly feel their best.

If your TSH is within the lab’s “normal” range but outside the functional range, you could be dealing with subclinical hypothyroidism—a condition that’s often dismissed, but very real in its impact on your energy, metabolism, and mood.

Common Thyroid Symptoms We See at Our Scottsdale Clinic

Whether you live in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, or surrounding areas, you may be experiencing thyroid symptoms without realizing it. Classic symptoms of thyroid dysfunction include:

Hypothyroidism (Underactive Thyroid):

Fatigue or sluggishness
Brain fog or poor memory
Weight gain or difficulty losing weight
Constipation
Depression or low mood
Dry skin
Hair thinning (including eyebrow loss)

Hyperthyroidism (Overactive Thyroid):

Anxiety or restlessness
Insomnia
Heart palpitations
Heat intolerance or sweating
Unexplained weight loss
Hair loss

But here’s the real kicker: many people experience symptoms from both categories—what we call a “blended symptom pattern.” This is especially common when there’s autoimmune thyroid disease, like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, where the immune system attacks thyroid tissue in cycles, causing flare-ups and crashes.

A Missing Symptom: Throat Tightness and Pressure

One of the most overlooked symptoms I see is a feeling of tightness or a lump in the throat. This sensation is often misdiagnosed as anxiety or GERD, but in many cases, it’s actually a sign of thyroid inflammation, especially in autoimmune thyroid conditions.

This type of inflammation can only be detected through thyroid antibody testing, which is rarely run in routine labs.

What a Comprehensive Thyroid Panel Should Include

At Elixir and Wellness, we go beyond the standard lab work to provide a complete picture of your thyroid health. A comprehensive thyroid panel should include:

TSH
Free T3 (your active thyroid hormone)
Free T4 (your storage hormone)
Reverse T3 (a “brake” on your metabolism that can be high with stress or inflammation)
TPO antibodies (thyroid peroxidase, often elevated in Hashimoto’s)
Thyroglobulin antibodies

This full panel helps us uncover patterns of thyroid imbalance, autoimmunity, poor conversion, and more—so we can develop an effective and personalized treatment plan.

Other Signs You Might Have a Hidden Thyroid Condition

Even if your basic labs are normal, here are signs we often see in patients with undiagnosed or untreated thyroid issues:

Low energy or afternoon crashes
Brain fog or poor focus
Mood swings
Menstrual irregularities
Cold hands and feet
Joint or muscle pain
Chronic constipation
Trouble sleeping
Feeling “off” but not sure why

These are real symptoms with real root causes—and they’re treatable with the right approach.

Why Scottsdale Patients Choose Functional Medicine for Thyroid Care

If you’re tired of hearing “everything looks fine” when you know your body is struggling, it’s time to take a deeper look.

At Elixir and Wellness, we treat thyroid dysfunction by:

Identifying underlying causes, like autoimmunity, stress, nutrient deficiencies, or toxin exposure
Using natural and integrative therapies to support thyroid hormone production and reduce antibodies
Developing personalized treatment plans based on your full health history, labs, and lifestyle
Providing compassionate care that listens to your symptoms—not just your numbers