Thyroid Health
Thyroid Health: Understanding & Supporting Your Hormone Balance
Your thyroid is a small but powerful gland that influences nearly every system in your body—energy, mood, weight, digestion, and even heart health. When thyroid function is out of balance, you may experience fatigue, stubborn weight changes, hair loss, mood swings, or difficulty concentrating.
At The Nurse Rebecca, I break down thyroid health in a way that’s clear, compassionate, and practical. Here you’ll find:
✅ Easy-to-understand guides on thyroid function and lab tests
✅ Insights into optimal lab ranges vs. “normal” ranges
✅ Strategies for supporting thyroid health naturally
✅ Tools to help you track and understand your own labs
Whether you’re navigating hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, or simply want to optimize your energy and metabolism, this page is your starting place.
👉 If you don’t have recent labs, you can order them directly from trusted partners like Everlywell, EmpowerDX, or Personalabs. And if you’d like one-on-one support, I invite you to book a free 60-minute consultation so we can look at your health picture together.
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Your thyroid is like your body’s thermostat. If it’s underactive (hypothyroidism), you may feel drained, cold, constipated, or struggle with weight gain. If it’s overactive (hyperthyroidism), you might feel anxious, overheated, or lose weight without trying.
Thyroid conditions often get missed or dismissed, especially in women — but the right labs can give you answers your symptoms alone cannot.
Featured Blog Articles
Understanding Reverse T3: When Your Thyroid Slows Down Under Stress
Understanding Reverse T3: When Your Thyroid Slows Down Under Stress Have you ever looked at your thyroid labs and thought, “Everything looks normal… so why
Understanding Thyroid Antibodies: What TPO and TgAb Really Mean for Your Thyroid Health
Understanding Thyroid Antibodies: What TPO and TgAb Really Mean for Your Thyroid Health A few years ago, a patient looked at her thyroid panel and
Understanding Free T3: The Active Thyroid Hormone That Fuels Your Metabolism
Understanding Free T3: The Active Thyroid Hormone That Fuels Your Metabolism I once had a patient look at their labs and say, “My doctor said
Specific Lab Test Guides
TSH (Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone)
- Measures: How much your pituitary is “telling” your thyroid to work.
- Why It Matters: Elevated levels can signal hypothyroidism, while low levels may indicate hyperthyroidism.
Free T4 (Thyroxine)
Measures: The inactive thyroid hormone circulating in your blood.
Why It Matters: T4 levels show how much thyroid hormone is available for your body to convert. Low levels may point to hypothyroidism.
Free T3 (Triiodothyronine)
- Measures: The active form of thyroid hormone.
- Why It Matters: Even with “normal” T4, if T3 is low, you may still have hypothyroid symptoms. This test is often skipped, but it can reveal conversion issues.
Thyroid Antibodies (TPOAb, TgAb, TRAb)
- Measures: Autoimmune activity against your thyroid.
- Why It Matters: Positive antibodies can indicate Hashimoto’s (hypothyroidism) or Graves’ (hyperthyroidism) before labs show changes in TSH/T4/T3.
Reverse T3 (rT3)
- Measures: The inactive form of T3 that blocks active thyroid hormone from binding to receptors.
- Why It Matters: Elevated rT3 can signal that your body is under stress (illness, trauma, chronic stress, starvation, or inflammation) and shunting thyroid hormone into an inactive form, leaving you with hypothyroid symptoms even when Free T4 and Free T3 look normal.
Total T3 & Total T4
- Measures: The total amount of thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) in the blood, including both “free” (active) and “bound” (inactive) forms.
- Why It Matters: These tests give a general snapshot of thyroid hormone output. While Free T3 and Free T4 are more precise, Total T3 and Total T4 can still provide helpful context—especially in situations like pregnancy, illness, or when binding proteins affect hormone availability.
Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you choose to purchase through them, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products and services I trust and use myself. Your support helps me continue providing free, helpful health resources. Thank you!
Trusted At-Home Lab Tests
If your provider won’t order a test, or you just want to track your health from home, these companies make it easy and reliable. I only recommend ones that meet high accuracy standards and keep your information secure.
Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you choose to purchase through them, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products and services I trust and use myself. Your support helps me continue providing free, helpful health resources. Thank you!
Health Labs
HealthLabs.com is a nationwide lab testing service that lets you order your own blood and urine tests without a doctor’s referral. Partnered with CLIA-certified labs like Quest and LabCorp, they offer fast, affordable results in 1–3 days on everything from hormones to glucose, thyroid, and more.
Everlywell
Everlywell makes it simple to take charge of your health with accurate, physician-reviewed at-home lab tests. From hormones and thyroid to blood sugar, food sensitivities, and more, their easy-to-use kits deliver clear results straight to your inbox in just days.
Personalabs
Personalabs lets you order lab tests online and visit a local lab for collection — no doctor’s referral required. It’s an affordable, convenient way to access a wide range of lab tests and get your results securely online.
How to Use Your Results
Labs are powerful — but they’re only part of the story. Once you have your results:
Compare your numbers to optimal ranges (not just the “normal” ones).
Track symptoms alongside labs — many women feel hypothyroid even with “borderline normal” results.
Bring results to your healthcare provider to discuss medication, nutrition, or lifestyle changes.
Look at the big picture — thyroid labs connect with blood sugar, hormones, and inflammation.
Want Help Understanding Your Lab Results?
Your numbers are just part of the story — the real magic is knowing what they mean for you.
In your free 60-minute consultation, we’ll:
Review your results together in plain, human language
Talk about what’s going well and what could use support
Outline next steps you can actually follow without overwhelm
You’ll leave with clarity, confidence, and a plan that works with your body — not against it.
This content is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your healthcare provider for questions about your personal health.