One of the most common frustrations I hear from new patients in my functional medicine practice in Woodbury, Minnesota is this:

“My doctor said my thyroid labs are normal… but I still feel exhausted, foggy, and not myself.”

During your initial visit with me, we spend 30 minutes or more simply talking—your symptoms, your history, your timeline, and what you’ve already tried. That conversation alone often reveals patterns that standard medical visits miss.

The most common symptoms I hear include:

• Chronic fatigue
• Weight gain or inability to lose weight
• Brain fog
• Anxiety or depression
• Hormone imbalance
• Digestive problems

When I hear this cluster of symptoms, one of the first questions I ask is:
👉 “Has your thyroid been fully evaluated?”

Almost every time, the response is:

“Yes… and I was told everything is normal.”

So why do you still feel awful?

---

The Problem With Standard Thyroid Testing

Most conventional thyroid testing only includes:

• TSH
• Sometimes T3
• Sometimes T4

While those markers are useful, they do not tell the whole story.

Here’s the critical piece many patients never hear:

👉 Up to 90% of thyroid dysfunction is autoimmune in nature.

That means your immune system is attacking your thyroid—most commonly in conditions like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

The only way to detect this is by running thyroid antibody tests, such as:

• Thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPO)
• Thyroglobulin antibodies (TG)

Unfortunately, most doctors do not routinely order these labs.

At Functional Health Unlimited, comprehensive thyroid testing includes thyroid antibodies as part of our standard evaluation.
If you’ve never had these tested and still have symptoms, that is a major missing piece.

---

“Normal” Lab Ranges vs. Optimal Lab Ranges

Another issue is how lab values are interpreted.

Traditional medicine uses very wide “normal” ranges designed to decide whether medication is prescribed. For example, TSH is often considered normal between 0.3–4.5.

In functional medicine, we look at optimal ranges, not just “not dangerous” ranges.

An optimal TSH is generally closer to:
👉 1.3–3.0

Values outside this optimal range may still cause symptoms—even if you’re told everything looks “fine.”

---

Advanced Thyroid Labs That Reveal the Full Picture

To truly understand thyroid function, I often recommend additional markers such as:

• Free T3
• Free T4
• Reverse T3
• T3 uptake
• Free thyroxine index

These markers tell us how well your body is actually using thyroid hormone, not just whether it exists in the bloodstream.

Thyroid health is about function, not just numbers.

---

Thyroid Dysfunction Is Rarely the Only Issue

Your thyroid does not operate in isolation. Many factors can interfere with proper function, including:

• Chronic inflammation
• Nutrient deficiencies
• Hormone imbalance
• Chronic stress
• Hidden infections
• Anemia
• Food sensitivities
• Blood sugar instability

Depending on your history, I may recommend deeper testing such as:

• C-Reactive Protein (CRP)
• Homocysteine
• Micronutrient testing
• CBC with differential
• Fasting glucose and Hemoglobin A1C
• Adrenal (stress) testing
• Iron and ferritin panel
• Food sensitivity testing

These labs help us identify why your thyroid is struggling, not just whether it is.

---

If You’ve Been Told “Everything Is Normal” But You Don’t Feel Normal

You are not imagining your symptoms. And you are not alone.

At Functional Health Unlimited, we specialize in helping patients who feel dismissed, unheard, or stuck in the traditional system without answers.

👉 Learn more about our functional medicine approach:
https://www.functionalhealthunlimited.com

👉 Schedule your consultation here:
Request Appointment

If you’re in Woodbury, Minneapolis, St. Paul, or the surrounding Minnesota area, I would love to help you finally understand what your body is trying to tell you.

---

Dr. Lori Jokinen, DC, CACCP, CFMP, BA
Functional Medicine & Chiropractic Care
Functional Health Unlimited – Woodbury, Minnesota