Spotlight: Thyroid Function

Written By Christine Mestdagh

Image adapted from Integrative Health Practitioner Institute (IHPI), “Liver Detoxification.”

In this Spotlight, see how one Solstice client is reaching her peak health through a root-cause approach to thyroid balance.

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Starting Point

Client came to Solstice with a history of Hashimoto’s (autoimmune hypothyroidism), with symptoms including brain fog, fatigue, stubborn water weight, and more.

She’d been medicated for her condition but wanted to dive deeper into potential root causes of her thyroid dysfunction and integrative ways to support her health.

Root-Cause Labs and Findings

After running several root-cause labs and analyzing 100+ biomarkers, we uncovered the following major themes:

  • Gut imbalances (bacterial and fungal overgrowths)

  • Heavy metal toxicities (elevated mercury and aluminum)

  • Nutrient deficiencies

These underlying imbalances can all influence thyroid function and hormone balance, as outlined below.

Solstice Health Protocol

To start, we designed a multi-step protocol to rebalance the body by addressing what the labs revealed: first removing toxicities, then restoring deficiencies.

Part 1: Liver Support

Because most thyroid hormone conversion (from inactive T4 ⟶ active T3) occurs in the liver, we began with targeted supplements to support both Phase I and Phase II liver detox pathways. This helped optimize liver function by replenishing key minerals and vitamins, as well as prepare the body to safely remove toxins in the next steps of the protocol. This is a process that requires a wide range of micronutrients (see photo below), which we always prioritize and restore before progressing further.

Part 2: Gut Rebalance

Then, because T4 ⟶ T3 conversion also occurs in the gut, we addressed the gut bacterial and fungal overgrowths. These can inhibit both hormone conversion and nutrient absorption pertaining to the thyroid (such as selenium, a mineral primarily concentrated in the thyroid, in which she showed deficient). This step is especially important for clients with existing autoimmune conditions (i.e., Hashimoto’s), as around 70-80% of the immune system resides in the gut.

Within weeks, the client noticed major shifts in her body, like improved energy, clearer thinking, and healthy weight loss.

The client even contacted her endocrinologist to review her medication and work towards a lower dose based on her protocol progress.

(A great example of how medicine and integrative health coaching work hand-in-hand to support the body.)

Part 3: Heavy Metal Detox

After the gut balance is restored, the next step in this client’s case is to address mercury and aluminum toxicities. Mercury binds to selenium (inhibiting thyroid conversion), and both mercury and aluminum can compete with minerals like zinc (also involved in T4 to T3 conversion), creating a domino effect across systems in the body. Given that these metals and minerals impact hundreds of biochemical reactions in the body, beyond the thyroid, it’s important to keep these levels balanced.

Part 4: Long-Term Support

And, finally, the last step is to build a custom maintenance protocol for sustaining results, ensuring we're nourishing the body with the right nutrients, and supporting liver detox pathways and the gut microbiome in the long run, to in turn support the thyroid.

Helping this client reach her peak health, from the root. ☀️

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Ready to Get to the Root?

If you're interested in getting to the root of your symptoms and reaching your peak, schedule your Initial Consultation and begin your health journey with us, or reach out at hello@solstice.health to learn more.

Christine Mestdagh