You want your energy back. You want your hair to stop thinning and your metabolism to work the way it used to. When someone recommends something that might help, of course you want to know more.

But there is always another recommendation. Another product. Another thing you could try. How do you know which one deserves your attention?

My friend Melissa Broach, a certified health and life coach, interviewed me about that in episode 139 of Health with Hashimoto’s. Usually I am the one asking the questions. This time, she asked about my own diagnosis, why thyroid problems can affect so much of your body, and how I decide what to recommend.

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Health with Hashimoto’s is your free weekly podcast that sorts this autoimmune condition into thyroid or immune. Each episode is for informational and educational purposes. Please discuss any questions or concerns with your trusted healthcare professional. Some links may be affiliate links, marked as such, at no extra cost to you.

The point I wanted you to have before hearing any of those recommendations was this: “You know if something is worth your time, your investment and your hope, and you know if it’s not applicable to you.” That starts with understanding what is going on in your own health.

I knew the medication names before I understood my own thyroid

During my 17 years in the emergency department, I typed levothyroxine and Synthroid so often that my fingers could do it from muscle memory. I knew a lot of people took thyroid medication. Understanding why they needed it was another matter.

“I studied hard enough to pass the test, but I could never understand what was going on,” I told Melissa.

Then I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s. I had four years of nursing school and two years of holistic health education behind me, and I still found thyroid health confusing. Now it was happening in my own body, and I wanted to understand it.

That is why Melissa’s opening question, “Why are you passionate about learning about the thyroid?” has such a personal answer. I knew what it was like to have the diagnosis and still have questions. If I was confused with all that education behind me, I figured a lot of other people were, too.

I had also grown tired of seeing the same people return to the ER with the same chronic problems and leaving without any solutions or answers. Holistic health education gave me a way to work with people beyond that immediate visit. As I explained to Melissa, “I wanted to help people actually address what was going on in their health.”

Your thyroid provides the ignition key

Understanding your thyroid starts with what it does. It is a butterfly-shaped gland at the front of your neck, but its effects reach far beyond that little area.

I use an ignition key to explain it. Your mitochondria produce cellular energy. Thyroid hormone is like the key that helps turn on the ignition. As I put it in our conversation, “Your thyroid provides the key to turn that on.”

If you are not getting enough thyroid hormone, you may notice the effects in different places. Your energy drops. You feel cold all the time. Your hair thins, or your weight becomes harder to manage despite your efforts.

It can feel like several separate problems. The ignition-key analogy helps you see the connection: thyroid function is part of how your body has the energy to do its work.

Hashimoto’s and hypothyroidism describe different things

Melissa knew Hashimoto’s was autoimmune. What she wanted to understand was how that differed from having an underactive or overactive thyroid. Those terms often get used together, and it is easy to lose track of which problem you are talking about.

Hashimoto’s is your immune system attacking your thyroid. Hypothyroidism means your thyroid is not producing enough hormone. One describes the autoimmune process. The other describes thyroid function.

That matters when you are deciding what to address. Thyroid medication helps with the hormone shortage. The immune system attacking the thyroid is another part of the conversation to have with your healthcare provider.

Symptoms can make the distinction even more confusing. As I explained to Melissa, damaged thyroid tissue can release stored hormone, leading to periods of excess thyroid hormone. Your experience may not fit neatly into what you expected an underactive thyroid to feel like.

Melissa’s follow-up was practical: what should someone look for and bring to their doctor? We had talked about fatigue, weight changes, hair loss, and feeling cold. If you are experiencing those changes, bring them up. You do not have to figure out how they all fit together before asking for help.

Fight Hashimoto’s smart by asking what applies to you

Once you understand the thyroid and immune pieces, recommendations become something you can evaluate. What are you hoping to address, and how does this particular approach relate to it?

When Melissa asked about lifestyle changes and the products I recommend, I talked about genetics, gut health, stress, environmental exposures, and blood sugar patterns. These were the areas we discussed when looking at possible contributors to health problems. They were not a shopping list.

Blood sugar patterns were something I had noticed in my own life. I could go from not feeling hungry to feeling weak, shaky, and hangry. That gave me something specific to pay attention to.

Your experience deserves that same attention. A recommendation can sound interesting without being the thing you need to pursue right now. Before you invest in it, ask: What am I hoping this will help with, and why do I think it applies to me?

That question gives you somewhere to start with your healthcare team. You can discuss the problem you are experiencing and whether the approach you are considering makes sense for you.

Start with a pause before meals or bedtime

Stress was the first practical area I addressed in response to Melissa’s question. One of the things I remind people to do, both in my programs and on the podcast, is breathe.

“Breathe with your belly, your diaphragm, 10 deep diaphragmatic breaths,” I said. “Try to do that before every meal. Try to do it before you go to sleep at night.”

Those moments give you a built-in reminder. You are about to rest or digest, so pause and take those breaths slowly. You can also use that pause when you notice you are stressed.

It is a small practice you can return to while you work through the bigger questions about your health. You do not need to have every answer before you begin.

Where the products fit

Affiliate disclosure: I’m a LifeVantage Independent Contractor Consultant, which means I earn a commission when you order through my affiliate links.

I sort products into two general categories. One of the categories is “activators.” These help the body do what the body is designed to do. The other category is “ingredients.” These are typically micronutrients and supplementation fills the gaps left in our diets. These “ingredients” give the body the right tools to do all that it is designed to do. Episode 83 walks you through this in detail.

Melissa also wanted to know how the activation products I discuss fit into this approach. Our conversation included the Dual Synergizer, activating collagen, and MindBody GLP-1 System, with each connected to an area we had been discussing. I do not take nor recommend any products for Hashimoto’s. Instead, I look at all products as tools to support my body and all my health goals.

The Dual Synergizer pairs Protandim Nrf2 and Protandim Nrf1. I discussed Nrf2 in relation to antioxidant defenses and Nrf1 in relation to mitochondria and cellular energy. That brought us back to the ignition-key picture and why energy matters throughout your body. “We need to support our mitochondria, because we need that energy,” I explained. I pair Nrf1 with Nrf2; the combo is called the Dual Synergizer.

LifeVantage states: Both products work by activating your body’s pathways to enhance its own functions. The Nrf2 pathway supports the production of antioxidants, and the NRF1 pathway is responsible for mitochondrial health.

Activating collagen came up in the gut-health part of our conversation. I described it as a product I use with gut support in mind since the gut wall is primarily made of collagen. That is not a promise that it repairs the gut or changes the course of Hashimoto’s.

LifeVantage states: This daily boost of marine collagen plus exclusive botanicals activates your body to make 5 types of collagen, replenishes depleting collagen levels, and maintains collagen by reducing enzymes that break it down. It also helps protect against the damaging effects of oxidative stress caused by free radicals.

With the MindBody GLP-1 System, I shared my own experience of feeling less hangry after starting it. Before that, as I told Melissa, “I wouldn’t feel my hunger.” By the time I noticed, I could already feel weak and shaky. Feeling less hangry was a change I noticed personally, not proof of hormone regulation or a result I can promise someone else.

LifeVantage states “This patent-pending system is clinically shown to naturally increase GLP-1 by over 200% on average.” (Results based on the averaged data of two 12-week randomized human clinical studies.)

The reason for discussing those products was to connect the recommendation to what I was trying to address. Whether one belongs in your routine is a conversation to have with your healthcare provider, including how it fits with your medications and care plan.

No product is ever going to “cure” Hashimoto’s. Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune disease. That means it is your immune system attacking your thyroid.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

If you are still trying to understand which parts of your diagnosis involve your thyroid and which involve your immune system, Hashimoto’s Decoded: Thyroid or Immune walks you through that framework. It gives you a starting point for thinking about the next recommendation that comes your way.