Thyroid & Hashimoto's Care

Your labs are “normal” but you still feel awful.

Real thyroid care starts with a full workup, not a single TSH. Comprehensive labs, individualized thyroid treatment, and care for the autoimmune root cause behind Hashimoto's.

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Led by Chloe Pappas, PA-C  ·  Serving Florida & California
Chloe Pappas, PA-C, functional medicine thyroid and Hashimoto's treatment

“A TSH inside the reference range is not the same as a thyroid that is working for you.”

The two things going on

Hypothyroidism vs. Hashimoto's

Hypothyroidism means your thyroid is not producing enough hormone for your body to function optimally. Hashimoto's thyroiditis is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the United States and is autoimmune: your immune system is attacking your thyroid, slowly reducing its ability to make hormone. Standard care usually treats the resulting hormone deficiency with medication but rarely addresses the autoimmune process driving it. At NEOS, both the hormone deficiency and the underlying autoimmunity are treated.

Anatomy of the thyroid gland, showing the butterfly-shaped organ at the base of the neck

The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland at the base of your neck, but it drives nearly every system in your body.

Does this sound like you?

The symptoms you have been told are stress, aging, or in your head

Thyroid symptoms build slowly and get attributed to everything except the thyroid, especially when standard TSH-only workups come back “normal.”

Persistent fatigue

Weight gain, difficulty losing

Cold intolerance

Hair loss & thinning

Dry skin & brittle nails

Brain fog, poor focus

Depression, low mood

Heavy or irregular periods

Woman touching her neck with concern, suspecting a thyroid issue

Tired of being told your labs are normal? Let's actually look.

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The question standard care skips

Why is your thyroid off?

For Hashimoto's, the thyroid dysfunction is downstream of something else. Standard care treats the symptom (low thyroid hormones) but rarely asks what is triggering the autoimmune attack in the first place. Identifying and addressing the root cause can lower antibody levels, slow disease progression, and reduce the medication burden required to feel well.

Gut dysfunction

Leaky gut and dysbiosis are consistently implicated in autoimmune conditions including Hashimoto's. Gut testing and restoration are often the highest leverage intervention in an autoimmune workup.

Gluten & food triggers

Gluten sensitivity has strong overlap with Hashimoto's through a mechanism called molecular mimicry, where the immune system confuses gluten proteins for thyroid tissue. Other food triggers can play a role too.

Nutrient deficiencies

Selenium, zinc, iron, iodine, and vitamin D are all required for healthy thyroid function. Common deficiencies get missed by standard workups and can hold you back from feeling well on medication alone.

Chronic stress & HPA axis

Sustained cortisol elevation disrupts thyroid hormone conversion (T4 to T3) and can trigger or worsen autoimmune activity. Addressing stress physiology is not optional in thyroid care.

Environmental toxins

Heavy metals, endocrine disrupting chemicals, and mold exposure can all contribute to thyroid dysfunction and autoimmunity. When suspected, targeted evaluation is available.

Viral triggers

Certain viral infections, particularly Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), have documented links to triggering autoimmune thyroid disease and can drive antibody activity over time.

Woman wrapped in blankets experiencing cold intolerance, a common symptom of hypothyroidism
What working with NEOS looks like

Thyroid care that finally addresses everything

Most thyroid patients come to us after years of hearing their labs are normal. Here is what a real workup looks like.

01

Deep dive intake

A 60 minute first visit covering your symptoms, family history, gut, stress, and diet.

02

Comprehensive workup

A full thyroid panel with antibodies, nutrients, and hormone and metabolic labs, tailored to you.

03

Personalized plan

Thyroid treatment matched to your labs, plus gut, nutrient, and stress support for Hashimoto's.

04

Ongoing care

Regular rechecks, antibody trends, dose adjustments, and direct messaging between visits.

05

Education

You will know what your labs and antibodies mean and why your plan was chosen.

Thyroid care is built into the Women's Optimization and Men's Vitality blueprints, which run 16 weeks and include a full metabolic review. See how the blueprint works

Treatment approach

More than one way to treat the thyroid

The right thyroid treatment depends on your labs, your symptoms, your response to prior treatment, and your preference. Options are reviewed with you after a full evaluation.

T4 replacement
The usual starting point

Thyroid hormone replacement dosed on the full thyroid panel, not just TSH. Effective for many patients when properly dosed.

Adding T3
When conversion is the problem

Considered when T4 alone does not resolve symptoms, or when your body is not converting T4 to T3 well. Often the missing piece for patients told they are “fine.”

Combination approaches
For patients still not improving

Some patients feel better on treatment that supplies both T4 and T3 together. We discuss whether that fits your labs and history.

Autoimmune root treatment
For Hashimoto's

For Hashimoto's, medication is only part of the plan. Gut restoration, food trigger evaluation, nutrient repletion, and stress support are integrated to address the autoimmunity itself.

Man in his 40s frustrated with weight gain and fatigue driven by undiagnosed thyroid dysfunction

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Why this matters

Untreated thyroid dysfunction touches everything

Thyroid hormone regulates almost every cell in your body. Undertreated or poorly treated thyroid disease has ripple effects far beyond fatigue.

Heart
Cardiovascular health

Untreated hypothyroidism raises cholesterol, blood pressure, and long term cardiovascular risk. Adequate thyroid replacement is cardioprotective.

Brain
Mood & cognition

Thyroid hormone directly affects mood, memory, and cognitive function. Depression and brain fog often resolve when thyroid is properly optimized.

Metabolism
Weight & energy

Thyroid drives your metabolic rate. Weight resistance, cold intolerance, and stalled energy often trace back to inadequately treated thyroid function.

Fertility & hormones
Reproductive health

Thyroid dysfunction disrupts menstrual cycles, ovulation, and fertility, and drives postpartum thyroiditis. Optimized thyroid is foundational to hormone health.

Woman meeting with her functional medicine provider for thyroid care
Optional deeper testing

Add-on testing when you need more answers

For Hashimoto's or complex cases, deeper testing can pinpoint the drivers of autoimmunity or explain why standard treatment has stalled.

Comprehensive Stool Testing
GI-MAP

Evaluates gut health, dysbiosis, pathogens, and markers of intestinal permeability. Often the single most useful test for identifying autoimmune root cause in Hashimoto's.

DUTCH Testing
Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones

Shows sex hormone metabolism and cortisol rhythm. Helpful when adrenal stress or hormone imbalance is driving thyroid dysfunction or blocking response to treatment.

Food Sensitivity Testing
Beyond gluten

Identifies food triggers driving inflammation and autoimmunity when gluten alone is not the full picture. Adds targeted precision to the dietary side of the protocol.

Your thyroid deserves a full evaluation. Book to get started.

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Safety & evidence

Thyroid care that follows the science, not just the TSH

Standard thyroid treatment often relies on a single lab value (TSH) inside a broad reference range that does not reflect optimal function for many patients. Modern evidence supports a fuller approach: complete thyroid labs, including antibodies; more than one treatment option; and treatment of the autoimmune drivers behind Hashimoto's.

Every protocol at NEOS is built on evidence based dosing intervals and clinical guidelines, with adjustments based on how your body actually responds.

Full thyroid panel, alwaysA single TSH misses meaningful dysfunction. A full thyroid panel, including antibodies, is standard at NEOS.
Multiple medication optionsSeveral thyroid treatment approaches are available. We choose based on labs and response, not a single default.
Autoimmunity treated as autoimmunityFor Hashimoto's, the underlying immune activity is addressed, not just the resulting hormone deficiency.
Evidence based re-testingThyroid dosing is monitored on appropriate intervals to prevent both under and over treatment.
Frequently asked

What patients ask before starting

What is Hashimoto's thyroiditis?+

Hashimoto's is an autoimmune condition where the immune system attacks the thyroid gland, gradually reducing its ability to produce hormone. It is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the United States. Standard care usually treats the resulting low thyroid hormones with medication but does not address the underlying autoimmune process. At NEOS, both the hormone deficiency and the autoimmune triggers are treated.

Are there options beyond standard thyroid medication?+

Yes. The right thyroid treatment depends on your labs, your symptoms, your response to treatment, and your preference. Many patients who do not fully improve on T4 alone do better with an approach that also addresses T3. Options are reviewed with you after a full workup.

What are the symptoms of hypothyroidism?+

Common symptoms include persistent fatigue, weight gain or difficulty losing weight, cold intolerance, hair loss and thinning, dry skin, constipation, brain fog and poor concentration, depression, muscle aches, heavy or irregular periods, puffiness in the face, and cold hands and feet. Symptoms often build slowly and get dismissed as aging, stress, or just being run down.

What labs do you run for thyroid workup?+

A complete thyroid panel that goes well beyond TSH, including thyroid antibodies, plus baseline labs that help find the root cause: a metabolic panel, blood count, iron studies, and micronutrient testing. Most standard workups only check TSH, which can miss meaningful thyroid dysfunction. The exact labs vary from patient to patient based on your history and symptoms.

Why hasn't standard treatment been working for me?+

The most common reasons are: your TSH is being kept in a range that is too high for you to feel well, your T3 has never been measured or optimized (T3 is the active thyroid hormone), you have a conversion problem where T4 is not being converted efficiently to T3, or you have Hashimoto's driving ongoing gland destruction that has never been addressed. NEOS looks at all four.

Can Hashimoto's be treated at the root cause?+

In many cases, yes. Common drivers of Hashimoto's autoimmunity include gut dysfunction (leaky gut, dysbiosis), gluten and other food triggers, nutrient deficiencies (selenium, zinc, iron, vitamin D), chronic stress and HPA axis dysregulation, environmental toxins, and viral triggers (particularly EBV). Addressing these can lower antibody levels, slow disease progression, and reduce the medication burden required to feel well.

Do you check thyroid antibodies?+

Always. Thyroid antibodies are part of every initial thyroid workup at NEOS. Antibody status tells us whether an autoimmune process is driving your symptoms, and it is a marker we track over time to see whether root cause interventions are working.

Do you offer advanced testing like stool testing or DUTCH?+

Yes, as add-on testing when clinically indicated for Hashimoto's or complex thyroid cases. Comprehensive stool testing (GI-MAP) evaluates gut health, dysbiosis, and pathogens that can drive autoimmunity. DUTCH testing shows hormone metabolism and cortisol patterns that impact thyroid function. Food sensitivity testing can identify triggers when gluten alone is not the full picture.

Ready for thyroid care that actually looks at your whole thyroid?

Start with a free health analysis call. We will talk through your symptoms, your history, and whether NEOS is the right fit for your thyroid journey.

Book a free health analysis