Thyroid Health
Functional Medicine Gold Coast
wave functional health
Dr Matt le Roux
Your thyroid blood test came back normal. But you still do not feel well.
You may be exhausted, cold, foggy, gaining weight, losing hair, feeling flat, or struggling with cycles and mood, only to be told your thyroid blood test is normal. Or maybe you have already been diagnosed with hypothyroidism, Hashimoto's, Graves' disease, or thyroid nodules, but still do not feel like yourself.
At Wave Functional Health, we look beyond a single TSH number to understand why your thyroid system is not performing well, why symptoms are still present, and what other body systems may be keeping you stuck.
You are not imagining it
Why conventional treatment has not worked
Standard thyroid care often focuses on diagnosing overt thyroid disease, usually by checking TSH and sometimes free T4. If TSH is outside the reference range, medication may be prescribed. If TSH is normal, many patients are told their thyroid is fine, even when they still have clear symptoms of thyroid dysfunction.
The problem is that thyroid physiology is more complex than TSH alone. Thyroid hormone must be produced, converted from T4 into active T3, transported through the blood, enter the cells, bind to receptors, and trigger a healthy metabolic response. Hashimoto’s can also disrupt thyroid function through autoimmune attack on thyroid tissue, inflammation-related changes in T4 to T3 conversion, and impaired thyroid hormone receptor response.
““I had a diagnosis, a prescription, and no explanation. Nobody had ever asked me about my gut health, my stress history, or what I was eating. Six months in, I finally understand what my body has been reacting to.””
An important note. Functional medicine does not replace specialist care, prescribed medication, or medical monitoring. It can help identify modifiable factors that may influence inflammation, immune resilience, symptom burden, flare frequency, and quality of life -- alongside your existing medical team.
Conditions We Support
What is actually driving it
Dr Matt looks at thyroid health as part of a larger endocrine, immune, gut, metabolic, and nervous system picture. In many adults, low thyroid function is not simply an iodine problem or a medication problem. Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune thyroid condition, is a major driver of adult hypothyroidism, and thyroid antibodies may be present before TSH becomes abnormal.
Common drivers we investigate include autoimmune activity, chronic inflammation, blood sugar instability, poor gut barrier function, dysbiosis, nutrient insufficiencies, stress physiology, poor sleep, toxicant exposure, impaired liver biotransformation, and hormone imbalances. These systems can influence thyroid hormone conversion, receptor sensitivity, immune tolerance, mitochondrial energy production, and how your body responds to thyroid hormone.
We also look for the patterns that are often missed: low free T3, high reverse T3, thyroid antibodies, iron or B12 insufficiency, vitamin D deficiency, selenium and zinc needs, blood sugar dysregulation, adrenal rhythm disruption, inflammatory load, and gut triggers. In functional medicine, thyroid symptoms are not viewed in isolation. They are often the visible signal of a wider physiological web.
Common Presentations
Symptoms that may suggest thyroid dysregulation
Thyroid symptoms vary depending on whether function is low, high, or fluctuating due to autoimmune activity. Some people arrive with a confirmed diagnosis. Others have felt unwell for years despite normal TSH results.
Advanced Diagnostics
Testing we use to investigate
thyroid dysfunction
← Scroll to see full table
| Test | What it reveals |
|---|---|
| TSH | Pituitary signalling to the thyroid and whether the brain is asking the thyroid to work harder or slow down |
| Free T4 | The main thyroid hormone produced by the thyroid gland and available for conversion into active T3 |
| Free T3 | The active thyroid hormone most associated with metabolism, temperature regulation, energy, and cellular function |
| Reverse T3 | Whether stress, inflammation, illness, or under-fuelling may be shifting thyroid hormone away from active T3 and into an inactive blocking form |
| TPO Antibodies | Autoimmune activity against thyroid peroxidase, commonly elevated in Hashimoto's thyroiditis and often present before TSH becomes abnormal |
| Thyroglobulin Antibodies | Autoimmune activity against thyroglobulin, an important second Hashimoto's marker that is frequently not tested on standard panels |
| Iron studies and ferritin | Iron availability for thyroid hormone production, T4 to T3 conversion, energy, hair health, and oxygen transport. Low ferritin commonly accompanies thyroid dysfunction. |
| Vitamin D, B12, selenium, zinc, magnesium | Nutrient patterns that directly influence immune regulation, thyroid hormone conversion, energy production, and physiological resilience |
| Glucose and insulin markers | Blood sugar dysregulation that can drive inflammation, impair thyroid conversion, and worsen fatigue and weight symptoms |
| Inflammatory markers (hsCRP, ESR, homocysteine) | Systemic inflammation that suppresses T4 to T3 conversion and perpetuates autoimmune thyroid activity |
| GI MAP stool analysis | Gut microbiome balance, intestinal permeability, and immune activation patterns that influence thyroid antibody levels and hormone conversion |
| Hormonal and adrenal assessment | Sex hormone patterns and cortisol rhythm that interact with thyroid function, particularly relevant in perimenopause, postpartum, and chronic stress presentations |
The Gut Connection
Common drivers we investigate
Who This Is For
This approach may suit you if...
We work with people at all stages of their autoimmune journey, from those with a recent diagnosis to those who have been managing a condition for years without clear answers.
We also work with people who have been told their labs are normal but continue to feel unwell. That situation is more common than conventional testing acknowledges, and it is one we take seriously.
Frequently Asked Questions
What people ask about thyroid care at Wave
Many standard thyroid checks only include TSH. TSH is useful, but it does not show the full picture of thyroid hormone production, conversion, antibodies, nutrient status, inflammation, or cellular thyroid response.
You can have symptoms before your labs become diagnostic, especially in early Hashimoto's or poor T4 to T3 conversion patterns. This is one of the most common presentations we see at Wave.
Hashimoto's is an autoimmune condition where the immune system targets thyroid tissue. It can slowly reduce thyroid function over time and may cause fatigue, weight changes, brain fog, hair loss, cold intolerance, constipation, and mood changes.
Some people have elevated antibodies while TSH is still normal, which is why antibody testing is an important part of a complete thyroid assessment.
Yes, low thyroid function can reduce metabolic rate, fluid regulation, gut motility, and energy production. However, weight gain is rarely only a thyroid issue.
Blood sugar regulation, stress hormones, sleep, inflammation, gut health, muscle mass, and sex hormones often need to be assessed alongside thyroid function to understand the full picture.
Iodine is required for thyroid hormone production, but more is not always better. In autoimmune thyroid conditions, high iodine intake may aggravate symptoms in some people.
Dr Matt assesses iodine in context, alongside selenium, thyroid antibodies, diet, medications, and your overall thyroid pattern rather than recommending supplementation without clinical assessment.
Yes. Chronic stress can influence the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis, thyroid hormone conversion, inflammation, gut barrier function, sleep, and blood sugar regulation.
This is why thyroid recovery often requires nervous system and lifestyle support alongside thyroid-specific nutrition and supplementation, not just medication management.
No. We work alongside your existing medical care, not in competition with it. Many of our patients continue prescribed thyroid medication while we address the underlying drivers of their condition.
We do not advise stopping prescribed medication. Where antibody levels reduce, inflammation improves, and gut function stabilises, that conversation about medication review is one to have with your prescribing doctor.
Your thyroid is not the whole story.
Let us find out what is driving it.
If you have been told your thyroid is normal but still feel exhausted, foggy, cold, or unlike yourself, your body is not making it up. Book a functional medicine consultation at Wave Functional Health and let Dr Matt build a clear, test-informed plan to support your thyroid and the systems influencing it.
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