What Do Your Thyroid Test Results Mean? With Mary Shomon

If you’ve ever walked out of the doctor’s office with thyroid labs in hand but no idea what they mean, you’re not alone. Too many thyroid patients—especially those with Hashimoto’s—never get a full picture of their thyroid health or clear guidance on what their results actually tell them.

In this must-listen episode of Thyroid-Healthy Bites, I sit down with NYT bestselling author and patient advocate Mary Shomon to demystify thyroid testing. Mary has helped millions of thyroid patients make sense of their results, advocate for better care, and finally get on treatment that truly works for them.

What We Cover:

• Why TSH alone isn’t enough to understand your thyroid health

• The complete thyroid panel every patient should know about

• Normal vs. optimal thyroid levels, and how that impacts your symptoms

• Why testing for thyroid antibodies is critical for diagnosing Hashimoto’s

• What Reverse T3 can reveal about your treatment

• How often to test and what to do if your doctor says “no” to a full panel

Because here’s the truth: food and lifestyle changes can take you far, but if your thyroid medication and labs aren’t dialed in, you may stay stuck in symptom limbo. This conversation with Mary is foundational knowledge for every Thyroid Thriver who wants to feel their best.

Scroll down to watch the interview on YouTube, or listen to the audio version on your platform of choice!

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Podcast Links:

• Listen on the podcast page
• Listen / Subscribe on Apple
• Listen / Follow on Spotify
• Watch / Subscribe on YouTube 

Show Notes:

• The Thyroid Tuneup Bonus Bundle
• Paloma's Complete At-home Thyroid Test Kit ($30 OFF CODE: HYPOCHEF)
• Ep. 26: Why You Should Get Tested for Hashimoto's
• Mary Shomon's Website
• Follow Mary Shomon on Facebook

The Essential Thyroid Tests Every Patient Should Know About

While TSH is a key marker, it doesn’t give the full picture. A complete thyroid panel typically includes:

• TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) – A pituitary hormone that signals to your thyroid whether to produce more or less hormone. It's a useful indicator, but not the whole picture.

• Free T4 (Thyroxine) – Measures the main thyroid hormone circulating in your blood (the storage form).

• Free T3 (Triiodothyronine) – Shows the active thyroid hormone your body can actually use for energy and metabolism.

• Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOAb) – Detects autoimmune activity associated with Hashimoto’s disease.

Other helpful tests include: 

• Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb) – Another marker that can help diagnose autoimmune thyroid disease.

• Reverse T3 (rT3) – Helps assess whether your body is properly converting T4 to active T3 or if stress and other factors are blocking that process.

Pro Tip: If your doctor refuses to order these tests, you have options! Direct-to-consumer labs and telemedicine companies like Paloma Health provide testing you can order yourself and do from the comfort of your own home!

Check out Paloma Health's comprehensive at-home thyroid test kit, which includes TSH, Free T4, Free T3, thyroid antibodies, and more, all without requiring a lab visit. You can even connect with Paloma's thyroid-trained doctors (in many U.S. states, often covered by insurance) via telemedicine for specialized care.

🎁 Use code HYPOCHEF for $30 OFF Paloma’s Complete At-home Thyroid Test Kit! Learn more here.

About Mary Shomon

Mary Shomon is an internationally known thyroid patient advocate, writer, and health coach. She's a New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen books on thyroid health and host of the PBS Healthy Hormones television specials.

If you’ve been diagnosed with hypothyroidism and have taken to the interwebs to learn more about your thyroid, Mary is often the first expert you come across on places like Verywell Health and Health Central. Mary has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the LA Times, Time Magazine, and hundreds of other television, radio, and print media outlets. 

Does Your Thyroid Need a Tuneup?

Your thyroid is like the metabolic engine of your body. When it’s running smoothly, you feel energized, focused, and well. But when it’s out of tune—even slightly—everything else can feel off.

Even if you’ve been diagnosed, are taking medication, and have a “normal” TSH, you might still struggle with symptoms like fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, joint pain, brain fog, dry skin, constipation, or low libido. Sound familiar?

As author and autoimmune advocate Eileen Laird says, “We treat our bodies like a car that’s supposed to run perfectly, last a lifetime, and never need any repairs!” The truth is, sometimes our thyroid health does need a tune-up. A chance to step back, look at the bigger picture, and make sure our labs, treatment, and lifestyle are all working together to help us thrive.

That’s where my guest Mary Shomon’s Thyroid Tuneup comes in. It’s a high-impact, easy-to-follow crash course designed to help thyroid patients get informed, empowered, and back on the road to feeling better. In the course, Mary covers:

• How to understand your thyroid labs (beyond just TSH)

• The full menu of treatment options—not just levothyroxine

• Ways to optimize your medication and lower antibodies

• Strategies to reduce symptoms and support your adrenals

• The role of diet and lifestyle in thyroid health

• A troubleshooting guide for when treatment stops working

The best part? You can complete the entire course in a single afternoon, with videos and a handy “Thyroid Owner’s Manual” you can reference anytime.

To celebrate Mary joining me for this episode of Thyroid-Healthy Bites, we’ve put together a special 3-in-1 Tuneup Bonus Bundle for listeners. It includes:

1. The Thyroid Tuneup Course

2. The Thyroid-Healthy Everyday Cookbook

3. My Calm Kit for stress and sleep support

All three resources, valued at $141, are yours for just $67. This 3-for-1 bundle is designed to help you tackle the Thyroid Trifecta: treatment, diet, and lifestyle, so you can start feeling like yourself again.

👉 Grab your discounted Tuneup Bonus Bundle here and give your thyroid the tune-up it deserves.

Wishing you happy cooking, happy thriving, and the best of health!