Trust Your Symptoms: Understanding Bloodwork Results and Hormonal Imbalances 

January 31, 2025

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Your bloodwork looks normal,” only to leave your doctor’s office feeling confused and frustrated because you still don’t feel well? If so, you’re not alone. Conventional medicine often labels bloodwork as “normal” based on wide reference ranges that don’t account for individual variations. ¹ 

How Are “Normal” Bloodwork Ranges Determined? 

Bloodwork reference ranges are established using data from large populations of individuals. Labs calculate these ranges by measuring test results from a diverse group of people and finding the average values. Typically, the middle 95% of the population’s results are considered “normal,” leaving out the lowest 2.5% and the highest 2.5%, which are labeled “abnormal.” ² 

However, this approach comes with significant limitations: 

• Who Is in the Population Sample? These groups often include both healthy and unhealthy individuals, creating an average that might not reflect true health. ³ 
• Age and Lifestyle Are Overlooked: Averages don’t account for variations in age, diet, or activity levels, which can significantly impact what is optimal for an individual. ⁴ 
• Symptoms Aren’t Considered: The ranges are mathematical constructs, not measures of how you feel or function. ² 

For example, thyroid lab ranges vary significantly from one lab to another. A TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) level of 4.0 mIU/L might be flagged as “high” in one lab, while another considers it “normal.” This inconsistency highlights the need to focus on optimal health, not just population averages. ¹ 

At Hotze Health & Wellness Center, We Go Beyond TSH 

At Hotze Health & Wellness Center, we understand that thyroid health is more complex than a single number on a lab report. When diagnosing hypothyroidism, we don’t just rely on the TSH test. Instead, we take a comprehensive approach that includes assessing clinical symptoms, listening to our guests (we call our patients “guests”), and reviewing multiple blood tests, including: 

• Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH): TSH is a hormone from the pituitary gland that regulates the thyroid’s production of T3 and T4, indicating how well the thyroid is functioning. ⁵ 
• Free Thyroxine (Free T4): Free T4 measures the active thyroid hormone available in the bloodstream, providing insight into thyroid activity and health. ⁵ 
• Anti-Thyroid Antibodies: This test detects antibodies attacking the thyroid, often present in autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto’s or Graves’ disease. ⁵ 

We place a high value on your clinical symptoms because they provide a clearer picture of how well your thyroid is being assimilated into your cells, so they have the energy to function. In addition, we have been practicing alternative approaches to medicine for 35 years and have transformed the lives of over 33,000 guests utilizing bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). There is no “one size fits all” treatment plan to resolve symptoms. We have learned in our 35 years of experience that there is not one guest who is the same as another. Your symptoms and the varying degrees of severity are unique to you, so you will need a tailored regimen to support your body’s needs.  

Common signs of hypothyroidism include: 

• Loss of energy (fatigue) 
• Difficulty losing weight 
• Cold extremities and cold sensitivity 
• Difficulty concentrating and short-term memory loss 
• Depressed moods 
• Hair loss 
• Dry skin 
• Constipation 
• Fluid retention 
• Muscle pain and cramps 
• Joint pain 
• Tiredness after a full night’s sleep 
• Recurrent and chronic infections 

By looking at the full picture—your clinical symptoms and detailed lab work—we can better understand your thyroid health and help you achieve optimal well-being. 

Symptoms Speak Louder Than Numbers 

Your body’s symptoms are its way of telling you something isn’t right. Dismissing these symptoms because your test results fall within a broad “normal” range does a disservice to your health. You know what you are feeling and how you are feeling, and you are the key to the resolution of your symptoms on multiple levels. Hormone levels, particularly for thyroid, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, should be evaluated in the context of how you feel—not just against population averages. This is how we run our alternative medical practice. We listen and then we get to the root cause. 

For example: 

• Thyroid Hormones: Many people with symptoms of hypothyroidism, such as cold intolerance, sluggishness, brittle nails, thinning eyebrows, dry skin, or hair loss, are told their TSH levels are “normal.” However, free T3 and free T4 levels, which indicate active thyroid hormone availability, often go unchecked. ¹ 
• Sex Hormones: Women experiencing irregular periods, severe PMS, hot flashes, or loss of libido may have hormone levels considered “normal” for their age but are far from optimal. ⁶ Men with symptoms like fatigue, muscle weakness, irritability, or decreased motivation may also be dealing with undiagnosed hormone imbalances. ⁷ 
• Adrenal Hormones: Symptoms such as difficulty waking in the morning, extreme afternoon fatigue, salt cravings, or feeling overwhelmed by stress could point to issues with cortisol levels, even if traditional labs don’t flag them. ⁸ 
• Insulin Resistance: Persistent weight gain, sugar cravings, brain fog, and energy crashes after meals can signal insulin imbalances, even when blood glucose and A1C levels appear within standard ranges. ⁹ 

By listening to your symptoms and taking a holistic approach, you can uncover the root causes of your discomfort and work toward truly optimal health. 

Optimal Health Is the Goal 

You deserve to thrive, not just survive! Functional medicine looks beyond the numbers, evaluating your symptoms, medical history, and lifestyle to determine whether your hormones are truly balanced. Hormonal imbalances are not something to ignore. Addressing them with targeted therapies, nutritional support, and lifestyle changes can help you regain vitality and well-being. 

Trust Your Intuition 

If you’ve been told that “everything looks fine,” but you know something is off, listen to your intuition. Fight for yourself and your health. You are the sole steward of your body! Your body knows when something isn’t right, even if a standard test says otherwise. Partnering with a provider who takes your symptoms seriously and prioritizes optimal health over statistical averages can make all the difference. At the Hotze Health & Wellness Center, we are often “the last stop.” Many of our guests have seen multiple providers before they come through our welcoming doors! The other providers just cannot seem to get to the root cause of their problems, oftentimes because they are treating based on bloodwork and treating with pharmaceutical drugs that only mask symptoms. 

If what we have shared resonates with you and you would like to explore how you too might become a guest of the Hotze Health & Wellness Center, our Wellness Consultations are always complimentary.  Simply call 281-698-8698 or schedule a complimentary consultation HERE. 

It would be our privilege to serve you.  

References 

1. “Hypothyroidism Overview.” Cleveland Clinic, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12120-hypothyroidism. 
2. “Reference Ranges and What They Mean.” Testing.com, https://www.testing.com/articles/laboratory-test-reference-ranges/. 
3. “Understanding Insulin Resistance.” American Diabetes Association, https://www.diabetes.org/diabetes/insulin-resistance. 
4. “Free T4 Test.” National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diagnostic-tests/free-t4-test. 
5. “Hashimoto’s Disease.” National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/endocrine-diseases/hashimotos-disease. 
6. “Hypothyroidism.” Endocrine Society, https://www.endocrine.org/patient-engagement/endocrine-library/hypothyroidism. 
7. “Hormonal Imbalance Symptoms.” Harvard Health Publishing, https://www.health.harvard.edu/womens-health/hormonal-imbalance-symptoms. 
8. “Adrenal Hormone Testing.” American Thyroid Association, https://www.thyroid.org/adrenal-hormone-testing/. 
9. Smith, Jane. “The Role of Hormonal Balance in Energy and Mood.” Functional Medicine Review, vol. 5, no. 2, 2019, pp. 12–18. 

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