How to Find a Good Thyroid Doctor

Reviewed by Thyroid Expert, Mary Shomon

As a thyroid patient, you’ve heard it before: the secret to solving your thyroid woes is to find a good thyroid doctor. Sounds easy enough, but the reality for many of us is that it’s not so easy, and the ‘find-a-good-doctor’ detail becomes a barrier between us and better health.

Finding a doctor who can truly help is a big roadblock for many hypothyroid patients who are frustrated with the conventional standard of care, which relies on TSH testing and treatment with synthetic thyroid hormone. While both TSH testing and synthetic thyroid hormone treatment are useful to thyroid treatment, they don’t show us the whole picture, or the full menu of options. Many patients are left with residual symptoms under this approach.

This is why holistic or functional practitioners are so often recommended. Trouble is, we don’t all live in areas with a wealth of health care options to choose from. And not all of us have the disposable income (or the desire) to pay out-of-pocket for holistic healthcare, while we’re also paying dearly for health insurance. Some of us don’t have insurance, some of us may live in a country with universal healthcare that does not cover holistic practitioners, and some of us are forced to choose in-network doctors covered by our insurance.

Online ‘find-a-doctor’ databases can be helpful but may offer limited options (scroll down for my favorite “find-a-doc” resources).

Then, there’s question numero uno: What is a good thyroid doctor anyway? What exactly does that mean? That's what we're going to explore in this article. 

We'll Discuss:

• What is a 'good thyroid doctor'?
• Finding a 'good' doctor vs. the 'right' doctor
• A few pitfalls to watch out for in your search
• Criteria for selecting your thyroid practitioner
• Conventional medicine vs. functional/holistic/integrative medicine
• Resources to help you find a good thyroid doctor
• Minimizing out-of-pocket costs
• Finding my "Dr. Right"

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What is a 'Good Thyroid Doctor'?

There is no cookie-cutter for what a good thyroid doctor is, but let’s define what it is we’re looking for, and discuss how to get past this common hurdle.

A good thyroid doctor will address these questions:

• Is my body absorbing or converting my medication?
• Is there another medication or medication combo that’s better for me?
• Are there underlying, root cause issues to my hypothyroidism/Hashimoto’s?
• What about diet and lifestyle? How can they help?
• If my TSH is normal, why do I still feel poorly?
• May I have a complete thyroid panel that includes TSH, freeT3, free T4, reverse T3, and antibodies testing?
• Is my thyroid condition actually an autoimmune condition?
• If so, can you help me understand my autoimmune thyroid condition and how I can protect my thyroid and my health from worsening or compounding autoimmune conditions?
• Is my downward health spiral related to my thyroid issues, and what can I do to reverse the spiral?

If you’ve struggled to get answers to those questions from your doctor, you are not alone. I regularly hear stories from this patient community about being dismissed and diminished by doctors while people's health, lives, and careers fall apart.

Before I took the reins of my health, I was in the same boat. My healing journey required me to pay out-of-pocket to work with someone with a whole-health approach. While I resisted the added expense for a long time, it was life-changing from the first appointment, and within a few short months I went from being tired all day, every day, and sick all the time, to having my life and energy back.

You can’t put a price on that.

A Good Doctor vs. the Right Doctor

‘Good’ can be a murky term here, and words are important. Your healing mission is to find the right doctor, who can help you get and stay healthier. My general practitioner did the job she was trained and educated to do. She was diligent and did the things a conventional MD is supposed to do for thyroid patients, according to the established standard of care. When it came to my thyroid health, she took the standard approach: TSH testing and treatment with synthetic thyroid hormone (Levothyroxine), probably for the rest of my life.

By those standards, you could say my doctor was a good doctor, but she was not the right doctor to help me reclaim my health.

My story and my frustrations are not unique. Our doctors may be doing their job to its exact specifications, but the reality is that the standard approach to thyroid care fails a lot of us. 

What got me unstuck was not an acceptance of my compromised state of health, but a paradigm shift in my treatment. It took a whole-health approach to help me get my life back. That is what holistic, naturopathic, functional, and integrative doctors specialize in.

Like so many other thyroid patients before me, my health was compromising my life, until I branched out from the conventional medical system, and made the choice to expand my personal healthcare team, and ultimately, find the right doctor for me.

You are the CEO of Your Health

In addition to finding the right doctor to help me reclaim my health, I also had to take the reins and become the CEO of my health. No one cares as much about our health and wellbeing as we do. And while the right doctor can give us good advice about what to do in order to feel well and stay healthy, the work of implementing that advice is up to us.

One of the best gifts my new doctor gave me was permission to listen to my own instincts, and to share them with her so they could help guide our treatment plan and wellness goals. In the words of my dear friend and mentor, Mary Shomon, "The right doctor is an important advisor, but you should also trust your own instincts about your health."

Why You Need a Prescribing Physician

Just because a practitioner has the word 'functional'  or 'integrative' or even 'doctor' in their title, doesn't necessarily mean they are a prescribing physician. If they can't prescribe your thyroid meds, that's a problem. While supplements have their place, be wary of those who promise to treat your thyroid issue with supplements alone, or over-the-counter thyroid glandular. That approach is not recommended by any of the doctors or experts I follow. 

The dosing of thyroid hormone is very specific and done in micrograms. That kind of accuracy (and safety) requires oversight and regulation. Over-the-counter supplements are not regulated by the FDA and typically aren't regarded by doctors as a safe, reliable, or effective way to manage your thyroid imbalance. Supplements can be helpful in managing symptoms and addressing issues like nutritional deficiencies, but most of us require regular thyroid testing and accurately dosed medication to thrive. 

This proper testing and medication piece of the puzzle is foundational and should be considered Step 1 in your thyroid-healing journey. While not everyone you work with needs to be a prescribing physician, be sure you have one on your healthcare team. 

Looking for convenient and affordable thyroid testing? Get a complete, at-home thyroid test kit for just $69 from Paloma Health when you use the code: HYPOCHEF. (U.S. only)

What to Look for in a Thyroid Practitioner

Have hope. There are professionals out there who can help under every banner of medical philosophy (conventional, holistic, functional, integrative, etc.).

The search may take time, and you may have to kiss a few frogs, but if you stick with it, you will find the right doctor. This, perhaps more than any other step you take on your healing journey, is key to reaching your optimal state of health.

Here are some qualities to look for when evaluating potential doctors:

• They listen to you and the clues you give them about your health.
• They are willing to be your personal root cause detective.
• They assist you in getting the testing you need, like a complete thyroid panel, not just TSH. 
• They search for the root cause of your symptoms, not just treatments.
• They are versed in multiple options for thyroid medication, like natural desiccated thyroid (NDT), synthetic T3 (like Cytomel), or alternative therapies like low-dose naltrexone (LDN).
• They don’t dismiss the residual symptoms that their prescribed medications are not addressing (or even causing).
• They don’t tell you that your symptoms are all in your head, an inevitable part of aging, or your fault.
• They help you identify and address deficiencies, underlying infections, and other issues in order to maintain optimal health.
• They treat you, the whole human being, not just the lab results.
• They are a prescribing physician who can provide you with prescription thyroid medication. 

Allopathic vs. Whole-health Care

Conventional MDs shouldn’t be categorically overlooked in your search, but before you start scouting, it is helpful to understand the fundamental difference between conventional and holistic care.

Allopathic physicians (i.e., conventional/traditional/Western doctors) are trained to treat diseases using drugs, surgery, or radiation. These modalities are incredibly important, useful, and life-saving. The allopathic model is backed by a high amount of regulation, drug testing, and scientific evidence.

While whole-health (or holistic) medicine may lack the amount of scientific evidence, drug testing, and federal regulation that allopathic medicine boasts, it looks at the body as a whole system rather than dividing it up into parts. Whole-health care also has the mission of maintaining and optimizing health, not just treating injury, illness, or disease. 

Therein lies the fundamental difference in allopathic vs whole-health care: Allopathic/conventional medicine focuses on treatment, and holistic/functional/integrative healthcare focuses on prevention. As patients, we benefit from both. 

Whole-health doctors, like functionally trained MDs or NMDs, for example, utilize both traditional therapies (such as prescription drugs) and holistic therapies as part of an overall treatment approach, emphasizing disease prevention and health optimization. Treatment might include comprehensive testing, targeted supplements, dietary changes, and lifestyle changes, in addition to optimizing thyroid medication.

The specialties below each take their own approach but share the common thread of viewing the body as a whole system:

• Naturopath (ND or NMD)
• Functional MD
• Integrative MD
• Osteopathic Physician (DO)

Also worth noting (while outside the realm of what we might call ‘medical care’), functional, integrative, or holistic nutritionists can be incredibly helpful, as well as certified and reputable health coaches, acupuncturists, massage therapists, psychotherapists, hypnotherapists, and herbalists.  

Having a team of experts to support your well-being is ideal. But remember: you are the CEO of your health and the captain of your get-well ship. As captain, you must inform each member of your healthcare team of all efforts being taken by other team members, because even things like herbs and essential oils can have powerful reactions, interactions, and side effects.

More information: What Do Your Thyroid Test Results Mean?

Where to Find a Good Thyroid Doctor

Now that you have a better idea of what to look for, the next question is: where to begin?

• Your Health Insurance Provider or HMO: If you have health insurance or an HMO, they should have a directory (often online) listing the practitioners in your area who are covered under your policy or plan. More and more providers are beginning to cover ‘alternative’ doctors, so you may be pleasantly surprised.
• Do Your Research: Once you’ve gathered a few names, check them out online. Are there reviews? Do they have websites? What is their philosophy? And perhaps most importantly, do you know anyone who has seen them, and what did they think?
• Crowdsource: This is a perfect opportunity to put the power of social media to work. Put a post on your Facebook page if you have one: “Looking for a referral for a naturopath, integrative or functional MD, or DO in the Kalamazoo area. Any suggestions?” or “Have any of my Pensacola friends been to Dr. X? Please PM me and let me know what you thought.”

If your financial resources are limited, you may have to select a practitioner covered by insurance or one who is part of your HMO. As noted, most of these practitioners will tend to follow a more conventional, allopathic approach. If you can afford it, however, you may choose to pay out-of-pocket for a more innovative physician who can possibly work in collaboration with your insurance-covered doctor. 

Find-a-doctor Resources:

If you're ready to begin searching for your Dr. Right, these find-a-doctor resources can be a good place to start your search. 

• Paloma Health (U.S. only) specializes in offering a higher level of thyroid care, including convenient testing and medical treatment. They offer telemedicine appointments with doctors in a growing number of states, many of them covered by insurance.
• ThyroidChange.org's Find a Doctor Database (international)
• The Institute for Functional Medicine's Find-a-Practitioner Tool (international)

Mindset Roadblocks Around Investing in Your Health

To the frustration of many Thyroid Thrivers, getting the level of care we need often requires paying for tests, appointments, and even medications out of our own pockets. Health insurance often does not cover anything outside the realm of conventional medicine. Even getting the brand of medication we want can be a battle.

There are several strategies we can use to make obtaining whole-health care more affordable, which we'll cover next, but before we go there, we need to check our mindset. Sometimes our own beliefs are the biggest hurdle to getting the care we need and deserve. Let’s try to dismantle some of the mindset roadblocks we may have around investing in our health.

Sometimes the stories we tell ourselves (“I can’t afford that”) are just that: stories, built on limiting beliefs rather than firm truths. This can be especially common around the topic of money, where things like our net worth get muddled up with our self-worth. Sometimes, we make excuses not to prioritize our health. Sometimes, other priorities take true precedence – like putting food on the table.

I faced my own mindset and financial roadblocks around finding the right doctor (who was not covered by my insurance but who gave me my life and health back). I know there’s no easy answer, but when we immediately dismiss the possibility of paying out of pocket for healthcare, we may be shooting ourselves in the foot. For a long time, I was in my own way on my healing journey...

As a typical American family, we pay dearly for health insurance, so I dragged my feet on getting the care I knew, in my gut, that I needed. Looking back, I can see that putting my health on the back burner only extended my unnecessary suffering and symptoms. I didn't want to spend even more money on healthcare costs. Maybe I didn't feel like it was enough of a priority. After all, my regular doctor kept telling me there was nothing wrong with me because my TSH was in the normal range. Maybe it really was "all in my head."

It took 4 years of suffering, sickness, and finally hitting rock bottom for me to prioritize and invest in my health. In hindsight, I only wish I had done it sooner. Once I started working with my new holistic doctor, I had my energy back in mere weeks. 

When we value ourselves and value our health, it becomes easier to find ways to re-budget. We begin to think, “Maybe there is a way. Maybe I can afford this. Maybe I am worth it.“

If your internal accountant is giving you a hard NO, ask yourself, why? What is my storyline around this? Is that story really true? It all boils down to you being able to make your health a priority. Can you? Will you? Do you?

Taking a closer look at our internal roadblocks is both free of cost and high value. What resources can you put towards better health? And how can you stretch those resources as far as possible? That's what we're going to explore next. 

8 Ways to Save on Better Thyroid Care

1. Paloma Health: I'm putting this one at the top of the list because, for U.S. residents with hypothyroidism or Hashimoto's, Paloma Health is the best deal out there for better thyroid care, treatment and testing. While they work with insurance, their services are surprisingly affordable, even for those paying out of pocket. In 2023, I switched my thyroid care over to Paloma and have been amazed at the care and treatment options, ease of testing, tracking, resources, and digital tools. Thyroid care is all they do!! One of the best ways to get started with Paloma Health is with one of their Complete At-Home Thyroid Test Kits, which you can get for just $69 ($30 OFF) when you use the code HYPOCHEF.
2. Books are a fantastic resource and can be checked out from the library for free. They’re not a substitute for proper medical care, but they are a vital piece of becoming an informed and empowered patient. Part of what sparked my health turnaround was reading Izabella Wentz’s book, “Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause,” which not only taught me about my condition but gave me a road map to better health. I used the recommendations from her book to devise a game plan with my ND. Reading about your condition pre-appointment can save you a LOT of time and money at the doctor’s office.
3. Preparation: Putting together a health history or ‘medical memoir’ will help you get clear on your biggest questions, concerns, and goals. It’s also a great way to track the results of interventions, like a change in medication, supplements, diet, or lifestyle. Doctors aren’t mind readers, and their schedules are often packed. They can’t just look at you and intuit what your needs are. It’s up to us to ask for the answers we want and share the information our medical professionals need. Another simple way to prepare is by keeping a collection place for notes on your smartphone, where you can record questions and bullet points for your next doctor visit. Plus, your phone is usually with you, so you don’t have to remember one more thing (hello, brain fog). This extra bit of preparation can reduce your overall number of appointments and help you get way more bang for your buck.
4. Free online resources abound, and although you can’t believe everything you read on the internet, there are some reliable (and free) articles and websites on thyroid health. As a starting point, check out Mary Shomon’s page on Health Central for a catalog of her articles.
5. Paid online programs: Doctor-guided programs can carry a significant price tag, but in the long run, may be lower cost than multiple out-of-pocket office visits. Check out protocols from Amy Myers MD (A Graves’ survivor) or Dr. Izabella Wentz (The Thyroid Pharmacist), which are designed to walk you through the more technical, medically oriented steps of healing. For a crash course on hypothyroidism that will teach you everything you need to know to better understand hypothyroidism, its causes, and treatment options, check out my Thyroid Tuneup Course, complete with an Owner's Manual for your thyroid, created in collaboration with Mary Shomon. 
6. Shop around: Out-of-pocket doctors should be considerate of your out-of-pocket expense. My ND may recommend specific supplement brands that are up to her quality standards but she is also amenable to me choosing where I purchase them. Sometimes they’re cheaper online than in her office. The same goes for labs. Although my ND prefers to run her own tests from labs she works with regularly, she does her best to utilize any test results I provide her with. She has also helped me determine which, if any, tests I may be able to request from my insurance-covered GP. While any doctor's office is a business that needs to keep the lights on, your doctor’s priority should be getting you the help you need, not draining your bank account.  
7. Ask your doctor about payment plans: Because alternative healthcare practitioners are so often not covered by insurance, some are willing to work on a sliding scale or within a budget. Be clear with them about what you can spend, and see if they’ll collaborate with you on a workable treatment plan. Some holistic practitioners offer payment plans. Some clinics use a membership model where you pay a certain amount each month, and all office visits are included. Paying in installments like this can ease the budgeting process.
8. If you are paying out-of-pocket for holistic healthcare, request a superbill which you can use to file a healthcare claim with your insurance-- you may get reimbursed! Also, save those holistic healthcare receipts! Certain holistic healthcare expenses can be deducted from your taxes.

Check this out next: Realistic Expectations for Our Conventional Thyroid Appointments

Finding My “Dr. Right”

It took 4 years of declining health and compounding health issues for me to hit rock bottom and seek whole-health medical care for my thyroid issues. It took an additional year to do a lot of research and ask around about who to see. There was one local doctor, a naturopath, whose name kept coming up amongst friends and family. I gave her office a call and waited 2 months to get in for a new patient appointment. 

At the first appointment, my ND made it clear that she was happy to work within a budget, using a strategic plan that prioritized which tests were most urgent, and which could wait. She listened to my whole story, reviewed the health history I had prepared, and assured me that it was NOT normal to feel tired all day every day in my mid-thirties. She was ready, willing, and had a plan to get to the bottom of my health woes, starting immediately. 

It wasn’t like any other doctor’s appointment I had been to. It was collaborative vs. authoritarian. It was the beginning of a partnership focused on the mission of maintaining my optimal state of health, not just treating disease. How I felt about treatments mattered to her. My symptoms and struggles were heard and validated. That first appointment lasted 90 minutes, which blew my mind. At one point, I welled up with tears at the relief of feeling truly heard and believed in a doctor's office. 

No doctor, no matter how good, can do the work for you, but I can tell you with conviction that the search, the wait, the work, and, yes, the out-of-pocket expense have been worth it.

After getting back my first round of test results and implementing some of my naturopath’s recommendations to address a previously unknown gut flora imbalance, my energy came back within 48 hours. It was like someone flicked the lights back on inside me after four years of feeling sick and fatigued every day. I still get emotional just thinking about how quickly I started to feel better once I was on a whole-health treatment path. It's the reason I became a thyroid advocate and health coach! 

My naturopath listens to me and encourages me to use a root cause approach: always searching for the reasons why things are off instead of masking symptoms. Her professional advice has helped me implement changes slowly and successfully, peeling back layer after layer of my well-being like an onion. This slow-but-steady approach has helped me make diet and lifestyle changes that stick. It is, and always will be, a work in progress.

I still see my GP for regular checkups and for as much testing as she's willing to do, both for thyroid and general health monitoring. Understanding the difference between my GP's philosophy and my ND's philosophy helps me understand who to talk to about which issues. They're both a valued part of my healthcare team. 

Today, I feel great. Not perfect. Not cured. But vibrant and alive. I feel medically supported and on the right track. When new health issues pop up, I have far more tools and resources than I used to to help me get well faster. Overall, I just don't get sick as much or have the cascading health issues I did before I became an empowered patient. I wouldn’t be able to say that if I hadn’t found the right medical professionals to help me.

Update: In 2023, I switched my thyroid care over to Paloma Health and have been amazed at the level of service, the options, the ease of testing, the resources, and the digital tools. With my beloved local doctor (my ND) nearing retirement and less available for appointments, Paloma has been a huge problem solver. My Paloma doctor is more knowledgeable than any other doctor I've worked with regarding thyroid care, including the complete menu of treatment options, as well as food and lifestyle interventions. Thyroid care is all they do!! One of the best ways to get started with Paloma Health is with one of their Complete At-Home Thyroid Test Kits, which you can get for just $69 ($30 OFF) when you use the code HYPOCHEF.

In Conclusion

If you're ready to find your Dr. Right, I hope this article has given you hope, information, clarity, and resources to aid you in your search. 

One of the resources I wish had been available when I was starting out is Paloma Health. Paloma specializes in thyroid-specific testing, nutrition, and medical care. They offer telemedicine in an ever-increasing number of states, with MDs who take a more comprehensive approach to thyroid treatment and offer a higher standard of care. One of Paloma's most helpful resources is their Complete At-home Thyroid Test Kit, which is affordable, accurate, and includes TSH, Free T3, Free T4, and TPO Antibodies tests (optional add-ons include Reverse T3, Vit D3). Get $30 OFF your test kit with the code: HYPOCHEF.

Wishing you the best of health,

P.S. Need more help and support? Book a coaching call with me to discuss your current health challenges and goals.