How to Find a Good Medical Professional for Your Thyroid Condition

Originally published on 17th December 2019
Last updated on 5th August 2024

Finding the right medical professional for you can be time-consuming but very much worth the time. 

Many thyroid patients complain about feeling dismissed and unheard by their doctors, and are not happy with their current testing and treatment.

However, do know that you don’t have to stay with one doctor or practitioner if you don’t feel that they have your health in their best interest, or if you are struggling to build a positive relationship with them.

The Difference in Types of Medicine

Many thyroid patients aren’t aware that mainstream medicine isn’t the only option when it comes to their thyroid health.

In fact, many of us actually make more of a recovery with the combined support of a more integrative doctor or practitioner.

Mainstream medicine aims to treat a patient with a drug for their ailment or symptom, whereas functional medicine looks at getting to the root cause of the symptoms and health condition.

Whereas mainstream medicine looks at each symptom and health condition as a separate issue to treat, functional medicine is holistic and looks at the whole body, considering how one issue can have a knock-on effect and cause other things to go wrong, too.

For some thyroid patients, mainstream medicine works just fine for them and they return to good health on thyroid medication alone for their underactive thyroid, but for many others, they never quite feel right again after diagnosis and require more in depth treatment.

A lot of thyroid patients feel that a functional medicine approach is better suited to them because it not only deals with their thyroid condition, but also looks at other parts of the endocrine system which also require attention.

Functional practitioners also confirm whether your hypothyroidism is autoimmune (it is for around 90% of us) as this can be important and crucial in your recovery. [1]

Conventional medicine feel that treatment will always remain the same, whether you have autoimmune thyroid disease or not.

Due to cost restraints, conventional doctors are rarely allowed to use innovative tests and treatments and often can’t spend enough time to help identify, run tests or treat complex autoimmune diseases and hormonal imbalances.

So, when you need more personalised thyroid treatment, conventional medicine may not be cutting it.

Deciding which type of practitioner or doctor you wish to see is hugely important as they can differ in what they offer. Please see my in depth summary of different medical professionals here.

Those that tend to fall in to conventional/mainstream medicine:

• Standard GPs / PCPs
• Endocrinologists

Your GP can usually refer you to see an endocrinologist.  

Those that tend to fall in to functional/integrative/lifestyle medicine:

• Some Private GPs
• Functional Medicine Doctors
• Functional Medicine Practitioners
• Naturopathic Doctors and Practitioners

Tips for Finding The Right Practitioner for You

1. Ask Others

You can ask the thyroid patient community for recommendations, such as in online forums and support groups. HealthUnlocked is a popular online forum, as well as TPAUK’s forum. Facebook groups can also be useful, as well as Facebook pages, Instagram communities and even Twitter. Ask others for their recommendations.

Two Facebook groups you may wish ask in / browse for suggestions:

• Thyroid Doctors recommended by Thyroid Patients

• Thyroid Family: Hypothyroidism Advice & Support Group

You can also ask your local pharmacy for doctors that prescribe certain types of thyroid treatment, if you’re looking specifically for a doctor who will prescribe beyond T4-only meds for example.

2. You may also try different doctors at the same practise.

For example, I tried about ten different GP’s at my NHS practise until one would really listen to me and run the full thyroid panel.

I also switched practises after exhausting all doctors at a previous one. 

You can also ask your practise doctor for a referral to an endocrinologist, and even ask to see a specific endocrinologist at a specific hospital. 

3. Use Online Lists

There are various lists collated online with recommended practitioners.

There is:

• The ‘Find a Doctor’ page on the American Thyroid Association website
• The ‘Find a Provider’ option on the Institute for Functional Medicine website
• The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists List
• The ACM database
• The Find a Thyroid Specialist list by Thyroid Cancer Survivor’s Association

4. Do an Online Search

You can do an internet search of your area. For example, you can search for ‘Functional Doctor in London’ and browse websites.

5. Contact Charities and Other Organisations

If you’re in the UK specifically, you can contact Thyroid UK for their list of private practitioners that are often more open to comprehensive testing and treatment for hypothyroidism.

This is how I found my thyroid doctor!

Choosing The Right Person

• Browse online reviews and testimonials
• Look at their qualifications and experience (especially in treating thyroid conditions)
• Email or call their secretary to ask questions about the test and treatment options they offer
• Note down aassociated costs such as those for appointments, prescriptions, follow-up appointments, testing and more. Many practitioners are priced differently and this will help when finding someone within your budget.

Also feel free to share in the comments section below, how you found your current doctor or practitioner. 

References:

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3066320