Todays clinical pearl comes from Justin Groce, NP who collaborated with me on the recently released Thyroid Optimization Course. I hope it helps you with your hypothyroid patients:

When it comes to managing and optimizing patients who have hypothyroidism, most patients are unfortunately being FAILED by their providers.  If you have a patient that has overt hypothyroidism, you absolutely must obtain a thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPO) test.  This will rule in/out Hashimoto’s disease!

Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune disease that destroys the thyroid gland and is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in iodine-sufficient regions (the USA).  The problem is that most providers will simply diagnose someone with hypothyroidism and not think twice about this patient possibly having an autoimmune disease. They never tested for the TPO!

I see this way too often.  A patient has been on a thyroid medication for years while still having symptoms, but has an undiagnosed autoimmune condition that has been flying under the radar all this time that could have benefited from other treatment modalities…

Even worse…they’ve never had a thyroid ultrasound?!!

Look…being an Elite NP provider requires stepping your game up and being an Elite provider. Not just drifting through your clinical day to day life! Be excellent. Be extraordinary!

If you are wanting to learn more about how to truly optimize your patient’s thyroid, learn a new skill to integrate into your practice, increase your practices revenue, and earn 6 CEU that includes 2 pharmacology hours, then checkout The Thyroid Optimization Course while it is still on sale!