The Gutsy Health

Thyroid Cheat Sheet

www.mygutsyhealth.com
The Gutsy Health Thyroid Cheat Sheet © 2020 Gutsy Health

THE GUTSY HEALTH THYROID CHEAT SHEET

We put this guide together for you to help you better
understand your thyroid and how to take care of it. This guide
is meant to be a reference companion to our podcast episode
(gutsy.ch/thyroid) and your own research.

This guide is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent

any disease. It has not been evaluated by the FDA and it is
intended for informational purposes only. Please consult your
physician before undertaking any changes to your lifestyle.

Products we recommend in this guide are available at

gutsy.ch/thyroid-supplements.

THREE QUICK RESOURCES TO HELP YOU LEARN MORE:

1. If you would like more information about this guide or if
you’d like a consultation with us about your thyroid
health, you can schedule with us at gutsy.ch/consult.
2. To check out our weekly podcast, you can go to
gutsy.ch/podcast.
3. To get daily tips and information on Instagram, go to
Instagram.com/gutsy_mom.

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The Gutsy Health Thyroid Cheat Sheet © 2020 Gutsy Health

THE IMPORTANCE OF THYROID HORMONES

 Metabolism and Temperature Regulation
 Weight Management
 Digestion
 Liver and Gall Bladder
 Stress and the Adrenal Glands
 Brain Function
 Anemia
 Immune Function
 Aging
 Sex Hormones
 Cardiovascular
 Cholesterol
 Blood Sugar Regulation

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The Gutsy Health Thyroid Cheat Sheet © 2020 Gutsy Health

THE HYPOTHALAMUS-PITUITARY-THYROID AXIS

Hypothalamus

TRH
Pituitary

TSH
Thyroid

Inactive T4 – 95% Active T3 – 5%

Reverse T3 Active T3

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The Gutsy Health Thyroid Cheat Sheet © 2020 Gutsy Health

THYROID NUTRIENT NEEDS

Iodine
Selenium
Iron
Zinc
B Complex
Essential Fatty Acids
Copper
Riboflavin
Vitamin C
Vitamins A, D, and E
Magnesium
Amino Acids

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The Gutsy Health Thyroid Cheat Sheet © 2020 Gutsy Health

FACTORS THAT AFFECT THYROID FUNCTION

Digestive Issues (bloating, constipation, diarrhea, etc.)

Dietary habits including protein, fats, and whole food intake
Essential fatty acid intake
Adrenal gland health
Ovarian/testicular health
Blood sugar dysregulation
Immune deficiencies
“Never Been Well Since ___________”
Autoimmune diseases
Prescription medication usage including PPIs or acid blockers
Exposure to halogens
Anemia
Mercury fillings or other exposures
Pesticide or herbicide exposures
Metabolic diseases
Hormone replacement medications and supplements

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The Gutsy Health Thyroid Cheat Sheet
THINGS THAT INTERFERE WITH THE THYROID
Excessive stress (high
cortisol blocks conversion of
T4 to T3)
Epstein-Barr Virus
Liver congestion
Gastrointestinal tract
dysfunction
Environmental toxins
Vitamin and mineral
deficiencies
Calorie restriction
Fasting
Chronic alcohol consumption
Mercury exposure
Traumatic brain injury
Diabetes (loss of insulin)
Insulin Resistance
Poor blood sugar control
High free-radical load
Prescription drugs
Inflammation
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© 2020 Gutsy Health
Halogens
Gut infections
Lyme Disease
Rickettsia infections
Heavy metal toxicity
Intestinal hyperpermeability
Gluten sensitivity
Celiac disease
Other stealth infections
Anemia
Mitochondrial dysfunction
Hormone imbalances
Adrenal gland dysregulation
Essential fatty acid
deficiencies
Impaired liver detoxification
Autoimmune disease
Environmental Toxins
(PCB’s, VOC’s, etc.)
Extreme cold
Aging
The Gutsy Health Thyroid Cheat Sheet © 2020 Gutsy Health

LIFESTYLE FACTORS AFFECTING THYROID

FUNCTION
Prolonged or excessive stress
Lack of self-care (exercise, meditation, spiritual practices, social
interaction, recreation, etc.)
Excessive alcohol consumption
Use of toxic household cleaning products
Unsafe or toxic beauty care products (skin care, body care,
perfumes, etc.)
Use of bioidentical hormones or other hormone replacement
therapy
Other fragrances (car fresheners, scented laundry soap, dryer
sheets, Glade plug-ins, etc.)
Insufficient hydration
Poor sleep hygiene
Insufficient or absence of regular exercise
Non-organic fruits and vegetables
Heavy free-radical load
BPAs, Dioxins, PCBs, Phthalates, POPs
High intake of contaminated fish (farmed, poor quality, excessive
consumption)
Chlorine exposure (water, swimming pools, hot tubs, shower, etc.)
Consumption of bromine-containing foods
Mercury fillings or other exposure

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The Gutsy Health Thyroid Cheat Sheet © 2020 Gutsy Health

THYROID LAB MARKERS TO TEST

TSH
Total T4
Free T4
Total T3
Free T3
T3 Uptake
Reverse T3
Thyroid Peroxidase Antibody (TPO)
Thyrogobulin Antibody (TgAb)
Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) – IgG, IgM, Nuclear Antibodies

Why these markers matter: TSH is never enough information to properly

understand thyroid issues, because the issue is very rarely found in the
thyroid itself. For example, EBV is often the culprit and should be
ruled out as the underlying cause. There are also other endocrine issues
usually, and you must always consider diet, gut issues, liver, infections,
and nutritional deficiencies to heal your thyroid function.

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The Gutsy Health Thyroid Cheat Sheet © 2020 Gutsy Health

CHECKING THE THYROID REFLEX

The Achilles Return Reflex

1. Sit on a tall chair or table with your legs hanging freely.

2. Have somebody lift the toes of one of your feet slightly, then use
a rubber mallet or other tapping device to gently strike your
Achilles heel.
3. The front of your foot should kick back down in response.
If the reflex is excessively rapid, it could indicate hyperthyroidism. If the
reflex is slow, it could indicate hypothyroidism. This test should be
considered a very rough indicator of thyroid status, not a definitive test.

MyGutsyHealth.com/blog/thyroid
Using a Mercury Thermometer
Obtaining an accurate axillary (armpit) temperature requires the use of a mercury thermometer.
These are not widely used due to the mercury content found inside, so care must be exercised when
using. Do not leave the thermometer out where a young child might break it open, releasing the
mercury. They can be purchased on Amazon or from other online retailers.

BEFORE TAKING YOUR TEMPERATURE

Remember, use caution when using and avoid dropping on a hard surface.

1 Check the bulb of the thermometer to make sure it is not broken or cracked.

The thermometer is shaped like a triangle and has three sides. Two sides are clear glass; one
2 side is a color you cannot see through.

To read a mercury thermometer, hold it at eye level with the colored side of the thermometer
3 away from you. You will see small lines that look like scale markings on the top and numbers
on the bottom (Picture 1). Between the scale markings and the numbers, you will see a shiny
red or silver line.

4 Read the number at the end of the line.

Make sure the mercury is below 94 each time, before taking your temperature. To do so,
5 shake the mercury down by grasping the thermometer firmly and snapping your wrist sharply.
This will force the mercury into the lower end of the thermometer.

HOW TO READ A MERCURY THERMOMETER

The space between the short marks is 0.2 F (two-tenths of a degree Fahrenheit). The space between
the large marks is 1 F (one-degree Fahrenheit). Practice reading the thermometers shown below
(Picture 2).

Picture 1 Picture 2
TAKING YOUR AXILLARY (ARMPIT) TEMPERATURE
Remember, use caution and avoid dropping on a hard surface.

Have the mercury thermometer prepared and ready on your bedside table, to be used upon
1 awakening.

Once awake, do not get up or move around. Reach for the thermometer and place the end
2 with the mercury in your armpit. Use your arm to hold it in place. Lay quietly for 10 minutes to
allow the temperature to record accurately.

3 After 10 minutes, remove the thermometer and read the temperature according to the
instructions above.

4 Place a circle on the line that correlates with your temperature.

THERMOMETER CARE
• To clean the thermometer, wipe it with a cool, soapy cotton ball or piece of tissue paper.

• Rinse in cold water. Never use hot water to wash the thermometer.

• Always ensure it is clean before putting away.

• Keep it in a safe, cool place, out of the reach of children.

• If a mercury thermometer breaks, clean it up without touching the mercury. Avoid inhaling as
much as possible. Call your local poison control center for instructions about how to dispose of
the mercury.
 BASAL AXILLARY TEMPERATURE TESTING CHART
NAME: _______NORMAL_______________________________________ PAGE NO. __________________

1. Shake down mercury thermometer before bed and place on nightstand.

2. Immediately upon waking, place thermometer under armpit and lay quietly for 10 minutes; do not get up before taking your temperature.
3. Remove the thermometer, read and record the temperature on the chart below.
4. For women, take your temperature for at least 30 days, including one full menstrual cycle.
5. Indicate the first day of your menstrual cycle by circling the temperature on the chart for that day.
6. On the last day of your menstrual cycle, place an 'X' through the termperature on the chart for that day.
7. For men, take daily temperature readings for 7 days only.

99.1

98.8

98.6

98.4

98.2

98.0

97.8

97.6

97.4

97.2

97.0

96.8

96.6

96.4

96.2

96.0

95.8

95.6

95.4

95.2

95.0

Day of
month

STARTING DATE: _______________________________

 BASAL AXILLARY TEMPERATURE TESTING CHART
NAME: _____________________________________________________ PAGE NO. __________________

1. Shake down mercury thermometer before bed and place on nightstand.

2. Immediately upon waking, place thermometer under armpit and lay quietly for 10 minutes; do not get up before taking your temperature.
3. Remove the thermometer, read and record the temperature on the chart below.
4. For women, take your temperature for at least 30 days, including one full menstrual cycle.
5. Indicate the first day of your menstrual cycle by circling the temperature on the chart for that day.
6. On the last day of your menstrual cycle, place an 'X' through the termperature on the chart for that day.
7. For men, take daily temperature readings for 7 days only.

99.1

98.8

98.6

98.4

98.2

98.0

97.8

97.6

97.4

97.2

97.0

96.8

96.6

96.4

96.2

96.0

95.8

95.6

95.4

95.2

95.0

Day of
month

STARTING DATE: _______________________________

The Gutsy Health Thyroid Cheat Sheet © 2020 Gutsy Health

THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THYROID HEALING

Liver Health Diet*

Stress,
Adrenals, and Digestion
Sex Hormones

Gut/GI
Health

*Always start with your diet. Without making changes here, you will
not see satisfactory progress anywhere else. Check out our general
nutritional guidelines at gutsy.ch/philosophy.

Digestion and GI Health ensure that all those good nutrients you’re
putting into your body actually make it to your thyroid. Check out our
podcast episode on digestion and SIBO, and our episode on stealth
pathogens.

MyGutsyHealth.com/blog/thyroid
The Gutsy Health Thyroid Cheat Sheet © 2020 Gutsy Health

Hi! We’re the Roneys. In 2016, we were on our way. After over a decade of studying, Tristin was just
months from a PhD in Psychology and his career had already begun as a Clinical Health Psychologist
in the Air Force. We had a wonderful little boy and a baby girl on the way. Life really felt like it was
coming together!

Then tragedy struck. Out of the blue, Tristin was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer and given dire odds.
After several months of radiation, chemotherapy, a seemingly endless parade of surgeries, the
stressful birth of a beautiful baby girl, and a million other things recommended by his oncologists,
we were told the chemo wasn’t working, the cancer was spreading, and Tristin would be highly
unlikely to see our daughter’s fifth birthday. Our lives had reached an oppressively dark point.

Fortunately, Juanique comes from a long line of stubborn South African women and she hates being
told what she can and cannot do. Being told by the doctors that she could not do anything to help
her husband ignited a fire inside of her. She literally ripped the consent forms authorizing a lifetime
(or maybe a life sentence) of chemotherapy out of Tristin’s hands and vowed to find answers on her
own. They might have given up, but she would not!

What resulted was a deep and powerful transformation that affected every aspect of our family’s life.
Juanique got a crash course in healthy homestyle cooking from Tristin’s mom and quickly
discovered a natural talent for it. We both dug deep into the research on principles of health and
healing and accumulated a wealth of knowledge.

We became experts on several aspects of illness, and not just those related to cancer. We joined the
clinic of Juanique’s mother, Cecilia Salvesen, and began offering services in the Utah County area.
The more people and health conditions we encountered, the more our knowledge grew, and the
better our understanding became about what really matters in wellness.

More importantly, we became reluctant revolutionaries in a war we never knew was being fought.
We experienced and watched others experience the nightmare of navigating a health system that is
not designed for wellness, but rather for symptom management. We saw how the medical world
fails patients while draining their savings accounts and leaving their families heartbroken and
financially broken.

Our experiences have taught us that surviving this toxic world requires radical action. We’ve also
learned that radical action is much easier with a supportive community, structure, and the right
knowledge. To help others in similar situations, we launched the Gutsy Health project where we
offer everything you need to become your own empowered revolutionary making radical changes.
We truly believe that if enough of us work together we can transform the world into one that heals
instead of harms. We hope you’ll join us, discover your own deep healing path, and take part in the
gutsy revolution.

JOIN OUR REVOLUTION AND TAKE BACK YOUR HEALTH. MYGUTSYHEALTH.COM

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