Your doctor says your labs are “normal,” but you’re exhausted, foggy, not sleeping well, and doing all the right things with no payoff. That gap between results and real life is where this conversation starts and where it gets practical fast.
We sit down with returning guest Lisa Marie, a nurse practitioner with a PhD in holistic nutrition and a functional medicine doctor, to unpack why traditional care often waits until symptoms are severe enough to treat. Together, we talk about the difference between normal vs optimal lab ranges, why context beats a single number, and how you can spot patterns years before they become a diagnosis.
The heart of the episode is thyroid health. Lisa Marie explains why TSH alone is not a full thyroid story, what free T4 and free T3 actually tell you, and how conversion in the liver can shape your energy, metabolism, and day-to-day function. We also get into reverse T3 as a stress and inflammation signal, plus thyroid antibodies (including Hashimoto’s thyroiditis) and why so many people never get tested for them. Along the way, we connect the dots to insulin resistance, fasting insulin, and why so many symptoms feel the same in women.
We close with real-world foundations: food as medicine, reducing modern toxic load, and the minerals that support thyroid function and gut health, including selenium, zinc, and iron. If you’ve ever felt dismissed or confused by bloodwork, this will help you walk into your next appointment with better questions and more confidence. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find Words of Wellness.
CONNECT WITH LISA MARIE: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/LisamarieNP
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LisaMarietheNP
www.lisamarienp.com
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High quality, clean nutrition and beauty products: https://shellyjefferis.isagenix
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Thank you for listening to the Words of Wellness podcast with Shelly Jefferis. I am honored and so grateful to have you here and it would mean the world to me if you could take a minute to follow, leave a 5-star review and share the podcast with anyone you love and anyone you feel could benefit from the message.
Thank you and God Bless! And remember to do something for yourself, for your wellness on this day!
In Health,
Shelly
