Test wider than TSH
Full thyroid panels including free T3, free T4, reverse T3 and antibodies where indicated — the numbers that explain symptoms.
Home/What We Help With/Fatigue, thyroid & hormones
Functional MedicineFatigue, thyroid and hormone testing in Morgan Hill, CA
Exhausted, foggy, cold, gaining weight, losing hair — and told your labs are fine. Usually that’s a question of which labs, and which reference range.
“Normal” is a wide word
A standard lab reference range is built from the population that gets tested, and it’s designed to catch disease. Sitting inside it means you probably don’t have a diagnosis. It does not mean you are functioning well, and it certainly doesn’t mean nothing is wrong.
The most common example is thyroid. A TSH alone can look acceptable while free T3, free T4, reverse T3 and thyroid antibodies tell a considerably more interesting story. Many patients arrive here having had TSH tested and nothing else.
The stress axis nobody tested
Sustained stress dysregulates the HPA axis — the conversation between your brain and your adrenal glands. The result is a cortisol rhythm that’s flat when it should peak and elevated when it should fall. Clinically that looks like waking up exhausted, a slump mid-afternoon, and a second wind at ten at night that keeps you up.
It also drags on thyroid conversion, blood sugar regulation and sex hormones, which is why these things so rarely present in isolation. Testing the cortisol rhythm rather than a single random cortisol is what makes this visible.
What we look at
Full thyroid panel — not TSH alone.
Cortisol rhythm and HPA axis markers — assessing the brain–adrenal balance across the day rather than at one moment.
Blood sugar regulation — fasting glucose and insulin markers, because energy crashes are frequently glycaemic before they are anything else.
Sex hormone baselines — relevant across perimenopause, cycle irregularity and low libido.
Nutrient status — iron and ferritin, B12, folate, magnesium and vitamin D. Genuinely common, genuinely fixable, and frequently missed.
Melatonin and sleep markers — because sleep is one of our five factors and one of the most underused levers in medicine.
Where this belongs with your physician
Some fatigue is a red flag rather than a functional pattern. Unexplained weight loss, night sweats, fevers, lumps, breathlessness, or fatigue that arrives suddenly and severely need medical evaluation now, not a functional panel in three weeks. Frank hypothyroidism, anaemia and depression all need proper medical management, and we’ll refer you.
We also won’t tell you your fatigue is adrenal fatigue. That term isn’t a recognised diagnosis, and we’d rather describe what your cortisol data actually shows than reach for a label.
At your first visit
What we look for
- A detailed history: energy pattern through the day, sleep, cycle, stress load and timeline
- Review of all previous bloodwork, including anything your PCP has run
- Discussion of which panels would actually change the plan for you
- Transparent pricing before any testing is ordered
- Screening for presentations that need medical rather than functional evaluation
- A written plan at your Case Review covering diet, sleep, stress and any supplements
Next step
A short call first, so you can decide whether this approach fits before spending anything.
Or call (408) 778-6770.
Our approach
How we work on fatigue, thyroid & hormones
Map the cortisol rhythm
Cortisol measured across the day rather than at a single point, so the pattern is visible.
Check the boring stuff
Ferritin, B12, folate, magnesium, vitamin D. Unglamorous, frequently the actual answer, and often never tested.
Work on sleep first
Sleep is the highest-leverage factor in almost every fatigue case, and it’s addressed as treatment rather than as advice.
Reduce the load
Practical stress reduction built around your real life — one of our five factors, and non-negotiable in HPA axis work.
Coordinate, don’t compete
Where medication or specialist endocrine care is the right answer, we say so and work alongside your physician.
This describes our general clinical approach and is not a promise of a specific outcome. Every case is assessed individually, and results vary between patients.
Before you book
Fatigue, thyroid & hormones — common questions
My thyroid was tested and it was normal.
Ask which markers. If it was TSH alone, a substantial part of the picture wasn’t examined. Free T3, free T4, reverse T3 and thyroid antibodies frequently explain symptoms that a TSH inside range does not. Bring the actual results to your consult — we read them properly rather than re-running everything.
Is adrenal fatigue real?
The term isn’t a recognised medical diagnosis, and we don’t use it. What is measurable is HPA axis dysregulation — a disrupted cortisol rhythm — and that we can test and describe specifically. We’d rather tell you what your data shows than give you a label that doesn’t hold up.
Will I be put on a long list of supplements?
No. Supplements follow specific findings, and diet, sleep and stress do more of the work in this category than any capsule. Anything recommended comes with a reason and a review date.
How long until I have energy again?
Nutrient deficiencies can improve within weeks of correction. HPA axis and hormone work is measured in months, honestly. You check in every two to six weeks so progress is tracked rather than assumed.
Should I stop seeing my doctor?
No — keep them. This is complementary. If your presentation needs medication, endocrine referral or a mental health assessment, that’s what we’ll tell you.
Ready to find the why?
Most new patients are seen within the same week. Call the office, or send a short request and we'll get back to you.