Here are just a couple condensed terrible doctor stories from my book The Paleo Thyroid Solution—examples of how badly doctors failed me

MY FIRST DOCTOR (2004)

He said my TSH was within range, so I didn’t have a thyroid problem — I just needed to exercise more and eat less. That felt impossible, considering I was working out two hours a day and eating under 1,200 calories… yet I kept gaining weight, had menstrual periods nonstop, hair falling out, swollen face. He looked me in the eye and said, “Well, it’s not your thyroid.”

Had this doctor known to test Free T3 and Free T4, he would’ve seen the truth: I was severely hypothyroid. And I could’ve been spared the hell of full-blown hypothyroidism. It took two more years to finally get diagnosed properly!

MY “COOL” DOCTOR (2010)

Although I had successfully treated myself for years, I kept searching for a doctor to validate what I’d done. Then I met her — a doctor who was impressed by my story and even let me educate her on the importance of ferritin, which she started testing for in her patients. I thought I’d finally found the dream doctor — someone who listened, wanted to learn, understood my dosing. For a few years, I was thrilled to have her as my doctor.

Then everything collapsed. I started experiencing intense hypothyroid symptoms again — weight gain, brain fog, exhaustion. She reviewed my labs and told me everything looked great. When I pushed, she suggested I try phentermine (a weight-loss drug).

Determined to find the cause, I suspected a Reverse T3 issue — and I was right. I asked her to test it. She didn’t understand Reverse T3, but ordered the test. The results confirmed my suspicion: I had a raging Reverse T3 problem. I brought her research and a plan to correct it with T3-only therapy.

She shook her head and said, “Oh Elle, this is just too complicated.”

I broke down. I stood up, stripped to my underwear and pleaded: “Look at me. I’m gaining weight, I’m exhausted, I’m depressed, I can’t think. I have textbook hypothyroidism. Medical school wasn’t too complicated, but this is?!”

She looked at me like I was crazy. “I’m sorry, I can’t help you,” she said. “But I’ll try to find someone who can.” I never got a referral — even after following up three times. I left her office, sobbing in my car, knowing I would have to fix myself for a second time. 

Ironically, she now treats A-list Hollywood celebrities. And yet… she still doesn’t test Reverse T3 or understand how to address it. Goes to show — even if you’re rich and famous, it doesn’t mean you have access to quality care.

THE "STRANDED ISLAND" HAWAII EXPERIMENT (2015)
While writing The Paleo Thyroid Solution, I spent 5 weeks in Hawaii. I ran an experiment. I booked an appointment with a top doctor on the island of Kauai, told him I was on T3-only thyroid hormones, and needed a short refill because I was running low and on the island for a month.

Right away, he proved how clueless he was. He actually asked, “I wonder what the active thyroid hormone is?”
This is a doctor who prescribes thyroid meds daily — and he said that out loud.

I replied immediately, “It’s T3. T4 is just storage.” He didn’t believe me and had to Google it… in front of me. And, of course - I was right.

Despite explaining everything — clearly and thoroughly — he was still confused. A lot of ridiculous things were said during that visit. But in the end, he flat-out refused to prescribe the medication I already took, and knew that I needed to survive.

If I truly had run out of T3 pills. his ignorance would’ve sent me straight back into hypothyroidism for 4 weeks. I was devastated for this MDs patients.

These repeated experiences are exactly why I wrote the book, built the course, and created this program. This is the norm for thyroid patients. Dismissed, misinformed, and underestimated. Absolute garbage.