Adrenal Fatigue | Miss Lizzy Thyroid Support

Hypothyroidism in Children: The Hidden Clues Parents Need to Know

Hypothyroidism isn’t just an adult problem. Children can have hypothyroidism, even with normal TSH.

I learned this firsthand when my son Jack was nine years old.

Jack was struggling with weight, having trouble focusing in school, and feeling low on energy. It wasn’t a matter of “just eat less, pay more attention, or try to exercise more.”

I remember looking into his eyes and seeing that dull, flat look that I knew all too well. It was the same look I had when I was struggling with undiagnosed hypothyroidism.

Weight Gain Can Be a Clue

In an effort to help, we tried a very strict diet (no grains, no flour, minimal sugar.) Jack was a real trooper.

For breakfast, he had eggs, potatoes, and lettuce. For lunch, high protein like meat and cheese rollups, or smoothies made with yogurt, frozen fruit, chocolate, and stevia. Dinner was a hamburger without the bun.

It wasn’t easy, but we made it fun and tried to keep meals satisfying.

Most people on this kind of diet would lose weight. But not Jack.

That’s what makes hypothyroidism so frustrating. You can eat all the “right” foods, but if your thyroid is struggling, weight loss can feel impossible.

What this experience showed me was that Jack didn’t have an issue with overeating, he had underlying hypothyroidism. And until we supported his thyroid, no diet was going to “fix” the problem.

When Doctors Miss the Signs

At first, Jack’s primary doctor said his thyroid was fine because his TSH was normal. They never shared the actual number, and they didn’t run any other tests.

I wish I had known then what I know now: TSH isn’t the whole story.

Many children (and adults) have hypothyroidism with normal TSH. It’s one of the biggest reasons people get misdiagnosed and stay stuck in symptoms for years.

Jack had the classic signs of hypothyroidism—weight gain, low energy, trouble focusing, and that puffy, tired look. Once I started connecting the dots, it all made sense.

What I Want Other Parents to Know

If your child is struggling with weight gain, fatigue, mood swings, or trouble focusing, it’s not “just the age” or “just the diet.”

Your child’s body may be sending clues that their thyroid needs support.

When I finally understood this, it changed everything for our family.

That’s why I’m so passionate about helping other parents understand the missing piece. Your child’s thyroid health affects everything: their energy, mood, focus, and growth.

The Next Step

If you suspect your child might be struggling with hypothyroidism, I want you to know there’s hope and a better way to help them feel better.

The HypoHero™ Thyroid Protocol teaches you how to spot the signs, track the clues, and support thyroid and adrenal health naturally.

This method has helped thousands of hypothyroid patients uncover hidden patterns and start their journey to healing.

👉 Learn more about the HypoHero™ Thyroid Protocol and take the first step toward helping your child feel like themselves again.

My Journey with Hypothyroidism

Miss Lizzy

Miss Lizzy founded the HypoHero Thyroid Protocol, a proven strategy to restore energy, focus, and metabolism for those struggling with hypothyroidism. After battling undiagnosed hypothyroidism and low body temperature for 35 years, Miss Lizzy developed a transformative 3-phase protocol that has helped thousands reclaim their health and vitality. Her mission is to empower others with the tools, supplements, and support they need to thrive.

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT

Miss Lizzy’s personal journey with undiagnosed hypothyroidism and medical gaslighting.
Common symptoms of thyroid dysfunction that often get dismissed.
Why TSH testing alone fails so many patients.
The importance of tracking body temperature to understand thyroid function.
How low body temperature affects metabolism, energy, and weight loss.
The role of halogens (bromide, chlorine, fluoride) in blocking thyroid function.
Why iodine is misunderstood and how to use it safely, especially with Hashimoto’s.
A breakdown of the Hypohero Protocol: Restore, Detox, Optimize.
Supporting adrenal health as part of thyroid recovery.
How Miss Lizzy’s tracker empowers patients to advocate for their health.
A powerful success story from the Hypohero community.

The Importance of Body Temperature in Thyroid and Adrenal Health

Miss Lizzy

One of the most important lessons I learned in my thyroid and adrenal journey is this: your body temperature tells the truth.

No one told me about temperature tracking. I didn’t read it in a book or hear it from a doctor. I discovered it because I was so fed up with the endless cycle of labs, medications, and symptoms that didn’t make sense.

I was tired of waiting for test results that didn’t match how I felt. I knew something wasn’t right and was determined to figure it out. That’s when I started taking my temperature out of curiosity, frustration, and honestly, desperation.

Most doctors had dismissed my low body temperature as “normal,” but through years of research, I found thyroid experts like Dr. Broda Barnes, Dr. James L. Wilson, and Paul Robinson who talked about the importance of body temperature for thyroid and adrenal health. So I started tracking.

And what I found was shocking. My temperature was consistently low and fluctuated wildly, sometimes dropping as low as 95.5°F in the afternoon. No wonder I felt so many symptoms—fatigue, brain fog, cold hands and feet, and that constant feeling that my body just wasn’t keeping up.

That was the turning point. Tracking my temperature became the tool that helped me finally understand what my body was trying to tell me. When thyroid lab testing failed me, tracking body temperature saved me.

Low Temperature Is a Clue, Not a Fluke

Low body temperature is one of the clearest signs that your thyroid and adrenals are struggling. It’s a message from your body that it’s running too slow, that something is off with your metabolism, and that your thyroid needs support.

If you’re waking up tired, struggling to focus, feeling cold all the time, or noticing stubborn weight gain, you’re not imagining it. And you’re not alone. Your temperature may hold the answers.

What I Wish I’d Known Sooner

If I had known how to track my temperature the right way and use it to guide my healing, I could have saved myself years of frustration.

That’s why temperature tracking is the foundation of the HypoHero™ Thyroid Protocol. It’s not just about taking random readings or guessing what they mean. It’s about learning how to spot patterns, understand the clues your body is giving you, and use that information to empower your healing.

This isn’t something most doctors teach you. And it’s not something you can just figure out from a quick internet search. It took me years of trial and error to uncover this system, so I built the HypoHero™ Thyroid Protocol to guide others through it, step by step.

The Path to Healing

If you’re frustrated by thyroid lab results and thyroid medications that aren’t helping, and you have ongoing symptoms that don’t make sense, there’s a better way. Your temperature holds the clues. You need the right system to understand it and know what to do next.

That’s what the HypoHero™ Thyroid Protocol is here to help you with.

👉 Learn more about the HypoHero™ Thyroid Protocol and take the first step toward understanding what your body is trying to tell you.

Adrenal Fatigue Testing

Miss Lizzy

Adrenal Fatigue Testing

There are several options for Adrenal Fatigue Testing, including the free at-home Pupil Test, Blood Pressure test; and the 24 Hour Saliva Test. These testing options may give you some information in order to have more insight when you talk with a good doctor.

Symptoms Checklist

If you answered yes to at least half the Adrenal Fatigue symptoms, in particular the symptoms related to low energy and poor sleep that’s a good first indicator of Adrenal Problems.

The Pupil Test

Adapted from Adrenal Fatigue by Dr. James L. Wilson, you can do this test at home yourself for free and will give you quick insight about whether there might be an adrenal fatigue. You need a chair, a small flashlight, a mirror, a watch or timer, and a dark room.

Darken the room and sit in a chair in front of a mirror
Angle a flashlight from the side (not directly into it), and shine the light toward your pupil
With the other eye observe, holding for two or three minutes
Normally a pupil will stay contracted in the bright light
With adrenal fatigue or hypoadrenia, the pupil will not hold its contraction. Within two minutes the pupil will start to dilate and this will last 30-40 seconds before it recovers and contracts again.
Make note when the dilation started, how long the dilation lasted, and the date.
Let the eye rest
Re-take the test monthly
If needed, ask a friend to help you with the test

Blood Pressure Test

Also according to Dr. James L. Wilson ¹, blood press is an important indicator of adrenal function. Wilson says if your blood pressure drops when you stand up from a lying position this almost always indicates low adrenals. For me personally, when I stood up too fast I would nearly black out!

This test can be done at home. All you need is a blood pressure gauge which does not require a stethoscope. After you know how to use the blood pressure gauge here are the steps:

Lie down quietly for 10 minutes
Then while laying down take your blood pressure
Next stand up and immediately measure your blood pressure
Normal blood pressure will rise about 10-20 mmHg
If it drops when you stand up this likely means you have some form or hypoadrenia, adrenal fatigue, or you may be dehydrated
The more severe the drop the more severe the hypoadrenia
Dizziness or light-headedness might accrue when standing, so it is wise to do this test with someone beside you, or next to something you can grab like a chair

For more about the Blood Pressure test see Dr. Wilson’s book., Adrenal Fatigue.

24 Hour Saliva Test

The Saliva Hormone test is the single best lab test available for testing adrenal fatigue ²,. This test is done at home, but typically it is not covered by insurance. The cost runs about $120-150, but it is more accurate than blood or urine tests which are covered by insurance. The test measures cortisol levels at four different times of the day to show how your cortisol varies during the day:

Between 6-8 AM (within one hour after waking and cortisol is at its highest)
Between 11AM-12 PM
Between 4-6 PM
And between 10PM-midnight

Dr. Wilson also notes that, when doing the saliva test he usually measures DHEA-S (but not necessarily DHEA) because the adrenals are a primary source of DHEA-S.

The 24 hour Saliva test can be ordered by a doctor or by patients directly through these labs:

Notes:

Adrenal Fatigue, .79 ↩
Adrenal Fatigue, Dr. James L. Wilson, p. 83 ↩

The Importance of Sleep for Adrenal Health

Miss Lizzy

If you have adrenal fatigue like me, or know someone who does, getting up before 9 a.m. can often be painful. As far back as high school I joked about not being “a morning person”. Staying up late at night was easy for me, but mornings were so bad that in college I scheduled all classes after 2 p.m. Seriously, I did. I would be a zombie until around noon. People thought I was lazy, I thought I was lazy. But my brain just didn’t function in the morning, so I did what my body was telling. And you know, my body was pretty darn smart, thank you.

Even as a adult it was painful to wake up before 9 AM. I admired early-risers and longed to be one, having a strange idea that morning people are good people. Only the lure of coffee would pull me from the comatose state of sleep. The idea of waking up at 6 a.m. actually made me panic. If I woke up before 9 a.m., I could easily drink two cups of coffee and go right back to sleep for hours. Curiously though, if I slept until about 9 a.m. I could pop right out of bed awake and alert. This always seemed odd, but apparently, there are lots of people out there like me!

Anyone who has chronic illness will understand you lead a secret life, arranging your business hours around rest opportunities and finding excuses for missing social events – Lynne Farrow, author The Iodine Crisis

Then I started learning about Adrenal Fatigue and how cortisol runs our body clock. So my sleep pattern wasn’t a matter of choice after all. What a revelation! According to James L. Wilson, Ph.D, Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome, though most people’s schedules do not allow it, it helps to sleep until 8:30 or 9 in the morning.

Wilson also writes, for people with normal functioning adrenals, cortisol rises rapidly between 6-8 am, which helps them to pop out of bed. (And explains why some people can’t sleep past a certain time.) Further, there is something magical about the restorative power of sleep between 7-9 a.m. for people with Adrenal Fatigue. Partly, he says, because cortisol levels rise slower in people with adrenal fatigue, and when cortisol levels are lower it takes longer to feel fully awake. Wilson also explains that with adrenal fatigue, when you sleep may be more important than how much you sleep.

Finally something that made sense after all these years! After getting treatment for Adrenal Fatigue, my Cortisol levels have become more normal, so waking up is much easier. In fact, I can get up at 7:45 a.m and actually function these days. But given the chance, I sleep late without guilt, knowing it will help me tackle the day with energy. Brilliant.

High Cholesterol & Hypothyroidism

Miss Lizzy

For many people with high cholesterol the underlying issue may actually be hypothyroidism. Rather than diagnosing and treating the hypothyroidism, many people are told they simply need to eat healthier, exercise more and take medicine to lower their cholesterol.

What’s worse is that sometimes doctors make us feel bad, like we must be fat, unhealthy people who have no control over ourselves when in fact it could be low thyroid.

When the thyroid slows down (hypothyroidism), it also slows down the body’s ability to process cholesterol.
– Heather M. Ross, About.com

Certainly eating healthier and exercising are good, but cholesterol medicines (statins) have some scary side effects. But even more important, properly treating hypothyroidism could result in naturally lowering cholesterol, like it did for me and many others. On Stop the Thyroid Madness read people’s stories about how they lowered their cholesterol, not through statins, but through the right combination of desiccate thyroid medicine and other treatments.

When I was 18 years old, a doctor told me I had high cholesterol but no one made the connection to hypothyroidism. At that time in my life I was about 15lbs overweight. The doctor made me feel like I was fat and unhealthy, so I was therefore to blame for having high cholesterol at such a young age.

Now at age 41, on proper thyroid treatment my cholesterol is completely normal and healthy. Like me, if you have high cholesterol as a result of hypothyroidism learn more about thyroid symptoms, understanding thyroid lab work (even when the results say you are normal), and finding and good doctor:

Blood Pressure & Hypothyroidism

Miss Lizzy

According to the Stop the Thyroid Madness , blood pressure and Hypothyroidism can go hand-in-hand.

Apparently, it is common to have low blood pressure due to thyroid disease or being treated with T4-only medicines like Levoxyl, Synthroid, Extroxin, etc…

If untreated or treated with these T4-only medicine, low blood pressure can take an ugly turn into high blood pressure. Learn more. For some people, the root of solving blood pressure problems can be found in good thyroid treatment.

Before being treated for Hypothyroidism I had low blood pressure. On the Mayo Clinic website, the symptoms of low blood pressure can include:

Dizziness or lightheadedness
Fainting
Lack of concentration
Blurred vision
Nausea
Cold, clammy, pale skin
Rapid, or shallow breathing
Fatigue
Depressions
Thirst

For years I experienced many of the symptoms noted above. Especially lightheadedness or a woozy feeling when I stood up too quickly (or inverted like a in the yoga pose downward dog, lack of concentration for everyday tasks (my brain and thinking felt soft and foggy), overall fatigue and low energy, a low grade depression.

Sometimes we become so accustomed to symptoms we believe it’s “normal”. After being treated for Hypothyroidism with Natural Dessicated Thyroid medicine (and Iodine for me personally) these symptoms all cleared up and my blood pressure became normal!!

Treatment for Blood Pressure

According to Janie Bowthorp, of Stop the Thyroid Madness, common treatment for hypothyroidism symptoms (including blood pressure) include:

Iodine (if one is Iodine deficient)
Natural Desiccated Thyroid Medicine

Symptoms are removed, lives are returned to being active, moods are improved as is one’s entire health and well-being.

J.CROW’S® Lugol’s Solution of Iodine 5%
Follow me on Facebook

Hypoglycemia & Hypothyroidism

Miss Lizzy

At some point everyone has experienced Hypoglycemia, also known as low blood sugar. You may not know the term but you probably know the feeling. You wait too long to eat or eat high carb foods (say a bagel for breakfast), then within a few hours it feels like you hit a wall. You might feel these symptoms:

Energy comes crashing down
Weak and Shaky
Irritable or Cranky
Hot (like a hot flash) or sweaty
Fuzzy head, trouble thinking clearly
Become ravenously hungry
Read more about Hypoglycemia symptoms

After eating a ridiculous amount of food, or having something really sugary your energy starts to recover slowly. It takes a while to rebound from the weak, lifeless state, and muster enough energy to get off the couch.

For over twenty years I experienced this kind of high-low energy cycle with Hypoglycemia. At one point, before getting treated for Hypothyroidism and Adrenal Fatigue, I asked a doctor about Hypoglycemia. He simply dismissed it and said: “No, nothing can be done about it. Just drink orange juice when it happens.” The problem was, I experienced Hypoglycemia about every two hours, that’s a lot of O.J.! I’m no doctor, but one would think having energy crashes every two hours means something else is not right.

Also worth noting, in the middle of a working-out I would often get Hypoglycemia. For me this meant with any kind of physical exertion I would get really week, start shaking and nearly collapse with exhaustion. This was totally frustrating because I wanted to exercise, and the doctors told me to “lose weight I just needed to exercise more.” But when the Hypoglycemia wall hit that was it, workout over. At that point orange juice just isn’t going to help. So the looming question was why was I getting Hypoglycemia and could it be prevented?

When I finally researched Hypothyroidism and Adrenal Fatigue, I was amazed to see Hypoglycemia as a symptom related to both conditions. How interesting! Finally an explanation that made sense, other than “No, nothing can be done about it…” With Hypothyroidism and Adrenal Fatigue, there are so many odd little symptoms it’s easy to pass them off as unrelated. But solving the root may solve the problem, as it did for me.

The solution turned out to be — you guessed it — getting on the right treatment for Hypothyroidism and Adrenal Fatigue along with diet changes. In particular, when I added the Hydrocortisone for Adrenal Fatigue, I noticed a big improvement with the Hypoglycemia. According to Wikipedia, Glucocorticoids like Hydrocortisone may help prevent or reverse Hypoglycemia.

When I learned that carbs and simple sugars are hard for people who have Hypothyroidism and Adrenal Fatigue, it all started to make sense. For years I would eat a bagel or cereal for breakfast which spikes the blood sugar, then two hours later my blood sugar would come crashing down causing Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Of course, as I later learned being carb sensitive, drinking a glass of orange juice was terrible for me (and started the whole high-low cycle all over.)

On the diet side, I removed simple carbs from my diet, replaced them with protein and fat, and started eating every two hours (rather than 3 meals a day, or worse, one meal a day!). It was pretty incredible to feel the difference in my energy and thinking.

These days I am much more stable, I rarely have Hypoglycemic crashes (even during exercise) and my weight stays in a healthy range. Before the Hypoglycemia hits, I am now able to recognized the early signs of hunger (just the slightest stomach pang) which prompts me to eat a snack (nuts or cheese, maybe with some apple). Before exercising I always eat this kind of snack and it works great to keep me going through the workout.

I know there is so much to learn, and it can all be overwhelming. Go easy on yourself and take it one bit of info at a time. When the energy is stable and you think clearly the rest gets so much easier!

Boost Thyroid Medicine in Winter

Miss Lizzy

Here is my new video about Hypothyroidism and the winter blues on Youtube!

REPOST FROM FEB 2011

Here it is March 2014 and I am thinking “Wow, I’ve been feeling kind of blue lately.” It’s the yearly seasonal thyroid drop, which always happens around early March and goes until May. Late winter through early spring can be hard for those of us with hypothyroidism. Even when we are on good thyroid medicine! It reminded me of my blog post from last year on this exact topic. Sheesh, even I have a hard time seeing my own symptoms!

This time of year is always tough for me. The days are getting longer, there is more light and I feel like I should be feeling great. But sure enough, I feel the low-grade depression sneaking up on me again. It usually sets in just before the forsythia bloom (so early March here in New England). When I finally got treatment for hypothyroidism I learned this depression is actually low thyroid!

Apparently thyroid function drops in the late winter/early spring months which creates a low-grade depression for many of us. It feels like SAD (seasonal affective disorder), general depression, or just a heaviness. I know it’s not SAD because I still have it even when I get plenty of sunlight. And I know it’s not traditional depression because it lasts only a few months, and it’s always around this time of year.

So this is a reminder… to help get through the winter blues many of us need to increase our thyroid medicine about 1/4 pill just for a few months. (I might add, who wants to take anti-depressants and gain weight?!) For me the depression starts around now and sometimes lasts through May. When I start to feel light and buoyant again I know I can ease back to my normal dose of thyroid medicine.

Exercise and Hypothyroidism

Miss Lizzy

Determined? Absolutely. This is me at Crossfit where we climb ropes, run, row, lift heavy barbells. A one mile run is often just the warm up. Ten years ago, a one mile run would have landed me in bed for days. Imagine the difference in my life!

Yesterday I reached an exciting milestone. After a year at CrossFit, something I never would have imagined possible before hypothyroid and adrenal treatment, I did my very first unassisted pull-up. Hanging from the bar, full dead-weight, unassisted pull-up. It was so exciting. The most important part is what went through my head:

“I WANT IT!!“

These words are the single most powerful phrase in my life. Until that moment, I only kind-of wanted the pull-up. I hadn’t actually told my mind that I really wanted it. Saying these words propelled me up, giving me a deep source of power I didn’t realize was inside. Accessing this power feels incredible.

That’s what the thyroid journey has taught me. How to stay determined, persevere through the hardest of times with effort and intention. During the early days of treatment, when I had lower energy I was kind to myself. On the days when I had more energy I would tackle anything I could to help improve my health. Step by step I found my way to health and vitality.

Now I have mostly great days with endurance and energy. However, I would never try this kind of exercise until I had fully healed my thyroid and adrenal issues. First, heal the body. Be patient.

I hope my journey inspires you to keep your spirits high, celebrate every milestone especially the small ones like this, and stay determined.

Hypothyroidism in Children: The Hidden Clues Parents Need to Know

Weight Gain Can Be a Clue

When Doctors Miss the Signs

What I Want Other Parents to Know

The Next Step

My Journey with Hypothyroidism

The Importance of Body Temperature in Thyroid and Adrenal Health

Low Temperature Is a Clue, Not a Fluke

What I Wish I’d Known Sooner

The Path to Healing

Adrenal Fatigue Testing

Adrenal Fatigue Testing

Symptoms Checklist

The Pupil Test

Blood Pressure Test

24 Hour Saliva Test

The Importance of Sleep for Adrenal Health

Boost Thyroid Medicine in Winter

Exercise and Hypothyroidism

Related Articles

All Blog Posts

Inspiration

Archives

Weight Gain Can Be a Clue

When Doctors Miss the Signs

What I Want Other Parents to Know

The Next Step

Low Temperature Is a Clue, Not a Fluke

What I Wish I’d Known Sooner

The Path to Healing

Adrenal Fatigue Testing

Symptoms Checklist

The Pupil Test

Blood Pressure Test

24 Hour Saliva Test

According to the Stop the Thyroid Madness , blood pressure and Hypothyroidism can go hand-in-hand.

Treatment for Blood Pressure

Related Articles

Popular Tags

All Blog Posts

Inspiration

Archives

Tags