What Even Is Inflammation? (And How It Could Be Secretly Driving Your Thyroid Problems)
- Renee Grandi
- May 7
- 4 min read
Imagine this. You are eating well, trying to exercise, and even taking your thyroid medication exactly as prescribed — but you still feel tired, foggy, anxious, cold, and gaining weight for no clear reason. Your labs keep coming back "normal". You wonder if it is all in your head.
It is not. Inflammation is the missing piece that no one may have explained to you yet.
Once you understand what inflammation really is, you will finally see why your thyroid, hormones, energy, and even mood have all been struggling simultaneously.
What Even Is Inflammation?
At its core, inflammation is a biological alarm system.
It is your body's way of responding to damage, infection, or a perceived threat. It is like calling the fire department: it is supposed to put out fires, clean up the damage, and rebuild stronger.
When it is acute, inflammation saves your life. But when it becomes chronic, low-grade, and unrelenting, it quietly erodes your health from the inside out. Chronic inflammation is not just pain, redness, or swelling. It changes the entire environment inside your body, interfering with hormones, mitochondria, neurotransmitters, immune responses, and even DNA expression.
How Inflammation Sabotages Your Thyroid
Here is the biochemical truth: Your thyroid gland is incredibly sensitive to inflammation.
Chronic inflammatory signals (like IL-6, TNF-alpha, and CRP) do things like:
Block thyroid hormone receptors on your cells (so even if T3 is circulating, your body cannot use it properly)
Slow the conversion of T4 into active T3
Trigger autoimmunity, such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, where your own immune system attacks thyroid tissue
Suppress the pituitary gland's ability to release TSH accurately
This means: You can have completely "normal" thyroid lab results on paper while still experiencing severe thyroid symptoms because the environment inside your body is hostile to hormone function.
Did you know? One study found that elevated CRP (a marker of inflammation) can independently predict low T3 levels, even when TSH and T4 are normal. Inflammation alone can make you hypothyroid without changing standard lab results.
Why Your Body Becomes Inflamed in the First Place
In a healthy body, inflammation is tightly controlled and switched off after healing. But modern life pours gasoline on the fire:
Stress: Raises cortisol and cytokines like IL-6, damaging thyroid receptor sensitivity
Alcohol: Increases gut permeability ("leaky gut") and drives systemic inflammation
Ultra-processed foods: High in omega-6 oils and sugar, fuelling inflammatory pathways
Poor sleep: Even one night of bad sleep raises inflammatory markers by 30%
Chronic infections: Viral triggers like Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) have been linked to Hashimoto’s and chronic inflammation
Environmental toxins: Pesticides, plastics, and heavy metals activate immune responses
It is not just one thing. It is the cumulative load that tips the body into chronic alarm.
Why Inflammation Is the Hidden Root of Almost Every Chronic Disease
Every system in your body depends on a stable, anti-inflammatory environment to function properly.
When inflammation takes hold:
Insulin receptors stop working efficiently → blood sugar problems
Neurons stop firing cleanly → brain fog, memory issues
Mitochondria produce less ATP → chronic fatigue
Hormone signals become blunted → thyroid, sex hormones, cortisol
Gut barrier function breaks down → food sensitivities, autoimmunity
Blood vessels stiffen → cardiovascular disease
Inflammation is not the result of disease.It is the soil in which disease grows.
How to Naturally Cool the Inflammatory Fire
The good news is that inflammation is highly modifiable.Even small consistent changes can radically shift your internal environment.
1. Anti-Inflammatory Diet Foundations
Prioritise wild-caught fish, grass-fed meat, and pasture-raised eggs
Eat a rainbow of vegetables daily (especially dark leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, and colourful berries)
Include foods rich in polyphenols: pomegranate, green tea, olive oil
Support gut health with bone broth, sauerkraut, coconut kefir
Eliminate ultra-processed seed oils (like canola, soybean, sunflower) and excessive sugars
2. Restore Your Circadian Rhythm
Get sunlight in your eyes within 30 minutes of waking
Avoid bright artificial light at night
Prioritise 7–9 hours of sleep consistently
3. Move Your Body — But Not Excessively
Gentle daily movement like walking, yoga, pilates lowers inflammatory cytokines
Over-exercising when inflamed can worsen hormone dysfunction — this is about resilience, not punishment
4. Master Stress Response
Practice daily parasympathetic activities: deep breathing, vagus nerve activation, mindfulness, slow nature walks
Chronic psychological stress is biologically interpreted the same way as an infection — it fuels the inflammatory response
5. Support Key Nutrients
Certain nutrients act as inflammation "resolvers" at the biochemical level:
Magnesium
Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA/DHA)
Vitamin D
Zinc
Selenium
Curcumin (from turmeric)
NAC (N-acetylcysteine)
These can help rebalance the system toward resolution rather than constant immune activation.
"But My Labs Look Normal..."
You are not imagining your symptoms. Standard blood tests often miss the early, functional changes caused by chronic inflammation.
This is why working with someone who understands functional medicine and root cause investigation is so important.
If you are tired of feeling dismissed, exhausted, or stuck in a body that does not feel like yours anymore, there is hope.
Next Steps: Rebalancing Your Body From the Inside Out
Healing inflammation is not about perfection or fads. It is about building a strong, resilient internal environment where your thyroid, your metabolism, and your vitality can thrive.
If you are ready to stop guessing, I offer free 10-minute consultations to map out where your hidden inflammatory triggers might be and what real healing could look like for you.
You can book a call at the Women's Integrative Health Clinic.
You deserve to feel energised, balanced, and confident in your health again. And it starts with understanding — and cooling — the silent fire inside.
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