The Importance of Your Thyroid Gland

The thyroid gland is in your neck near the base of your throat.

The thyroid gland makes hormones that help control many of your body’s metabolic processes, such as:

  • Heart rate
  • Blood pressure
  • Body temperature
  • Weight
If your thyroid becomes overactive (hyperthyroidism) or underactive (hypothyroidism), you can experience a range of health problems.

Once diagnosed, most thyroid problems can usually be treated effectively

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Types of Thyroid Problems

There are several conditions that can affect your thyroid gland. Because your thyroid gland plays an important role in controlling many of your body’s functions, serious health problems can result when it is not working as it should.
Some thyroid problems cause your Thyroid gland to enlarged thyroid. This is know as a Goiter.

Hyperthyroidism is when your thyroid is overactive and makes too much thyroid hormone.

Symptoms of hyperthyroidism include –

  • Feeling anxious or nervous
  • being unable to tolerate heat
  • having heart palpitations
  • loosing weight, even if you’re eating the same amount of food

The effect of too much thyroid hormone on your body is sometimes called ‘thyrotoxicosis’

Hypothyroidism is when your thyroid is underactive and doesn’t make enough thyroid hormone.

Symptoms of hypothyroidism can be quite varied. They can include –

  • Fatigue (tiredness)
  • Being unable to tolerate the cold
  • Constipation
  • Dry skin
  • Weight gain
  • Poor memory or concentration problems
  • Depression

What Causes Thyroid Problems?

Problems with the thyroid can be caused by:

  • Iodine deficiency
  • Autoimmune diseases — when your immune system attacks your thyroid — such as Graves’ disease or Hashimoto’s disease
  • Inflammation (thyroiditis), which may or may not cause pain
  • Nodules, or non-cancerous lumps
  • Thyroid cancer
  • Certain medical treatments — including radiation therapy, thyroid surgery, and some medicines.
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How to Test Your Thyroid

Firstly, consult your doctor and ask for a Thyroid blood test.
The best way to initially test thyroid function is to measure the TSH level in a blood sample. There are several types of thyroid blood tests, including thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), T3 and T4, and thyroid antibodies.

Changes in TSH can serve as an “early warning system” – often occurring before the actual level of thyroid hormones in the body becomes too high or too low.
Adults over the age of of 35 should have a Thyroid blood test every 5 years.

Thyroid Treatment Goals

To restore sufficient thyroid hormone levels in the body, people with hypothyroidism usually take thyroid hormone replacement medication like Thyroxine. However, medication may not always be necessary for some circumstances, such as when an underactive thyroid gland is transient (temporary).
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Thyroid Statistics

  • One in eight women will develop a thyroid issue in their lifetime
  • In the US Thyroid Cancer is the 13th most commonly diagnosed cancer
  • All Thyroid disease’s can be treated
  • Most Thyroid Cancers are curable
  • 60% of those with Thyroid disease are unaware of their condition
  • Women are 5-8 times more likely to have Thyroid problems than men
  • In general women have a higher concentration of TSH than men