Most people have heard of the thyroid gland. It sits
in the lower part of your neck secreting the powerful hormone thyroxine into
your bloodstream. But what does thyroxine do … and more importantly … what
happens when the thyroid stops working properly?
The thyroid is one of the most important and
biggest glands in the body. Its primary hormone … thyroxine … also known as T4 …
has many important functions in the body. These include the regulation of our
metabolism … the synthesis of proteins … and how our body responds to other
hormones. As with many other parts of our endocrine system … the thyroid is
controlled by the small … but powerful … pituitary gland located near our
brain.
When it comes to thyroid problems … most can be
classified into one of two categories … those that make to much or too little
thyroxine. As you might expect … when the amount of hormone is unbalanced … we
can start developing symptoms. Some types of thyroid disorders … like Graves’
Disease … cause excessive production of thyroxine … or hyperthyroidism.
Hyperthyroidism can cause many different
symptoms … including … weight loss … rapid or irregular heart rate … diarrhea …
tremor … swollen neck or goiter … and irregular menstrual periods.
On the flip side … having not enough thyroxine …
or hypothyroidism … can cause an entirely different set of symptoms. These include
… fatigue … a slow heart rate … depression … numbness or tingling in the hands
or feet … constipation … and weight gain.
As you can tell … many of these symptoms are common
and could be caused by many other conditions or they just could be a normal part
of getting older … but fortunately … thyroid disorders can be diagnosed with
simple blood tests. If there are symptoms you feel are abnormal for you … make
sure you let your health care provider know and they can order a thyroid
stimulating hormone or TSH test … which is a fast and simple way to tell if
your thyroid is working properly.
