The thyroid is a small butterfly-shaped gland that is located at the front of the neck, just below the Adam’s apple. Despite its size, the thyroid plays a very important role in the body. The thyroid produces, stores and releases hormones into the bloodstream, and these hormones regulate many of the body’s processes such as breathing, heart rate, body temperature, mood, and particularly, metabolism. The thyroid also affects the functions of many of the important organs in the body, such as the heart, the kidney, the liver, the brain and the skin.
With the aid of ingested iodine, the thyroid gland produces two essential hormones called thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). The thyroid gland extracts consumed iodine from the bloodstream to create these hormones. These hormones are then stored in the thyroid and secreted into the bloodstream in different quantities to meet the needs of the cells in the body.
Normally, the thyroid creates and secretes the right amount of hormones to ensure that the body functions properly. However, certain factors might result in the thyroid being overactive and thus producing and secreting more hormones than necessary. This condition is known as hyperthyroidism, and results in the body’s processes being sped up. Thus, sufferers may experience symptoms such as heart palpitations, excessive sweating, and weight loss.
On the hand, if the thyroid is underactive and fails to produce and secrete enough hormones into the bloodstream, it results in a condition known as hypothyroidism which results in a slowing down of the body’s processes. In such situation, symptoms include abnormal weight gain, fatigue, constipation and a slow heart rate. Apart from hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, other diseases and disorders of the thyroid include abnormal thyroid growth, thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer.
Due to the fact that the thyroid plays such a crucial role in the body, it is necessary to monitor whether or not it is functioning properly and this is done through thyroid function tests. However, this might be difficult as the thyroid is not routinely checked unless the doctor has a suspicion that there may be a problem with the proper functioning of the thyroid. Also, due to the fact that the symptoms of a thyroid disease may be mistaken for other problems such as stress, depression, fatigue and weight problems, these symptoms can be easily ignored, thus delaying necessary tests, to the detriment of the thyroid and the body, in general. Apart from the existence of certain symptoms, some reasons to consider thyroid evaluation include:
1) Family history: if a member of your family suffers or has suffered from a thyroid disease, it will be beneficial to undergo a thyroid evaluation.
2)You should consider thyroid evaluation if you are on prescription medication such as Lithium or Amiodarone, as they induce thyroid dysfunction.
3)If you have undergone radiation therapy to the head or neck, then you should consider a thyroid evaluation.
It has been suggested that women should have their thyroid function checked annually, and that once an individual reaches the age of 35, the thyroid should be checked and re-evaluated once in every five years. supplements to such significant improvement. Fishes such as herring, mackerel, sardines, and
