Thyroid gland, one of the largest endocrine, affects almost every cell in your body. In addition to regulating metabolism and weight by controlling fat burning, thyroid hormones are also needed for the growth and development of children and in almost every physiological process in your body.
When your thyroid levels are unbalanced, too much or too little hormone in this gland can cause problems for your overall health and well-being.
Researches have shown that 10 to 40 percent of people living in the United States have a malfunctioning within the thyroid gland. Thyroid function has been linked to serious health conditions such as fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, acne, eczema, gum disease, infertility and autoimmune diseases. This is why it is necessary to take care of your thyroid gland and know what causes make it go out of harmony.
The Thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped gland located inside your neck, below the larynx box or sound box. This two-inched brownish red gland is highly vascular contains two lobes on each side of the trachea, both of which are attached to a tissue called the isthmus. The normal thyroid weighs between 20 and 60 grams.
The thyroid gland is responsible for producing the major metabolic hormones that control every function in your body. It produces three types of hormones:
Hormones produced by the thyroid gland interact with all other hormones, including insulin, cortisol, and sex hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. And show the fact that these hormones are linked to each other and are in constant communication and this shows why less- than-optimal thyroid status is associated with so many widespread symptoms and diseases.
Nearly 90 percent of the thyroid hormone is produced in the form of T4, an inactive form. Then your liver converts T4 to T3, the active form, with the help of an enzyme. T2, however, is currently the least understood component of thyroid function and the subject of a number of ongoing studies.
If everything works properly, your body‘ll make what you need and have the right amounts of T3 and T4, which control the metabolism of each cell in your body. If the T3 is inadequate, either by scarce production or not properly converted from T4, the whole system suffers. T3 is very important because it tells the nucleus of your cells to send messages to your DNA in order to boost your metabolism by burning fat. This is how T3 reduces cholesterol levels, regenerates hair growth and helps keep you more lean.
Your T3 levels can be disrupted by nutritional imbalances, toxins, allergens, infections, and stress. This leads to a series of complications, including thyroid cancer, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, which today are three of the most prevalent thyroid-related diseases.
Hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid produces little thyroid hormone secretion, a condition often associated with iodine deficiency.
In addition, 10 percent of the general population in the United States and 20 percent of women over the age of 60 suffer from subclinical hypothyroidism, a case in which there is no obvious symptoms, and only with minor abnormality within laboratory tests.
However, only a marginal proportion of these persons are being treated. The reason for this is misinterpretation and misunderstanding of laboratory tests, especially TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). Most doctors believe that if your TSH is within the “normal” range, your thyroid is fine. Now more and more physicians find that the value of TSH is highly unreliable to diagnose hypothyroidism.
Determining hypothyroidism and its cause is a difficult task. Many symptoms of hypothyroidism are vague and interfere with other disorders. Doctors often miss the thyroid problem because they rely only on some traditional tests, leaving other undiscovered evidence.
The most sensitive way to find out is to listen to your body. People with slow thyroid gland usually suffer:
It is important to note that all fatigue or lack of energy cannot be blamed on the impaired thyroid gland. Thyroid-related fatigue starts when you cannot maintain energy long enough, especially when compared to a past level of fitness or ability. If the thyroid gland is weak, maintaining energy production will be a challenge. You will notice that you do not seem to have the energy to do things as you used to.
Some obvious signs of thyroid fatigue include:
Any of these symptoms can be suggestive of hypothyroidism. The more symptoms you have, the greater your risk of hypothyroidism. Moreover, if you have someone in your family with any of these conditions, the risk of thyroid problems becomes higher:
There are a few ways to diagnose an underactive thyroid, but I prefer using the following laboratory tests if you want to get the real score of your thyroid health:
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Empower has the ability to compound Thyroid USP, T3 (liothyronine) and/or T4 (levothyroxine) alone or in customized combinations.