The thyroid controls more than you might think

The thyroid controls more than you might think

You'll be surprised at the massive impact your thyroid can have on your health. Especially since this little gland is hidden somewhere in your neck! To find your thyroid, you need to feel it at the top of your windpipe, just below your Adam's apple. That little bump you feel is your thyroid. If you check its size regularly, you will know when it becomes swollen - a condition that can indicate a problem.

The thyroid has become a very popular scapegoat among overweight people. Not everyone may be able to successfully make this claim, but a large portion of the obese population may be spot on with their diagnosis. The thyroid plays a huge role in weight management and metabolism is controlled by the thyroid.

In addition to metabolic rate, the thyroid also helps convert protein into muscle mass. Muscles burn fat. Should this process slow down, your body will store excess energy to be absorbed as fat instead of using it to fuel your muscles. A slow thyroid can cause even bodybuilders to lose all muscle in a short period of time.

Your thyroid acts like the head boy at a school by keeping all the other glands in check. This explains why a diseased thyroid can cause severe reactions such as impotence, fatigue, and nervous problems elsewhere in your body. Every hormone-controlled function in your body is regulated by the thyroid.

But how can such a small gland in your neck affect every part of your body? By using the special messenger substances T3 (triiodothyronine) and T4 (thyroxine), which are themselves hormones, the thyroid can stimulate any part of the body by delivering T3 and T4 to those parts via the blood system. These two cause a chain reaction in the body as more and more hormones are released at their command.

If something goes wrong with your thyroid, it may secrete too little or too much of the T3 and T4 hormones. Too little is called hypothyroidism and too much is called hyperthyroidism. To counteract these problems, you should take medication by mouth to either stimulate or calm your thyroid - but only a doctor can determine the dose and frequency you should follow.

The thyroid is not a gland that functions entirely on its own, but rather receives its stimulation from the brain, specifically two parts of the brain - the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland. Any drug that affects these parts of the brain has side effects on the thyroid. Talk to your doctor about this to address your concerns.

Only fools borrow medication from someone else, and unfortunately fat people are very guilty of taking thyroid stimulants because they believe their weight problems are caused by a lazy thyroid. What they actually do is damage a healthy thyroid and this can lead to permanent problems that you should never have had. If you are concerned, have your thyroid checked by drawing some blood for testing. Even if you don't suspect any problems, it is advisable to have a regular check-up from the age of 27.

Inspired by Andrei Valentin