Thyroid Health: What is a Thyroid and What Does It Do?

Every body has a thyroid: a bow-tie shaped gland at the base of the neck with a very important job. The thyroid is part of the endocrine system. This system is made up of glands that produce, store, and release hormones vital to an array of bodily functions. The thyroid’s functions include regulating important things like:

● Regulating your heart rate
● Regulating your breathing
● Maintaining your body temperature
● Maintaining your body weight
● Regulating menstruation in females
● And more!

Your thyroid does this by creating two main hormones – T3 and T4. T3 and T4 work together to maintain your metabolism and other functions of your body. Since heart rate is one of those functions, too much or too little T3 and T4 can cause problems.

A healthy thyroid releases appropriate amounts of T3 and T4, which result in:

● Healthy weight management
● Healthy sleep patterns
● Healthy heart rate
● Healthy body temperature

An unhealthy thyroid receives mixed signals that can release too little or too much T3 and T4 which can cause two conditions, hypothyroidism or too slow of thyroid function, or hyperthyroidism which is too high of thyroid function. Neither case is ideal and can happen in infants, children, and adults.

Though irregular thyroid function generally affects adults, 1 in every 1500-3000 babies born is affected by irregular thyroid function. Low thyroid function (hypothyroidism) is the most common disorder in babies and teens.

The human body is a complex combination of organs, systems, and activities that work in harmony to regulate and maximize resources for a healthy life. The thyroid is a very small gland with a very large contribution to the stability and effectiveness of these functions. Maintaining a healthy thyroid and detecting an unhealthy thyroid are keys to ensuring you and your family are thriving. Some symptoms of an over or under-active thyroid hide in plain sight and don’t raise alarm. Consider a checkup if you or a loved one have chronic issues such as:

● Unexplained weight loss or gain
● Delayed puberty or slowdown in growth in children
● Dry skin and hair or unusual significant hair loss
● A visibly enlarged thyroid gland

While these symptoms may not indicate an issue with the thyroid, they could be symptomatic of thyroid function and can be ruled out by your physician.

Treating the thyroid can be complicated and many folks, especially women, are frustrated at what they find in health care when going to most doctors.  I encourage going to a competent functional medicine doctor to get help with this issue.