Amongst the various medical problems on a rise, thyroid sure is amongst the top few. Thyroid problems are becoming more common in the present society with every passing day. Major causes of the problem are improper nutrition and lack of nutrients in the soil. To understand the effects of thyroid malfunctioning, it’s important to understand what exactly the gland des in the body.
Thyroid is a small butterfly shaped gland located directly below the Adam’s apple. This gland swells up accompanied by an inflammatory sensation, when not working properly. This can be seen as a small bulge in the area. Doctors might feel the size of the gland by keeping hand around your neck and making you swallow.
Thyroid is known as the hormone factory of the body, as it manufactures a number of hormones for the body. T3 and T4 are the major hormones amongst them. Among various other things these hormones control the body’s metabolism and energy levels. Body fails to function properly in case of excess or lack of these hormones. While lack of these hormones make the body sluggish and slow an excess of these make the person hyper active sending the body in an overdrive.
Thyroid has to be taken care of properly as it affects the entire body. Damage to thyroid ends up effecting entire body over a period of time. Brain might be effected in terms of memory loss and moodiness, reproductive health, heart, body weight etc are some matters that can occur with thyroid disorders.
Thyroid malfunctioning more often then not leads to heart problems and a number of other problems as well. Often a part of auto immune problems, thyroid can go simultaneously with cholesterol and other problems. Body may experience arthritis type pain which shall diminish as soon as the hormone levels are back to normal.
Thyroid problems affect irrespective of age and sex. According to the American Thyroid Association, half of the people with thyroid problems do not even know about it. It often goes unnoticed as the symptoms are mistaken as that of some other disease. For eg tiredness is a major symptom but is generally overlooked as a general feeling or is associated to other health problems.
However certain groups of people are more susceptible to the disease then others. For eg women are 8 times more likely then men to face the disorder. You are also more prone if you have a family history of the autoimmune diseases. In such a case regular checkup of the thyroid gland is highly recommended.
People with a high exposure to radiation also have higher chances of a thyroid disorder as the gland is sensitive to any radiation. Similarly elderly people amongst us also run a higher risk of disorder.
Being a victim of thyroid disorder can be a sad story and at times really discouraging. Symptoms can be painful and tend to pull you sown. However the facts remain that you can live with it, and live happily at that.
First step is getting the right treatment. Contacting the right doctor and taking the full course of treatment. Being proactive is also very important and if medications don’t prove effective, then tell your doctor immediately. Another important thing is eating healthy. Sugar rich and processed foods should be avoided. Most importantly, help someone else. It’s rarely prescribed by doctors, but is in fact an excellent antidote, for many ailments.
This article was posted on September 27, 2005
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Thyroid 101 What You Need To Know About