Thyroid: A Vital Part of Your Body
A woman breaks down if she suffers a miscarriage just three or four months after conceiving or marriage. This had happened with a Tamil woman in Visakhapatnam. Her terrible story does not end here as she had to face a similar miscarriage one year later. The real cause could not be detected even despite numerous tests. Although, Sarah took special care of her food habits as well as fitness, her weight started to rise up in a few years. She was very sensitive to cold and felt strains and tightness in her legs. Later, blood tests and ultrasound of her thyroid revealed that she was suffering from Hashimoto's disease, which was possibly a cause of her miscarriages. Like most of the people, Sarah too never thought about her thyroid issues, but her deteriorating condition made it all too clear for everyone to know the importance of thyroid in our health.
Thyroid is a large ductless gland in the neck which secretes hormones regulating growth and development. In other words, it is a large cartilage of the larynx, a projection of which forms the Adam's apple in humans. Its weight is a little less than one ounce. It is a vital part of your body's endocrine system that controls many vital functions in the body with the help of specific hormones. Thyroid is made of several small-sized glands that contain thyroid hormones. It is one of your endocrine glands, which make hormones. The hormones contain iodine in right proportion and around 80% iodine requirement of our body is supplied by thyroid. Any deficiency in thyroid's iodine can cause hypothyroidism. The iodine deficiency in children can misbalance their hormonal system; they can suffer from a condition called 'cretinism' which blunts the natural growth of their mind, body and sexual system.
Thyroid is also known as T-3, RT-3 (Reverse T-3) and T-4. T-3 and RT-3 hormones are derived from T-4 hormone. Many hormones are found in other places of the body, and whenever our body needs more thyroid hormones, our thyroid gland regulates or limits the inflow of T-4 hormone. Consequently, T-4 and other hormones that are part of it reach many parts of our body in exact amount. As accelerator controls the speed of a car, similarly thyroid hormones control the entire metabolism system and the rate of many activities in your body. These include how fast you burn calories and how fast your heart beats. All of these activities are your body's metabolism. So, thyroid hormones regulate the energy intake from our foods and keep our vital parts of the body in action.
Thyroid is also responsible for many other vital functions in our body. For instance, it controls triglyceride and helps to regulate Lipoproteins (LDL) or bad cholesterol in the blood. Cholesterol is a compound of the sterol type found in most body tissues. Cholesterol and its derivatives are important constituents of cell membranes and precursors of other steroid compounds, but high concentrations in the blood are thought to promote atherosclerosis. Deficiency in thyroid hormones can be a cause of an increase in bad cholesterol (LDL) and decrease of good cholesterol (HDL). So thyroid dysfunction has a great effect on your lipid profile and cardiovascular system.
Thyroid imbalance can also cause stomach upsets such as indigestion or loose motion as thyroid hormones are also active in your gut area, affecting the movement or motion of your food pipe and intestines.
The back region of the human brain (hypothalamus) controls the balance of thyroid. The hypothalamus is a portion of the brain that contains a number of small nuclei with a variety of functions. One of the most important functions of the hypothalamus is to link the nervous system to the endocrine system via the pituitary gland. When your body requires thyroid hormones, this part of your brain sends a signal to the pituitary gland which releases TSH hormones that command Thyroid to release its own hormones into the blood. Your doctor gets a clue for a presence of any thyroid related medical condition from the level of TSH and thyroid hormones in your blood. The tests reveal whether your thyroid hormones are working properly or not. This also helps us to save us from many thyroid related problems.
Lack of iodine in your foods, physical and mental stress, autoimmune conditions and diseases that keep your body chronically tired can disturb your thyroid hormones. Thyroid disorder (increased level) can cause several lumps on the body and goiter. These small swellings or lumps on the body should be taken seriously as they can be a cause of cancer.
Generally, low or high level of thyroid hormones causes a thyroid related condition. Over secretion of thyroid hormones is known as hyperthyroidism. Deficiency in these hormones is known as hypothyroidism. Thyroid-caused diseases take place in your body so slowly that you hardly know about it until they come into full effect. So, early diagnosis of thyroid disorder can save you from future complications. The most common thyroid-related diseases are Hashimoto's disease and Grave's disease. Women are six times more prone to Hashimoto's disease than men and it is due hypothyroidism. Grave's disease is also eight times more prevalent amongst women and it is due to hyperthyroidism. Generally, people are a bit confused about the right time for thyroid test, but it is recommended post delivery. Health care providers perform thyroid tests to assess how well your thyroid is working. The tests are also used to diagnose and help to find the cause of thyroid disorders such as hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism:
Doctors may order several blood tests to check thyroid function, including TSH test, T4 test, T3 test, thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin (TSI) test, and antithyroid antibody test, also called the thyroid peroxides antibody test (TPOab) A blood test involves drawing blood at a health care provider's office or a commercial facility and sending the sample to a lab for analysis. Blood tests assess thyroid function by measuring TSH and thyroid hormone levels, and by detecting certain auto-antibodies present in autoimmune thyroid disease. Auto-antibodies are molecules produced by a person's body that mistakenly attack the body's own tissues. These antibodies affect thyroid gland. If antibodies test reveals the over secretion of hormones, thyroid scanning is recommended. But this test is not prescribed for pregnant women and lactating mothers. If a patient has thyroid-related lumps, the liquid of a lump is extracted and sent to the lab to ascertain whether these lumps are harmful.
Proper diagnosis and treatment can be very effective in case of hyperthyroidism that produces symptoms such as restlessness, high hear beats, weakness and general anxiety. Apart from this, over secretion of thyroid hormones are also regulated in the gland with the proper medication. In some cases, operation is carried out to clean up the lumps.
Doctors recommend daily intake of T4 hormone to those lacking thyroid hormones or those patients from whom thyroid hormones have been taken out. Doctors take into account many parameters of each patient to recommend exact doses of this hormone.
Thyroid-related cancers are treated with the help of surgery, medications, chemotherapy and radioactive iodine therapy. Thyroid cancer is more common amongst those who have undergone radiotherapy for the treatment of any cancer, and those who are genetically more prone given the history of cancers in their families.
Sarah is now being given T4 hormone regularly under medical supervision. A nutritionist is helping her to take proper diet that is beneficial in such cases.
Now due to awareness drive, people have learnt that thyroid, despite its smaller size, carries a lot of importance in our health. So, take a proper care of your diet which contains recommended amount of iodine. Also, avoid mental and physical stress and keep yourself fit with exercise.
Although there could be some complications during delivery due to thyroid disorder, women usually successfully deliver healthy babies. But it is necessary for such women to get treated when they are pregnant as the fetus gets the hormones from its mother.
T-3 and T-4 hormones regulate iodine present in the hormones. Another hormone known as calcitonin which regulates calcium in the blood.
If you feel you have thyroid disorder, never waste time and consult a doctor who is an expert in thyroid treatment.
A blood test can reveal a newborn's thyroid activity and whether or not there is a disorder. If doctors detect an imbalance, he can prescribe proper medications. Thyroid disorder in newborn should be taken seriously as it can cause mental and physical weaknesses. So, a test must be carried out a few days after delivery to detect any sign of creationism in the newborn.
A proper diet can save you from thyroid disorders and the complications caused by it. For instance, ensure that you are taking recommended amount of iodine which is so vital to regulate thyroid hormones. Seafood such as fish and crabs contain sufficient amount of iodine. Soil of a region affects the iodine content in vegetables and meat. Since some regions lack iodine-rich soil, people are recommended to take iodine-laded salt.
If you desire your thyroid to work properly and thyroid hormones (t-3 and T-4) to work correctly in your body, it is vital that you have adequate selenium intake. Lack of selenium can cause several metabolic problems. Again, soil of a region determines selenium content in the vegetables and meat of that region. So, selenium intake can also be fulfilled by foods such as Brazil nuts, liver, tuna and oysters. So, if you have any symptoms that indicate thyroid disorder, consult a doctor without any delay, as an early diagnosis and treatment can save you from bigger complications. Thyroid disorders are treatable and there is no need to be scared.
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