Your thyroid is a small, butterfly shaped organ that sits at the base of your neck. It’s part of the endocrine system which is a collection of glands that release hormones to regulate body processes and your thyroid gland controls your metabolism. It governs how your body uses energy by making two main hormones from iodine in your food: Triiodothyronine (T3) and Thyroxine (T4).
The T3 and T4 hormones travel around your bloodstream, regulating how fast your cells work and affecting things like:
- heart rate
- intestine and how fast it processes food
- breathing rate
- nervous system
- body weight
- muscle strength
- menstrual cycles
- body temperature
- cholesterol levels
- bone integrity
This small organ that affects so much, can sometimes play up and either produce too much T3 and T4 or too little. A thyroid that’s overproducing is overactive and this condition is called hyperthyroidism. An underactive thyroid doesn’t produce enough of the hormones and this is hypothyroidism. There are several symptoms that would alert you to either condition:
Underactive thyroid
- a slow heartbeat
- constipation
- weight gain
- trouble sleeping
- tiredness and fatigue
- difficulty concentrating
- dry skin and hair
- depression
- sensitivity to cold
- frequent and heavy periods
- joint and muscle pain
Overactive thyroid
- a rapid heartbeat
- diarrhoea
- weight loss
- anxiety
- irritability
- nervousness/hyperactivity
- sweating or sensitivity to high temperatures
- trembling hands
- hair loss
- missed or light periods
Whether your thyroid is underactive or overactive, there are ways of handling the conditions. Dr Joanne Leach, a family-friendly GP in Vredehoek, advises that if you have symptoms, your doctor can decide if a blood test is necessary to test your thyroid function and then decide if treatment is needed. If you have an underactive thyroid, medication can be taken to top up the hormone you’re low on and stimulate your thyroid. Once your thyroid is under control, you should function very normally and will probably take the medication for the rest of your life.
An overactive thyroid is less common and there are several approaches your doctor might take. There’s medication that stops your thyroid producing too much T3 and T4 and there’s a chance you’ll be able to stop medication after a while, and that your thyroid will carry on behaving. Another possible treatment is to drink a solution containing radioactive iodine which builds up in your thyroid and shrinks it so that it produces less hormone. The radioactivity is very low but anyone treated this way must wait at least six months before conceiving a child. Sometimes a thyroidectomy is needed where all or part of your thyroid gland is surgically removed. This is a permanent cure for recurring over-activity in your thyroid and it might mean you’ll need to start taking the underactive thyroid medication.
It’s never nice finding out that something in your body isn’t working properly, but if you suspect your thyroid isn’t healthy, it’s worth having the tests. Getting your thyroid to produce the right levels of T3 and T4 benefits your body in such great ways – a true butterfly effect!
Sources:
https://www.livescience.com/26496-endocrine-system.html
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Thyroid-under-active/Pages/Treatment.aspx
http://hse.ie/eng/health/az/H/Hyperthyroidism/Treating-overactive-thyroid.html
