What the Heck is a Thyroid Anyway?

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The thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland that is located at the base of the front of your neck-see photo. Just like any other gland in your body, your thyroid is responsible for manufacturing and releasing substances (thyroid hormones). Your thyroid is responsible for producing and converting thyroid specific hormones (T1, T2, T3, and T4) that control every part of your metabolism, and impact every system in your body. Thyroid malfunction can severely impact every aspect of your health.

Sometimes your thyroid can make too much hormone, resulting in hyperthyroidism and/or Grave’s Disease. Sometimes your thyroid can make too little hormone, resulting in hypothyroidism. Your thyroid can also cause an autoimmune response in your body, resulting in your body attacking and trying to destroy your thyroid. This is called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Thyroid disease can be hereditary and usually is passed down through the maternal side of a family.

Conditions that can cause hypothyroidism include:

Thyroiditis: This condition is an inflammation (swelling) of the thyroid gland. Thyroiditis can lower the amount of hormones your thyroid produces.
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis: A painless disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is an autoimmune condition where the body’s cells attack and damage the thyroid. This is an inherited condition.
Postpartum thyroiditis: This condition occurs in 5% to 9% of women after childbirth. It’s usually a temporary condition.
Iodine deficiency: Iodine is used by the thyroid to produce hormones. An iodine deficiency is an issue that affects several million people around the world..
A non-functioning thyroid gland: Sometimes, the thyroid gland doesn’t work correctly from birth. This affects about 1 in 4,000 newborns. If left untreated, the child could have both physical and mental issues in the future. All newborns are given a screening blood test in the hospital to check their thyroid function.

Conditions that can cause hyperthyroidism include:

Graves’ disease: In this condition the entire thyroid gland might be overactive and produce too much hormone. This problem is also called diffuse toxic goiter (enlarged thyroid gland).
Nodules: Hyperthyroidism can be caused by nodules that are overactive within the thyroid. A single nodule is called toxic autonomously functioning thyroid nodule, while a gland with several nodules is called a toxic multi-nodular goiter.
Thyroiditis: This disorder can be either painful or not felt at all. In thyroiditis, the thyroid releases hormones that were stored there. This can last for a few weeks or months.
Excessive iodine: When you have too much iodine (the mineral that is used to make thyroid hormones) in your body, the thyroid makes more thyroid hormones than it needs. Excessive iodine can be found in some medications (amiodarone, a heart medication) and cough syrups.

The bottom line is that if your thyroid is not functioning optimally, the rest of your body will not be either. Thyroid issues can wreak havoc on your health and if you don’t educate yourself about your thyroid, you will be at the mercy of uninformed physicians. The more you learn, the better you can advocate for yo