Thyroid Dysfunction

IMMUNE HEALTH SERIES:  Thyroid Disease

Thyroid Disease is much more common in the USA than you might think. With 27 million people suffering that makes it the leading endocrine disorder today. Even more surprising is that it is thought that twice that number actually have the disorder but go undiagnosed because the symptoms such as tiredness, low energy, feeling blue or weight gain, are so subtle they are mistaken for other things.

The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland, found inside the neck near the “Adam’s apple.” The hormones produced by the thyroid, commonly called T3 and T4, control the metabolism; in other words, they coordinate how the body breaks down food and determine whether food energy is either used immediately or stored for future use.

Related to the thyroid gland is the pituitary gland, located at the brain’s base. The pituitary produces a hormone that stimulates the thyroid, telling the thyroid when to produce more of its own hormones when needed by the body.

Disruptions in the normal function of the thyroid are often the result of thyroid-specific diseases, such as hypothyroidsim (low thyroid hormone production), hyperthyroidism (high production), thyroid  nodules and others.

Tune into this interesting episode and find out the traditional and alternative treatments we use here at IRW clinic to assist in the recovery from various thyroid disorders and what you can do on your own behalf.