I am your thyroid… know my functions…

Hello everyone… Let me introduce myself to all of you.

My name is Thyroid and I am a small butterfly shaped gland situated in front of your neck. Though I am small but I have great responsibilities on me. I make thyroid hormones which travel through blood to all parts of your body for optimum metabolism of your body.

I help all your organs work well. I control how your body uses food to generate energy. I decide the metabolic rate and take care of how fast or slow your brain, heart, muscles, liver and other parts of your body should be working. When I get overworked you may feel tired and cold or nervous, jumpy and warm.

I have a boss who controls me sitting at the base of your brain. His name is Mr. Pituitary. He keeps an eye on the quantity and quality of my hormone production. He guides me regularly to make more or less hormone so my hormone production is always in right amount.

I need Iodine to make my hormones. I absorb this from the food you eat. Salt and sea-foods are my favourites.

When you experience tiredness, feeling cold in warm temperature, slow heart beats, dry skin, hair thinning, impaired memory, unexplained weight gain, constipation, muscle aches and pains then you need to know that I have failed to make enough hormones and am in Hypothyroid state.

When you are feeling nervous and irritable, having trouble concentrating, feeling too warm in cold climates, your heart is beating faster, your hair and nails break easily, suffering from diarrhoea, have trouble falling asleep or losing weight without trying hard then you need to know that I am making more thyroid hormones than required and am in Hyperthyroid state.

If you ever feel that I am growing in size and I look like a nodule on your neck then get me checked by your doctor to know whether I am in non-cancerous or cancerous state and treat me as early as possible.

You too have a responsibility towards me when I am taking care of your whole body metabolism. Get me checked regularly by doing simple blood tests for thyroid hormones at regular intervals. If there is any abnormality then please bring it to the notice of your doctor and get me treated at earliest.

Don’t feed your body with excess of caffeinated drinks to help me function well. Exercise regular for optimum metabolism and keeping your body and me in shape. Having food high on fibre not only help increasing metabolism but will keep constipation at bay. I love fruits, green vegetables, beans and they help me to live a healthy life. Help me to function normally by adopting de-stressing techniques if you are stressed.

Thank you so much for your patient listening.