Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland that sits on your neck. Your thyroid is a very important gland in your body that controls your metabolism, heart rate, temperature, hormones, and much much more. The thyroid is a lot more common than people realize. According to the American Thyroid Association, one in eight-woman develop a thyroid disorder in their lifetime Women are much more likely to get a thyroid condition, 5-8x more to be exact than man. This does not eliminate men from having thyroid issues after all they have a thyroid gland too.
Hypothyroidism is the most common thyroid condition, people with this condition often experience weight gain, fatigue, brain fog, depressed mood, cold intolerance, constipation, dry skin, muscle aches, hair loss or thinning, and more. There are several hormones produced by the thyroid gland, that can be evaluated via blood. TSH, a thyroid-stimulating hormone, is one of the main levels that should be checked to evaluate the health of your thyroid. Other hormones released are T4 and T3. T4 is the inactive yet most abundant form of thyroid hormone in your blood system.
T3 is not as abundant but is the most active. These are some of the basics of thyroid symptoms and testing. There are different ways you can help improve your thyroid health through diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes. Stayed tuned, as we dive further into explaining more about how your thyroid works, lab testing, and tips on improving your health!
