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Thyroid Gland Problems
In a nutshell:Hypothyroidism implies an underactive thyroid gland. Hyperthyyoidism implies an overactive thyroid gland Thyroid physiology - a synopsis The thyroid gland is situated in the neck and sets the pace for the whole body's metabolism much like an orchestral conductor giving out the rhythm to the whole orchestra. The thyroid affects the activity of each and every cell in the body. Too little thyroid hormone means the body's processes slow down with resultant fatigue, sluggishness, mental fuzziness, weight gain, constipation and feeling cold. Too much thyroid speeds the metabolic processes too much resulting in everything running too fast with resultant weight loss, fast heartbeat, insomnia and anxiety. In the adult female hypothyroidism may result in menstrual irregularities and difficulty conceiving. The Thyroid is critical to normal growth and development of infants and children. For infants and children the processes of growth and development - especially the development of the nervous system - are dependent on normal thyroid function and so all newborns are screened in the maternity units for this. Thyroid Hormone. TSH. Thyroxine (T4). Tri-iodothyronine (T3). Hypothalamic Release Factors for TSH. Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH), released from the pituitary gland( in the brain), controls the level of thyroid hormone in the blood. TSH release is itself under the control of the hypothalamus (another part of the brain). As thyroid hormone levels in the blood drop then the hypothalamus signals to the pituitary gland to send out more TSH to the thyroid signalling it to release more T3 and T4 so as to raise the blood levels. As the blood levels of the thyroid hormones reach a normal level another signal is sent out by the hypothalamus (really a monitoring station) telling the pituitary to make less TSH and , as the TSH levels drop, the thyroid gradually stops manufacturing thyroid hormone. This explains why, when the thyroid gland is underactive and the level of thyroid hormone is low and below normal the TSH is usually raised well above normal. There are two active thyroid hormones T3 (Tri-iodo thyronine) and T4 (thyroxine) which are carried 'bound' in the blood to transport (carrier) proteins. T3 is biologically several times more ‘potent’ than T4 but the T3 molecules have a shorter lifespan. While attached to the carrier proteins hormones are inactive and, at any given time, the vast majority of the body's thyroid hormone (over 90 %)is inactive biochemically because it is bound to transport proteins. It is the small proportion of free or un-bound which does the biochemical work. There is a dynamic equilibrium between the bound (non-free) and unbound (free) hormone. As the free thyroid hormone gets used up gradually more if the bound hormone is made free so that it becomes biologically active. If thyroid treatment is not working a swell as it ought then consider: Measuring free thyroid hormone levels. Routine laboratory testing usually measures total (=bound + free) thyroid hormone levels only. Remember about 90% of the ‘total’ thyroid hormone is biologically inactive (this is the ‘bound’ part attached to carrier proteins in the blood) and only the ‘free’ thyroid hormone is ‘working’ on the body. So it makes a lot more sense to also look at free thyroid hormone levels. Measuring free T3 as well as free T4 since T3 is much more potent than T4. Has the patient got adequate amounts of important minerals such as iron, selenium and zinc which are are important for the transformation of T4 to the much more potent T3? Is adrenal function 100% normal? Proper adrenal function is essential for treatment of an underactive thyroid gland to be effective. View information on the adrenal gland.
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