What do they all have in common? A tiny gland weighing less than an ounce. Its the thyroid gland shaped like a butterfly and straddling the windpipe which secretes less than 1/1000.000 ounce of hormone thyroxin a day, yet affects virtually every system in your body.
Too much or too little hormone can set off a variety of debilitating, sometimes dangerous symptoms which are often traced to stress, rather than the thyroid gland. In the past, some people were hospitalized for psychiatric treatment when their problems were actually the result of a malfunctioning thyroid. But now there are simple blood tests to detect thyroid abnormalities.
Thyroxin affects your appetite, your heart, your muscles and skin, your eyes and nervous system, your ability to sweat and to reproduce, even your personality. It also controls the rate to which cells of your body use calories the metabolic rate. With too much hormone, the rate goes up. That may increase your appetite, but youll end up losing weight. With too little thyroid hormone, you may gain weight.
Thyroid deficiency can bring about loss of hair, puffiness of hands and face, drowsiness and constipation, weight gain, slowed reflexes, and in women, menstrual changes and the chance of miscarriage. In children, thyroid deficiency may show up as tiredness, inability to concentrate, and in extreme cases, stunting of growth and delay of puberty. Thyroid deficiency can be dangerous in newborns; unless it is detected and treated quickly it can result in mental and physical underdevelopment.
