The Troubled Thyroid Gland
January is National Thyroid Awareness Month. In keeping with this concept I will be detailing some information about this poorly understood, but vitally important gland.
The thyroid gland is located at the base of the neck. Its function is actually controlled by a small gland in the brain called the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland receives its commands from another nearby gland in the brain called the hypothalamus gland. These cascading glandular signals engage the thyroid gland to perform its duties.
And just what are those duties you may be asking? You see, this small gland performs vitally important functions which maintain balance in your physiology. This gland regulates such things as your metabolism which is what most think of as the primary function of the thyroid. Weight gain is another function that the thyroid assists in regulating, along with the obvious factors of diet and exercise. But, the thyroid also controls such things as protein metabolism, absorption of vitamins and minerals and processing carbohydrates. Body temperature is also regulated by the thyroid gland. When a reduction in the function of the thyroid gland occurs you will be subject to the secondary effects of a slow thyroid gland, which is also known as a hypo-thyroid. When this condition exists the body temperature will be reduced. When we see this hypo-thyroid condition arise in women during peri-menopause or menopause, the combination of hot flashes and reduced body temperature stimulated by a reduction in thyroid function can create a significant challenge in regulating body temperature.
The condition of hyperthyroid function creates the opposite effect to that seen in hypo-thyroidism. There is often a significant reduction in body weight, which is typically of a very rapid onset. This obviously can be very concerning for doctors and patients alike. An increase in body temperature is often seen with an over functioning thyroid gland. One of the distinguishing factors in this form of thyroid dysfunction is "exophthalmoses", which is a bulging of the eyes. This is one of the classic diagnostic features of long standing hyper-thyroidism.
While the standard medical test that is typically performed to evaluate thyroid function is a TSH level, this certainly is not the only test that should be run to diagnose an aberrantly functioning thyroid gland. TSH or Thyroid Stimulating Hormone is a signaling hormone produced by the pituitary gland to signal to the thyroid gland what it should do. An elevation of TSH would potentially indicate a reduced thyroid function or hypo-thyriodism, while a reduction in TSH typically indicates an over function of the thyroid gland, or hyper-thyroidism.
I would like to touch on a few other conditions that affect the thyroid gland. These include a goiter, which is an enlargement of the thyroid gland. This condition was common in the early decades of the last century. It is typically due to a deficiency of iodine. There was a significant epidemic of individuals diagnosed with goiters in the U.S. at that time. This is why the salt iodization process was begun in the 1920's. I go into some detail about this in my book; Dr. Pfeiffer's Guide to a Longer Healthier Life, if you want to learn more about this interesting aspect of a national initiative to eradicate the epidemic of goiterism at that time.
Now let's define some other thyroid conditions which you need to familiarize yourself with if you wish to more fully grasp the importance of this poorly understood gland.
Thyroiditis as many of our Cleanse Class Graduates will recognize, is an inflammatory condition as denoted by its suffix "itis". This condition may occur from a variety of causes. This form of thyroid dysfunction can be painful or painless. One of the most common forms is the auto-immune type of hypo-thyroid function called Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. The opposite extreme of Hashimoto's is Grave's Disease. This is the auto-immune condition which causes hyperthyroidism, or an "over functioning" of the thyroid gland.
While thyroid cancer is very uncommon, thyroid nodules unfortunately are relatively common. Thyroid nodules rarely become cancerous, although they may in some instances cause an increase in thyroid function, and thereby cause a form of hyper-thyroidism.
A condition called a "thyroid storm" is an extreme form of hyper-thyroidism in which the over production of thyroid hormones can cause many secondary adverse effects such as cardiac, and hypertensive issues, as well as increased production of adrenal hormones like adrenaline, and numerous other metabolic abnormalities.
The inactive and active forms of thyroid hormones are T4 or thyroxine and T3 or triiodothyronine. These are the hormones produced by the thyroid gland that are dependent on the availability of iodine in order for them to become activated.
Two more important thyroid antibodies that should be measured in order to determine if you may have an auto-immune thyroid condition are anti-thyroglobulin antibodies, and anti-TPO (thyroid peroxidase) antibodies. These will be diagnostic for an auto-immune thyroid condition.
Thyroglobulin levels will be used as an indicator of thyroid cancer. This will also be tested as an indicator of re-occurrence of thyroid cancer.
Other testing of the thyroid can include a CT, MRI, or PET scan testing, as well as a radioactive iodine test called a thyroid scan. This last test involves the injection of radioactive iodine and the uptake and measurement of this radioactive material in the thyroid gland. This test in and of itself arguably may destroy or at least alter the function of the thyroid gland.
Thyroid biopsies are often performed particularly when a nodule has been detected to determine if the condition may be cancerous. This test involves the use of a needle biopsy, in which a small sample of the thyroid is extracted and analyzed for the presence of abnormal cells.
Now that you all have a better grasp of the types of thyroid conditions and the diagnostic tests used to detect these conditions, I want you to know that probably the most common thyroid condition by far is an under-active or hypo-functioning thyroid gland. Probably one of the most common forms that we see in the Center is the auto-immune thyroid condition that I referenced earlier called Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. If you believe that you may have, or have been diagnosed with a thyroid condition and are looking for an alternative or complementary perspective on your condition you can join us for our Free "Understanding Your Thyroid Seminar". This seminar will be via Zoom call. You can email us and let us know that you would like to register for the program. You can also call Kerry at the Center for Nutrition and Wellness at 215-679-9355.
I look forward to assisting you in learning more about how you can regulate, and heal your thyroid naturally.