Female Focus
Page 15 Is your thyroid telling you something?
If you google the word ‘thyroid’ you get 42,900,000 results. Sorry, let’s take another look at that figure. FORTY TWO MILLION, NINE HUNDRED THOUSAND RESULTS. Impressive, huh? That must mean the thyroid is pretty common! Errr, of course it is, because we all have a thyroid gland, and occasionally it can go wrong.
So what does the thyroid do, and what makes it go wrong? It is a butterfly- shaped gland that sits low on the front of the neck, below your Adam’s apple and along the front of your windpipe.
The thyroid has two side lobes, connected by a bridge in the middle. When the thyroid is its normal size you’re unlikely to be able to feel it.
Put simply, the thyroid controls how quickly the body uses energy, makes proteins, and controls how sensitive the body is to other hormones. It’s a vital component. It participates by producing thyroid hormones, the principal ones being Triiodothyronine (T3) and Thyroxine (T4). These hormones regulate the growth and rate of function of many other systems in the body.
There is one other hormone that is important for the thyroid to work properly called thyroid-stimulating hormone (THS) which is a chemical released by the pituitary gland in the brain that triggers hormone production in the thyroid.
Think of your thyroid gland like the thermostat in your central heating boiler. Although it’s one of the smallest components it is one of the most important parts of the whole central heating system. If the thermostat isn’t working properly then your house will be too hot, or alternatively too cold. Well, if your thyroid isn’t working properly then your body’s “control centre for metabolism” isn’t working, and this means you can be “overproducing” thyroid hormones (Hyperthyroidism) or “underproducing” thyroid hormones (called Hypothyroidism). So that’s the science bit over...
How might we know if our thyroid is playing up? With an overactive thyroid the most common symptoms are: feeling nervous, irritable, or hyperactive, shaking, weight
loss, feeling tired, muscle weakness, sweating more than usual or being unable to cope with heat.
With an underactive thyroid the most common symptoms are: tiredness, weight gain, constipation, aches, dry skin, lifeless hair and feeling cold.
With so many symptoms that’s why doctors believe 1 in 20 persons in the UK have a thyroid problem.
Treatment in the main is simple... by the prescription of drugs to increase or decrease the activity of the thyroid and to bring things properly back into kilter. Only very rarely are more drastic measures needed.
Having read all of the symptoms above, if you think that your thyroid could be playing up, during the month of February we are offering a physical examination and consultation, specific blood tests for T3, T4, THS, and an ultrasonic exam of the thyroid for just €79 (usual price €131).
Within 4 days of the test the results will be known and treatment, if needed, can be commenced. How good is that? All those months, years even, of feeling tired, or anxious; or of gaining weight or feeling cold or any of the other symptoms above could simply be down to your thyroid gland. Just like the thermostat in your central heating boiler, the thyroid is an immensely important component of our bodies. Time to get it checked!
Here’s what Clinic Director Dr. Meyer-Josten has to say on the matter: “The greatest of all creations is man himself – the marvellous machine. But to keep it running perfectly it needs to be serviced. With a small tweek you can be running like new again.”
Your Healthy Magazine
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