Thyroid: Popular disease of popular celebrities
Talking about thyroid disease, it may sound familiar to you. People, nowadays, have a thyroid problem and not know it, so they do not treat it immediately. Moreover, it is one of the top diseases of many stars. You may wonder why some thyroid patients are fat, but some are thin. How does thyroid actually affect to your body? What is a thyroid gland? Where is it located? And, which symptoms indicate that you have a thyroid problem. Therefore, you can undergo an appropriate treatment in time.
Thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped endocrine gland located low in the front of your neck. It produces three thyroid hormones including:
Thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped endocrine gland located low in the front of your neck. It produces three thyroid hormones including:
1. Triiodothyronine (T3) is a hormone involving to cell metabolism, bone growth, heart function, muscular function, and gut function.
2. Thyroxine (T4) is a hormone stimulating cell metabolism and tissues. It works with growth hormone to enhance growth by stimulating protein synthesis. Moreover, it controls cell development, especially neuron cells.
3. Calcitonin is a hormone controlling calcium and phosphorus metabolisms – calcium relates to balance of cells and bone tissues.
Thyroid hormone is very important since it associates with metabolism of food, oxygen, as well as our body. Here is the reason why thyroid patients are fat or thin.
- If thyroid gland overproduces hormones (hyperthyroidism), your body will have more metabolism causing hyperhidrosis, palpitation, and fat loss. Therefore, patients will become thin.
- If thyroid gland underproduces hormones (hypothyroidism), your body will have less metabolism affecting to chemical reaction balance. There will be more fat accumulating in your body, so patients will become fat.
If there is a thyroid problem, many systems will change including metabolism and nervous systems. Patients will have many symptoms such as slow thinking, slow speaking, poor recognition, and some may have muscle pain. In severe thyroid patients, they are at risk of cardiovascular diseases and have eye problems such as exophthalmos, lagophthalmos, or swollen conjunctiva. Some may have thyrotoxicosis which affects liver and kidney abnormalities, jaundice, and prone to have diabetes.
Thyroid patients have different problems such as thyroid swollen, malignant thyroid tumor, and goiter. Some patients have autoimmune thyroiditis causing inflamed thyroid gland, abnormal thyroid function, and autoimmune symptoms which cause diabetes, thrombocytopenia, rheumatoid arthritis, and vitiligo.
Our daily life is one of the causes of thyroid problems due to toxin from food, air, stress, lack of sleep, and genetic diseases. If you feel fatigue and rapidly gain or lose weight, you should consult a doctor.
Thyroid tests
1. Blood test highlights testing of thyroid functions and its metabolism such as thyroid hormone level, pituitary functions, and thyroid antibodies level.
2. Total Bio Scan is a thorough testing of each cell function which can find abnormalities and degeneration in our body.
3. X-ray is used for finding thyroid gland abnormalities such as tumors or cancers. CT scan will be used in case patients are suspected of toxic goiter caused by abnormal hormone secretion from pituitary gland.
4. Radioactive Iodine Uptake (RAIU) test uses a radioactive to find thyroid functions, so doctors are able to know whether thyroid is overactive or not.
If there are any thyroid problems, physician will select the best treatment method depending on severity such as synthetic thyroid hormone, hormone supplements, radiation therapy, iodine intake, or radioactive iodine therapy. All treatment should be under physician’s recommendations.
The most important thing is prevention. You should take care of yourself and keep your body balancing by exercise and get enough sleep in order to repair cell functions and maintain vascular system. Food control can also reduce inflammation and maintain autoimmune system to avoid autoimmune thyroiditis.