Everybody has a thyroid, but there are so many ways that it can impact your health and not as much awareness surrounding it. If hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism are foreign terms to you, don’t worry as you are not alone. This blog aims to shine a light on all things thyroid and leave you feeling educated and informed when it comes to your thyroid.
What is a thyroid?
The thyroid is a gland located in our neck, towards the base of the throat. Its job is to make hormones that help control the body’s metabolic processes, some of these include body temperature, weight, heart rate and blood pressure (Health Direct, 2023).
What does it affect?
When the thyroid isn’t working properly it can cause serious health problems due to its involvement in so many of the body’s processes. The main conditions associated with the thyroid are hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. Thyroid disorders can be caused by a number of factors including autoimmune diseases where the immune system attacks the thyroid, cancer, inflammation, different medical treatments and medicines, iodine deficiency and pregnancy.
Difference between hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism is where the thyroid doesn’t make enough thyroid hormones due to being underactive, whereas hyperthyroidism is where the thyroid is overactive resulting in production of too much thyroid hormones. Some symptoms of hypothyroidism include constantly feeling cold, weight gain, fatigue, depression, constipation, concentration issues and dry skin. Hyperthyroid symptoms may include unexplained weight loss, feeling anxious and nervous, heart palpitations and being unable to handle hot temperatures (Office on Women’s Health, 2021).
Ways to support your thyroid
Once diagnosed with a thyroid disorder it’s important to follow instructions and medications given to you by your gp or health practitioner. However there are alot of preventative ways that we can support our thyroid health, some of these include:
- Maintaining a healthy body weight.
- Eating nutritious foods including vegetables, fruit, nuts, wholegrains, protein sources and healthy oils.
- Reduce sugar and processed foods intake.
- Exercise regularly during the week.
- Try to reduce and avoid stress.
- Take ginseng daily, this superfood has shown to benefit the whole endocrine system, including the thyroid gland (Xiao et al., 2017).
Your thyroid will thank you
As you can probably tell by now, our thyroid is a pretty big deal when it comes to health and wellness. Prevention is the best key to keeping healthy and avoiding the onset of health conditions, so keep looking after your thyroid and let your health flourish!
References
Health Direct (2023). Thyroid Problems, accessed on 16/09/2023, <https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/thyroid-problems#:~:text=The%20thyroid%20is%20a%20gland%20in%20your%20neck%2C%20near%20the,body%20temperature>
Office on Women’s Health (2021). Thyroid Disease, accessed on 16/09/2023, <https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/thyroid-disease>
Xiao, H., Tan, C., Yang, G., & Dou, D. (2017). The effect of red ginseng and ginseng leaves on the substance and energy metabolism in hypothyroidism rats. Journal of ginseng research, 41(4), 556–565. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jgr.2016.11.005
