What is The Thyroid & Where Is It?

If you suffer from fatigue, chronic pain, or any other ongoing health problem, simply responding to your symptoms is not enough to make you healthy again. Only by identifying and treating the underlying problem can you truly improve your health and wellbeing.

If you have been coping with symptoms that diminish your quality of life and interrupt your daily routine, your thyroid could be the culprit. Millions of Americans have thyroid conditions that force their bodies out of balance and wreak havoc until reversed. Here’s what you need to know to determine if your thyroid is working against you.

What is the Thyroid and its Disease?

You can find your thyroid at the base of your neck. It’s a small, butterfly-shaped gland that is supposed to make a very important hormone that controls how fast your body burns calories, how fast your heart beats, and more. A disease of the thyroid can range in extent and severity, but most people suffer specifically from thyroid imbalances that cause the thyroid to produce either too much or too little of its hormone. Since the thyroid hormone plays such a critical role in a number of vital body functions, an imbalance can severely impact health and wellness.

Types of Thyroid Disease

Hyperthyroidism

Of the 25 million Americans with a thyroid problem, about 90 percent of them suffer from hypothyroidism, which is defined as underactive thyroid hormone production. Without enough thyroid hormone, the body’s metabolism and other important functions begin to slow. The other 10 percent of Americans have the much less common condition of hyperthyroidism when the body produces far too much of the thyroid hormone and speeds up the body’s functions too much.

Signs of Thyroid Disease You Shouldn’t Ignore – Hyperthyroidism

Signs of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism can be subtle or obvious, but it’s not always easy to correlate the symptoms with a thyroid problem itself. Many people assume they’re just suffering from stress and age. If you recognize any of these symptoms, speak with your doctor to determine if it could be a thyroid problem:

• Weight gain and inability to lose weight
• Chronic fatigue, even after a full night’s sleep
• Depression
• Muscle pain
• Poor concentration

You need a doctor of functional medicine to evaluate all aspects of your physical health and lifestyle to determine if you have a thyroid problem and how it can best be treated. Call (941) 217-2777 to make an appointment at Reveal Vitality in Bradenton, Florida now to radically improve your health and restore proper body function.