What Is Thyroid Hormone And How Does It Affect The Human Body
The thyroid gland is right below in the Adam’s apple or thyroid cartilage below the neck. The thyroid gland produces thyroid hormones, which regulate the metabolism of the body. This hormone is important for the regulation of the energy of the body, the use of other vitamins and hormones and for the maturation of the tissues of the body.
The two thyroid hormones produced by our body directly in the blood stream are, T3 (triiodothyronine) and T4 (thyroxine). T3 is responsible for speeding up the metabolism of the body and is mostly converted from T4 in the blood. The regulation of T3 and T4 is further monitored by thyroid stimulation hormone or TSH. TSH is produced by the pituitary gland.
Abnormal functioning of the thyroid gland results in two major problems:
- Hyperthyroidism (Overactive thyroid gland)
- Hypothyroidism (Underactive thyroid gland)
Hyperthyroidism: The thyroid gland produces high level of hormones than the normal. The metabolism of the human body is severely affected by it as the food is digested and assimilated very fast. It is very important to treat this, before it proves to be fatal for human body.
Symptoms of Hyperthyroidism
- Insomnia
- Manic-depression behavior as the energy is much more in comparison to the physical limits.
- Budging eyes
- sweating
- weight loss
- muscle tremors
- Irritability
- Accelerated heart rate (Some may even experience 300 heart beats per minute which in worst cases can lead to heart failure.)
- Fatigue (As fats and proteins catabolism is accelerated which often results in the production of ketonos.)
Natural herbs for treating hyperthyroidism
- Lycopus Europea or bugleweed is well known for treating hyperthyroidism. It reduces the lvel of thyroid hormones by increasing the TSH levels. TSH stimulates thyroid gland for the production of thyroid hormones.
- L-Carnitine, is a popular amino acid which helps in minimizing the effects of hyperthyroidism by blocking the excess hormones in the nucleus and neurons of the liver cells.
Hypothyroidism: Here the thyroid gland does not produce enough number of thyroid hormones needed for the normal functioning of the human body. This leads to the slowing down of the metabolism of the body and in turn other important functions.
Symptoms of Hypothyroidism:
- Depression
- Painful muscles and joints
- Brain fog or short-tem memory loss
- Fatigue
- Anxiety and panic attacks
- Constipation
- Irritability
- Acidic digestion
Natural herbs for treating hypothyroidism
- Iodine: Increase the intake of iodine in the diet or take the iodine supplements. Increase the intake of food items like egg, yogurt, fish, meat, potatoes and oatmeal.
- Selenium: Selenium is important for converting T4 into T3. Increase the intake of selenium.