What Is It

The Thyroid Gland and Hypothyroidism

The thyroid gland is amazing. It affects every cell in our bodies. The thyroid hormones created by the thyroid travel through the bloodstream and help cells convert oxygen and calories into energy. This process of converting oxygen and calories into energy is called metabolism. So, the thyroid hormone's control metabolism. When everything is working normally the hypothalamus monitors the body's functions and, if adjustments are needed, releases TRH. TRH is sent to the pituitary gland. The pituitary produces TSH. It also monitors the body and can release TSH on its own in response to levels of thyroid hormone. The thyroid gland releases the two thyroid hormones, T4 and T3, in response to TSH. The same system also reduces production of TRH, TSH, and the thyroid hormones when conditions dictate.

Hypothyroidism is the condition where the body does not produce enough thyroid hormones. Essentially, everything slows down including heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, the rate at which calories are burnt, and more (see list of symptoms below). There are a number of causes of hypothyroidism (see Web sites cited below).

Signs and Symptoms of Hypothyroidism

The following list of symptoms is from the Web site WWW.glandcentral.com, a Web site devoted to educating people about thyroid disease.

	Fatigue
	Weight gain
	Dry skin
	Cold intolerance
	Yellowish skin
	Coarseness or loss of hair
	Hoarseness
	Goiter (this is an enlarged thyroid, added by Marie)
	Slow reflexes
	Lack of coordination
	Constipation
	Difficulty remembering and thinking clearly
	Trouble concentrating
	Depression
	Irregular or heavy menstrual periods
	Decreased fertility
	Muscle pain
	High cholesterol
	Slowed heart rate
	Myxedema (fluid build-up in tissues)

I have also read elsewhere that muscle weakness is a symptom of hypothyroidism.

Web Sites and Books

There are a number of Web sites about thyroid disease and hypothyroidism. I have selected two here as a starting point. Many more can be identified using search engines or following links from the sites.

WWW.glandcentral.com-- This site provides good basic information.

thyroid.about.com/health/thyroid/mbody.htm-- This side has a lot of informative information about the thyroid and hypothyroidism. It is one of the few patient centered sites available and has more information than most sites. It also has a great list of doctors.

I also purchased the book "Living Well with Hypothyroidism: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You... That You Need to Know." It is written by the woman who hosts the second Web site listed above. It contains a lot of useful information. It has more detail in most other books. I found that most other books focused on the basics and provided little more information than the pamphlet my doctor gave me. And they did not address the TRH test at all.

Contact Marie at: [email protected]

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