5 Important Functions of the Thyroid Gland

5 Important Functions of the Thyroid Gland

The thyroid gland is a small, butterfly-shaped organ located at the bottom part of your neck, just below the Adam’s apple. It is small in size but plays a big role in your body’s overall health.  It makes hormones that play an enormous role in maintaining your body’s overall health.

Dr. Aaron Workman, a member of one of the highest rated car accident medical care organizations in Kentucky, looks at five special jobs of the thyroid gland and why it is so important for health.

1. Regulating Metabolism:
   One of the thyroid gland’s primary functions is controlling your metabolism. This is the process of converting food to energy. This gland makes a couple of hormones that will influence how fast or slow the body burns its calories. They can affect your weight, energy levels and even your temperature. An overactive thyroid speeds everything up, and an underactive thyroid can cause fatigue and weight gain.

2. Heart Health:

Thyroid hormones help regulate your heart rate and the strength of your heart’s contractions. They also ensure that your blood vessels allow blood to circulate efficiently throughout your body. If the thyroid levels are off, it can lead to symptoms like irregular heartbeat, high cholesterol, or changes in blood pressure.

3. Brain Development and Mood:
   During infancy and childhood, the thyroid gland is essential for brain development. Proper thyroid function supports the growth of particular nervous system parts that are important for memory and learning. Even later in life the thyroid will influence the brain affecting your mood, including the feeling of depression or anxiety. Someone with an underactive thyroid may have associated fatigue and be sluggish while an overactive one can cause someone to be restless or irritable all the time.

4. Healthy Skin and Hair:
   The thyroid’s impact reaches all the way to your skin, hair, and nails. Adequate levels of thyroid hormones help maintain that fresh growth cycle of skin cells and promote healthy hair growth. When the thyroid is not functioning properly, these cycles can all be interrupted. An underactive thyroid can give you dry skin, thinning hair, and brittle nails. On the other side, an overactive thyroid may cause your hair to thin, and you may find yourself bruising easily.

5. Bone Health:
   Thyroid hormones are needed to maintain bone health. They help keep the balance of bone growth and breakdown. Too much thyroid hormone can accelerate bone loss, increasing the risk of osteoporosis over time. Ensuring your thyroid is functioning correctly helps preserve bone density and strength.

Big things can come in small packages, and this is no more evident than when looking at the size of the thyroid gland and what purposes it serves. The thyroid gland is small yet has a large impact on your body’s function. It will regulate metabolism, make your heart function and work efficiently, aid in development of the nervous system and memory, and make sure your bones are growing at an appropriate rate. If you find yourself linking some of these issues and think you may have a thyroid problem, it is important to go to a healthcare provider and see if this needs to be checked out. A healthy thyroid contributes to a healthier you.

— This article is written by Aaron Workman, DC, one of the members of Chambers Medical Group’s team of car accident chiropractors who offer a variety of treatments and therapies ranging from diagnostic testing to various soft tissue therapies for car accidents and injuries in Kentucky.

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