The thyroid gland is located at the base of the neck just below the Adam’s apple.The thyroid produces two main hormones called T3 and T4 which are transported in the blood to all parts of the body. These hormones control the rate of many activities in your body including how fast calories are burned and how fast or slow a person’s heart rate is. Combined, these activities are often referred to as the metabolism.
When thyroid disease occurs and the thyroid gland is compromised it may produce too few hormones and this can result in the metabolism slowing down.
This condition is often referred to as an underactive thyroid function or hypothyroidism.When it functions as it should, the thyroid will produce T3 and T4 at a 20% – 80% ratio.
An under-production of these hormones will slow down the body’s metabolism, causing hypothyroidism. Common symptoms of this condition are.
- weight-gain despite eating sensibly
- feeling cold even in warm weather
- fatigue
- depression
- hair loss
- dry, flaky skin, especially on the face
- unexplained joint pain
- In addition to these symptoms, people with hypothyroidism may have high blood levels of LDL cholesterol, the so-called “bad” cholesterol.
