The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland that sits at the base of your neck and releases the hormones that have a hand in regulating metabolism, heartbeat, growth, internal temperature, and much more. So as you can imagine, when your thyroid is out of whack, a lot of problems can occur in your body.
There are two main types of thyroid disease, hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. The first, hypothyroidism, occurs when the thyroid does not make enough hormone. This can be happen when the thyroid itself malfunctions, which is called primary hypothyroidism. The disorder can also occur when the pituitary gland in your brain fails to send important messages to the thyroid that are necessary to trigger the release of thyroid hormone. That’s called secondary hypothyroidism. In both cases, the symptoms include weight gain, fatigue, depression, and sensitivity to cold.
On the other hand, when the thyroid releases too much hormone, it’s called hyperthyroidism. The symptoms are largely opposite from what happens when you don’t have enough thyroid hormone. You may experience weight loss, nervousness, irritability, sensitivity to heat, and irregular heartbeat.
Thyroid disease is largely controlled by genetics, but stress, environmental toxins, and diet play a part. We are going to let you know what foods are known to exacerbate thyroid disease because that’s one element that is within your control. You may be surprised by some of these, especially #4 because we tend to think of it as the ultimate health food.
