The thyroid is a little butterfly-shaped gland that can be found on the throat, between the windpipe and the esophagus.
Although minuscule compared to other organs, it plays a huge role in some of the most important functions of the human body.
A person's overall physical fitness and emotional well-being can be attributed to how healthy that person's thyroid is.
From the glow of the skin and hair, immunity against diseases, to one's mood swings, all these are due to the primary purpose of this gland.
The main function of this gland is the production of hormones which controls metabolism, the conversion of food to energy through chemical reaction.
Often enough, a person with hormonal imbalance shows symptoms such as listlessness, exhaustion, depression, weight gain or loss, a sure sign of dysfunction of this gland.
There are several types of thyroid gland diseases.
One is goiter, the enlargement of the gland where the swelling can be prominent and seen on the neck.
Another is an overactive gland that produces too much hormones and is called hyperthyroidism.
On the other hand, an under-active thyroid that makes too little nodules is called hypothyroidism.
The early signs of having low hormone production in adults include fatigue, inability to adapt to cold weather, irregular bowel movement or constipation, and feelings of numbness or pain on the wrists and hands.
A more developed hypothyroidism is unhealthy skin, hair fall, slow mental function, lowering or huskiness of the voice, swelling around the eyes, depression, irregularity of menstrual cycle in women, appetite loss and weight gain.
While thyroid weight loss is related to an over-active production of hormones, hypothyroidism and weight loss, it could be said, are at opposite ends of the spectrum.
The fact is, losing weight while hypothyroid is almost next to impossible, even if the person is already on hormonal treatments.
The difficulty lies in three things at work in the human body for the hypothyroid sufferer.
These are metabolic resistance, ill health and stress, and resistance to insulin.
Metabolic resistance occurs when the body, after years of having the same weight, has created a set-point.
This means that no matter how much fewer calorie intake and exercise a person undergoes, the body will adjust its metabolic rate to maintain that weight set-point.
Second is ill health and stress that affects brain chemistry changes.
The brain is programmed to react and trigger enzymes that will help the body survive.
So when hunger pangs and sometimes energy loss are felt, people feel the urge to eat carbohydrates.
When a person feels full, the brain transmits the idea that enough carbohydrates have been ingested.
Unfortunately, people with hypothyroidism have a very slow metabolism.
The appetite levels, to which the brain is used to transmit, will only trigger the feeling of fullness after having too much food.
In the same way, stress from illness will also have the similar effect by interfering with the brain's neural transmitting work.
Hypothyroidism and weight loss is still possible though.
There are new studies that deal with treating the brain chemistry as well for this disease.
Non-traditional or alternative medicine combined with exercise can successfully battle this illness.