Too little or too much hormone
When the thyroid gland is functioning properly it will regulate the hormones that ensure a balanced rate of metabolism. Your pituitary gland secretes TSH, which stimulates the thyroid to produce T3, T4, and calcitonin, within your bloodstream.
In a healthy individual the pituitary gland is a finely tuned system, which will simply adjust the level of TSH, if more or less of the thyroid hormones are required.
If the body is producing too much or too little thyroid hormone, it means that you have a thyroid disease. Hyperthyroidism means you are making too much of this metabolic hormone, hypothyroidism is just the opposite, meaning your body isn’t making adequate amounts.
People with a thyroid imbalance often complain of so many problems related to their health that they often feel like hypochondriacs!
The reason for this is that the thyroid is involved with every function in the body and if it’s out of balance it leads to a multitude of symptoms ranging from energy problems, weight issues, insomnia, joint aches and pains, memory loss, anxiety to name just a few.
The 7 most common types of thyroid disease
Hypothyroidism: the thyroid is considered to be under-active
Hyperthyroidism: the thyroid is considered to be over-active
Graves Disease: an autoimmune disease causing over-active thyroid function (one of the causes of Hyperthyroidism)
Hashimoto’s Disease: an autoimmune disease causing under-active thyroid function (one of the causes of Hypothyroidism)
Thyroid cancer: cancer of the thyroid
Thyroid nodules: lumps that form on the thyroid
Thyroiditis: inflamed thyroid (can be seen as a goitre or as swelling of the thyroid in the throat)
Other types of thyroid conditions include gestational and even post-operative conditions.