The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland that sits low on the front of the neck. Your thyroid lies below your Adam's apple, along the front of the windpipe. The thyroid has two side lobes, connected by a bridge (isthmus) in the middle. The thyroid gland is a small organ that’s located in the front of the neck, wrapped around the windpipe (trachea). It’s shaped like a butterfly, smaller in the middle with two wide wings that extend around the side of your throat. The thyroid is a gland. You have glands throughout your body, where they create and release substances that help your body do a specific thing. Your thyroid makes hormones that help control many vital functions of your body. When your thyroid doesn’t work properly, it can impact your entire body. If your body makes too much thyroid hormone, you can develop a condition called hyperthyroidism. If your body makes too little thyroid hormone, it’s called hypothyroidism. Both conditions are serious and need to be treated by your healthcare provider.

What Causes Thyroid Problems?

• Graves' disease

The production of too much thyroid hormone.

• Toxic adenomas

Nodules develop in the thyroid gland and begin to secrete thyroid hormones, upsetting the body's chemical balance; some goiters may contain several of these nodules.

• Subacute thyroiditis

Inflammation of the thyroid that causes the gland to "leak" excess hormones, resulting in temporary hyperthyroidism that generally lasts a few weeks but may persist for months.

• Hashimoto’s thyroiditis

A painless disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is an autoimmune condition where the body’s cells attack and damage the thyroid. This is an inherited condition.

• Postpartum thyroiditis

This condition occurs in 5% to 9% of women after childbirth. It’s usually a temporary condition.

• Iodine deficiency

Iodine is used by the thyroid to produce hormones. An iodine deficiency is an issue that affects several million people around the world.

Tips for a healthy thyroid

• Try to limit “ultra-processed” foods

Researchers have linked a diet high in ultra-processed foods with increased risks for subclinical hyperthyroidism — a degree of hyperthyroidism that may not yet be severe enough to cause definite symptoms.

• Get enough iron in your diet

Your body requires iron to make thyroid hormone. If you are iron-deficient, you could be at greater risk for hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism treatment medications may also not work as well if you are low in iron.

• Consider a selenium supplement

Selenium is a trace mineral your body requires to activate thyroid hormone. StudiesTrusted Source have linked low selenium levels with increased risks for chronic autoimmune thyroiditis, Graves’ disease, and goiter.

Thyroid Disease Symptoms

• Fatigue

• Weight gain

• Inability to lose weight with diet and exercise

• Constipation

• Infertility

• Experiencing an intolerance to cold temperatures.

• Hair loss

• Brain fog

• Muscle and joint pains/aches

• Experiencing anxiety, irritability and nervousness

• Experiencing irregular menstrual periods or having your menstrual cycle stop.

• Having vision problems or eye irritation.

• Feeling sensitive to heat.

Who is affected by thyroid disease?

• Thyroid disease can affect anyone — men, women, infants, teenagers and the elderly. It can be present at birth (typically hypothyroidism) and it can develop as you age (often after menopause in women).

• Thyroid disease is very common, with an estimated 20 million people in the Unites States having some type of thyroid disorder. A woman is about five to eight times more likely to be diagnosed with a thyroid condition than a man.

• Higher risk if have a family history of thyroid disease.

• Higher risk if have a medical condition (these can include pernicious anemia, Type 1 diabetes, primary adrenal insufficiency, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren’s syndrome and Turner syndrome)

• Higher risk if take a medication that’s high in iodine (amiodarone).

• Higher risk if you are older than 60, especially in women.

• If you have had treatment for a past thyroid condition or cancer (thyroidectomy or radiation).