Did you know that there is a small gland in you body called the thyroid that may be the key to your overall health. The fact is that thyroid health is critical to maintaining a state of good health which includes body weight as well.
The gland produces hormones like many of the other glands in the body. However, unlike others which influence your growth, the hormones produced in the thyroid influence your metabolism. You will likely have noticed that people with high metabolisms generally are more slender and have more energy than people with less active metabolic processes.
In its most basic sense, our metabolism is how our body gets energy and builds the cells themselves. Like everything else in the body, you want to make sure that your body has balanced the amount of different metabolic hormones. The health problems you can encounter if you do not have a healthy thyroid come from having too much or too little of these natural hormones in your body.
Thyroid disorders can be determined by simple blood tests which measure how much metabolic hormone is in your bloodstream. Unlike some disorders, it is fairly easy to determine which thyroid problem you have simply by the hormonal levels in your blood stream. Too much of this hormone simply means that you suffer from a condition known as hyperthyroidism. If you do, you will find you cannot keep weight on. You are often anxious and jittery and may have trouble sleeping. Your heart may race and this can be a huge problem if you do not get it treated.
The opposite is true if your hormone levels drop too low. Then, you are suffering from hypothyroidism and may experience symptoms such as excessive weight gain which makes losing weight with hypothyroidism almost impossible. A lack of energy and hair and skin which is overly dry and brittle can also result. Again, as with a thyroid that is too active, there can be serious health complications if you end up letting this condition go for too long.
We know blood testing can help you find out whether you suffer from either one of these conditions. However, if you do, it is already too late. You need to make sure that you are taking steps to keep your body in as good a shape as possible. By exercising and avoiding foods which contain heavy metals and contaminants, you have a better chance of keeping your thyroid healthy for as long as possible.
