Thyroid disorders are very common among women, as they undergo many hormonal changes during puberty, pregnancy and menopause. Physicians stress everybody to undergo investigation for thyroid profile for many illnesses, because thyroid disorder is considered as “The King Maker of the other diseases.” Our physical and mental make up would change if the secretions are low or high. Sometimes the thyroid enlarges uniformly or diffusely with or without nodules. Normally the thyroid swells up in deficiency of dietary iodine as everybody knows it as Goiter, but there is some category of lumps, which threatens the possibility of cancer.

The function of the thyroid gland is to take iodine found from food and convert into thyroid hormones. Every cell in the body depends upon thyroid hormones for regulation of their metabolism, which affect heartbeat, cholesterol level, body weight, energy level, muscle strength, skin condition, vision, menstrual regularity, mental state and a host of other conditions of the individual.

The most common thyroid disorder is under active thyroid called as Hypothyroidism. This results when the thyroid fails to produce adequate hormones. Less frequently, an overactive thyroid condition called hyperthyroidism occurs when the thyroid produces more thyroid hormone than needed. Hyperthyroidism patients suffer enlargement. Thyroid swells up mostly with Hyperthyroidism.

The thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland, which wraps around the front part of the windpipe just below the Adam's Apple. It produces two hormones T3 and T4 to regulate every organ, every tissue and every cell in the body. The body's master gland, called the pituitary, monitors the levels of thyroid hormones in blood and regulates the thyroid gland by making a Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone. The abbreviated term TSH is highly important investigation of a thyroid disorder. When there is less secretion the hormone level boosts up and in higher levels declines. The feedback for secretion is received from hypothalamus. This center collects signals from the cells and sends to our pituitary.

How to find?

Diagnosis of a thyroid dysfunction is very important to prevent all allied diseases. Therefore clear understanding of functioning is essential. TSH is a thyroid-stimulating hormone, produced by the pituitary gland. TSH stimulates the thyroid gland to produce T3 and T4, which regulate our cellular activities. When your thyroid itself malfunctions, your T4 levels falls down and your pituitary secretes more TSH, as it tries to stimulate your thyroid to secrete more T4. On the other hand the pituitary gland could be the cause so that your thyroid also fails. Simply studying blood sample for thyroid profile enables everybody to locate the place of disorder.

Swellings of thyroid gland require further study to evaluate an ordinary “Goiter” to serious “cancer.” Look and palpate for any growths or nodules on it. Sip little water and examine while swallowing it that any mass moves in front. If you are not convinced consult your physician. Thyroid scan gives valuable information about a thyroid nodule or tumor whether it is malignant or not, as well as whether it is under active or overactive. Biopsy shall be performed after needle aspiration technique in suspected cases.

Diet and regimen

Iodine is the essential ingredient in thyroid hormone synthesis; besides our iodized salt it can be found in sea foods, bread and milk. This is not the case in all countries. In many affluent regions like Kerala Goiter with hypothyroidism is common due to less intake of iodine. Also we should be aware that some foods like cabbage, soybeans and turnips are likely to enlarge thyroid by their goitrogenic effect.
Many hypothyroid patients struggle with an inability to lose weight, even though they undertake dieting. Many patients are very keen in thyroid hormone replacement pills, low calorie, low fat diet and exercise, but the weight doesn’t decrease. The basic metabolic activity at cellular level does not co-operate with your measures unless you correct the basic cause.

How to treat?

    If we probe deep into the causation of thyroid problems, It malfunctions either it is diseased or an autoimmune condition. This functional disturbance is acquired as a local disease and genetically muted in proliferation in most cases. A family history of thyroid disease often seeks attention for regular screening. Even though lifestyle cannot minimize the risk, little knowledge about the signs and symptoms of thyroid disorder is essential for proper treatment.

    “Replacement Therapy” for under active thyroid, “Anti thyroid Therapy” for overactive gland and surgical removal of a part or total when it arouses suspicion of malignancy are the present trend of tackling the thyroid problems. It is labeled as incurable because the approach is “Cut it when grows up” Pour it when dries up “ and “Counter it when peaks up” The approach to the disease is superficial as it reaches only to cell pathology, So the material doses and surgical measures would help only to acute crisis

For curative Homoeopathy is the best choice for under active, hyperactive and proliferate pathology. Even though the problems look superficially confined to particular organ alone, it could change the physical and mental make up of a person. Homoeopathy approaches a patient as a whole entity, which gives much importance to the study of body and mind with the particular symptom of a patient. Generally we study at diseased level, but we extent our study more to analyses the individuality. This supremacy had overcome many incurable conditions of thyroid. Clinically Homoeopathy had broken the term “Life long medication “in many cases not only in hypothyroidism but also their allied illness like polycystic ovarian disease, obesity, female pattern baldness and infertility. Periodical blood screening and signs and symptoms had confirmed the normal functioning of the thyroid gland. It could be a surprise to universe to hear some nodular swellings with toxic symptoms and exophthalmia had disappeared without surgical intervention