Medical Questions » Glands Questions » Question No. 418
| Question: | What does the thyroid giand in your neck do? |
| Answer: | The thyroid gland is situated in the front of the neck. It is shaped rather like a figure 8 lying on its side, and the two lobes of the gland lie on either side of the trachea (windpipe) about halfway between the Adams apple and the top of the breast bone. There are a number of hormones produced by this gland, but they all perform a similar task, and the most common one is called thyroxine.
The task of this hormone is quite complex, but in simple terms it controls rhe metabolic rate of the body. This is the rate at which all the major organs of rhe body operate. If there is too much thyroxine the heart beats faster, you sweat more, your gut moves food along more quickly, you may feel nervous and because you burn up more energy you lose weight.
The reverse occurs if thyroxine is lacking from your system. Everything slows down and you become tired, cold and constipated. As a result, it is essential for thyroxine to be present in exactly the right concentration for you to feel in good health and perfotm at peak efficiency.
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