By Channing King
Chances are, you or someone you know has issues with their thyroid gland. Some have overactive thyroid glands, while others are under-active. You may be someone who is confused about the thyroid gland and its job. Let me shed some light on this important gland.
Thyroid hormones are responsible for the regulation of metabolism in your body. Thyroid hormones run through the thyroid gland. This essential gland normally weighs less than 1 ounce and is, most times, located in the front of the neck just below your “Adam’s apple.” Many people are functioning poorly and have no idea why. The answer may be found in this gland. When there is a malfunctioning thyroid gland, other systems in the body function poorly as a direct result.
What are some of the body’s warning signs that you might have a thyroid problem? Some signals to look for are increase in weight, decrease in appetite, fatigue easily, ringing in the ears, sleepy during the day, sensitive to cold, dry or scaly skin, constipation, mental sluggishness, hair coarse or falls out easily, headaches upon arising then wearing off during the day, slow pulse, frequency of urination reduced, impaired hearing and reduced initiative. Realize that most health issues you do not feel, however, if you have several of these signals, you should seek further testing.
How can you test your thyroid gland from home? A test you can do at home is the arm pit temperature test. For this test, you will need a thermometer and a clock. Before you go to bed, shake down your thermometer, and have your clock ready. When you wake up, place the thermometer under your arm, in the pit. This is the only energy you should use, or else you will activate your thyroid gland too much, and you will not get true results.
After 10 minutes, look at the temperature and write down the reading and the date of the test. Do the test at least two times — five is preferable — then take the average of your readings. If you have a digital thermometer, place the probe under your arm for five minutes with the machine off, then turn on your machine on for an additional five minutes and take the reading.
The normal range is between 97.8 and 98.2 degrees. If your testing is outside these limits, you might have thyroid issues.