According to doctors at the University of Maryland Medical Center, the calcitonin hormone works together with the parathyroid hormone to regulate calcium levels in the body (University of Maryland, 2013). Levels of hormones released by the thyroid are controlled by two different glands in the brain; the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland. The hypothalamus releases the "Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone" (TRH). The release of TRH tells the pituitary gland to release the "Thyroid Stimulating Hormone" (TSH). TSH, circulates in the blood, and tells the thyroid to produce thyroid hormones and release them into the bloodstream (Thompson, 2012) (see figure 2.0). Both of these glands play an important role in the management of the TSH hormone.
(Figure 2.0).
Types of Thyroid Disease.
There are six main types of thyroid diseases: hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, thyroiditis, autoimmune thyroid disease, Goiter or thyroid nodules, and thyroid cancer.
Hypothyroidism.
When the thyroid gland is "deficient" or under-active, malformed at birth, or becomes unable to produce enough thyroid hormone, a person is considered to have hypothyroidism. One of the most common causes of hypothyroidism is autoimmune disease called Hashimoto. Hashimoto's disease is when antibodies gradually target the thyroid and destroy its ability to produce thyroid hormones (Mueller, 2003; University of Maryland, 2013). Symptoms of hypothyroidism tend to develop slowly, often over several years. At first, you may just feel tired and sluggish. Later, you may develop other symptoms of a slowed down metabolism, including: weight gain, increased sensitivity to cold, constipation, muscle weakness, joint or muscle pain, depression, fatigue, pale dry skin (Seear, 1996) (see Figure 2.1). .
There are two types of hypothyroidism: congenital and acquired. According to BC Children's Hospital, about 1 in 4,000 newborns have congenital hypothyroidism.
