"What You Need To Know About Your Thyroid" - Sheila Dougherty
Everyone is probably aware that they have a thyroid gland, and that it is related to metabolism, but many people don’t know how it functions in the body. In honor of Thyroid Awareness Month, Terry F. Davies, MD, co-director of the Mount Sinai Thyroid Center at Mount Sinai Union Square offers insight to the thyroid functions. “The thyroid gland is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located in the base of the neck, just below the Adam’s apple. Although relatively small, the thyroid gland plays a huge role in our body. The thyroid produces hormones that regulate the body’s metabolic rate (how we process food and produce energy), as well as heart and digestive function, muscle control, brain development, mood, and bone maintenance. Too much thyroid hormone results in a condition known as hyperthyroidism. Insufficient hormone production leads to hypothyroidism.” Dr. Davies added, “Your doctor can diagnose hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism by testing the levels of thyroid hormones in your blood.” Thyroid problem treatments vary and may include monitoring, medications, surgery, or radioactive iodine, and it’s generally best to see a “thyroidologist” which is an endocrinologist who specializes in thyroid disease.
— Terry F. Davies, MD, Professor, Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bones Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Co-Director, The Thyroid Center, Mount Sinai Union Square