WiRED Launches Thyroid Diseases Module
Thyroid Health Affects Body Health
By: Allison Kozicharow; Edited by Jessie Crowdy
What gland in your body regulates breathing, heart rate, the central and peripheral nervous systems, body weight, menstrual cycles and body temperature? Oh, and this gland weighs less than one ounce. It’s the thyroid gland, a butterfly-shaped endocrine gland that makes thyroid hormones.
WiRED International now offers a Thyroid Diseases Module for general audiences to join our 450+ collection of free health education training modules. The module describes the thyroid gland, its purpose and functions, how thyroid hormones control the body’s metabolism and the thyroid diseases that can cause changes in weight, energy, digestion and mood. Thyroid diseases occur when the body’s thyroid gland produces too much or too little of thyroid hormones and results in metabolism problems.
Common thyroid diseases include:
- Hyperthyroidism — when the thyroid gland makes more thyroid hormones than the body needs
- Hypothyroidism — when the thyroid gland does not make enough thyroid hormones
- Goiter — enlargement of the thyroid gland
- Thyroiditis — inflammation and swelling of the thyroid
- Thyroid nodules — lumps in the thyroid gland
- Thyroid cancer — when cancer cells form in the tissues of the thyroid gland
WiRED created the Thyroid Diseases Module in response to a request from our partners in Armenia because of an alarmingly high incidence of thyroid issues in that region of the world. Accordingly, we are in the process of translating the module into Armenian as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, the module is relevant globally as thyroid disorders increase in countries where health care is scarce and testing is rare.