Goiters

So I decided to go easy on you guys and talk about goiters. Goiters affect your thyroid gland.

A gland is an organ or cell grouping that produced hormones for your body to use.

Here is your thyroid:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thyroid

Your thyroid is a gland that secretes hormones that regulate your metabolism and help you grow.

A goiter is a result of your thyroid swelling. Goiters can range from almost unnoticeable to absolutely gargantuan.

Here is a Goiter (of the giant variety):

 

Let’s compare (Goiter vs. normal thyroid gland):

Goiters not only come in a variety of shapes they are different types of goiters also:

Endemic: Caused by iodine deficiency, if it weren’t for iodized salt a lot of us would be iodine deficient.The reason this type of goiter occurs is because iodine is an important element for the thyroid to function so the thyroid grow bigger to “make up” for the lack of iodine.

Toxic: As the name may imply this isn’t the best type of goiter to have, it when your thyroid overproduces hormones, this causes your thyroid to swell.

Sporadic: Can be genetic other than that the cause is not fully understood, is similar in appearance to an endemic goiter.

So all and all these cause the same symptom, witch is a giant (or not giant, but only if you’re a lucky duck!) swelling around the midsection of your neck.

So that’s about all I’ll say about goiters. However, always remember to treat your thyroid well and never stop buying iodized salt!