The thyroid is a powerful part of your body. The thyroid is a gland that regulates hormones which affects the metabolism. If it is off, even a little, it can make you feel miserable. Disease of the thyroid is actually pretty common since it becomes a problem if it is functioning too low or too high. Unless you are well versed in the implications of an off-balance thyroid, it is difficult to figure out what is wrong.

There are two different types of thyroid imbalance: hyperthyroidism, too much hormone being released; hypothyroidism, too little hormone being released. Below are some of the symptoms that an individual will have when their thyroid is functioning in either one of these categories:

• Poor concentration is a sign that you might have either hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism. If you feel that your focus is off and it is difficult to concentrate or have that “foggy” feeling, this might be the culprit.

• Bloating can be caused by many things, even the meal you had the night before. If you notice that you are constantly bloated, you might want to investigate more on this topic.

• Does your heartbeat race? Again, this is a symptom of many conditions, so narrowing it down to this glad can be difficult.

• Constant tremors or nervousness is a strong sign. Check with your doctor since this can indicate one of many diseases.

• Do you feel cold more than most people? Are you always the one grabbing for a jacket or sweater when other people do not need one? This is another sign.

• Weight gain that is enough to notice without any other changes in your life, i.e. exercise, diet, can indicate that this hormone gland is functioning lower than what is “normal”.

• If you get very uncomfortable in hot weather, more than others, then the gland might be functioning at a level that is too high.

• Women with this condition tend to have changes in their menstrual cycle. If you notice that you are bleeding more than usual or less than you normally do, it could be a sign of a hyper or hypo thyroid.

As you can see by reading the list above, the symptoms of a thyroid problem can be mistaken for other conditions. Communicate with your doctor about your symptoms and, if you suspect that your thyroid gland is not functioning normally, ask him/her to run a test to either rule in or rule out the condition.

You can search for an endocrinologist, a thyroid doctor, at IPALC.org for locations in Lee county of southwest Florida.