In recent years, the incidence of thyroid diseases and even thyroid tumors has been soaring just like the recent stock market, and the number of people suffering from the disease has exceeded the predictions of many doctors and health experts. In the recently released 2014 cancer incidence rate for men in Hangzhou, thyroid cancer has gone from obscurity to the fourth place, while the incidence rate for women has directly surpassed breast cancer, lung cancer and other major cancers, ranking first in cancer incidence. I don’t know if it is my professional habit, or indeed, recently you can often hear people talking about thyroid health in various public places, making this small organ a social issue, and along with iodized salt and seafood, it has also become a dietary hot spot of concern. Today we will talk about what the thyroid gland is and why there are so many people suffering from thyroid disorders. Some of the answers you may not be able to find even after thinking about it for a long time. What is the thyroid gland? The thyroid gland is an important endocrine gland (endocrine gland means that the gland secretes hormones directly into the bloodstream to regulate the functions of the body’s organs) and is located in the middle of the front of the neck. It is named “thyroid” because it resembles two “gauntlets” that protect the vital part of the body, the trachea. The thyroid gland also resembles a butterfly, with two lobes, the left and right, connected by an isthmus. The name of a group of thyroid patients is “Beautiful Butterfly Flying Away”, which is a very good image. The normal thyroid gland is soft, like a soft rubber, surrounded by two layers of envelope and fixed on the trachea and the cricoid cartilage, and feels flexible to the touch. If the thyroid gland is diseased, the texture will change, and it will generally become hard and lose its elasticity. When a normal person swallows, the thyroid gland moves up and down with him or her. If the thyroid gland is diseased, it may become less mobile. Especially if it is cancerous, it is hard to move. The thyroid gland is an organ rich in blood flow. The blood flow around the thyroid gland is very rich in blood vessels and nerves, and the blood flow in the entire gland is extremely high, with 5-7 ml of blood flow per minute per gram of thyroid tissue in normal people. One can imagine how much stress such blood flow can put on the thyroid cells if the body is under such a constant state of stress. In addition, if the heart is not bleeding enough, or if the neck pathways are poor, the level of blood supply to the thyroid will likewise be affected, which is why there are many patients with thyroid nodules who have weak heart function. The main sources of blood supply to the thyroid gland are the superior thyroid artery and the inferior thyroid artery, most of which originate from the external carotid artery, but also from the bifurcation of the common carotid artery. The inferior thyroid artery arises from the thyrocervical trunk of the subclavian artery. The superior and middle thyroid veins run laterally up the thyroid artery and merge into the internal jugular vein, while the inferior thyroid vein generally injects into the innominate vein. Its arteries also coincide with the vessels of the larynx, trachea and esophagus. It is the close relationship of the thyroid blood supply and venous return to the major blood vessels of the neck that makes other diseases of the neck (pharyngitis, cervical spondylosis, carotid stenosis) a frequent cause of thyroid disease. The lymphatic vessels surrounding the thyroid gland are also extremely rich, and lymphatic fluid drains to the trachea, mediastinum, and anterior cervical lymph nodes of the larynx via the lymphatic plexus surrounding the follicles. Because of the intricate lymphatic channels in the neck, lymph node metastases are often found at the same time as thyroid cancer is detected clinically. What does the thyroid gland do? The main function of the thyroid gland is to synthesize thyroid hormones and regulate the body’s metabolism. In general, there are about 100-200 micrograms of inorganic iodine compounds in food every day, which are absorbed into the blood circulation through the gastrointestinal tract and rapidly concentrated for the thyroid gland to take up. After entering the cells, iodide, through the action of oxidase, produces active iodine, which rapidly combines with the tyrosine group on the thyroglobulin molecule in the glial cavity to form monoiodotyrosine (MIT) and diiodotyrosine (DIT), and iodinated tyrosine, through the action of oxidase, couples MIT and DIT to form thyroxine (T4), and MID and DIT to form triiodothyronine ( The synthesized thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) are secreted into the circulation and bound to plasma thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG) to facilitate transport and regulation of thyroxine concentrations in the blood. Thyroxine is deiodinated in peripheral tissues to form biologically active T3 and biologically inactive anti-T3, respectively, and the deiodinated iodine can be reused. When the thyroid gland is hyperactive, blood T3, T4 and anti-T3 are increased, while in hypothyroidism, all three are below normal. Thyroxine secretion is regulated by TSH, which is secreted by pituitary cells. TSH, in turn, is controlled by TRH secreted by the hypothalamus, thus forming the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis that regulates thyroid function. When too much thyroid hormone is secreted, thyroid hormone will in turn stimulate the hypothalamus and pituitary gland to suppress TRH secreted by the hypothalamus and TSH secreted by the pituitary gland, thus achieving the effect of reducing thyroid hormone secretion, which is also called feedback regulation. From the above description, we can see that if there is a problem with the thyroid gland, the cause may be the thyroid gland itself, or it may be the pituitary gland or hypothalamus, which is the commander-in-chief of the whole body’s endocrine system, and their healthy operation is closely related to circadian rhythm and mood. If you sleep late or stay up late, or if you are in a negative balance, it will easily lead to dysfunction of the pituitary hypothalamus system, which will not only damage the thyroid axis, but also involve the gonadal axis (estrogen/progesterone levels, gynecological disorders, breast diseases) and the adrenal axis (patients with thyroid disease often have typical adrenal fatigue, manifesting as chronic weakness and drowsiness or even adrenal tumors). Eventually, the pituitary gland becomes overloaded and swells, producing pituitary tumors, etc. What are the effects of thyroid hormones? The basic functions of thyroid hormone are two: one is to promote growth and development. Thyroid hormone can promote fetal development and newborn growth and bone maturation. Thyroid hormones also have an important effect on intelligence in children and on memory, thinking skills and reactions in adults. Many thyroidectomized patients who are not supplemented with adequate amounts of thyroid hormones will experience slower reflexes and memory loss, some patients may even experience deterioration in language and comprehension, and some older adults may even develop dementia back. The second basic function of thyroid hormone is to promote material metabolism, which is important for maintaining normal material and energy metabolism in the body, including the breakdown and utilization of sugar, protein, fat, water, salt and vitamins and electrolytes. Thyroid hormones promote thermogenesis, facilitate oxygen consumption and increase the basal metabolic rate. Therefore, patients with hyperthyroidism tend to be thin, and also have manifestations such as fear of heat, excessive sweating, and hyperphagia. Hypothyroid patients, on the other hand, show signs of chilliness, less sweating, and weight gain. Because thyroid hormones are closely related to our metabolism and the metabolism of nutrients, diet is another major reason for the high incidence of thyroid disorders. Improper diet structure, inappropriate meal ratios, poor dieting methods, biased nutritional intake, chronic food allergies, etc. can all affect the healthy functioning of the thyroid gland in some cases (not only related to the amount of iodine consumed), coupled with the severely reduced detoxification and antioxidant capacity of the modern human body, allowing many external stimuli to damage our body’s The “golden nail”, especially the various types of thyroid inflammation, is closely related to this. In summary, although the thyroid gland is shaped like a shield that protects us from harm, it is actually a very vulnerable organ in its own right. Our golden nail is so vulnerable to stress, poor diet, diurnal disruption, nutritional bias, environmental toxins, hormonal imbalance and many other factors. Hyperfunction, inflammation, nodules, cancer and other diseases come one after another, if we don’t treat this “beautiful butterfly” well, it can easily disappear!