An important gland located in your neck just below the Adam's apple, the thyroid produces a hormone affecting many bodily functions, including heart rate, respiration, the central nervous system, and the reproductive system. So if the thyroid isn't functioning normally, a lot can go wrong. Women are at much higher risk than men for thyroid disorders. Hypothyroidism is more common than hyperthyroidism, especially among older women. More than half of all cases have not been diagnosed.
Hypothyroidism is treated with oral doses of synthetic or natural hormone.
Unlike most other chronic diseases, thyroid problems are not caused by diet, lack of exercise, smoking, or other factors you can change. Thyroid disease caused by iodine deficiency, which was common a century ago, is no longer a significant problem, since iodine is now widely dispersed in the American food supply. Moreover, most of the symptoms are not unique to thyroid disease. Hair loss and sleeplessness, for instance, are common in older people who are perfectly healthy and have no thyroid problems. Many symptoms of menopause are the same as those of thyroid disorders.