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Saturday, May 28, 2011

Endocrine Glands


Glands manufacture and secrete necessary substances. Exocrine glands secrete their products through ducts, but endocrine glands or ductless glands, release their products directly into the bloodstream.
One important endocrine gland is the thyroid gland. It is in the neck and has two lobes, one on the each side of the windpipe. The thyroid gland collects iodine from the blood and produces thyroxine, an important hormone, which it stores in an inactive form. When thyroxine is needed by the body, the thyroid gland secretes it directly into the blood cells with other chemicals and affects many functions of the body.
The thyroid gland may be underactive or overactive, resulting in problems. An underactive thyroid causes hypothyroidism, while an overactive one causes hyperthyroidism. The former problem, called myxedema in adults and cretinism in children, causes the growth process to slow down. A cretin’s body and mind do not grow to their full potential. Hyperthyroidism, on the other hand, results in extreme nervousness, an increase in heart action and other problems.
Either hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism may result in goiter, or an enlarged thyroid gland. A goiter will appear when the body is not getting enough iodine. Goiter is less common today, since most people use iodized salt.

2 comments:

  1. It is my professional opinion that desiccated porcine thyroid health capsules are excellent choices for many thyroid sufferers. Some people do better on these dessicated animal gland than they would ever do on any brand or combination of synthetics.

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  2. ok thanks .. but it also needs to be considered for the Muslims .. sorry, is desiccated porcine thyroid health capsules from pig?

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