The Thyroid
The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland just below the Adam's apple. This gland plays a very important role in controlling your body's metabolism, that is, how your body functions. It does this by producing thyroid hormones (thyroxine, or T4, and triiodothyronine, or T3), chemicals that travel through your blood to every part of your body. Thyroid hormones tell your body how fast to work and use energy.
If you have enough thyroid hormone in your blood, the gland stops making the hormones. When the body needs more thyroid hormones, the gland starts producing again.
The pituitary gland, located at the base of the brain, tells the thyroid when to start and stop. The pituitary sends thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) to the thyroid to tell the gland what to do.
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