Factors For Thyroid Cancer

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The thyroid gland, labelled as the "master gland" because of it's many functions in the body, is a butterfly shaped gland wrapped around the windpipe. It is located in the neck below the Adam's apple. The function of the thyroid gland is to produce the thyroid hormones, T3 (triiodothyronine) and T4 (thyroxine).

The thyroid hormones regulate the following:

metabolic rate, the way the body metabolizes your food
weight, affecting ability to gain or loss weight
sleeping patterns, how well you rest
energy levels
body temperature
the ability to relax
regulation of blood cholesterol levels
cardia output, the blood pressure and oxygen delivery to the tissues

The thyroid gland also produces a hormone called calcitonin, together with the parathyroid hormone, controls the amount of calcium circulating in the blood.

There are several know causes for the development of thyroid cancer.
The following are the common risk factors:

Exposure to radiation. People who have been exposed to radiation such as in the radioactive fallout in the 1950's and 1960's have an increased risk of developing follicular and papillary thyroid cancer. Being a child in the areas at the time the fall outs occurred puts you at a higher risk because the thyroid of the developing children would of absorbed more of the radioactive iodine.
Family history. The passing down of the altered RET gene from parent to child may be the cause of medullary thyroid cancer.
Being a female.Females are at a risk of two to three times more likely to develop thyroid cancer than a male.
Race. White people are more likely to develop this disease than the African Americans.
Diet. If your diet is lacking in iodine your risk increases to develop the disease. In America, the risk of this happening is low because of the iodized salt in our diets but in it is still common in parts of Asia and central Africa where iodine is not part of their diet.

The common symptoms of thyroid cancer are:

a lump or nodule in the throat
pain in the neck, jaw or ears
difficulty swallowing, a tickle in their throat
change in voice and hoarseness if the disease is irritating the nerve in the voice box.
difficulty breathing if the growth is big enough to be pressing on the windpipe

Having one or more of these risk factors or symptoms does not mean that you will develop thyroid cancer. With this said, you may have none of the above risk factors or symptoms and still develop the disease.

The importance of self awareness along with annual check-ups cannot be over stressed. Thyroid cancer is a serious disease,fortunately if caught early the prognosis is very good.

About the Author:
I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 1997. Go to http://www.fucoidanforhealth.com for a wealth of information about thyroid cancer. You will also find information for healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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