Thyroid Disease

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located in the front of the neck, with 1 “wing” on either side of the windpipe. It’s small—only about 2 inches long—but it produces a hormone that affects the entire body. The thyroid hormone regulates temperature, moods, appetite, reproductive system, muscle strength, and most important, how the body creates energy from food. The heart, liver, kidneys, skin—in fact, every organ, tissue, and cell in the body—needs the right amount of thyroid hormone to work well.