the.com/thyroid gland
The butterfly-shaped gland that quietly decides if you're wired or exhausted.
means A small gland in the neck that makes hormones controlling how fast your body burns energy and runs its metabolism.
from From Greek 'thyreoeides,' meaning 'shield-shaped,' built from 'thyreos' (a large oblong door-shield) plus 'eidos' (form, appearance). The name originally described the cartilage of the voice box, which looked like a warrior's shield — the gland simply sits near it and borrowed the name. 'Gland' comes from Latin 'glandula,' a little acorn, since early anatomists thought these lumpy tissues resembled small acorns.
- location
- Sits at the base of your neck like a bow tie
- output
- Makes hormones that set your body's idle speed
- iodine need
- Needs iodine or it swells into a goiter
- irony
- Controls your metabolism but can't regulate itself without backup