Goiter is an enlargement of the thyroid gland.

The thyroid gland is a small gland

located in the neck, below your Adam’s apple. The thyroid can be enlarged due to
generalized enlargement of the thyroid or nodules (tissue growths) within the
thyroid. The thyroid gland produces the hormones thyroxine (also called T4) and a
small amount of triiodothyronine (also called T3). Most of the T4 is converted to T3
outside of the thyroid.

There are different kinds of goiters. A simple goiter usually occurs when the thyroid
gland is not able to produce enough thyroid hormone to meet the body's needs.
The thyroid gland makes up for this by becoming larger, which usually overcomes
mild deficiencies of thyroid hormone. A simple goiter may be classified as either an
endemic (colloid) goiter or a sporadic (nontoxic) goiter.Endemic goiters occur within
groups of people living in geographical areas with iodine-depleted soil, usually
regions away from the sea coast.

Colloid nodular goiters tend to occur in certain geographical areas with iodine-
depleted soil, usually areas away from the sea coast. An area is defined as endemic
for goiter if more than 10 % of children aged 6 to 12 have goiters.Certain things in
the environment may also cause thyroid enlargement. Small- to moderate-
sized goiters are relatively common in the United States. The Great Lakes, Midwest,
and Intermountain regions were once known as the "goiter belt."

The presence of an enlarged goiter usually means that the thyroid gland is not
functioning normally. Causes of a goiter include an imbalance in the thyroid
gland and Goiter symptoms generally occur in a gland that is overactive, producing
too much hormone (hyperthyroidism), or that is underactive, producing too little
hormone (hypothyroidism).

Causes

There are various types and causes of goiter. In underdeveloped parts of the world,
it is often brought on by a lack of iodine in the diet. Iodine---found in fish
products, drinking water and table salt---is essential for the production of thyroid
hormone. Without it, the gland enlarges in an attempt to increase the output of the
hormone. The World Health Organization estimates that 750 million people still suffer
from this problem, earning it the name endemic goiter.

Take Iodine in its organic form. Eat foods like turnips, carrots, garlic, pineapples,
whole rice, tomatoes, watercress, strawberries, guavas, lettuce, onions, oats, citrus
fruits, egg yolks, seafoods, etc should be taken in ample amounts.

Treatment

Nontoxic goiters usually grow very slowly and may not cause any symptoms, and
thus may not require treatment. However, if the goiter grows rapidly, or you have
symptoms that affect your neck or obstruct your breathing functions, treatment may
be required. If a nontoxic goiter progresses to the nodular stage, and the nodule is
found to be cancerous, you will need treatment.

Medications. If you have hypothyroidism, thyroid hormone replacement with

levothyroxine (Levothroid, Synthroid) will resolve the symptoms of hypothyroidism
as well as slow the release of thyroid-stimulating hormone from your pituitary gland,
often decreasing the size of the goiter. For an inflammation of your thyroid gland,
your doctor may suggest aspirin or a corticosteroid medication to treat the
inflammation. For goiters associated with hyperthyroidism, you may need
medications to normalize hormone levels.