A skewed Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal (HPA) axis can have a profound impact on your thyroid situation. The vast majority of “thyroid problems” have to do with this axis, a circuit if you will, in your brain. The hypothalamus connects your nervous system to your endocrine system. Over time this axis can become overexcited causing havoc through the systemic release of cortisol (the stress hormone) as the body’s fight/flight remains “switched on.”