January is Thyroid Awareness Month

Your thyroid is a very important gland in your body and this month is a time to highlight it to raise awareness.  The gland has a big job so if it goes off track it needs to be treated. 

This mighty butterfly or H-shaped gland in your neck is responsible for regulating your metabolism or how your body uses energy.

The hormones created by your thyroid go directly into your blood system.  They affect almost every organ system in your body:

• Cardiovascular
• Nervous
• Digestive
• Reproductive

The size of your gland is about the size of a walnut so not too big.  You take a simple blood test to check if your thyroid is working well or if something is amiss.  Problems are fairly common but the good news is that they are very treatable.

Some possible problems and number of people here in the United States with thyroid issues are:

• Underactive thyroid – affects about 10 million people 
• Overactive thyroid – about 1 of every 100 people over the age of 12 have this
• Enlarged – includes about 5% of people
• Cancer – about 44,000 people (with a survival rate of 98%)

Treatments vary from medications to surgery to radiation and chemotherapy.  

You can live without your thyroid but you will need to take medication for the rest of your life to keep up with its important bodily functions.

Private Home Health Care knows thyroid health is important.  It’s not difficult these days with all the foods we eat but getting enough iodine in your diet helps support this.  Table salt, fish, seaweed and dairy products all have iodine.