Jan 2016 Health Tips

JANUARY HEALTH TIP 2016: THYROID DISEASE AWARENESS MONTH

The thyroid gland is a small, butterfly-shaped gland (hence the butterfly logo) located in the base of the neck just below the Adam's apple. Although relatively small, the thyroid gland plays a huge role in our body, influencing the function of many of the body’s most important organs, including the heart, brain, liver, kidneys and skin. Ensuring that the thyroid gland is healthy and functioning properly is vitally important to the body's overall well-being.

How common is thyroid disease?

Thyroid disease is more common than diabetes or heart disease. Thyroid disease is a fact of life for as many as 30 million Americans – and more than half of those people remain undiagnosed---so the key here ---STEP ONE--is getting diagnosed with a simple blood test. Women are five times more likely than men to suffer from hypothyroidism (when the gland is not producing enough thyroid hormone). Aging is just one risk factor for hypothyroidism.

When your thyroid is underactive (hypothyroidism), your symptoms might include:

Fatigue

Weight gain

Constipation

Fuzzy thinking

Low blood pressure

Bloating

Depression

For most patients with hypothyroidism, levothyroxine is the treatment of choice. Both synthetic and naturally-derived levothyroxine are commonly prescribed to replace the hormone that is normally produced by your body’s own thyroid gland. Levothyroxine is intended for long term use.

Managing hypothyroidism with levothyroxine requires taking a precise dose of your prescribed therapy every day. Your doctor will perform tests to determine what dose of your medication is right for you. These tests help your doctor to determine if you are maintaining consistent levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) within your body. Too little levothyroxine and your TSH levels will be too low to control your hypothyroidism

Simple to detect, simple to cure, hypothyroidism is a disease of which we should all become aware as we start off the new year.

Good health to you all!