JANUARY IS THYROID AWARENESS MONTH

PRESS RELEASES   1/1/2024

According to the American Thyroid Association (ATA), approximately 27 million Americans are affected by Thyroid disease and more than half of those people remain undiagnosed. The thyroid gland is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of your neck and helps control the function of your body’s metabolism as well as function of many important organs, including your heart, brain, liver, kidneys, and skin. Making sure your thyroid gland is healthy and functioning properly is extremely important to your overall well-being. Thyroid dysfunction occurs when the thyroid gland, a small, butterfly-shaped gland produces either too much thyroid hormone, which causes your body’s systems to speed up – this is called hyperthyroidism; or too little thyroid hormone, which causes your body’s systems to slow down – this is called hypothyroidism, both negatively affecting your overall well-being. The first step toward taking control of your thyroid health is identifying whether your thyroid hormone levels are in balance. The second step is to recognize that there are effective treatments to manage thyroid disease, as long as you follow your doctor’s instructions. For more information on Thyroid Health or to schedule an appointment with the Department of Internal Medicine please call 850.474.8385 Information provided by www.thyroid.org