January is ‘Thyroid Awareness Month’

We often go to great lengths to look and feel our best. Yet many never realize that one of the keys to a healthy body and a productive life rests just below the neck.  

The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland below the larynx that produces thyroid hormones; chemicals that affect the function of many of the body's organs including the heart, brain, liver, kidneys, bones and skin. It's a good rule that if your thyroid is not working properly, neither are you.

The American College of Endocrinology (ACE) is proud to announce that January is "Thyroid Awareness Month," the only national campaign targeted towards helping the millions of Americans living with a thyroid condition. The campaign's focus is to help people understand the effects of the thyroid throughout all aspects of life: conception, birth, adolescence and throughout adulthood.  "Thyroid Awareness Month" is a major component of the ACE "Power of Prevention®" program.

"Many people with thyroid disease are often undiagnosed for years," AACE President and Chief of Endocrinology at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Dr. Jeffrey Garber, said.  "The ill consequences resulting from a thyroid disorder could be prevented by a simple visit to their doctor."  

An integral part of the 2010 campaign is the latest edition of the "Power of Prevention" magazine.  The January issue, which is available as a free download here, offers a wealth of information about thyroid dysfunction such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, thyroid cancer, thyroid nodules, and the critical role a healthy thyroid plays in infancy and pregnancy.  The online magazine will also feature special sections written by expert endocrinologists covering a variety of thyroid-related topics.    

On the Power of Prevention Web site, users can also read real patients' stories, learn how to take the thyroid "Neck Check" and review a list of the "Top 10 Things You Should Know about Your Thyroid."  For women considering pregnancy, the website also has a list of the "Things Every Mother Should Know."