Thyroid – I’ve heard of it but what is it? Our office is located in the Midwest. I mention this because as you know this month is January and you guessed it, cold… On a positive note, folks still take care of themselves, or at least they should be. If you can set your mind to focus on one health related thing per month – can you imagine how relieved you would be when you realize that those baby steps toward knowledge may turn into giant leaps for health rewards? January is National Thyroid Awareness Month, a time dedicated to spreading information about thyroid disease, which affects approximately 20 million Americans. The thyroid is an endocrine (The endocrine system which secretes its hormones using ducts.) organ that sits on the neck and is responsible for coordinating the rate of metabolism in the entire body. It affects your brain, it affects your heart, and it affects your digestive system. It can affect your skin and everything else. Things can start to go wrong when you thyroid is under or over-active. If it’s sluggish, it produces too little TH and if it’s amped-up it produces too much. Don’t be afraid of tests – this one is easy People should get their Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels checked to make sure they are not too low or too high. People should get their T3 and T4 thyroid hormones checked as well. Low levels can result in the symptoms above, while high levels can lead to a rapid heartbeat and anxiety. Stats tell us that five times more women suffer from thyroid disease than men and ten million of the 15 million cases are low thyroid. THYROID 101- Hypothyroidism or Hyperthyroidism You’re exhausted; feeling down; feeling jittery; appetite or taste buds are altered; brain feels fuzzy; no interest in sex; skin is dry; painful muscles; periods have changed; hoarse or neck feels funny; sleep is messed-up; gained weight; thinning hair; high cholesterol. Hypothyroidism is usually associated with the tired feeling and lacking of energy. Too little thyroid hormone could mean low libido that leads to weight gain and body aches and pains and high levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol can be caused by an underactive thyroid. Hyperthyroidism usually gives you that feeling of anxiety or feeling wired. Too much thyroid hormone means your thyroid is out of whack which...