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Encouraging Heroes. You can be one too.

So, January was Thyroid Awareness Month. Were you aware of that? I was, because I got to interview some smart people about thyroid health and learned quite a bit.

The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located at the front base of your neck. This little gland controls a LOT of what goes on in your body. There are 2 potential thyroid problems: hyper-thyroidism, where the gland is overactive and hypo-thyroidism, where it is underactive. In both cases, the imbalance can lead to damage of quite a few major organs in the body.

As parents it’s important to be in good health. A healthy parent can do a better job of taking care of their children. If you’re in poor health, the natural stresses of parenting can make you even sicker, leading to a very negative cycle. Also, fifty percent of children with parents experiencing thyroid problems may develop that condition themselves.

If you DO get diagnosed with a thyroid problem, it’s also super important to take the same dosage of the same medicine at the same time every day. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists has launched what they call the same/same/same campaign to help people get more effective treatment.

So here’s the interview I got to do with Dr. Garber and with Jennifer, a patient who had thyroid issues and got treatment. Very interesting and informative. Enjoy!