Fit and Well Idaho: January is Thyroid Awareness Month

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — January is thyroid awareness month which brings awareness to a disease that affects more than 30 million Americans.

The thyroid is responsible for regulating your metabolism and creating new proteins.

It is integral in regulating different organs in your body, such as your skin and the heart.

Hyperthyroidism is when your thyroid is more active than it should be.

Hypothyroidism is when your thyroid works slower than it should.

The only way to know if you are suffering from this, is to test your thyroid hormone levels.

“f our thyroid isn’t at target we can start to have issues with other tissues being affected, like overactive thyroid increased the rate of osteoporosis, or weakened bones,” said Janet Renaldi, who works at St. Luke’s endocrinology and diabetes.

There are treatments for both hypo and hyperthyroidism such as medication, hormones’, or surgery.