Thyroid disorders are some of the most common diseases worldwide. In the Philippines, one in every 11 adults suffers from goiter or other thyroid disorders. Despite the prevalence of these cases, many of us are still unaware of how our thyroid works and how thyroid disorders can greatly affect our lives.
Merck, one of the leading science and healthcare innovation company, joined forces with the Department of Health (DOH), Philippine Thyroid Association (PTA), Philippine Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism (PSEDM), and the Iodine Global Network (IGN) to address this issue of lack of awareness about our thyroid. These groups are now spearheading the information drive in time for for the International Thyroid Awareness Week (ITAW) 2017.
Know Your Thyroid
The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped endocrine gland that sits in at the lower front of the neck. It plays a key role in one’s overall health and well-being by producing thyroid hormones that help keep the body use energy, stay warm, and keep the brain, heart, muscles, and other organs in tip-top condition. There can be different reasons how our thyroid becomes disordered much as like the other parts of our body become dysfunctional due to stress, pregnancy or sometimes because of an underlying disease (e.g. autoimmune thyroid disease).
Hypo And Hyper
Since its primary role is to control the metabolism, disorders may occur when there’s little (hypothyroidism) or overproduction (hyperthyroidism) of thyroid hormones.
Patients with hypothyroidism, or too little thyroid hormone, tend to have slower metabolism: they gain weight despite not eating much, move and speak slowly, feel tired and have depressed thoughts, cannot tolerate cold, and have irregular menstrual periods. On the other hand, patients with hyperthyroidism, or too much thyroid hormone, will have hyperactive metabolism: they lose weight despite having a good appetite, have heart palpitations, irritable thoughts, and insomnia, have sweating and heat intolerance and can have tremors in their hands.
Weight gain, depression, irregular menstruation, you will notice that these symptoms can easily be misinterpreted as due to poor lifestyle practices or choices (such as over-eating, family problems, fertility problems), but turns out that you have thyroid disorders all this time.
This is why the theme of this year’s ITAW is: “It’s Not You, It’s Your Thyroid”. It’s time that we properly assess our body, most especially the condition of our thyroid glands. The diagnosis of thyroid disorders can easily be made by checking the levels of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) in the blood. The treatment brings the level of thyroid hormones back in balance, restoring normal metabolism to the body.
Avail FREE Thyroid Screening
There’s no need to wait further. Attend the culminating event of International Thyroid Awareness Week 2017 this coming May 27, 2017 happening in Robinsons Novaliches Trade Hall from 2pm-6pm. You can avail FREE Thyroid Screening as well as beauty pampering such as free nail art, eyebrow threading, hair & make-up styling and a lot more. Grab this opportunity and bring your female friends!
For more information, visit www.thyroidaware.com
Follow “Unmasking Your Thyroid” on Facebook
Reference Medical Source
