More than half of the Americans suffering from a thyroid disorder go undiagnosed. During January, National Thyroid Awareness Month presents the opportunity to educate populations on the significance of this small, butterfly-shaped gland located just above your collarbone and in front of the windpipe.

Each November, National COPD Awareness Month provides the opportunity to spotlight a common preventable disease that makes it difficult for people to breathe because air cannot flow into the lungs. According to the World Health Organization, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is the third leading cause of death worldwide, causing 3.

• Just like breastfed babies have a lower risk of illness, so do breastfeeding moms. Moms who breastfeed have a lower risk of high blood pressure (hypertension), type 2 diabetes, and ovarian cancer and certain types of breast cancer.

• The thymus, which is located behind the breastbone, is one of the organs of the immune system. The thymus is where immune cells – white blood cells – called T lymphocytes (T cells) mature. The thymus begins to shrink when we are young adults. By middle age, it is only about 15 percent of its maximum size.