The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your neck that makes two thyroid hormones: thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). Thyroid hormones control how the body uses energy, so they affect nearly every organ in your body, even your heart. Health care professionals use thyroid tests to check how well your thyroid is working. Tests may include thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), T4, T3, thyroid antibody tests and thyroid ultrasound.
Thyroid tests help health care professionals diagnose thyroid diseases such as
- Hyperthyroidism—when thyroid hormone levels are too high
- Graves’ disease, the most common cause of hyperthyroidism
- Hypothyroidism—when thyroid hormones levels are too low
- Hashimoto’s disease, of the most common cause of hypothyroidism
- Thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer
How can acupuncture help?
Both Western and Eastern medicine offer various methods to restore thyroid hormone levels. Western treatments rely mainly on drugs and surgery while Eastern treatments aim to restore immune function as well as balance the production and release of thyroid hormones through a variety of approaches ranging from acupuncture and herbal remedies to lifestyle changes.
Acupuncture has been found to be potentially useful for treating thyroid disease, such as:
- Increasing levels of thyroid hormones in the people with hypothyroidism
- Lowering levels of thyroid hormones in patients with hyperthyroidism
- Reducing sensitivity to pain and stress, as well as promoting relaxation by acting on specific areas of the brain
- Increasing the release of the chemical adenosine, which decreases sensitivity to pain
- Improving muscle stiffness and joint mobility by increasing blood circulation in small blood vessels, which aids dispersal of swelling
- Reducing inflammation by promoting the release of vascular and immunomodulatory factors
A herbal formula may be prescribed in conjunction with acupuncture to address symptoms of fatigue, stress, insomnia or constipation amongst others. Unlike western medicine, there is no one size fits all approach with Chinese medicine. Our herbal formulas are tailored to each person’s unique pattern of disharmony. Herbal formulas are created according to the pathological pattern into which the patient is categorized. This leads the practitioner to a range of formulas that may benefit the patient and is modified based on accompanying symptoms.
Common causes of thyroid disease from a Chinese medical perspective include:
- Poor diet impairing the spleen (digestion) thereby promoting phlegm and accumulation of fluids causing nodules;
- Excessive emotions such as stress, anger, irritability impairing the liver causing pathogenic heat which rises to singe the yin fluids of the neck;
- Heart fire-Mania, agitation, insomnia, giddiness and palpitations impairing the heart yin;
As described, the thyroid is a complex gland that requires a holistic and careful approach. Chinese medicine is a holistic model of medicine that provides a comprehensive approach in managing the varied symptoms that present in each individual patient. If you are interested in having acupuncture for thyroid disorder, please contact our clinic (08)6111 5027 or email info@bqacupuncture.com.au. We are looking forward to supporting you.
Reference:
Arsovska, Blagica and Zhu, Jihe and Kozovska, Kristina (2016) Case Report: Acupuncture Treatment for Hypothyroidism. Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR), 2 (5). pp. 184-187. ISSN 2454-1362
Bakırtaş Palabıyık F, İnci E, Papatya Çakır ED, et al. Evaluation of Normal Thyroid Tissue and Autoimmune Thyroiditis in Children Using Shear Wave Elastography. J Clin Res Pediatr Endocrinol 2019;11:132-9. [Crossref] [PubMed]
Churilov LP, Sobolevskaia PA, Stroev YI. Thyroid gland and brain: Enigma of Hashimoto’s encephalopathy. Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab 2019;33:101364 [Crossref] [PubMed]
Han J, Xu J, Cao N, et al. Clinical analysis of thyroid autoantibody and function of type 2 diabetic nephropathy patients. International Journal of Pathology and Clinical Medicine 2015;35:2102-7.
Zhang K, Wang Y, Ma W, et al. Genistein improves thyroid function in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis patients through regulating Th1 cytokines. Immunobiology 2017;222:183-7. [Crossref] [PubMed]
Zhu, Jihe and Arsovska, Blagica and Kozovska, Kristina (2020) Case report – Acupuncture treatment in patient with high TSH (thyroidstimulating hormone). International Journal of Contemporary Applied Researches , 7 (4). pp. 1-4. ISSN 2308-1365)