TCM Thyroid and Therapy

Traditional Chinese medicine focuses on fundamental conditioning of the internal organs, but one obvious drawback is that it is slow. In summary, Chinese medicine treatment of thyroid is about nourishing the essence, energy and spirit. The severity of thyroid disease is mainly due to the feeling of suffocation and swollen eyes when it occurs, so it is more effective for the thyroid gland if the patient maintains a calm mood. Moreover, most thyroid patients suffer from qi deficiency. Chinese medicine treats this internal problem through diet therapy.

1. Keep your spirit

As the saying goes, “Anger causes all kinds of diseases.” When the patient feels depressed or nervous, his neck will feel stuffy and his eyes will feel swollen and painful. The survey found that more than 75% of hyperthyroidism patients had emotional triggers before the onset of the disease. Therefore, the key to defeating thyroid disease is to reduce negative emotional stimulation and maintain a good attitude. “Originally there is nothing, so where can dust gather?” Keeping the mind clear and clean and being less disturbed by external things is very beneficial to regulating your mind. You can cheer yourself up by practicing calligraphy, playing the guzheng, etc. in your daily life. Compared with many other diseases, the treatment effect of thyroid disease is usually more significant. Even for thyroid cancer, most people can live like normal people after treatment.

2. Health Care

Studies have found that most patients with hyperthyroidism have yin deficiency and qi stagnation constitutions, while hypothyroidism is more common in those with qi deficiency and yang deficiency constitutions. People with Yin deficiency are usually afraid of heat, have hot hands and feet, like to eat cold food, and have excessive liver fire; people with Qi stagnation are anxious and sulky, and stagnation means body blockage, so the body is prone to lumps or nodules; people with Qi deficiency are intolerant to fatigue; people with Yang deficiency always have cold hands and feet, are afraid of cold, and the circulation of Qi and blood in the body is easily blocked. Therefore, Chinese medicine often uses methods of promoting blood circulation, resolving phlegm, and dispersing nodules to treat thyroid disease. On the basis of TCM syndrome differentiation, combined with medication, diet, exercise and other methods, thyroid problems can be solved fundamentally and in a targeted manner.

3. Nourish the meridians

Meridians are the network bridges connecting the internal organs and the channels for the circulation of qi and blood, while acupoints are the intersection points where qi and blood accumulate in the human body. If the meridians are blocked, the flow of Qi and blood will be impeded, the organ functions will become abnormal, and the thyroid gland will develop enlargement and nodules. Meridians and acupoints are like the reflex points of internal organs on the body surface, and different thyroid diseases react to different sensitive areas. Self-acupressure massage on the acupoints corresponding to the disease can help to dredge the qi and blood meridians, and is beneficial to the recovery of thyroid disease.

If you have excessive liver fire and are irritable, you can choose the Taichong point on the liver meridian on the dorsum of the foot. If you feel panicky, you can massage the Neiguan point on the arm and the endocrine, Shenmen, and sympathetic points on the ear. For hyperthyroidism, choose the important yin-replenishing point Sanyinjiao. For hypothyroidism, you can massage and moxibustion the strengthening points Zusanli, Kunlun, Zhaohai, Guanyuan, etc. Exophthalmos due to hyperthyroidism is a stubborn disease. Some patients still do not improve after radiation exposure, retro-ocular drug injection, high-dose hormone therapy, etc. Therefore, self-protection becomes particularly important. Acupuncture treatment is significantly helpful in improving exophthalmos caused by hyperthyroidism. Patients can self-massage the acupoints around the eyes like doing eye exercises, which is effective in relieving eye pain, tearing, dryness, etc., but it requires long-term persistence. Foot massage and foot bathing are also helpful for the health care of thyroid patients.

4. Nourish your appetite

The diet of patients with hyperthyroidism should be mainly based on nourishing yin. For example, soft-shelled turtle has the effects of nourishing yin, tonifying the kidney and dispersing nodules, and can be used as an ideal food supplement. Eat fruits such as pears and citrus fruits regularly, avoid spicy and irritating foods, and avoid smoking and drinking. Patients with hyperthyroidism and leukocytopenia can eat donkey-hide gelatin and longan meat to replenish blood and produce blood. It is advisable to use yin-nourishing products such as Adenophora, Polygonatum, and Ophiopogon to make soup, and use heat-clearing products such as chrysanthemum, rose, and lotus seed to make tea.