Acupuncture For Thyroid

Hello there. This is Licensed Acupuncturist Georjana Shames, working alongside my physician father Dr. Richard Shames, and today I’d love to talk thyroid with you.

Actually, thyroid conditions run in my family, and for that reason, so does treating thyroid conditions. Now, the thyroid is complex and not always well understood, so let’s start at the beginning. What is the thyroid gland and why is it so important to our daily health? The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland that sits at the laryngeal prominence of the neck and secretes thyroid hormone which is essential to our daily energy level, the rate of our metabolism, even whether we generally feel happy or depressed.

A person with low thyroid hormone can feel extremely tired, depressed, gaining weight easily, chilly all the time. Conversely, a person with high thyroid hormone can feel manic, anxious, overheated, unable to sleep. Or you could have some of each of those symptoms, in the sense that the thyroid is attempting to compensate and rapidly vacillates back and forth between high and low. (This is what Oprah was experiencing, and it is extremely uncomfortable and even dangerous over time.)

Unfortunately, a borderline low thyroid condition often will not show up on conventional blood tests, which is why it’s very important to take the whole clinical picture into account. If any of your relatives have had a thyroid condition you are much more likely to develop on yourself.

But I’m here to tell you there are effective natural ways of regaining your energy and stamina, start sleeping well again and get your metabolism back on track.

Just a few years ago, Acupuncture and Chinese herbs helped me recover from thyroid depletion and adrenal fatigues so severe, I felt like I was about 200 years old.

The way thyroid problems are generally treated with Acupuncture is specific points and herbs are selected that will balance the internal meridians, what we call the pathways of energy that crisscross your body the same way a system of rivers crisscrosses a landscape. With thyroid deficiency, it’s as if one of these rivers had run dry. The points and herbs we use to strengthen that meridian; for example the Kidney Meridian, restores nourishment to your endocrine glands.

One point we often use for thyroid you can press on yourself. Locate the medial malleolus, that bone on the inner ankle. Then locate the Achilles tendon that runs down the back of the ankle. Directly between them, you’ll find the tender area when you press. That is Kidney 3, the source point of the Kidney meridian. The Kidney meridian is the root of the body’s energy in Chinese medicine. So this is an excellent point to massage on yourself whenever you’re feeling fatigued.

In Chinese dietetics, foods that support your thyroid include lamb, beef, ginger, carrot, sweet potato and cinnamon. And remember that in Western medicine, certain foods can depress thyroid function like soy or uncooked cauliflower, broccoli, or cabbage.

Many Chinese herbs treat thyroid concerns like ginseng, astragalus, and rehmannia. Also available to you, perhaps in combination with the Chinese herbs, are supplements like L-Tyrosine, B-Vitamin complexes or animal glandulars. But these are only to be taken upon the advice of your trusted health care practitioner. Some items can actually be harmful to your particular endocrine system. For this reason, it is important to always get individual guidance from a thyroid specialist.

I know from personal as well as clinical experience how much Acupuncture, herbs and holistic Western medicine can benefit your thyroid. And even if you’ve never been formally diagnosed with a thyroid condition, your energy, your stamina, sleep and digestion can all improve by supporting your hormone health in this way.

I hope we get to continue this conversation further in my practice. I look forward to it. Remember, you can recover from a thyroid condition. You can restore your strength and balance. And you don’t have to do it alone. I’m here to help you.

Acupuncture For Thyroid

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