Oriental medicine for thyroid disorder treatment
Today’s public takes great interest in health and wellbeing, and along with the progress of diagnostic technologies, an increasing number of patients nowadays receive treatments for thyroid disorders earlier than ever.
People are generally better informed about thyroid issues and it is not uncommon to check for thyroid disorders if they suddenly gain weight without any specific cause, or cannot shed the gained pounds.
Weight issues are a good indicator of thyroid problems because the main function of the thyroid gland is metabolic control.
The thyroid gland is the largest endocrine gland in our body, and consists of two lobes located at the front of the neck below the Adam’s apple. The thyroid secretes thyroid hormones synthesized from the iodine ingested in food.
These thyroid hormones circulate throughout our bodies and are involved in controlling the basal metabolic rate, maintaining the body’s constant temperature, and in fetal development, especially during brain maturation.
Hyperthyroidism is when the thyroid produces too many hormones, or the hormonal functions are abnormally boosted. As a result, a person’s body generates more energy than required, becomes heated and perspires more.
The autonomic nervous system becomes stimulated resulting in an increased heart rate. Also, digestive activities become more animated to the extent where the patient has more frequent bowel movements and loses weight despite increased appetite.
The most common cause of hyperthyroidism is Graves’ disease, which is an autoimmune disorder that occurs when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the thyroid gland.
It is more frequently observed in those between their 20s and 40s, and males are four to eight times more likely to suffer from it than females.
Oriental medicine views hyperthyroidism as caused by the withering yin-qi coupled with vigorous fire-qi in the body.
When a person’s body becomes weak due to exhaustion or low stamina, the yin-qi in the kidneys becomes weak, and when exposed to stressful circumstances, the liver’s qi becomes blocked, and fire-qi accumulates in the heart, resulting in the illness.
Hypothyroidism is the opposite of hyperthyroidism.
A person experiences weight gain despite having a decreased appetite and consuming less food than before and can easily feel fatigued.
The heart rate slows and they become sensitive to the cold.
Dry skin, thinning hair, constipation, numbness in the extremities and muscle aches are also some of the symptoms.
The most common cause for hypothyroidism is Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disease that occurs when the mistakenly attacked thyroid glands lose their ability to produce hormones.
Other causes include the removal of the thyroid glands for treating thyroid cancer or hyperthyroidism, and hypopituitarism or a tumor in the pituitary, the function of which is to produce hormones to stimulate the thyroid.
Oriental medicine regards hypothyroidism as caused by insufficient yang-qi in the kidneys and spleen, and treats it accordingly. The kidneys are said to be the organ where our body’s primary energies are gathered. When the yang-qi in the kidneys is insufficient, our body lacks energy and the overall yin and yang lose their balance. Lack of yang-qi in the spleen leads to loss of appetite and inhibited digestive function.
Whether hyper or hypo, thyroid disorders affecting hormonal production are generally caused by issues in the body’s immune system.
To prevent this, it is important to ensure our immune systems function properly state by reducing factors that can adversely affect the thyroid such as smoking, drinking and stress.
Patients with thyroid disorders tend to be introverts who choose not to express their minds and repress their emotions, and they are more easily stressed.
Managing the stress in their lives is very important for such patients.