Has anyone ever tried acupuncture to improve thyroid function?

[begutbegut]

And if yes, did it have any effect?

I am currently taking 50mcg of Levo and am trying "natural" remedies to stimulate the thyroid (supplements, coconut oil). Apparently acupuncture can help, but I really have no idea...

Thanks,

A

[Hidden]

Hi,

15 years ago my daughter tried acupuncture. This was before she was diagnosed. She was ill and we just didn't know why. She fainted, and I should tell you she NEVER faints!

About 18 months ago (before we discovered what was actually causing her thyroid problems and she was getting desperate) she tried it again. The guy who did it was also taught Tai Chi so she took a class in that also, and she also does yoga and pilates on her own too, and has learned Ashok Gupta's technique. The combination has helped her to deal with her illness better. If you do choose to have acupuncture be very careful when you select a practitioner.

None of it has cured her thyroid problem. The cause of that is now being treated.

Jane x

[begutbegut in reply to Hidden]

Hi Jane, thank you so much for getting back to me. I realise it's not a "cure", but it would be good to find some kind of natural therapy to alleviate some of the symptoms of hypo.

My best wishes to your daughter.

A

[janiebell in reply to begutbegut]

Do you have Hashimotos? If so, it's the autoimmune flare up you need to treat. Dampening down the immune response which is attacking the thyroid will really help, dietary changes and supplements being the the most effective. Acupuncture is fantastic for stress and balancing but please be very careful about the practitioner! You need someone who understands the endocrine system well. There is no point in boosting the thyroid if you are not also treating the root cause ie : immune response.

[begutbegut in reply to janiebell]

Hi, I don't have Hashimoto's. I was diagnosed as hypo aged 15 (I'm 29 now) and had a partial thyroidectomy aged 17. Have been taking Levo ever since. I grew up in Russia and, apparently, the majority of thyroid problems there are caused by iodine deficiency, so I guess that's why I developed the problem. I'm generally feeling ok on Levo, but still have some hypo symptoms (tiredness; low level depression/anxiety; difficulty losing weight; had pins & needles/numbness, but this has been resolved since I started taking vit b12). I'm trying to make changes to my diet and try other natural remedies such as acupuncture to see if that helps, as I would rather not increase my dose of Levo if possible.

Thank you very much for your response.

A

[janiebell in reply to begutbegut]

Acupuncture will deff help with depression/anxiety and energy levels. I used to have it every week in my 30s when I had a very stressful job. I absolutely loved it and made a huge difference to m y well being. Sometimes it was like having a Valium without all the nasty side effects of drugs!!! Ps (find a reg practitioner with British acupuncture council)

[begutbegut in reply to janiebell]

Thank you for the advice - I'll search the British acupuncture council website. Hopefully it will work for me too!

A

[tilly83]

Hi agree with above posts. I have hyper which has been brought under control by drugs but at a very low level plus changes to diet. I have acupuncture monthly - don't care if it is psychological - it seems to help. I also have a monthly massage, again, not going to cure anything but worth every penny.

[begutbegut in reply to tilly83]

Hi, thanks - that sounds promising. I'm not expecting a cure, but if it helps at all, it's worth a shot. I'm hypo and experience bloating, so if it could improve digestion/help with anxiety/depression, that would be a good result.

A

[marina2]

Hi there,

Yes! I have been under treatment for hypothyroidism with acupuncture. I had been taking Levothyroid for nearly 8 years and had heard about acupuncture treating hypothyroidism and decided to try it. I am now med free and feel great!

[Kitten-whiskers in reply to marina2]

Hello Marina2,

I am glad to hear you are med free, can I ask how often you had acupuncture and how long for?

I have trouble taking Thyroid meds -causes all sorts of problems so I am searching for another option?

Best wishes

[shemeshka in reply to Kitten-whiskers]

Same here. My mom can't tolerate Levo as she gets chest pains from it. Marina, please let us know.

[Kitten-whiskers in reply to shemeshka]

Shemeska,

Has your mum tried other Thyroid medication? that might be worth a go & also doing the ASI test to find out what her adrenal function & DHEA levels are.

Hope she gets on well, its horrible not being able to tolerate the meds

[Shellzzzz]

Hi, I started Acupuncture 4 weeks ago for my thyroid (hypo). I've been on medicine for years & want to stop! I started feeling fluttering & waking up at night after only 3 weeks.. went to my Endocrinologist and she stopped my Cytomel 25mcg and lowered my Armour from 90mcg to 75mcg because my blood tested high! I'm confident I can be cured if my results were this good after 3 weeks... He cured my 17 niece when western doctors wanted to kill her thyroid & per her on meds for life! I tried Acupuncture 2 places before this & no results.. I believe it's who you go to. I go to Dr. Kevin Huang... he is amazing! AGAPE ACUPUNCTURE.. Costa Mesa, California. Good Luck!!

[Shaynahope in reply to Shellzzzz]

I wanted to reach out to say thank you, your referral saved my life. I was so sick and was unable to tolerate any of the thyroid meds. I originally was fine with them from 18-34. Once I had my first child, everything went haywire with my body. With each consecutive child my tolerance for the meds were at zero. my blood work would show low but every time I took the medication, I had symptoms of too much. This was the same no matter the type or amount. I tried numerous times but would experience heart palpitations, sweats, chest pains, sleeplessness, agitation. I tried everything from anti-depressents to heart testing to brain scans, etc.. even went to the premier Thyroid specialist at USC. No one had ever known someone who was having these issues. My body was staring to break down and I was desperate. I could barely function, my thinking was cloudy, I had welts and sores all over. Food had a different taste and I forced myself to eat just to get the calories in. I went from 130lbs to 105lbs. I had no facial expressions and a hard time processing simple instructions and conversations. I was no longer able to sleep or take care of the smallest of tasks. I went from an active, successful business woman and Mom to the shell of the person I was. I searched out Acupuncture and Thyroid and your post came up. It was truly amazing as I am in California and this website is in the UK. I went to see Dr. Huang - Agape clinic, and he started treating me. After 6 months of hell, within 3 sessions, I started my way back to myself. I continued for 9 months of treatment, 3x a week, took the herbs he suggested and avoided the foods he said. It took the 9 months to feel back to myself. Within a month of seeing him I was able to tolerate the thyroid meds. I am still feeling good am in the normal range and my endocrinologist is shocked. I will continue to take the meds and supplement with acupuncture. Dr believes that I will be able to one day get rid of the meds if I follow his protocol. I am just thankful and grateful I saw this post. Through your referral and his treatment, I am back to feeling great. With Gratitude.

[Erin90 in reply to Shaynahope]

Shaynahope

I had very, very similar situation. After reading your review I went to the same clinic. I've been for 5 weeks for 3 sessions per week with little improvement. I haven't been taking the herbs as prescribed because they make some of my symptoms worse such as foggy head, short of breath, fatigue and palpitations. Dr Huang told me this was a healing phase I'd need to push thru but it's pretty crappy. Did your symptoms get worse before better on the herbs? If so how long did that phase last?

[puncturedbicycle]

I tried acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine and diet in an attempt to avoid/delay taking meds. I was referred by my excellent acupuncturist (I have known her for almost 30 years and she is like a miracle worker) to a gentleman who is both a qualified gp and Chinese practitioner.

My tsh had been 30ish at dx and went down to 5ish, but this can and does happen periodically without any treatment at all, so I would not rush to attribute it to the acupuncture. I didn't feel better energy-wise and in fact I became so ill that it felt impossible to make decisions so I delayed my levo treatment for too long. All my own decisions I hasten to add. It was my own experiment and it didn't work out. If I had it to do all over again I would give it a solid six months and no more.

I would recommend in a similar case to mine that one makes and sticks to a timetable and when the trial period is over if no improvement is seen then proceed to meds.

I understand not everyone is in that same situation (some are already on meds) and some people might find it more helpful than I did.

[shemeshka]

Hello Marina, I am very interested to hear more about your success with Acupuncture for Hypothyroidism. My mom is struggling with the disease as she cannot tolerate Levo. What kind of acupuncture? Where did you do it? How many times, how often? Thanks.