If you do need radioactive iodine thyroid treatment, this paper appears to favour parotid gland massage.
The parotid glands are the major salivary glands in humans and can be damaged by the radioiodine.
I do not know anything about how you're supposed to massage the parotid glands!
Clin Nucl Med. 2019 May 2. doi: 10.1097/RLU.0000000000002602. [Epub ahead of print]
The Preventive Effect of Parotid Gland Massage on Salivary Gland Dysfunction During High-Dose Radioactive Iodine Therapy for Differentiated Thyroid Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
Son SH, Lee CH, Jung JH, Kim DH, Hong CM, Jeong JH, Jeong SY, Lee SW, Lee J, Ahn BC.
Abstract
PURPOSE:
To evaluate the preventive effect of parotid gland (PG) massage for PG damage during the I therapy, we prospectively investigated the serum amylase value and salivary gland scintigraphy (SGS) after I therapy.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
One hundred patients with thyroidectomized differentiated thyroid cancer who underwent high-dose I therapy were enrolled in the clinical trial and randomized into 2 groups (PG massage group and nonmassage group). The serum amylase value was obtained before and 24 hours after I therapy, and the SGSs were also taken just before and at 8 months after the I therapy. Change in serum amylase value and SGS was compared between PG massage and nonmassage groups.
RESULTS:
The difference value of serum amylase was significantly lower in PG massage group than in nonmassage group (P = 0.0052). Worsening of PG function on SGS was observed in 43 (45.3%) of the 95 patients. The incidence rate of PG abnormality on F/U SGS was significantly lower in PG massage group than in nonmassage group (odds ratio, 0.3704; P = 0.0195). In the multiple regression analysis, PG massage significantly affected the abnormality on the 8-month F/U SGS (rpartial = -0.2741, P = 0.0090) after adjusting for clinical variables (age, sex, TNM stage, TSH preparation methods for the I therapy, and I dose).
CONCLUSIONS:
PG gland massage significantly reduced the incidence rates of salivary gland dysfunction on the 8-month F/U SGS and the level of the serological marker of salivary gland destruction after I therapy. Therefore, PG gland massage could alleviate salivary gland damage related to I therapy.
PMID: 31058687
DOI: 10.1097/RLU.0000000000002602
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/310...
There is also a study going on about use of aromatherapy for the same purpose:
A Randomized Controlled Trial for the Effectiveness of Aromatherapy in Decreasing Salivary Gland Damage following Radioactive Iodine Therapy for Differentiated Thyroid Cancer.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/280...
Lemon juice has also been recommended:
Salivary gland malignancy and radioiodine therapy for thyroid cancer.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/204...
Does lemon juice increase radioiodine reaccumulation within the parotid glands more than if lemon juice is not administered?
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/241...
And a relatively recent review of the options:
Clinical Studies of Nonpharmacological Methods to Minimize Salivary Gland Damage after Radioiodine Therapy of Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma: Systematic Review
