Acupuncture and Your Thyroid
In Chinese medicine, the thyroid doesn’t exist. Well not as an organ, more as a series of functions. Very important functions. Especially for fertility (and infertility), pregnancy, post partum and ongoing hormone regulation.
This can, however make treating the thyroid a little tricky. It often means treating symptoms as they pop up, instead of holistically treating the pattern. Especially so when you’re about to go into an IVF cycle and have limited time for regulating your thyroid.
Generally the thyroid is in a state of balance, hypofunctioning (low functioning) or hyperfunctioning (over functioning). I see thyroid imbalances during menstrual cycles, changes during an IVF cycle, during pregnancy and often missed in post partum recovery and well into 12 months post delivery.
In a state of hypofunction in Chinese medicine, it often presents as a pattern called ‘Kidney Yang deficiency’, where there is insufficient warmth in the body to transform energy. This can result in symptoms like tiredness, brain fog, slow digestion, undigested food in stools, difficulty losing weight, short luteal phase, low progesterone, delayed ovulation, bloating, fluid retention, recurrent miscarriages, feelings of cold, poor IVF outcomes.
In a state of hyperfunction in Chinese medicine, it often presents as a pattern called ‘Kidney Yin deficiency’, where there is insufficient nourishment of the body so it becomes hot and speeds up metabolism. This can result in symptoms like anxiety, heart palpitations, insomnia, difficulty gaining weight, thin endometrial lining, poor IVF outcomes.
But I want to understand more. I want to help more women get better outcomes with IVF, improve their post partum experience, improve hormone regulation, prevent as many miscarriages as possible. So, I am heading to a two day course in Cairns on thyroid function and acupuncture and hope to be able to add to this article with a bunch more information.
If you have any specific questions about how acupuncture could support your thyroid, please email me at hello@paigewatersacupuncture.com.au
Paige x
