TCM and Thyroid Disorders--Treating Hypothyroidism with Acupuncture

By Susan FishmanLast Updated: June 20, 2019

The University of Maryland Medical Center reports that acupuncture may be helpful in correcting hormonal imbalances, including thyroid disorders. And a study by the Global Advances in Health and Medicine suggests that acupuncture is a viable treatment option for hypothyroidism, though it says more rigorous larger-scale research studies need to be conducted to validate and further these findings.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) regards both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism as Yin/Yang imbalances, and often uses acupuncture, herbal medicine and dietary therapy to rebalance Yin and Yang (the concept of duality forming a whole).

According to the World Health Organization, acupuncture can be used to treat thyroid diseases, and several studies suggest that acupuncture and TCM can be beneficial in treating hypothyroidism. A study at the Shanghai Medical University in China found that symptoms of hypothyroidism improved significantly when treated with a Chinese herbal preparation to stimulate the kidney energy channel, confirming the tie between hypothyroidism and a deficiency in kidney energy.