• Home
  • About
  • Thyroid Kids Zone
  • Links
  • Contact
  • Blog
    • February 2016
      • Congenital Hypothyroidism…You Know…
    • January 2016
      • To my littlest love, who also happens to have Congenital Hypothyroidism
      • A Letter to My Son on his 10th Birthday – Congential Hypothyroidism
    • November 2015
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-11.18.15
      • Thyroid Mom receives Liebster Award
      • Motivation Monday & Your Thyroid Disorder
    • October 2015
      • Thyroid Disorders and Your Skin
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-10.28.15
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-10.14.15
      • ADHD and Thyroid Disorders
    • September 2015
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-9.30.15
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-9.23.15
      • Thyroid Mom Birthday Giveaway
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-9.16.15
      • Growth Awareness Week: September 2015
      • Are You An Empath & What Impact Does It Have On Your Health?
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-9.2.15
    • July 2015
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-7.15.15
    • June 2015
      • Giving Infants Medication
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-6.18.15
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-6.3.15
    • May 2015
      • Congenital Hypothyroidism and Blood Draws and Courage
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-5.20.15
      • Congenital Hypothyroidism: The First Year
      • Thyroid and Mental Health
    • April 2015
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-4.22.15
      • Too Young To Be So Sick: A Young Woman’s Battle With Graves’ Disease
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-4.15.15
    • March 2015
      • Trust Your Gut: Raising Children With Thyroid Disorders
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-3.11.15
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-3.4.15
      • Vitamin D and Your Thyroid
    • February 2015
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-2.11.15
      • How Do You Stay Hydrated in the Winter?
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-2.4.15
    • January 2015
      • 7 Lessons Chronic Illness Has Taught Me: A Retrospective Look at Hypothyroidism
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-1.14.15
      • Hypothyroidism in Children: Not So Rare After All!
      • Rise and Thrive!
    • December 2014
      • ThyroidChange: What It Means To Me by Thyroid Mom
    • November 2014
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-11.5.14
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-11.12.14
      • Vitamin B2 and Thyroid Function
    • October 2014
      • Thyroid Disorders Don’t Have to be Scary!
      • Fill ‘er up! Fellow Thyroid Warrior, Is Your Tank Empty?
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-10.22.14
      • Your Journey with Thyroid Disease
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-10.15.14
      • Autism and Congenital Hypothyroidism: Why Newborn Screening Matters
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-10.1.14
    • September 2014
      • Scrub Phobia: Battling Your Child’s Fear of Doctors
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-9.17.14
      • Growth Awareness Week: Why it Matters to Me.
      • Growth Awareness Week
      • Thyroid News-Newborn Screening-9.10.14
      • THYROID MOM HITS 2,000 LIKES
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-Thyroid Cancer-9.3.14
    • August 2014
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-8.27.14
      • Congenital Hypothyroidism and Thyroid Resistance: A Story About Heart
      • You Are Your Child’s Best Advocate
    • July 2014
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-7.30.14
      • Thyroid Imbalance: A Yin-Yang Perspective
      • My Child Has Congenital Hypothyroidism: A New Mom Confronts the Diagnosis
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-7.23.14
      • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-7.16.14
      • Undefeated Q2

Thyroid Mom

Raising awareness of Congenital Hypothyroidism and building support for parents and children

  • Parenting Kids With CH
  • Shared Stories
  • Thyroid News

Thyroid Imbalance: A Yin-Yang Perspective

July 28, 2014 by Blythe 1 Comment

thyroid disorders yin-yang

I am pleased to introduce you to my acupuncturist, Ginna Browning.  Ginna has been helpful in treating many issues for me, beginning with sciatic nerve pain when I was pregnant with my oldest son.   The information she is sharing as today’s Guest Blogger will hopefully help you understand more about thyroid imbalance and help you see the value of incorporating a holistic or balanced approach to treating hypothyroidism (under active thyroid). Happy Reading! ~Blythe aka Thyroid Mom

*******************************************************************

In traditional Chinese medicine, thyroid disorders are treated depending on the patient’s symptoms and presenting diagnosis pattern. Low thyroid function often presents as a “Spleen and Kidney yang qi deficiency.” Symptoms of Spleen yang qi deficiency include digestive system bloating, sluggish bowels, feeling tired after eating, weight gain, pale skin and tongue, cravings for sweets, and a tendency to over think and worry. Kidney yang qi deficiency symptoms include puffy eyes, frequent urination, intolerance to cold, weak knees and back, low libido, and fatigue. Sound familiar?

Practitioners who study traditional Chinese medicine strive to balance the body’s energy systems. We assess each patient’s energy for yin and yang harmony. When yin and yang are in balance, you feel good and are relatively symptom free. The roots of this approach to health care are ancient and do not rely on blood tests. Lab values should be considered, but are not as important as how a patient feels. The suggestions below will help balance hypothyroidism and low metabolic function from a yin – yang perspective in traditional Chinese medicine.

Patients who suffer from symptoms of Spleen and Kidney yang qi deficiency need to fortify their yang energy. Boosting yang energy includes eating warming foods like black beans and lentils cooked with ginger and cloves. Healing vegetables include sweet potato, leeks, winter squash, garlic, fennel and parsnip. The following grains, nuts, and seeds will also benefit your yang energy: oats, spelt, quinoa, sunflower seeds, chestnuts, pinenuts, and walnuts. Raw foods that are cold in nature should be avoided.

Herbs that support the yang qi include: ginseng, white atractylodes, honey fried licorice, poria, and rehmannia root. Herbal formulas are very safe and affordable. Most practitioners will customize them to fit your needs. They can be drank as a tea, powder added to water, or swallowed in pill form. Chai tea is considered warming and contains cinnamon which we also know facilitates blood sugar management.

It is important that yang deficient people get moving. Exercising in the midday sun can lift your spirits and support proper wake and sleep cycles. Take a walk after lunch, play Frisbee or catch with your dog, and join a group fitness class after work. Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and yoga classes are a good place to start. Check your heart rate to ensure you are not overdoing it and causing adrenal stress by reaching an anaerobic state. Just like stimulants, this can further exhaust you. The goal is to feel energized after activity, not wiped out.

Receiving acupuncture treatments based on your particular diagnosis will go a long way to enhance yang qi. The practice of moxabustion and far infrared heat applied to the abdomen is used to promote energy flow in the belly. It will help to warm and regulate digestive function. Initially, patients may require more frequent treatments to get the best results. Once their symptoms have improved, most will benefit from periodic, maintenance sessions due to the chronic nature of thyroid dysfunction. Your individual treatment schedule will be decided upon based on your specific needs.

By Ginna Browning, L.Ac., LMBT; Remedy Clinic, Raleigh, NC, www.remedyclinic.com

References: Healing with Whole Foods, by Paul Pitchford, 3rd edition, 2002; Clinical Handbook of Internal Medicine, by Will Maclean and Jane Lyttleton

More about Ginna Browning: A Raleigh, NC native, Ginna practiced therapeutic massage in her hometown for more than 14 years. Upon graduation from the Carolina School of Massage Therapy in 1992, she continued her studies of osteopathic, sensory-motor and neuromuscular bodywork and served as an instructor at the Medical Arts Massage School. She left Raleigh in 2000 to pursue her education in Traditional Chinese Medicine in New Mexico.  After three years of post-graduate study at the International Institute of Chinese Medicine and the Southwest Acupuncture College in Albuquerque, Ginna returned to Raleigh to set up her practice, Remedy.  Ginna’s mission, as a professional and a person, is to educate individuals about their bodies and total health, and assist them to feel their absolute best, naturally.  www.remedyclinic.com

ginna2

More about Acupuncture: Check out the FAQs on Ginna’s website.

More from my site

  • Congenital Hypothyroidism and Thyroid Resistance: A Story About HeartCongenital Hypothyroidism and Thyroid Resistance: A Story About Heart
  • Vitamin B2 and Thyroid FunctionVitamin B2 and Thyroid Function
  • Graves’ Disease – A Family’s Struggle with Thyroid DisordersGraves’ Disease – A Family’s Struggle with Thyroid Disorders
  • Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-7.15.15Wednesday Weekly Roundup-Thyroid News-7.15.15
  • Motivation Monday & Your Thyroid DisorderMotivation Monday & Your Thyroid Disorder
  • Battling Those Winter BluesBattling Those Winter Blues

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Blog, July 2014 Tagged With: Grave's Disease, Related Disorders, Support, Thyroid Disorders

Follow Me

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • RSS
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter

Tags

Adrenal Fatigue Armour Thyroid Autism auto immune disorders Blood Draws Congenital Hypothyroidism Diet Energy Events Fluoride foods for hyperthyroidism Grave's Disease Growth Hashimoto's Helping Kids With CH hydration and thyroid hyperthyroidism Hypoparathyroidism Hypothyroidism Hypothyroidism in Children Inspiration Iodine and thyroid Kidney Function Medication mental health My Journey Newborn Screening Parenting Pregnancy Pregnancy and Thyroid Related Disorders Rise&Thrive Shared Stories sjogrens Support synthroid T3 Thyroid Cancer Thyroid Disorders Thyroidectomy Thyroid Mom Announcements Thyroid News Vitamin B Vitamin D weight gain and thyroid

About Thyroid Mom

thyroid mom family

I am a mother of two beautiful boys, both born with Congenital Hypothyroidism.  I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism during my late twenties and later learned that it was Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.  My husband was diagnosed with Graves' Disease (hyperthyroidism) shortly before our oldest son was born. … Read More

Creative Commons License
thyroidmom.com by Blythe Clifford is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Disclaimer

This website is for informational purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for consulting a physician regarding medical advice pertaining to you or your child's health. I am not responsible for any loss, injury or damage allegedly arising from any information published in this website.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.