November -December 2012

63
Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life)



Traditional Chinese Medicine Views
and Treatment of Hypothyroidism
Helen H. Hu, OMD, L/Ac.
Bypothyioiuism is unuei activity of the thy
ioiu glanu that leaus to inauequate piouuction of
thyioiu hoimones anu a slowing of vital bouy
functions
Facial expiessions become uull the voice is
hoaise speech is slow eyelius uioop anu the
eyes anu face become puffy
0sually only one bloou test is neeueu to con
iim the uiagnosis
People with hypothyioiuism neeu to take a
thyioiu hoimone foi the iest of theii life
Bypothyioiuism is common especially among
oluei people paiticulaily women about of
oluei women aie affecteu It can howevei occui
at any age veiy seveie hypothyioiuism is calleu
myxeuema
Bypothyioiuism can uevelop aftei tieatment
of hypeithyioiuism oi thyioiu cancei because use
of iauioactive iouine oi uiugs that inteifeie with
the bouys ability to make thyioiu hoimones oi
suigical iemoval of the thyioiu glanu leaus to a
lack of thyioiu hoimone piouuction
A chionic lack of iouine in the uiet is the most
common cause of hypothyioiuism in many uevel
oping countiies Bowevei iouine ueiciency is a
iaie cause of hypothyioiuism in the 0niteu States
because iouine is auueu to table salt anu is also
useu to steiilize the uuueis of uaiiy cattle anu
thus is piesent in uaiiy piouucts
Symptoms
Insuficient thyioiu hoimones cause bouy
functions to slow Symptoms aie subtle anu ue
velop giauually They may be mistaken foi ue
piession especially among oluei people Facial
expiessions become uull the voice is hoaise anu
speech is slow eyelius uioop anu the eyes anu
face become puffy Nany people with hypothy
ioiuism gain weight become constipateu anu aie
unable to toleiate colu The haii becomes spaise
coaise anu uiy anu the skin becomes coaise uiy
scaly anu thick Some people uevelop caipal tun
nel synuiome which makes the hanus tingle oi
huit The pulse may slow the palms anu soles
may appeai slightly oiange caiotenemia anu
the siue paits of the eyebiows slowly fall out
Some people especially oluei people may appeai
confuseu foigetful oi peiplexeusigns that can
easily be mistaken foi Alzheimeis uisease oi oth
ei foims of uementia
In TCN view of Bypothyioiuism categoiizeu
as ovei exeition Xu Lao anu }ia Bi Theie aie
two patteins within the hypothyioius
A Heart and hidney yang deiciency
People with this pattein often have heait pal
pitations shoitness of bieath low toleiance anu
lowei back pain with coluness sensations on the
back Some patients might have euema on the
lowei leg
0thei clinical
symptoms aie
low libiuo
cleai anu long
uiination es
pecially uui
ing the night
TCM Food Therapy
64 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 2, Issue No. 6

Spleen and hidney yang deiciency
Patients with this pattein may have uiaiihea
oi wateiy with non-uigesteu foou in the stool
with pale complexion anu feel coluness of foui
limbs Patients might have mixeu patteins how
evei one pattein is pieuominateu Besiue seek
ing piofessional help foi the conuition eithei
westein meuicine oi tiauitional Chinese meuicine
with heibal foimula uiet theiapy is veiy benei
cial to hypothyioiuism It not only tieats milu hy
pothyioiuism oi ieuucing ceitain meuication but
moie impoitantly ensuies a natuial way foi well
being foi those patients
Beie aie some examples of foou theiapy foi pa
tients who suffei hypothyioiu
Co )i Lamb
uo ji beiiy g
Astiagals g
Lamb g cut into squaie pieces
uingei g
Cooking wine g
Ciystal sugai g
Put all ingieuients into put biing to boil the low
ei tempeiatuie cook till meat softens
Seive once a uay uiink the soup anu eat the meat


Herbal egg
Chicken egg
Chuan Bu Zhong g
Chuan xu uuan g
Put all egg anu heibs in ceiamic pot with watei
Boiling eggs until uone Then peel the shell fiom
the egg anu slow cooking the egg in the heibal
juice again foi - min
Seive uiink the heibal juice anu eat the egg 0nce
a uay
Cinnamon congee
Cinnamon baik g powueieu
Spiing iice g
With watei cook both spiing iice anu cinnamon
togethei
November -December 2012
65
Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life)



Yi zbi Congee one day serving
Yi zhi ien g
Spiing iice g
Pinch of salt
Auu watei to make iice soup seive twice uay
waim both in the moining anu night
Blach sesame congee
Black sesame seeus g bakeu in the fiieu
pan anu then ciash the sesame seeus
Spiing iice g
Put spiing iice anu watei to make iice soup
When soup is uone auu the ciusheu black sesame
seeus in the soup anu cook foi shoit time Seive
once a uay Two weeks as a couise of tieatments
Zbu yu ginger congee
Shan zhu yu g
Biieu gingei g
Spiing iice g
Auu all ingieuients in ceiamic cooking pot to
make soup cook it till all soft anu pasty Auu a
little white sugai befoie it uone if piefeience
Seive once a uay uays as couise of tieatment
Blach Cbichen
one black chicken g bettei to use male
Rou cong iounu g
uingei g
Salt
Auu all ingieuients with chicken togethei in a
pot biing it to boil then lowei tempeiatuie to
continue cooking until chicken is cookeu
Seivei with meal 0nce a uay one chicken -
two seivings
Dr. Helen Hu has stuaiea Traaitional Chinese Meaicine
(TCM) since the age of 12, a caraiolo-
gist ana practitioner of integratea meai-
cine for 9 years. She immigratea to the
Unitea States in 1991. In 1997 Dr. Hu
passea the 'Unitea States Licensing
Meaical Exam` while simultaneously
obtaining her Oriental Meaical Degree
(OMD). Dr. Hu is a specialist in Herbal
meaicine, nationally licensea in Acu-
puncture ana has a Philosophy of life structurea arouna Orien-
tal traaitions. She utili:es her expertise in these treatments
along with a passion ana wisaom for longevity to treat a varie-
ty of health conaitions. To fina more information about her, go
to http://www.omdweb.net/