Hello, does anyone have any ideas for me? I suffer from hypothyroidism and understand alot of poses which are beneficial for the thyroid which I do regularly. My situation is this: I want to get off the medication and am using yoga to help stimulate my thyroid. I’m not completely off the meds but have reduced them. I want to know how much of the thyroid stimulating poses I should be doing, and how long to hold and when’s the best time to do them. Should I be doing a session of just these poses at one particular time or just incorporating them into my regular practise? Yoga has definitely helped so far but I want to stay on the right track. Are there any experts out there on yoga for the thyroid. I don’t just mean a generalisation of what’s good for the thyroid, I need a specific programme. I entend to reduce my medication bit by bit slowly (weekly), providing I feel good. Thankyou for listening. One more thing, does anyone know if there are any thyroid forums? Thanks
I just read today about how oat stimulates the thyroid gland.
PS. Winegar from wine or apples is also rumoured to be helpful, if you can find a place for it in your diet. (Salads)
I am no nutritionist or physician so take this just as it is … a possibility to check.
Thanks, do mean oats as in porridge? I eat that for breakfast. Haven’t tried the vinegar. How much do you need?
[quote=Hubert;5753]I just read today about how oat stimulates the thyroid gland.
PS. Winegar from wine or apples is also rumoured to be helpful, if you can find a place for it in your diet. (Salads)
I am no nutritionist or physician so take this just as it is … a possibility to check.[/quote]
Not more than the amount you’d have in your salad, a few teaspoons I guess.
And oat, like porridge, or like flakes with yogurt or juice. I just searched the net, and there are so called thyroid diets, but you probably know those.
Oats are great, unless you live in a very hot climate, where it’s consumption might generate too much heat in the body.
Hello Jo,
I would not think a program given over the internet would be that effective. The work you are asking about is involved and needs interaction and monitoring. A simple sequencing of asanas, in my opinion is not a comprehensive healing plan.
Additionally there is a misconception about yoga poses and the thyroid, amongst other things. Yoga poses do not stimulate the thyroid, otherwise they would not work equally for those with hypo and hyper thyroid. Yoga poses, when combined with pranayama, lifestyle, nutrition, and meditation, BALANCE the thyroid.
When you find the right practitioner to work with you would scale your meds back exponentially. Reduce them to half their dosage after the first month to whatver time frame your practitioner plots, then half the half, then half that half and so on.
I’m guessing you’re in the UK?
Namaste Jo,
Would you share some more information with us? I have a few questions.
- What are your reasons to get off the medication? Please be as detailed as you can.
- Are you working with your endocrinologist to move away from your medication? Is your doctor willing to work with you as you explore other courses?
- Have you had your T3 (free), T4 (free) and TSH (ultrasensitive) levels retested since you lessened your dose? I can’t interpret the numbers, but if you could tell us the range the levels are in and how they’ve adjusted with less meds and more thyroid-specific asana.
I was hoping to get some of this info before I offered any recommendations to you. Are you open to Ayurveda or actively using any of the principles already? I don’t believe that yoga alone will be enough, and that yoga therapy with an Ayurvedic approach best serves people with endocrine issues.
With love,
Hey Jo
One of my students suffers from a hashimoto thyroiditis which is also combined with a hypo function.
Aside frequently monitored yoga pratise found a very good classical homoeopath and now his situation is getting better and better every day.
He is reducing his meds now exactly in the way inner athlete sugested.
All the best
Lars
I have hypothyroid condition and am on levothyroxine daily. Although being “off medication” may be preferable you may want to ask yourself, “at what risk”. Medication is sometimes a gift. I feel better since being on the med. My hair was thinning, I was gaining weight, was slightly depressed, and suffered from chronic constipation; all symptoms of underactive thyroid. My hair is full again, no weight gain, no depression and no constipation. I do yoga daily, take my medication daily, and am happy.
Sometimes medication is necessary.
Wishing you health and happiness,
Cathy
Thankyou Cathy, I also feel better on the medication and when I tried to reduce it, went down hill straight away. I’ve gone back on the medication for now as I feel my life is too full to try the challenge of going off. When my life slows down a bit or I feel confident to try, I’d like to give it a go properly, but for now I’ll stick to it. I have a question for you; how long have you been on the medication, and since you started have you had to keep increasing your dosage, or have you been on the same amount for a long time?
The main reason for wanting to go off the meds is partly because I don’t like the idea of medications, but also because I heard that hypothyroidism after childbirth can sometimes be temporary. Mine was diagnosed 1 year after my second child so I’m thinking that it’s childbirth related although I know it may not be. Anyway, those are my reasons.
All the best.
Good luck with yours.
Jo
[quote=cathy;6030]I have hypothyroid condition and am on levothyroxine daily. Although being “off medication” may be preferable you may want to ask yourself, “at what risk”. Medication is sometimes a gift. I feel better since being on the med. My hair was thinning, I was gaining weight, was slightly depressed, and suffered from chronic constipation; all symptoms of underactive thyroid. My hair is full again, no weight gain, no depression and no constipation. I do yoga daily, take my medication daily, and am happy.
Sometimes medication is necessary.
Wishing you health and happiness,
Cathy[/quote]
Hi jo
how are you ?
i had read your problem. as per mine feeling from using mine vibration technique your probblem is at the left side of the neck. because of this generally you have pain in the left side of head.
if you believe just do this thing as follows
here i can remove your pain and problem just send me a photo in which i can see your neck and your forehead clearly. once i will start mine work you have to intemate me about your situation in everyweek.
thanks
Thankyou, but I don’t have pain in the left side of my head at all or the right for that matter. I can’t send a photo as of yet as I don’t have a digital camera.
[quote=siddhyogi;6035]Hi jo
how are you ?
i had read your problem. as per mine feeling from using mine vibration technique your probblem is at the left side of the neck. because of this generally you have pain in the left side of head.
if you believe just do this thing as follows
here i can remove your pain and problem just send me a photo in which i can see your neck and your forehead clearly. once i will start mine work you have to intemate me about your situation in everyweek.
thanks[/quote]
Hi,
I have been on medication since June of 2004. It has increased twice since the initial diagnosis. The increase has been minor. For me it was not due to childbirth since my children are grown. However, this condition does run in my family. I have a student who has chosen not to take the medication that was recommended by her doctor. She is a young woman and I have noticed her symptoms continue despite the ayurvedic medicine she is on. Sometimes the best we can do is stabilize or reduce the need for medication.
What are those lyrics? “One pill makes you larger, one pill makes you small…” Well, my levothyroxine makes me feel good, physically and emotionally. Hopefully, due to the loss of symptoms, especially constipation, I may be able to keep the colon cancer that also runs in my family at bay.
Cathy
Thanks Cathy, Good to hear the medication has worked for you and you’re doing well. That’s interesting about the colon problems in your family, seems to run in mine aswell. My mum has hashimotos so yes thyroid is in the family too, I was hoping to sneek away from all that but must be time to accept and move on. I still don’t think I could just take the medication and not do yoga, it helps me so much, I definitely need it.
Thanks for your support. By the way, do you know if there are any good thyroid forums? Atleast I know you’re here, now I don’t feel so alone with it.
Have you ever taken coconut oil for the thyroid?
All the best
Jo
[quote=cathy;6042]Hi,
I have been on medication since June of 2004. It has increased twice since the initial diagnosis. The increase has been minor. For me it was not due to childbirth since my children are grown. However, this condition does run in my family. I have a student who has chosen not to take the medication that was recommended by her doctor. She is a young woman and I have noticed her symptoms continue despite the ayurvedic medicine she is on. Sometimes the best we can do is stabilize or reduce the need for medication.
What are those lyrics? “One pill makes you larger, one pill makes you small…” Well, my levothyroxine makes me feel good, physically and emotionally. Hopefully, due to the loss of symptoms, especially constipation, I may be able to keep the colon cancer that also runs in my family at bay.
Cathy[/quote]
Greetings Jo 
I saw your post and just had to reply. I have Hashimot’s and over the years have studied and learned a lot in the alterntiave field on this. Oh, I am not a docotor, no way. ha But I am determine to get well. Found I could not do it without association, so I started an egroup. If not interested thats ok, just thought I’d throw it out there cuz I was surpried when I found the information out there on herbs and Ayurveda that can help this disease. It is a fact tho, that it takes time and effort, but I figure, we’re stuck with it anyway, might as well make a fun project out of it and see what happens. For me anyhow. Well, enough of my rambling. Here is my yahoo group for anyone interested: HypothyroidVegetarians : Hypothyroid Vegetarians
I tried to put it in my signature but I dont think it came thru, so just in case, I put it in the post. Sorry if that bothers anyone. Still learning how to use things here.
Hi all. I just registered on this site. I have some comments and questions regarding Hypothyroidism. I don’t think it is safe or healthy to think yoga poses can fix the problem. I have been told by several homeopaths and yoga therapists that Hypothyroidism is one of the diseases/health issues that is very difficult to monitor and control without medicine. There are so many factors involved here. I am a certified yoga instructor and believe in everything yoga, but I recently encountered another student who was told by a yoga therapist that she could fix her issue with shoulder stands, and other thymus tapping, endocrine system stimulating poses. It is my understanding that after puberty, thymus tapping is no longer effective. Is there someone out there can explain or clear this up for me? I appreciate the opinions of several of the yoga therapists on here but I don’t see any good explanation why and how certain poses can claim results when it comes to hypothyroidism?
Unfortunately we live in a construct where “certified teacher” and “yoga therapist” don’t mean much more than “natural” or “new and improved”. So those things require fleshing out before they can be part of the equation.
As I mentioned misperceptions in my previous thread, I’ll pick this up from there. Yoga doesn’t heal anything at all. Nothing. Put another way, you are correct, yoga doesn’t fix anything. When yoga is viewed as “fix” it is typically viewed in that way due a lack of understanding. That can be on the part of a student, a teacher, or an observer.
Instead, appropriate yoga, (not asana but the larger container in which asana dwells) supports the body and its systems in order to foster balance. I do not tell students to toss away their meds nor do I tell them I can fix something - frankly because nothing is actually broken.
Instead the practice of Purna Yoga offers a four prong approach (asana/pranayama, meditation, applied philosophy, lifestyle/nutrition) in order to support a person to bring the five body systems into balance. This includes the endocrine system of which the thyroid is a member. Woudl Sarvangasana be part of an offering to support that direction. Most likely. Is Sarvangasana enough? Not likely.
If a teacher/student is unwilling or unable to change the way they think, change the way they practice, change the way they meditate, and change the way they eat, that person would not be well served by a yoga practice (or an asana practice) though it might “make” them feel a bit better along the trail.
Does this respond to your post or clear up that which you wanted clear? I was having a tough time deciphering exactly what you were asking.
Sorry it has taken me this long to get back to you. Hmmm Actually it was only today that I received a message someone replied to my post. Not exactly sure how that all operates, so that’s ok, I’ll just answer to the best of my ability now.
There are some interesting replies to this same topic, and I have enjoyed them all. This is just mine. I agree that one should not think yoga poses will get them off thyroid medication. For me, on my own sites, I say upfront its purpose is not to get one off medication but to live a healthier lifestyle and hopefully from there one can see where it goes. Actually I get many joining my egroup saying “I want to get off medication” but I have never made such a promise, and quite the opposite really. But I am open to the idea. One member insisted to stop taking her meds, which I was against, but of course its her life, her choice. Some months later she went to her doc, and after doing Pranayama all that time, her blood work came back better than it had! So I can’t say it never happens, just that it can be a hope while keeping respect for the raw materials the body requires for overall health.
There are so many things required to improve thyroid health, and so many misconceptions out there. One example is a common belief is the main solution for everyone is to take iodine. For a few iodine works, but if one has Hashimotos than its not an iodine deficiency but an autoimmune disease. Autoimmune means the body is attacking what it sees as the enemy, in this case: the thyroid.
Much more I could write but time is pressing. Thanks for letting me get in my two cents. Take care all.
Namaste,
Priitaa
[quote=InnerAthlete;51030]Unfortunately we live in a construct where “certified teacher” and “yoga therapist” don’t mean much more than “natural” or “new and improved”. So those things require fleshing out before they can be part of the equation.
As I mentioned misperceptions in my previous thread, I’ll pick this up from there. Yoga doesn’t heal anything at all. Nothing. Put another way, you are correct, yoga doesn’t fix anything. When yoga is viewed as “fix” it is typically viewed in that way due a lack of understanding. That can be on the part of a student, a teacher, or an observer.
Instead, appropriate yoga, (not asana but the larger container in which asana dwells) supports the body and its systems in order to foster balance. I do not tell students to toss away their meds nor do I tell them I can fix something - frankly because nothing is actually broken.
Instead the practice of Purna Yoga offers a four prong approach (asana/pranayama, meditation, applied philosophy, lifestyle/nutrition) in order to support a person to bring the five body systems into balance. This includes the endocrine system of which the thyroid is a member. Woudl Sarvangasana be part of an offering to support that direction. Most likely. Is Sarvangasana enough? Not likely.
If a teacher/student is unwilling or unable to change the way they think, change the way they practice, change the way they meditate, and change the way they eat, that person would not be well served by a yoga practice (or an asana practice) though it might “make” them feel a bit better along the trail.
Does this respond to your post or clear up that which you wanted clear? I was having a tough time deciphering exactly what you were asking.[/quote]
I couldn’t have said it better myself! Thank you for this.
Namaste,
Priitaa
To heal the thyroid, or anything really, often takes quite a bit of work. Not everyone wants to do it. Lifestyle changes are required, some belief systems are hard to be given up when they need to be. An example would be iodine, its often a bone of contention to hypoT folks who have read about it but do not read how it only applies to a certain type of hypothyroidism - deficiency, and not autoimmune. If it helps - great, but often its pushed as the main solution, when in fact some with hashi’s get worse when taking iodine. Such confusions are often innocent but still keep us sick.
Lifestyle changes are almost always required and with this disease we often get tired, thus the last thing we want to hear is “exercise!” I am not exception “but” we have to find an exercise we can handle. Hatha is something I’ve always been drawn too, but on my egroup I tell folks to do whatever they want, just do something. [Tho I still have this egroup I have not had time to get involved lately for personal reasons ‘but’ there is so much unique help there and I am leaving it open in hopes that one day I will have time to go back to it.]
I am the first to admit, this disease makes it even harder to want to do work toward change because what doctors often don’t reveal or test for, is it is also inter-related with the adrenals. We, hypothyroid patients, are running low on adrenaline. And if something upsets us, it can leave us feeling sick or ‘out of it’ for days. This needs to be honored, at the same time we need to find a solution.
In some ways hypothyroidism may appear to get in the way of regular yoga philosophies, yet it is not that far off. We can still find solutions for us individually, to do the work, one that doesn’t leave us drained but even empowers us.
Then there is also the issue many docs don’t bring up, that any illness or problem the hypothyroid person has will effect the function of the thyroid, such as allergies for example. If that is not gotten under control, the white cells etc, will in turn effect the thyroid. Thus when going in for blood work it won’t be as good as it would if instead we were able to get allergies under control. Not always an easy task, but never give up…on anything. This is also where I think PranaYama helps, and reiki, combined. That which we can not understand, often they can.
I know too much about Hashi’s so I better sign off. Good luck all.
Namaste,
Priitaa
[quote=Lars Rimb?ck;5905]Hey Jo
One of my students suffers from a hashimoto thyroiditis which is also combined with a hypo function.
Aside frequently monitored yoga pratise found a very good classical homoeopath and now his situation is getting better and better every day.
He is reducing his meds now exactly in the way inner athlete sugested.
All the best
Lars[/quote]
Lars I hope this won’t disappoint you, and hopefully I am mistaken, but before I had studied this much about hypothyroidism, a well meaning person tried to put me on homeopathy. I thought this would be a nice alternative! Several homeopathic folks online really, were telling me they could get me off medication. What I found out is they just switch the medication, as the homeopathic product is sheep thyroid. I understand how homeopathy is made, but suspect in this case it is one of the least diluted formulas. In any case those are details, what I came to learn was homeopathy just weans you off one kind of meds as they gradually increase your dose to homeopathic meds- but you are still left to take meds the rest of your life. While some are taking scripts of Armour / pig thyroid, homeopathy just switches one over to sheep thyroid. Now I’m a vegetarian, and don’t want to debate that topic either but to me sheep or pig, its all the same. I do take scripts but have not had to raise the dose of it in years which IMHO is due to lifestyle changes that are specifically supportive of thyroid functions, dietary included.
Tho Matsya Asana helps thyroid function. It may not cure it, but it does help. I myself find it important to balance it by doing it in reverse, that is bending the neck back. This seems to open it up more, and I actually feel the difference when adding pranayama, feel the air all around my thyroid.
Everyone is different, everyone an individual. That is simply what has helped me.
Priitaa