Do you feel weak and tired? Is anxiety synonymous with your daily life? Are your joints aching? Have you noticed signs of goiter? If your answers to these questions are a resounding yes, chances are your thyroid is letting you down. If you’re looking for a natural way to treat your thyroid problem, Ayurvedic treatment for thyroid is your best bet, closest to self-healing. By helping your body along with massages and therapies, supplemented with some yoga and breathing methods, your thyroid problems should ease with time.
1. Ayurvedic Head Massage With Eranda Oil
[pullquote]Massage eranda oil onto your head to relieve yourself of gout symptoms.[/pullquote]
If you have hypothyroidism, you are prone to developing gout. This ailment occurs when your body produces too much uric acid, which could bring on painful joints or acute arthritis.1 For treating gout, the root of the eranda or Ricinus communis Linn is used to make the herbal remedy amrutadi taila. The oil, when massaged into the head, can provide relief from symptoms.2
2. Nasya Therapy
[pullquote]Administer medicated oils into your nasal passage through nasya karma.[/pullquote]
Thyroid problems too can be treated with nasya therapy or nasya karma where medicated oils or powders are administered into your nasal passages. This treatment is one of the cornerstones of the 5-pronged panchakarma treatment, a holistic Ayurvedic therapy designed to detox, restore balance, and build immunity. You could try a neti pot, a special vessel used to pour the medicated oils into your nostrils while tilting your head at an angle, allowing the oil to move in from one nostril and out the other. The elderly, young children, pregnant women, and those who are ill with fever, diarrhea, or inflammation should avoid this treatment, though.3
3. Dough Basti On The Thyroid Gland Area
[pullquote]Try basti to stimulate the thyroid gland.[/pullquote]
In this therapy, dough is used to create a raised circular dam to hold warm medicated oils in the thyroid region. The treatment is believed to help stimulate the gland and nourish the thyroid. The basti used specifically for the thyroid is called “vishuddha basti,” and it tackles problems of the throat and thyroid chakra. The exact oils and herbs used by the Ayurvedic specialist will depend on your body constitution and the particular problems you have with your thyroid.4
4. Foot Massage For 5 Minutes
[pullquote]Massage points on each your foot that link to your throat chakra for 2.5 mins. [/pullquote]
Massaging the points on your feet that correspond to the throat chakra or the vishuddhi chakra for about 2.5 minutes (for each foot) can also help with problems of the thyroid. Use a semi-circular movement during the massage at these points located on the inner edge of the ball of your feet.5
5. Dhara And Shirodhara
[pullquote]Pour medicated oil on your throat and the head to stimulate the thyroid.[/pullquote]
A dhara treatment of the vishuddhi chakra, where a stream of medicated oil is poured on the thyroid area using a dhara pot, is another course of treatment. Shirodhara uses a flow of oil on the head to stimulate the psychoneuroimmunological function of your brain, which means that it stimulates the functions related to the psychological processes, the nervous, and the immune system of the body. This causes changes in the levels of thyroid-releasing hormone and can thus help improve symptoms for someone with abnormal levels of the hormone.6
6. Water Lettuce Paste For Goiter-Related Swelling
[pullquote]To reduce goiter-related swelling, apply a paste of water lettuce.[/pullquote]
Ayurveda suggests some simple home remedies that can alleviate some of the more painful symptoms and problems related to thyroid issues. A paste made from water lettuce or jalakumbhi (Pistia stratiotes) when placed on any area swollen due to goiter can help bring down the swelling. The juice of the same plant can also be consumed to increase iodine levels in the body.7
Another remedy involves dipping a cloth in water containing a paste of drumstick (shigru) bark. This needs to be dried and can then be tied loosely around your neck at night while you sleep, for a maximum of 15 days or as suggested by an Ayurvedic specialist, to help reduce any swelling. Be careful not to leave it on longer, and stop the treatment after the suggested number of days to prevent emaciation of the muscles of your neck.8
7. Diet For Hypo- And Hyperthyroidism
[pullquote]For hypothyroidism, a kapha imbalance disorder, cut down on broccoli, cauliflower, and maize and load up on old rice, neem leaves, and corn.[/pullquote]
For Hypothyroidism
In general, since an enlarged thyroid is considered an imbalance of kapha (water) and meda (fat), if you have hypothyroidism, you may need to limit certain foods in your diet. Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, pearl millet, soy, lima beans, and maize, in particular, are considered avoidable under Ayurveda.
Called “Pathya Apathya,” this diet regimen suggests the inclusion of neem leaves, old rice that’s nearly a year old, parval or pointed gourd, and corn, while avoiding avoid certain foods (like the ones mentioned here) that can aggravate kapha.9
For Hyperthyroidism
[pullquote]For hyperthyroidism, a vata and pitta imbalance disorder, have milk, ghee, walnuts, and bananas.[/pullquote]
Hyperthyroidism, by contrast, is a sign of a vata and pitta imbalance. Consuming plenty of dairy products like milk and ghee can help. Fresh fruits like melons and bananas and dry fruit including walnuts and dates can abate the vata and pitta.10
8. Yoga Asanas And Pranayama: Shoulder Stand And Shitali
[pullquote]Practice fish posture and shoulder stand to massage the thyroid gland. Practice ujjayi pranayama for hypothyroidism and shitali breathing for hyperthyroidism.[/pullquote]
Certain asanas alongside herbal remedies and massages are recommended for thyroid problems. The fish posture (matsya mudra) and the shoulder stand (sarvangasana) in particular are helpful. These poses help normalize the secretion of thyroxin in the body, restoring metabolic balance and easing problems like anxiety, nervousness, and sleeplessness. Each of the poses must be done thrice. They act like a massage of the thyroid gland, are restorative, and enhance its effectiveness.11
Try learning breathing exercises like ujjayi pranayama if you have a hypothyroid issue12 or shitali breathing if you have hyperthyroidism. Practice these methods every day for about 10 minutes or so.
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