OVERVIEW
Thyroid disease is a general term for a group of disorders consisting of increased production of thyroid hormones due to stimulation of the autoimmune process (thyrotoxicosis), decreased production of thyroid hormones due to destruction of the gland (hypothyroidism), or thyroid tumors due to other causes. It includes goiter, thyroiditis, thyroid adenoma, thyroid cancer, hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. The main function of the thyroid gland is to synthesize, store and secrete thyroid hormones; the main role of thyroid hormones is to regulate the body’s energy metabolism and material metabolism, and to promote the body’s growth and development and tissue differentiation. Thyroid hormones affect almost every organ system in the body.
Questions you may be concerned about
What are the three most common thyroid disorders?
The three most common thyroid disorders would be hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, and thyroiditis.
1. Hyperthyroidism: excessive thyroid hormones in the blood circulation, most commonly seen in Graves’ disease, which is mainly characterized by symptoms such as irritability and anxiety, agitation, palpitations, arrhythmia, weight loss, hyperphagia, and diarrhea.
2. Hypothyroidism: a kind of low metabolic syndrome caused by insufficient synthesis, secretion or biological effect of thyroid hormone, the causes of which mainly include Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, taking antithyroid drugs, after thyroidectomy, after iodine 131 treatment, congenital thyroid deficiency and endemic iodine deficiency.
3. Thyroiditis: a thyroid disease with inflammation as the main manifestation, may be accompanied by different degrees of systemic reaction, the causes include infectious and non-infectious, and its clinical manifestations are different.
Thyroid disorders should be treated promptly.
Causes
The causes of hypothyroidism include hypothyroidism and pituitary-hypothalamic disorders resulting in insufficient secretion of thyroid hormone;
Causes of thyroid hormone overproduction include iodine overdose, Graves’ disease, thyroiditis, radiation therapy, goiter, neoplasia, and thyroid hormone resistance; thyroid adenomas are of unknown etiology and may be related to gender, genetic factors, radiation exposure, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) overstimulation, and endemic goiter disease.
Questions you may be concerned about
Is thyroid disease caused by eating too much salt?
Thyroid disorders are not necessarily caused by eating too much salt, but because of the many causes of thyroid disorders, it is not possible to generalize, and it is recommended that patients can go to the hospital for relevant examinations.
Iodine may be added to daily salt, and if the daily diet is too salty, the body’s intake of iodine may be excessive, thus increasing the probability of thyroid diseases, such as goiter. In addition, there are more causes of thyroid diseases, which may also be related to self-resistance, genetic factors, ionizing radiation, regional environment, etc..
Therefore, thyroid disease is not necessarily caused by eating too much salt. It is recommended that patients should pay attention to a light diet and reasonable intake of iodine. Thyroid disease should also go to the hospital in time to do the appropriate treatment according to the cause of the disease, specific can consult a specialist.
Does thyroid disease cause acne?
Thyroid disorders may cause acne, but you need to consider whether there are abnormal hormone levels or folliculitis and other related diseases.
Common thyroid disorders include hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism.
1. Hyperthyroidism. This disease is a hypermetabolic disorder caused by high levels of free thyroid hormone in the blood. Patients mainly show fever, excessive sweating, palpitations and weight loss.
If the thyroid hormone is abnormal, leading to some endocrine function disorders in the human body, sebaceous gland function is active, then the sebaceous glands are active, producing sebum may be more, some if not timely discharged from the surface of the skin, may be stagnant inside the sebaceous gland ducts, stimulating local inflammatory reaction, so the formation of inflammatory acne.
2. Hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland synthesizes thyroid hormones at a level that does not satisfy the body’s needs, and the patient usually suffers from a fear of cold, hair loss, and weight gain. The skin may show symptoms such as dryness, roughness as well as less sweating.
Therefore, it is possible that hyperthyroidism among thyroid disorders can cause acne. However, the presence of abnormal hormone levels, abnormal keratinization of the cells around the hair follicles, and a combination of diseases related to inflammation of the hair follicles should also be considered, and further investigation of the cause of acne should be carried out in the hospital.
Patients with thyroid disease and acne are advised to go to the hospital and receive standardized treatment under the guidance of a specialist.
Will thyroid disease cause menstrual failure?
The thyroid gland is an important endocrine organ that mainly secretes thyroid hormones. Thyroid disorders such as hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism may lead to lack of menstruation.
Thyroid hormones are mainly secreted by the thyroid gland and can act on almost all body tissues, affecting fat metabolism, protein metabolism and sugar metabolism, as well as the function of various systems and organs. Hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism may lead to menstrual disorders, irregular menstruation, delayed menstruation, or even amenorrhea.
It is important to note that there are many conditions that can lead to missed periods, such as stress, malnutrition, pregnancy, uterine fibroids, and ovarian failure. It is recommended to consult obstetrics and gynecology or endocrinology in case of menstrual disorders or absence of menstruation to find out the cause and treat it properly.
Symptoms
1. Goiter
Goiter can be divided into sporadic and endemic, usually manifested as diffuse enlargement of both lobes of the thyroid gland, or unilateral predominantly, soft, no nodules, no pressure pain, occasional tremor and vascular murmur. When the enlargement is severe, it may cause dyspnea, hoarseness and difficulty in swallowing. Nodular goiter can be detected in the thyroid gland with multiple nodules of different sizes and hard texture.
2. Thyroiditis
Thyroiditis is divided into acute, subacute and chronic thyroiditis. The main manifestations include swelling of the thyroid gland, pressure pain, and spreading to the back of the ear and the occipital area.
3. Thyroid adenoma
Thyroid adenoma is the most common benign tumor of the thyroid gland, most patients have no obvious symptoms. Physical examination can find single nodule of the thyroid gland, which is round or oval, slightly hard, with clear boundary, smooth surface, no pressure pain, and occasional local swelling.
4. Thyroid cancer
Early symptoms are not obvious, physical examination or ultrasound can see single or multiple hard nodules of different sizes, and in late stage, it can be manifested as hoarseness, dyspnea, Horner’s syndrome and so on.
5. Hyperthyroidism
Clinical manifestations include enlargement of the thyroid gland, protruding eyes, irritability, insomnia, excessive sweating, hyperphagia, weight loss, palpitations and so on.
Tests
1. Thyroid stimulating hormone
Increase suggests primary hypothyroidism, ectopic thyroid hormone tumor, pituitary TSH tumor, etc. Decrease suggests secondary hypothyroidism.
2. Serum total thyroxine
Increased serum total thyroxine suggests hyperthyroidism, hyperthyroid tuberculin globulin (TBG) anemia, acute subacute thyroiditis, etc. Decreased serum total thyroxine suggests hypothyroidism, hypothyroidism, hypopituitary hypoplasia, hypothalamus lesions, etc.
3. Serum free thyroxine/serum free triiodothyronine
FT3 content is important for the differential diagnosis of normal, hyper or hypothyroidism, sensitive to the diagnosis of hyperthyroidism, and is a specific indicator for the diagnosis of T3-type hyperthyroidism. Serum free thyroxine can be used as a means of thyroid suppression therapy, often measured together with TSH to assist clinical diagnosis.
4. Serum total triiodothyronine
Increase suggests hyperthyroidism, hyper TBG anemia; decrease suggests hypothyroidism, severe infection, chronic wasting disease.
5. Antithyroglobulin antibody
It is valuable for the diagnosis of Graves’ disease and the effect of treatment. Elevation of anti-thyroglobulin antibody (TGA) is also one of the signs of deterioration of thyroid tumor.
6. Thyroglobulin
Thyroglobulin can be used for observation and follow-up of the efficacy of hyperthyroidism and identification of benign and malignant thyroid tumors.
7. Serologic examination
In hypothyroidism, hemoglobin (Hb) and red blood cell count (RBC) are mildly or moderately decreased, and small-cell hypochromic, normocytic or macrocytic hyperchromic anemia is present. In hyperthyroidism, the white blood cell count (WBC) is low, and there is an increase in the lymphocyte ratio and absolute value and monocytes.
Diagnosis
Detailed medical history, complete physical examination, selective choice of auxiliary tests, such as thyroid ultrasound, X-ray, MRI, etc., supplemented by biochemical tests to clarify the diagnosis.
Treatment
The principle of treatment is to remove the causes and triggers, symptomatic treatment, rational use of medication, and selective surgical treatment according to the condition.
Questions you may be concerned about
Which acupoints should be scraped for treating thyroid disease with Gua Sha?
Acupuncture points that can be scraped with gua sha for the treatment of thyroid disorders include the Quchi point, the Elbow Sol, the Wuli point on the hand, and the Brachialis point, etc. However, thyroid disorders encompass many different kinds and are treated in different ways, and must be treated by a medical professional.
Thyroid disorders such as goiter generally correspond to the Chinese medicine term gall disease, which is considered by Chinese medicine to be the result of stagnation of qi and phlegm, with qi and phlegm intertwining in the front of the neck to form galls. These four points are in the hand yangming large intestine meridian, yangming meridian for many qi and blood meridian, through gua sha stimulation on the points, has a very good line qi and blood, qi and phlegm effect.
The direction of gua sha is from the top down, in the upper arm outer yangming meridian walking position scraping, moderate strength, to the subject can accept the degree of whichever, each point scraping 3 ~ 5 times, one side scraping after the completion of the other side.
If you suffer from thyroid disease or other physical discomfort, you should go to the hospital in time to avoid delays in treatment. Scraping needs to be operated by a professional Chinese medicine practitioner, do not operate on your own, so as not to cause discomfort.
How to check your own thyroid disease
You can check whether you have a thyroid-related disease through thyroid function tests, thyroid morphology tests and other ways.
1. Thyroid function test: i.e. thyroid function test, which is usually combined with thyroid autoantibodies, such as thyroglobulin and microsomal antibodies, to assess whether there is hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, as well as whether there is a combination of autoimmune thyroiditis.
2. Thyroid morphologic examination:
(1) Physical examination: including palpation and visualization, etc. If the thyroid gland is obviously enlarged, the doctor can see thyroid nodules or thyroid gland thickening by visualization. Through palpation, the doctor can initially determine whether there are lesions in the thyroid gland.
(2) Ultrasonography: It is usually the preferred clinical examination method, characterized by high sensitivity and accuracy.
(3) Puncture examination: commonly used to diagnose the benign and malignant nature of the thyroid gland, and the examination results are more accurate.
Patients can not accurately determine whether they are suffering from thyroid disease, they should go to a professional hospital to be examined under the guidance of a doctor, and after a clear diagnosis, they should actively cooperate with the treatment.
Where is the best place to get moxibustion for thyroid disease treatment?
Thyroid disorders are often categorized as “galls” in traditional Chinese medicine, and are not recommended to be treated with moxibustion because they are located in the front of the neck. Patients who need it can go to the acupuncture department to decide whether or not to carry out moxibustion by the physician, do not operate without authorization, so as not to burn the skin, aggravate the condition.
If necessary, you can use moxibustion on the body’s common health points, such as the foot Sanli, the center of the stomach, Guanyuan and other points, in order to enhance the body’s positive qi to ward off disease.
1. Foot Sanli is located on the outer side of the lower leg, 3 inches below the eye of the knee, the point has a very good tonic Qi (by tonifying the spleen method of treatment of qi deficiency), strengthening the spleen and stomach, qi and blood, the main treatment of stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness of the lower limbs, etc., is a strong health care of the key points.
2. The middle epigastric region is located 4 inches above the navel, which has the effect of eliminating food stagnation (promoting food digestion), calming the mind, lowering the rebelliousness and inducing diuresis, and it is the main treatment for stomach pain, bloating, vomiting, acid reflux, hiccups, and so on.
3. Guanyuan is located in the lower abdomen, 3 inches below the navel, has the effect of tonifying the kidney and cultivating the vital energy, warming the yang and fixing the hair, and is used for the treatment of stroke crisis, chills, weakness, abdominal pain, diarrhea, blood in the stool, urinary pain, blood in the urine, urination, frequent urination, spermatorrhea, impotence, premature ejaculation, menstrual disorders, menstrual cramps, menorrhagia, dysmenorrhea, menorrhagia, and the incomplete discharge of bad dews, and placental incompetence.
The above acupuncture points are only for recommendation, gallbladder patients should seek medical attention, identify the condition, actively cooperate with the physician treatment, do not unauthorized moxibustion operation.