Weight gain, fatigue, brain fog, low mood, and hair thinning are just a few of the symptoms people often associate with thyroid imbalance. These challenges can appear at any stage of life, and they affect people of all ages and genders. Many individuals try Western medication hoping for relief, yet some still struggle to feel like themselves again. In Western medicine, treatment focuses on monitoring thyroid function and, when needed, replacing low hormone levels with medication.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), however, views thyroid disorders through a different lens—one centered on patterns of imbalance rather than a single organ or antibody response.
In TCM, the thyroid is not treated as an isolated gland but as part of a broader network involving the Kidney, Liver, and Spleen systems. Practitioners look for underlying disharmonies such as Qi and Yin deficiency, Phlegm accumulation, or stagnation. These patterns are believed to contribute to symptoms that often accompany Hashimoto’s—fatigue, cold sensitivity, mood changes, and slowed metabolism, which are also recognized in Western descriptions of hypothyroidism.
A TCM approach typically includes a combination of acupuncture, herbal formulas, and lifestyle guidance. The goal is to support the body’s overall balance, strengthen areas of deficiency, and reduce internal stressors that may aggravate autoimmune activity.
By addressing whole‑body patterns and supporting resilience, TCM aims to improve quality of life and help patients feel more balanced.
You may experience symptoms one or more at a time at a slow pace over the years. TCM encourages preventative care, addressing the symptoms when you start to experience them, see a TCM practitioner from the onset of symptoms in order to correct the problem so it does not progress to a disease or disorder stage. When we ignore the minor symptoms and do not seek correction from the beginning, more symptoms will start appearing and the length of time to correct the problem will become longer.
