Acupuncture treatment found effective in improving Hashimoto’s thyroiditis symptoms and reducing TGab levels
Article Review
A research team from China published their latest randomized controlled trial on Acupuncture treatment for Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT). 58 patients were randomly assigned to the acupuncture group and waiting group. Subjects in the acupuncture group received treatment 2-3 times a week, for 16 weeks and another 16 weeks of observation.
Points used: LI3, LI4, LI11, LI14, LI15, ST9, ST36.
Interestingly LI11 was punctured penetrating toward LI14, and LI14 was punctured penetrating toward LI15 by a 0.30 × 75 mm acupuncture needle.
After 16 weeks of treatment, the TGab level in the acupuncture group was significantly lower than in the waiting group (difference: −141.97 [95% CI: −222.4 to −61.5], P = 0.011). Moreover, the total ThyPRO-39 and SF-36 scores were statistically different between the two groups. There was no statistical difference in the changes in TPOab levels between the two groups. Thus they concluded that Hand Yangming Meridian Penetrating Acupuncture may be safe and feasible for HT hypothyroidism to improve symptoms and reduce TGab levels.
Comments
Current Western medicine approaches offer limited effectiveness in treating Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis (HT). In my clinical experience, acupuncture has proven to be a viable method for alleviating symptoms associated with HT, particularly in improving patients’ quality of life, as measured by the SF-36 Health Survey. My technique, learned from Master Wang Leting (王乐亭), involves the penetrating method from LI11 to LI14, known as the ‘Six Cun Golden Needle.’ Master Wang specifically used this technique frequently to treat Luo Li and Yin Syndrome, which includes various types of goiter and lymph node diseases. This approach has shown promising results in my practice, suggesting a potential complementary treatment pathway for HT-related conditions.
I published an article to introduce his main contributions, you can find more:
Zhang H. Große neuzeitliche Meister der Akupunktur (Teil 1): Wang Leting und Guo Chengjie (Great masters of acupuncture of modern times, Part I: Wang Leting and Guo Chengjie). Chinesische Medizin / Chinese Medicine, 2019, 34: 211–230.
Watch the demonstration
The penetrating technique was performed by Prof. Zhou De An (周德安), an apprentice of Maset Wang Leting. It starts at 3:25
Read the original article
Wang S, et al. Acupuncture treatment for Hashimoto’s thyroiditis: an exploratory randomized controlled trial. Integrative Medicine Research, 2024, 101023
Picture from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hashimoto%27s_thyroiditis
