Do you have hypothyroidism and struggle with fatigue, weight gain, brain fog, or other hyperthyroid symptoms? You might even be taking a thyroid hormone replacement like levothyroxine and have “normal” TSH levels, but your symptoms haven’t gone away. Why is that?
Learn more about the reasons for hypothyroidism according to Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective. When you gain a more holistic perspective, then you can begin to heal and restore balance in your body.
How I Dodged a Bullet
It’s fascinating to me that women are much more likely than men to develop hypothyroidism. But it’s not surprising once you learn the emotional roots of the disease. It makes so much sense! (See further in this article for more about the emotional roots of hypothyroidism).
I believe I dodged a bullet.
Based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the mind body connection for hypothyroidism, and my former life as a highly stressed high tech professional, I believe if I had not changed the course of my life path, it would be very likely that I’d have hypothyroidism right now.
In my 20s and 30s, I pushed myself too hard—overdoing, over-giving, overachieving, and rarely stopping to replenish. If I hadn’t discovered Chinese Reflexology, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the ability to hear my soul’s wisdom, I would have continued pushing for many more decades, laying the groundwork for hypothyroidism or another fatigue-related condition.
Fortunately, I chose a different path. When I reached my mid-30s, I got off the high tech hamster wheel to follow my life purpose, and that’s when my health began to transform. Now, in my 50s, I enjoy vibrant health and a life of deeper meaning. It’s such a blessing and joy to guide others in reclaiming their health by sharing the knowledge and expertise I’ve gained on my life path.
So let’s take a look at why hypothyroid symptoms linger even if you’re taking medication.
What Is Hypothyroidism? (Western View vs. Chinese Medicine for Hypothyroidism)
In Western medical terminology, hypo means “under.” Hypothyroidism is when the thyroid gland is underactive and doesn’t make enough thyroid hormone. The Western approach to treatment is to replace what’s missing. Medications like levothyroxine (synthetic hormone) bring your thyroxine levels back into the normal range.
But here’s the fallacy. Your bloodwork can look perfect, but your symptoms can persist. The Mayo Clinic lists the following as hypothyroid symptoms: fatigue, sluggishness, increased sensitivity to cold, sleepiness, dry skin, constipation, muscle weakness, muscle aches and stiffness, joint pain and stiffness, irregular or excessive menstrual bleeding, depression, problems with memory or concentration, a puffy face, brittle nails, hair loss, and enlargement of the tongue.
All of these symptoms can be explained by Traditional Chinese Medicine. All. Of. Them.
The Chinese Medicine View: A Holistic Thyroid Healing Approach
While medication can restore hormone levels, it doesn’t address why the symptoms remain. That’s where the Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective can help you see the bigger picture.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, hypothyroidism isn’t just about the thyroid. It’s seen as a deficiency condition—deficiencies of qi (life force energy), yang, blood, and yin in your body. While these are esoteric-sounding elements, you need sufficient levels of these elements in order to keep your body in balance.
When these elements are depleted, your body can’t maintain normal function. Different organs and energy meridians (where life force energy flows) go out of balance, and that’s when they show up in the physical body as symptoms of hypothyroidism.
To help you understand how these deficiencies lead to common hypothyroid symptoms, let’s take a look at three symptoms through the lens of Chinese Medicine for thyroid imbalance.
Symptom #1: Fatigue
Fatigue is one of the hallmark signs of hypothyroidism. According to Chinese Medicine, tiredness and fatigue point to a Kidney deficiency. When Chinese Medicine refers to an organ such as the “Kidneys,” it encompasses more than just the physical organ. There are usually yin and yang elements, qi, blood, and energy meridians involved, too. Plus, the Kidneys are extra special from a TCM perspective.
Traditional Chinese Medicine considers the Kidneys to be the “battery” for storing your body’s life force energy. If you have a Kidney deficiency, it means that the energy in the battery is running low. As a result, you don’t have enough life force energy to “run” your body. That’s the real root cause behind the fatigue and feelings of low energy. There literally is low energy in the life force battery.
That’s why taking synthetic thyroid hormone might not resolve the fatigue and tiredness. The low energy is due to the Kidney deficiency. Think of the Kidneys like a lithium-ion battery that loses its ability to hold a charge. Once the battery starts to degrade, you can plug in your phone more often (i.e. take synthetic hormones), but the battery won’t charge back to 100% full power. As a result, the phone runs out of energy faster than when it was brand new. You need to fix the battery to restore energy levels.
In my Self-Healing Mastery program, I teach the “big clues” for identifying Kidney deficiencies. One of the big clues is having cold feet. While Western medicine would not be alarmed by this, cold sensitivity often accompanies hypothyroidism. The Western explanation is that the thyroid helps to regulate your body temperature by producing hormones that influence metabolism.
Lower hormone levels = Slower metabolism = Lower body temperature
The Chinese Medicine view is similar, but a little bit different:
Low life force energy = Not enough “fire” in the body = Low body temperature
Symptom #2: Memory Problems and Brain Fog
Memory problems and brain fog are also common with hypothyroidism. According to TCM, brain health is related to your Kidney health. There are a couple of principles in Chinese Medicine regarding this. The first is that the Kidneys produce marrow, and the second is that the brain is known as the sea of marrow.
If you have a Kidney deficiency, then the Kidneys are unable to produce enough marrow to nourish the sea of marrow, aka your brain. As a result, the brain doesn’t get what it needs to function, and that can show up as poor concentration, brain fog, and memory issues.
Symptom #3: Thinning Hair
Now, it’s time to look at thinning hair and hair loss, which are also common symptoms of hypothyroidism. There’s a TCM saying that the Kidneys manifest in the hair. When Kidney essence is depleted, hair loses its strength and vitality, resulting in thinning hair and/or hair loss.
Chinese Reflexology for Thyroid Health: Why One Point Isn’t Enough
At the root of fatigue, memory issues, and thinning hair is a Kidney deficiency. If you’ve explored reflexology before, you may already know there’s a reflexology point that corresponds to the thyroid and also one for the Kidneys. But simply massaging these two points isn’t enough to get rid of the hypothyroid symptoms.
That’s because all of the organs in your body are interconnected and influence each other. If you focus only on one or two organs (e.g. thyroid and Kidneys), then your other organs and energy meridians are being ignored. In order to replenish a Kidney deficiency, you need a holistic approach instead of focusing only on a couple of reflexology points.
Chinese Medicine looks at the whole system. It’s not about isolating body parts. It’s about restoring balance in your entire body through all of your organs and energy meridians. Chinese Reflexology can be very beneficial for thyroid health because it’s a complete TCM approach to bring the body back into balance. To truly replenish your reserves, you need to massage the complete system of reflexology points—together.
When you focus on the whole body, it’s amazing how your health responds. One of my reflexology students had a hormone imbalance that resulted in excessive facial hair growth. As she learned all of the Chinese Reflexology points over the course of my six-month program and massaged her feet regularly, her body (and hormones) came back into balance and the facial hair disappeared.
But there’s one more thing that’s equally important for balance…
The Mind Body Connection: Emotional Roots of Hypothyroidism
Physical symptoms don’t exist in isolation. They often reflect deeper emotional patterns that have built up over years.
According to author Louise Hay, the emotional root of hypothyroidism is related to feelings of “humiliation” and the belief, “I never get to do what I want to do.” It’s a sense of always waiting for your turn that never arrives, holding back on what you want to say, and suppressing your voice in order to keep the peace.
When you consistently hold yourself back this way, the qi in your throat becomes constricted. You’re holding back energy in your throat, which is where the thyroid gland is located. The energy and your voice are held under (recall that hypo means under).
On top of that (play of words fully intended) is another common pattern: overdoing. Pushing yourself, giving too much, and draining your reserves often stem from fear—the fear of not having enough, the fear of not being enough, and the fear of what might happen if you stop.
I know these fears. Not feeling good enough is what drove me to work so hard during my high-tech career. I also know about holding back my voice. I never spoke up or advocated for myself. Instead, I was overworked and underappreciated, passed over for promotions and raises, never spoke up when I was thrown under the bus by jealous co-workers, and I silently endured toxic behavior from my managers.
I simply did not speak up. It was the perfect brew for hypothyroidism. Thankfully, the Universe intervened to put me on a different path. But that’s a story for another time.
Another key thing to note is that according to Chinese Medicine, fear and anxiety are the emotions associated with the Kidneys. These emotions adversely affect the Kidneys, and this can lead to a Kidney deficiency that shows up as hypothyroidism.
Self-healing isn’t just about eliminating physical symptoms. It also involves restoring balance to your body, mind, and spirit.
Create space for your authentic voice, honor your needs, and let go of the fears that keep you locked in cycles of overdoing and over-everything-ing. When you address both the physical and emotional roots, your body has the space it needs to return to balance.
If you hold back your voice, push yourself, and have a tendency to overdo things, I know where you’re coming from. It’s a combination I know well, and it’s also one of the reasons why I’m so passionate about teaching what I teach. People who are overachievers, over-givers, and who hold back on expressing themselves (e.g. don’t seek recognition for what they do), are also smart, thoughtful, competent, and care about their communities.
You need to be healthy and thriving so that you can reach your full potential and make a difference in the world.
Gain Deeper Insights from Chinese Medicine to Restore Balance
If this article helped you see hypothyroidism in a new light, there’s even more to explore: more wisdom and knowledge to empower you to restore balance naturally.
Inside the Sole Circle, my online membership for self-healing resources and community, I hosted a live Q&A Tea Time where we examined at a deeper level the Chinese Medicine perspective on what’s going on in your body with regards to hypothyroidism, and how your symptoms reveal specific patterns of imbalance.
In this 30-minute replay, you’ll discover:
- How the thyroid connects with the Kidneys and other organs in Traditional Chinese Medicine
- What different symptoms reveal about your body’s energy patterns and vitality
- How emotions like fear, worry, and overdoing can contribute to thyroid imbalance
- Practical ways to begin restoring balance and supporting your body naturally
Normally, these replays are exclusive to Sole Circle members, but for a limited time, you can get access to this recording for just $7. Knowledge empowers you to give your body what it needs to restore balance. Get clarity as you begin restoring balance and vitality from the inside out.
