How to Manage and Cure Hyperthyroidism through Ayurveda

When thyroid produces excess of its hormones which govern the metabolism, they over increase metabolism leading to loss of muscles and all tissues and thus weight too despite eating a lot. The obvious reason for this is consumption of excess pungent, hot and sour foods and drinks like hot spices, chillies, tea, coffee, pickles that too in the wrong weather. The result is weakness, high blood pressure, tremors. Allopathic medicines handle this with medicines that neutralize thyroid hormones but it doesn’t hit the root cause because of which the patient after years, comes up with several side effects. However, neither the patient nor the doctors are able to attribute those symptoms to thyroid suppressing medicines because of recency effect.

This is because heat inflates liver making it high on high Vata (space), Pitta (heat) and pseudokapha (swollen cells in simple language) too which we understand as fatty liver. This also leads to creation of excess cholesterol by the liver to fill up the gaps created by the inflating body. However, in this case cholesterol that is created is swollen which we understand as LDL and VLDL and which is bound to create blockages especially in excess. Also to note that it is liver’s job to activate the inactive thyroid hormone produced by thyroid and being inflated, it activates more of thyroid hormones. Not only that even loud speaking/singing leads to overstimulation of thyroid gland and more release of inactive hormone. All in all, hyperthyroidism is usually a case of loop created by hyperthyroid as well as hyperliver which in turn push excess Pitta into the entire body including heart thereby pushing pseudokapha and making the heart beat faster leading into cardiac issues.

Thus, hyperthyroidism can be created by both the factors and usually it’s a mix of both. If a person with high thyroid due to hyperactive liver is treated with just thyroid suppressing medicines, then he/she is bound to get unwell. Instead, what is needed in such cases, is not only abstinence from hot and spicy foods and drinks but one may also need medicines like Kukti which is pungent, cold, astringent and extremely bitter to destimulate liver by expelling heat and swelling (pseudokapha) from the body and liver.

As regards, medicine for destimulating hyperactive thyroid, Arjuna is always a safe option (than allopathic medicines like neomercazole etc) as it cold, dry, sweet (due to its calcium) and astringent and may be taken along with Kutki to deflate the loop. If arjuna creates Vata due to extra hollowness, then one may add Amla powder which is also cold, dry, sweet (due to its minerals) and predominantly sour but still sweet to the body due to high potassium present in it. Alongside the above-mentioned approach, the native would also need lot of rest and abstinence from high Pitta activities unless things normalize. Please remember here that the native would always need to be careful from high pitta foods, drinks and activities especially if high Pitta is deep seated in the basic constitution of the person (Astrologically, those having strong Rahu in one’s second and/or third house of the birth chart, aspected or in conjunction with Mars is likely to develop hyperthyroidism. One must also check divisional charts and the position of Rahu and Mars in second, third and the houses aspecting it).

*** It is documented that thyroid suppressing allopathic meds can create unhealthy liver. Allopathic doctors find it surprising because they don’t realize that these medicines not only donot hit the root cause but let the liver remain inflated due to high Pitta causing unhealthy liver high on VPK.