Thyroid disease

Thyroid disease consists of hypothyroidism, a clinical consequence of deficient secretion by the thyroid gland, as well as hyperthyroidism, where an overproduction of thyroid hormone causes a state of thyrotoxicosis. The most common symptoms include tiredness, weight gain, constipation, aches, dry skin, lifeless hair and feeling cold. The symptoms of thyrotoxicosis include breathlessness, hyperactivity, palpitations, insomnia, emotional lability, nervousness, anxiety, irritability, fatigue, muscle weakness, exercise intolerance, diarrhoea, increased sweating, polyuria, thirst, generalised itch, increased appetite with weight loss or gain, infertility, and reduced libido and gynaecomastia in men. Complications include Graves’ ophthalmopathy; atrial fibrillation; congestive cardiac failure; thyrotoxic crisis; eclampsia, premature labour, and increased risk of miscarriage, low birth weight and neonatal thyrotoxicosis when it is untreated during pregnancy.

Acupuncture may help the thyroid disease in both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. The use of moxibustion disconnected from the skin by a layer of aconite herbal ‘cake’, together with levothyroxine, can probably improve the clinical symptoms and thyroid function in patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Also, acupuncture may be an alternative way to treat levothyroxine for subclinical hypothyroidism. Besides, acupuncture combined with acupressure may be effective for treating infiltrative exophthalmos. The addition of acupuncture to medication for hyperthyroid exophthalmos may not only enhance the therapeutic effects of medication but also reduce the side effects.

甲狀線疾病

甲狀腺疾病包括甲狀腺功能減退症（甲狀腺分泌不足的臨床後果）以及甲狀腺功能亢進症（甲狀腺激素過度產生導致甲狀腺毒症狀態）。最常見的症狀包括疲倦、體重增加、便秘、疼痛、皮膚乾燥、頭髮枯黃和感覺寒冷。甲狀腺毒症的症狀包括呼吸困難、多動、心悸、失眠、情緒不穩、緊張、焦慮、易怒、疲勞、肌肉無力、運動不耐受、腹瀉、出汗增多、多尿、口渴、全身瘙癢、食慾增加、體重減輕或增加，不育症，男性性慾減退和男子女性型乳房。併發症包括格雷夫斯眼病；心房顫動；充血性心力衰竭；甲狀腺毒症危機；如果在懷孕期間不治療，子癇、早產、流產、低出生體重和新生兒甲狀腺毒症的風險會增加。

針灸可能有助於甲狀腺功能減退症和甲狀腺功能亢進症的甲狀腺疾病。用一層附子草本“餅”與皮膚脫節灸，與左甲狀腺素一起使用，或許可以改善橋本甲狀腺炎患者的臨床症狀和甲狀腺功能。此外，針灸可能是用左甲狀腺素治療亞臨床甲狀腺功能減退症的另一種方法。同時，針灸結合穴位按壓可能對治療浸潤性突眼有效。在治療甲亢性突眼的藥物中加用針灸，不僅可以增強藥物的治療效果，還可以減少副作用。