Yoga and Thyroid Disease
Dateline: 09/28/99
Yoga is an excellent alternative form of healing that is very suited to the needs of thyroid patients. For beginners, yoga's gentle stretching and emphasis on breathing can be done by almost anyone, and reaps immediate rewards in terms of energy, reduction of stress levels, flexibility and reduction of muscle and joint stiffness, and much much more in terms of peace of mind and general harmony.
There are new developments happening all the time in the world of health, and even in
conventional and alternative thyroid disease treatment. These developments are covered here at
the site. To make sure you don't miss any new information that might help, I put out a regular
About.com Thyroid Newsletter that provides free updates on new features and new information
here at the website. It's the best way to keep up with what's new here at the About.com Thyroid
Website. You can subscribe at the About.com Thyroid
Site Newsletter Signup page or right here,
I also report on the latest in-depth news in thyroid disease and treatment options in my free
Thyroid Disease email report, called Sticking Out Our Necks. This information-packed
free monthly report is filled with the latest conventional and alternative news from around the
world related to thyroid disease, related symptoms and conditions, and the drugs, treatments,
alternative remedies, and other information you need to feel well. Send me an email at mshomon@pop.dn.net with the subject "Subscribe newsletter" to sign up.
Yoga can also be of tremendous help as a healing therapy for people with thyroid cancer. I invite you to read yoga instructor and thyroid cancer survivor Teresa Campana's excellent article on Yoga and Cancer, for a wonderful look at yoga and its role in healing and wellness for cancer patients. Teresa will also be on hand to talk more about yoga at the upcoming second annual Thyroid Cancer Survivor's Association (ThyCa) Conference in October of 1999.
I've personally been a practitioner of yoga for several years, and have found that it is an excellent way to tone muscles, eliminate aches and pains, dramatically reduce stress, and help breathing. While I've also tried to do aerobic exercise, I've found that I look forward to yoga -- unlike aerobics! -- and very quickly have very rapid results from practicing even a few times a week. For me, and for many others, yoga is much more than exercise -- it is bringing of mind and body and spirit into balance!
The "Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Hypothyroidism" chapter of my new book covers the subject of yoga and thyroid disease at great length, including an in-depth interview with my own yoga instructor, Swami Rameswarananda, of the Yoga In Daily Life Center -- US in Alexandria, Virginia. I encourage you to visit the Yoga in Daily Life website for more information on this innovative form of yoga practice.
The best benefits of yoga for people with any form of thyroid disease come from regular practice of an overall program of yoga. There are many sources of excellent yoga information on the internet. Some excellent places to start include Yoga Class, a free, online yoga class featuring audio and video yoga programs. You can also check out Yoga Journal, which publishers a bimonthly magazine, and a directory of yoga organizations. Their website also features an online directory of teachers.
I'd recommend finding a good yoga class if you can, but you can also start with a home video. Two to consider are:
Poses for the Thyroid
There is probably no exercise better than yoga to help tune and tone the overall body and regain energy lost to long-term chronic thyroid disease. In this video, yoga master Rodney Yee presents a series of yoga workouts dealing with various physical problems common to thyroid disease.
For thyroid sufferers looking for an excellent way to ease into gentle exercise this video is a perfect start. A pair of yoga exercises designed to start and end the day. Includes "A.M. Yoga for Beginners" and "P.M. Yoga for Beginners."
There is a specific pose that is thought to be of great benefit to the thyroid. It's known as a shoulder stand, or sarvangasan.
To perform a yoga shoulder stand, lie flat on your back, keep your legs together, and raise up your legs until they are at a right angle to your shoulders/neck, perpendicular to the floor. Tuck your chin into your chest, and rest the weight of your body on your shoulders and elbows, using your arms to support your hips. Try to practice until you can do a shoulder stand for a full two minutes.
To see some illustrations and detailed instructions for the Sarvangasan/Shoulder Stand Pose for the thyroid, see:
Netlinks:
Detailed links on yoga and yoga for thyroid disease
Other Resources
As you work towards getting properly treated, don't underestimate the value of support. You can
meet and exchange info, experiences and support with me and other thyroid patients at my Thyroid Bulletin Boards, or at the Chatroom.
And finally, I also have a new book coming out later this year, Living Well With
Hypothyroidism: What Your Doctors Don't Tell You...That You Need to Know, from
HarperCollins/Avon's WholeCare Line. The book provides in-the-trenches, practical
patient-oriented advice on how to find the right doctor to diagnose and treat various forms of
hypothyroidism, the drugs for hypothyroidism you and your doctor may not know about, fertility
and successful pregnancy with hypothyroidism, alternative therapies for hypothyroidism and its
symptoms and side effects, combatting weight gain and successful weight loss, depression, and
much more. It's a complete manual of living well for anyone with hypothyroidism, whether due
to congenital hypothyroidism, thyroid surgery, radiation, or autoimmune disease. If you'd like
advance notification of the book, send me an email at mshomon@pop.dn.net with the subject "Notify Book" and I'll be sure you receive
personal notification from me when the book is coming out.
