Hyperthyroidism is due to excessive secretion of thyroxin, clinically marked by palpitation, excitation, anxiety, polyphagia, emaciation, aversion to heat and profuse sweating, dry mouth and excessive heat, accom-panied by thyroid enlargement and exophthalmia. This disease is usually seen among women, especially among young women. It is similar to goiter and palpitation in TCM. Hyperthyroidism is usually caused by interior dam-age due to emotional changes; or by improper diet that leads to qi stagnation, blood stasis, fire stagnation and phlegm coagulation, the prolonged duration of which re-sults in exuberant fire and consumes yin. This disease in-volves the heart, liver, spleen, stomach and kidney.
Treatment
Prescription: Naohui (TE 13 ), Renying ( ST 9 ), Neiguan (PC 6), Shenmen (HT 7), Hegu (LI 4), Fen-glong (ST 40), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Taichong (LR 3).
Modification: For liver stagnation and phlegm coagu-lation: Futu (ST 32), Tiantu (CV 22), Qimen (LR 14), Taiyuan (LU 9) and Taibai (SP 3) are added; for liver fire and stomach heat syndrome, Zusanli (ST 36), Nei-ting (ST 44), Yanglingquan (GB 34) and Qiuxu (GB 40) are added; for asthenia syndrome of heart and liver yin, Qishe (ST 11), Xinshu (BL 15), Ganshu (BL 18), Juque (CV 14), Fuliu (KI 7) and Zhaohai (KI 6) are added; for goiter, Tianding (LI 17), Tianrong (SI 17), Tianjing (TE 10), Qiying [equivalent to Shuitu (ST 10)1 and Pingying E0.5 cun lateral to the median line joining 3 - 5 Jiaji (EX-B2)] are added; for severe goiter, local tumes-cent mass can be needled; for exophthalmia, Fengchi (GB 20), Shangtianzhu E0.5 cun above Tianzhu (BL 10)1, Cuanzhu (BL 2), Yangbai (GB 14) and Sizhukong (TE 23) are added; for dryness and distension of eyes, Jing-ming (BL 1), Zhaohai (KI 6) and Yanglao (SI 6) are added.
Performance: Shallow needling, 0.5 - 0.8 cun, is used to needle acupoints on the neck, such as Futu (ST 32), Tiantu (CV 22), Tianding (LI 17) and Tianrong; for needling Qiying (Goiter Acupoint ), the needle is in-serted 0.5 cun lateral to the vessel; for needling Ping-ying [Goiter-Eliminating Acupoint (CO13)1, the needle is inserted 0.8 - 1 cun and the needling sensation is directed to the region below Adam's apple; for larger enlargement of thyroid, 1 - 2 acupoints on the tumescent mass are se-lected and the needles are inserted obliquely into the base of the tumescent mass and manipulated with rotating, lift-ing and thrusting techniques within small range.
