cure hypothyroidism with sarvangasana aka shoulder stand yoga

(September 5, 2010)

what yogasan can prevent hypothyroidism. I don't want to use any medicine. Please advice me. Thanks

The thyroid gland is a small gland located in the neck of human beings. It is an important endocrine gland that is responsible for growth. It is also responsible for the control of metabolism. Metabolism speeds up or slows down based on the secretions of the thyroid gland. When the thyroid is overactive, the condition is known as hyperthyroidism. An underactive thyroid causes hypothyroidism. Both these conditions are undesirable. Hyperthyroidism causes increased body temperature, fatigue and sweating among other symptoms. It can also cause weight loss. Hypothyroidism causes weight gain and leads to an individual feeling cold more than normal. Treating hypothyroidism with yoga is not really an alternative to medical treatment, but it can help improve the condition significantly and may help minimize your dependence on medications.
Yoga is a traditional form of mental and physical exercise that has been practiced for thousands of years in India. Its benefits are vast and the application of yoga teachings is often easy. This has made yoga increasingly popular all over the world. The general benefit of yoga on the body is the improvement of blood circulation. This is because yoga simply makes the body stretch and compress itself, such that all the parts of the body become more efficient. The human body, under normal circumstances, is very flexible and can perform a number of different physical tasks. This can be understood by looking at a child who is able to stretch into many poses easily. A combination of poor lifestyle habits leads to the body becoming less capable of doing these otherwise normal tasks. Through yoga, the blood circulation improves and all parts of the body are stretched. This helps to improve circulation and, therefore, the overall health of an individual. Treating hypothyroidism with yoga therefore doesn’t imply that you can stop your medications, but it will bring about improvements in your general health, blood circulation, oxygen supply, and the functioning of the various glands and digestive system. Controlling hypothyroidism can therefore help rein in the condition and facilitate the working of medical treatments.
When it comes to yoga poses for hypothyroidism, there is considerable evidence to suggest that this is a good way of overcoming a sluggish thyroid gland. Many yoga poses involve the movement of the neck both in terms of stretching and in terms of compressing it. This improves the circulation of blood around the neck. Many studies suggest that the thyroid gland is massaged during such poses. This helps to stimulate it and make it function normally. The shoulder stand is one of the best yoga poses for hypothyroidism. By turning the body upside down it allows blood to flow into the neck and head faster than normal while compressing the neck. As one is released from the pose, the neck is full of blood and this blood helps to nourish and stimulate the thyroid gland. Many other back bending poses are suggested for hypothyroidism, particularly those involving the neck bending back and forward.

Submitted by A on September 5, 2010 at 06:02

Firstly it’s important that you understand what Hypothyroidism is, for which you need to be familiar with the thyroid gland and its function. This is a tiny little gland situated in the neck; it has a tremendous impact on our total health and well-being. This gland is responsible for producing the thyroid hormone that, in turn, helps regulate human growth, maturation and speed of metabolism.

Now, Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland becomes under-active and this results in lack of adequate hormone production. Hypothyroidism is incurable as of now; however, the condition can be controlled with the right doses of thyroxine supplement. Simultaneously, you will have to constantly assess the hormone levels in the body, for fine tuning. Hypothyroidism slow downs the metabolism as the endocrine system, particularly the thyroid gland, regulates our metabolism. Today this is among the commonest of chronic complaints worldwide.

You need to keep in mind that there is a condition called hyperthyroidism that is the opposite of hypothyroidism, and it has the opposite effect too. This condition of an over active thyroid gland is equally dangerous. For this reason it would be dangerously foolish to try and prevent either condition through measures that may cause the appearance of the other. Yoga is safe in this aspect as it merely stimulates the gland and regulates normal functioning.

Yoga for Hypothyroidism

A lot of Yoga practitioners have said that Yoga practices have a very positive and stimulating impact on the endocrine organs, particularly the thyroid and parathyroid. In fact, Yoga students, worldwide, say that Yoga has positive effect on stimulating the thyroid gland to work normally, particularly, the sufferers of Hypothyroidism. The stretching, compressing and twisting of Yoga poses is largely believed to be responsible for this as they massage the endocrine organs, thereby regulating their function and, in the bargain improve blood flow and nourish them at the cellular level. Yogic lore has it that while all Yoga practices are extremely beneficial, the Shoulder Stand is the most effective Yoga pose for an underactive thyroid. The Sanskrit name for this pose is Sarvangasana, meaning "all the body.

Now let’s see which Yoga other positions have a positive effect on regulating the thyroid gland. Some of them are:

1. Halasana (Plough pose)
2. Matsyasana (Fish pose)
3. Kati Uttanasana (Sitting Forward Bend) and
4. Simhasana (Lion pose).

Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand), in particular is proven the most beneficial Yogasana (pose) for Hypothyroidism as it throws open the thyroid gland, especially when you successfully insert your chin into your throat. By doing so, you succeed in driving healthy, oxygen-rich blood directly into your neck, thus strengthening your thyroid glands. Tremendous pressure is put on the gland in this powerful pose and this pressure has drastic effects on its functioning, thus improving circulation and squeezing out stagnant secretions. Immediately after Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand), you should practise Matsyasana (Fish pose) to double the benefits.

Caution: Those who are suffering from cervical high blood pressure spondylitis or heart problem should avoid this pose. Likewise, pregnant and menstruating women should also avoid doing this pose.

Submitted by A on February 26, 2009 at 12:44