A couple years ago, a student of mine approached me with a study they found in a Korean journal. The researchers had identified a number of women who had tested positive for Hashimoto’s with high blood serum levels of TPO Antibodies - one of the positive markers of Hashi’s.
The researchers then had the subjects Gua Sha the back of their necks for a month or so as part of their daily routine and then retested their antibodies. Voila! Almost 100% of the test subjects showed a decrease in antibodies!
I was extremely suspect of the study. From a Chinese medicine stand point, the logic was solid. Gua Sha can move lymph, break adhesions, and increase circulation. My suspicion was aroused by (a) the fact it affected almost 100% of the test subjects, and (b) they were working the back of the neck rather than the front. However, I can riddle out working the back of the neck because in acupuncture we often use the back to treat the front, and the researchers may have felt it was safer. But almost all test subjects?!? Red flag.
So I gave it a go myself. The next time I tested by own TPO antibodies, I immediately started doing Gua Sha on my neck as part of my bedtime routine. I wasn’t particular about back or front, but rather made a daily commitment to it. This is where I had to open my mouth to insert my foot with a side of broiled crow.
The following bloodwork test showed that my antibodies dropped by more than half.
So of course I started having patients do the same thing. And….(drum roll please)….almost 90% of my patients started saw their antibodies drop. It’s incredibly important to note that there are different types of Hashi’s (more to come in a later post), so it didn't work for everyone.
However, it worked for the majority of my patients that started doing it. And it’s something I recommend universally to anyone with Hashi’s. I have yet to meet a patient with Hashimoto’s that DOESN’T have chronic neck and / or trapezius pain - it’s almost a universal. My hypothesis is that it has to do with the soft tissue in and surrounding the thyroid that’s collateral damage to the antibody attack - especially when Thyroid Perioxidase (TPO) antibodies are involved.
I’ve included a quick “how-to” video I did with Phoebe Lapine following the interview we did together for her Podcast and posted on instagram.
And as a side note; I’m willing to give a free virtual consult to the first person who’s able to track down the original Korean study. I’ve searched high and low. It’s critical to always back up your woo-woo, and I would be forever grateful if we were able to pull it back out to shine some light on it!