Ayurveda intervention in Primary Hypothyroidism: A case report

Background: Thyroid hormones help maintain homeostasis as they play major role in various functions of the body. Hypothyroidism is a state of underactive thyroid gland which is diagnosed thorough laboratory parameters. Serum TSH value above 10mIU/L with or without the appearance of symptoms is considered to be optimal for initiation of treatment. In Ayurveda, no parallel can be drawn to the condition directly, rather it can be analyzed though lens of Dosha (humors), duhsya (tissues), srotas (channels) and agni (digestive fire). The disease often shows impaired digestive fire and increased Kapha. The case is of a symptomatic female who was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism with serum TSH values of 20mIU/L and managed thorough Ayurveda. Clinical findings: This is a case report of a female patient, aged 29 years, who presented with symptoms like reduced appetite, hair fall, weight gain for 2 months, who was diagnosed as Primary Hypothyroidism with a Serum TSH of 20mIU/L, Zulewskis score of 6 and ThyPRO-39 composite score of 24.08. Intervention: The patient was administered Vadavanala vati and Pratimarsha nasya (nasal administration of medicine) with Anu taila. Outcome: The Serum TSH was normalized in 9 months of treatment along with reversal of symptoms and improvement in quality of life and with maintenance of the same for next 4 years. Conclusion: Nasya (nasal drug administration) seems to be effective in restoring the Serum TSH levels to normal and maintenance of the same thereafter and it also highlights the potential of Ayurveda as a standalone intervention in the management of Hypothyroidism.