Thyroid Nodules

[Arkadia_Sun]

There is a question which keeps toying in my mind for a while, and I 'd like your help.

About one and a half year before, an examination revealed a nodule on the right side of my thyroid gland. The nodule was benign, but its size was 3.1-3.2 cm. That is considered huge. The opinion of all the doctors(of course I didn't ask only one), was that I should remove the whole gland. Some said immediately(because in their opinion nothing was going to change, which means that the nodule can't shrink), and some said that I could wait for a while.

 

I searched the internet and asked all the medical experts I could, and everybody told me that if the operation is performed correctly(and the parathyroid or the vocal chords are not accidentally hurt), anything is going to be fine. I will take my medication for life, and everything else(mental and physical, exercise e.t.c) is going to be ok.

Now, here is my question. As we know, the thyroid is the physical equivalent of the vishudi chakra(the 5th). In case I remove the gland and everything works out fine in the operation, is there going to be anything that hinders my spiritual evolution? Whether somebody practices energy - oriented(chi kung, pranayama e.t.c) or emptiness - oriented methods(like W.Bodri), there are things which must happen to the physical body during the transformations. Will the removal of such a vital gland hinder my progress, so that I get stuck to a point and not further? Or what is going to happen will happen anyway if I practice correctly?

Please share your opinions and your views on the subject.

Thanks in advance

[DentyDao]

No one here is even remotely qualified to comment on this issue. Are you kidding me. Listen to your doctors or do some research about alternative therapies that have been proven though clinic trials or at least significant case studies.

 

And just know that whatever happens, you will get though it just fine by listening to your heart.

[sunshine]

Since it is a serious issue I very much assume there was no kidding intended... and as some girls and guys here seem to have proper relation to more advanced people this is a good question to ask in the hope for it to be conveyed...

 

I once asked my current teacher if cultivation will be possible if the uterus gets taken out and if I remember correctly he basically said yes, as the energetic equivalent is still being there...

 

But I can not offer more on this topic but want to simply ask:

 

Is this nodule giving you any troubles???

 

If it is not I do not see any reasons to cut of a whole gland! Seriously!!! I mean: if they already proved it to be maligne only then (and in cases were it poses other troubles to you) I would consider this step to be undertaken. Another reason w/could be if it were working "autonom" (meaning: produces hormones outside of the typical regulation cycle)...

 

Did the doctors you consulted give you any facts on the probabilty for it to degenrate into kinds of cancer?

 

 

And: if you say. You just have to take life long medications...

 

I'd say this is a good reason against surgery of the gland for no specific reasons except it being "big"...

 

further: I very much assume the nodule is just on one side of the thyroid (which is mainly composed of two "individual" pieces connected in the middle) ?

 

If that is the case then again one would have to wonder about the judgement to cut the whole gland, as easily leaving part of the gland can be achieved in that case... (depending on the size left is the amount of medication you might have to take)

 

AND: the risk of damaging the laryngeus (recurrens) which renders the vocal cords partly or completely useless is there (though it is low it IS there)... if the surgeon actually damages the vocal chords directly in that case I assume he forgot the basics about anatomy...

 

hope that helps

 

Harry

Edited May 13, 2007 by sunshine

[dunbar]

i would get a second opinion on your second opinion - from a real doctor. if youre really afraid to go the standard route - you will might be able to find a doctor that will take your point of view - you just have to look hard enough. there may be some tcm people here - but i think the people here are more geared to spiritual stuff - not medicine.

 

J

[sunshine]

but i think the people here are more geared to spiritual stuff - not medicine.

 

not quite right

[turbo]

People who have their spleen removed continue to have an "energetic" spleen that satisfies the role of a spleen under TCM, or so I have been told by an acupuncturist.

 

Applying the underlying idea to your thyroid would result in the physical removal of your glands, but their energetic presence remaining.

 

Whether this is valid or not, nobody can say unless they have had the procedure already. There may be some comparison to people who have had vasectomies and try to cultivate their jing....I don't know what kind of results they have had, but there is sure to be more of them.

 

In any case, it seems hard to believe that you could physically remove a part of the body and destroy an essential energetic part at the same time. Amputees report itching where their amputated limbs used to be.

[karen]

The first question at hand, to my mind, isn't particularly a medical one, but one of clarifying your personal choice in pursuing treatment. These kinds of dilemmas are opportunities to step up to the plate of personal freedom and responsibility, taking guidance from professionals, but ultimately making your own free choice.

 

Are you interested in pursuing other views on the question of whether to remove the gland or not? Medicine isn't the purview of conventional medical doctors, or even naturopaths who defer to the allopathic mindset of treating symptoms. True medicine is a broad field that encompasses more than that, although we're conditioned to defer to the medical "authorities."

 

The symptom is just a messenger - sometimes the messenger itself needs to be dealt with directly in addition to addressing the cause, but more often than not, the messenger is just the outer appearance of what's going on at a deeper level. Conventional medicine doesn't addres this level, but only deals with what can be seen and measured materially.

 

There is a complete system of medicine originally developed by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, called Heilkunst, which I would highly recommend looking into. It would be able to bridge the gap between material medicine and spirituality, so that you would have a deeper understanding of what this nodule means, where it came from, and the spiritual implications. ("Nodule" is just a descriptive label and discloses nothing about the real cause or meaning.)

 

There's a learning curve when it comes to pursuing other systems besides the standard one, and that can involve the emotional challenge of disengaging from the conventional support system especially when we're anxious about a medical problem. To me, that's exactly when I want to find the most rational approach, but each person has to go with what they're comfortable with and not be pressured into a decision based on someone else's comfort.

 

The options are there, although some aren't being talked about on Oprah . The view could be quite different, coming directly from a clear understanding of what needs to be treated, based on sound principles of nature. And you could gain understanding of how you could work with the underlying issue to unfold a deeper spiritual purpose, whether or not you choose to remove the gland.

 

 

Take care,

Karen

 

Guide for Self-Healing

http://www.guideforselfhealing.com

[mYTHmAKER]

You might look into fasting.

It could be an option.

There are doctors who treat in this manner where appropriate.

If you let me know where you live I might know of a doctor in your area.

Don't jump into surgery unless it's really necessay.

[Arkadia_Sun]

I knew that the bums would definetely come up with something. Thanks for all the wondeful replies so far.

The nodule is not autonomus, meaning that it doesn't interfere with the hormone production. When I first discovered the nodule, doctors took some material from the inside of the gland with the aid of needles, something that usually helps defining if there are any cancer cells inside. In my case, the interior of the nodule is solid(that's why they can't drain it) but with some bleeding, which makes things a little "foggy". That is, maybe everything is ok, so I can safely keep the nodule without removing, or something bad is happening inside but we can't see it growing yet.

This uncertainity is the main factor which points the doctors in the direction of removing. When I proposed that we remove only the right side(which contains the nodule), they told me that this will cause further problems. I think the left side will get bigger to compensate, but I don't exactly remember. I will search for it.

 

I'd love to find a TCM doctor, but I live in Greece and it's hard to impossible to find one. There are doctors trained in accupuncture, homeopathy and Bach flower remedies.

I have to go now, but later I will send another post, discussing some things that Karen says. I'm not asking for medical advice and guidance, and I'm mature and old enough not to follow blindly whatever I hese. But, in the place I live there is not any other opinion/option around apart from conventional medicine, and so I turn to this forum(which it has provided inspiration many times, even though these are my first posts)

See you

[karen]

Hi,

I know what it's like to live in an area where there's not a wide selection of "alternative" practitioners. That used to be a limitation for me until I began treatment and study with the Hahnemann Center/College/Clinic for Heilkunst, which is based in Ottawa, Canada but treats people worldwide

 

With treatment modalities, there are zillinos of them, and you have to decide which one you want to use and then see if you can find someone good in your area. Or you just go to someone because they're in your area, and take whatever they're offering.

 

Then you're limited to that treatment method, which tries to understand your whole situation in terms of that modality. You go to an herbalist and you get herbs for your problem. You go to a chiropractor, and you get adjustments for your problem. But who's stepping back to look at the problem objectively, scientifically in a true sense of science, to see what principle of treatment needs to be applied? Then of course there has to be a system that's grounded in such principles.

 

Otherwise it becomes a value judgment as to which modality is better than the other, which is a common fallacy, sort of like asking which herb is the best or which nutrient is best. It's kind of silly - the answer depends on what you need. Because the point is to know when a particular modality is indicated for the situation and when it isn't.. and that requires a proper understanding of what the problem really is. The allopathic disease labels are abstract designations that don't tell us much about what your individual case needs. Two people with nodules that look just like yours might need different treatment.

 

Heilkunst isn't a particular treatment method, because it's a complete system for understanding which therapies are indicated for you as a unique individual at a particular time.

 

-Karen

[Smile]

Try big doses of B-17, cottage cheese with flax seed oil, coffee enemas every day, minimize meat, lots of greens, plus green supplements, fish oil.

[gendao]

If you try alternative energy healers, I would recommend finding ones with genuine qi/jing power. They are quite rare, but do exist. Because your standard acupuncturist probably doesn't have this and so their treatments are not going to be very powerful.

 

But cancer is not something you want to f*** around with, btw. You need to hit these hard and fast. Time is of the essence! Not saying yours is cancerous, just saying in general.

 

I've done a bit of casual research on cancer and as far as other alternative treatments, I've heard of a few that were rumored to be effective for some. Basically they entailed:

 

1) Agaricus Blazei mushroom and controlled doses of selenium

2) Hoxsey's herbal cocktail formula

3) Laetrile (B17), graviola, curcumin

4) Royal Rife's old frequency generator machine

5) DCA (dichloroacetic acid)?

[Starjumper]

Edited May 14, 2007 by Starjumper7

[mYTHmAKER]

Here is the info on an MD in Athens

Theodora Courmentakis M.D.

Peter Coumentakis N.D.

5 Yrkanias Street

Patissa, 1142 Athens, Greece

Phone/Fax 011-30-210-222-2408

www.geocities.com/coumentakis

 

They are natural hygienist's using diet and fasting as modalities.

They follow in the footsteps ot health pioneers such as Herbert Shelton

[Arkadia_Sun]

Karen, thanks for your advice. I know that the cure of anything is about treating the real cause of it and not the symptoms. This of course goes much, much deeper than the"take your medication" and "don't do this, that and also try this diet" stuff. This is my take on the particular problem after reading, thinking and watching my body reactions:

The thyroid is the bodily equivalent of the 5th chakra. This physical body territory controls speech. I suspect that when someone is externally a very kind and quiet person, but internally is full of fear and repressed anger(that's where "kindness" comes from, because he/she is afraid, not because of real love, compassion, discrimination e.t.c), he/she "swallows" all the insults, the harsh events e.t.c of the everyday life. So, as the time goes by, the nodule is formed as the physical manifestation or intepretation of the trapped anger and fear. I have another notion, that thyroid disorders of this type also could happen to people who "talk too much", meaning that they critise others too much, or they are constanly involved in other people lives, messing them up. I guess that the first case(pathetic) is yin and the second yang. In the first case, the person does not know how to say no or f@#$ off, to put it this way, to people who violate his/her limits or abuse him, and the second case is about people who violate and abuse others.

So, apart from healing the symptoms, for the people of the first category the real cure is the building of self esteem and maybe of certain communicative skills, so that non desirable behaviour from other people(and the consecutive stressfull situations on the various organs, glands e.t.c) is avoided. In short, what could be called "emotional self defense". This of course could include some form of psychotherapy, so that the hidden roots of anger and fear would be revealed.

So far, I stopped smoking, alcohol, coffee and I returned to a vegetarian(no eggs,meat,fish) diet. I'm practicing hatha yoga everyday(for the last 2 months), and I'm start to revert seriously to my meditation.

Vortex and Smile, thanks so much! Could you be more specific about the quantity/ dose of the ingredients you list? I live in Greece, and it would be convenient if you could point some e-shop which could send the stuff to european countries also.

mYTHmAKER, I'm thinking seriously of fasting. I tried it in the past, and it provided a calmness and a balance unknown to me then.

Smile, could you provide an URL or information about coffee enemas? I know about internal/ colon cleansening, but in Greece we just drink the coffee...

Enough for today. Thanks everybody

[mYTHmAKER]

mYTHmAKER, I'm thinking seriously of fasting. I tried it in the past, and it provided a calmness and a balance unknown to me then.

[/quote]

 

If you do fast for more than a few days - it should be supervised under the

care of someone knowledgeable in this area.

You might also have some bloodwork done to show where and if you have deficiencies.

[Arkadia_Sun]

mYTHmAKER, thanks for the address. I made a search and I found that this guy is pretty well known in the alternative medicine field in Greece, so I will contact him

As for the fasting, has anybody tried the wheatgrass fasting which was developed by Ann Wigmore?

[mYTHmAKER]

mYTHmAKER, thanks for the address. I made a search and I found that this guy is pretty well known in the alternative medicine field in Greece, so I will contact him

As for the fasting, has anybody tried the wheatgrass fasting which was developed by Ann Wigmore?

 

If you see him let me know what he says.

He is with the American Natural Hygiene Society listed on their professional referral list.

[Arkadia_Sun]

Ok, mYTHmAKER I will keep you posted. Does anybody know if yoga poses such as Shoulderstand and Plow(Sarvangasana/Halasana, the inversions) are ok for my condition? I searched all over the internet, and I can't find anything. It's said that inverted postures can bring the thyroid functioning back to normal, but they say nothing about nodules.Anybody on this?

[gendao]

Vortex and Smile, thanks so much! Could you be more specific about the quantity/ dose of the ingredients you list? I live in Greece, and it would be convenient if you could point some e-shop which could send the stuff to european countries also.

1) Selenium dosage needs to be controlled by a doctor because it can be toxic in high amounts. My friend knows of a doctor in California who supervises this protocol (and supposedly to good effect).

2) Hoxsey's formula is available in Tijuana, Mexico. My co-worker's mom had cancer and got cured of it from that. Well, I guess you can't prove that's what cured her - but she did get cured after trying it.

3) Laetrile (B17), graviola, curcumin - most of these are commonly available.

4) Royal Rife's original frequency generator machine was destroyed by Morris Fishbein decades ago. Modern replicas might have some effect but I don't think they're quite the same...

5) DCA (dichloroacetic acid) has been proven very effective in rats - but hasn't passed testing in humans yet. It is available on the net but at your own risk.

6) Antineoplastons

Edited May 21, 2007 by vortex