The Iyisana School of Natural Ways

sub-fertility, reflexology and thyroid function

In many of the cases of sub-fertility with which I have worked I have often discovered imbalances in the thyroid reflexes – leading in particular to a suspicion of low thyroid function.  Some common symptoms of low thyroid function include no ovulation, a short luteal phase (which means that any fertilized egg is not sustained in its early phase for long enough) and sometimes an increase in the hormone prolactin – an excess of which has a negative impact on pregnancy.  Additionally, the adrenal glands will often seem low in energy; adrenal insufficiency can go hand-in-hand with low thyroid function, which can further complicate diagnosis and treatment.

On working the thyroid reflex directly this would often feel hard and dry and there would often be lumps/callouses in the area between zones 1 and 2 metatarsals and around the base of the ball of the foot in zone 1 – for some practitioners this area is indicated as a secondary/helper thyroid reflex.  My experience is leading me to suspect that the more this latter area is calloused, the more chronic the condition is.  Even a quick visual check on these areas can set alarm bells ringing.  Checking with the client would often produce a list of symptoms consistent with hypothyroidism: low energy/tired all the time; feeling constantly cold; dry skin/hair – sometimes with the hair falling out; inability to lose weight; depression/feeling tearful.

In one particular client with a young son of 2 1/2 years old and a seeming inability to fall pregnant again, the thyroid reflex was very hard and dry with callouses presenting as above.  Additionally she had all the above symptoms so I suggested she requested blood tests for thyroid function.  Her GP was quite supportive and in her case, the tests came back demonstrating hypothyroidism and she was immediately put on thyroxin – the standard medication which is a synthetic version of the hormone naturally produced by the thyroid gland.  In the meanwhile she continued having reflexology.  Two weeks after she started her medication she delightedly reported that she was pregnant but sadly miscarried at 8 weeks.  This led me to consider several possibilities:

Obviously there are always other possibilities.  However, I believe the miscarriage occurred because she fell pregnant too early and her body (in particular thyroid and/or adrenal glands) was still not sufficiently balanced to carry the pregnancy to term.

A second example client volunteered as a guinea-pig for one of my students on my professional reflexology course.  She had fallen pregnant following participation in a trial investigating the benefits of reflexology in infertility and was 12 weeks pregnant at the time of her first treatment in class.  After an in-depth discussion with myself and the volunteer student, the client proceeded with her treatment.  Through visual assessment the student had immediately recognized a potential imbalance in the thyroid reflexes and palpation of both the thyroid and adrenal gland reflexes suggested low energy. 

This latter experience in particular has suggested to me that to discontinue treatment during the first trimester of pregnancy is not in the client’s best interest, particularly where there has potentially been low thyroid/adrenal function.  The reflexology might have raised the levels sufficiently to allow conception, but if the reflexology is stopped it is possible that function might drop back again and create a risk to the developing foetus.  I personally believe it is vital to continue with reflexology throughout the pregnancy so long as the client has been receiving reflexology prior to or at least during the conceptional phase.

Anne Thomas

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The Iyisana School of Natural Ways

  Barn Cottage, Trehunist, Liskeard, Cornwall, PL14 3SD

Tel: 01579 340140  Fax: 0871 242 6608

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