Thyroid and parathyroid on the right hand · 29 areas
· ringed markers are placed differently by different schools
Placement
Location: In the Ingham-derived hand mapping, over the ball of the right thumb where the thenar muscle meets the thumb joint, with the parathyroid points at the edges of that patch.
Longitudinal zone(s): 1, 2 of 5
Side: right hand
Tradition: Ingham (Western)
How other schools place it
Ingham (Western)
Ingham-lineage hand charts show the thyroid over the thenar eminence at the base of the thumb, with small parathyroid points at the upper and lower edges of that patch.
Other Western hand charts move the parathyroid points onto the radial border, and a few onto the web between thumb and index finger.
Chinese reflexology
Chinese hand charts draw the thyroid as a curved band running from the web between thumb and index finger along the shaft of the first metacarpal, with a separate small parathyroid point on the radial border.
The Chinese band is longer and sits further distally than the Ingham thenar patch.
Traditional use
Traditionally included in endocrine sequences and worked with a small circling thumb.
Reflexology is a traditional practice, not an evidence-based medical treatment. Systematic reviews have not shown it to be effective for any medical condition. These maps document what practitioners traditionally use — they are not claims about how the body works.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the thyroid and parathyroid reflex area on the hand?+
In the Ingham-derived hand mapping, over the ball of the right thumb where the thenar muscle meets the thumb joint, with the parathyroid points at the edges of that patch.
Which tradition does this placement come from?+
Ingham (Western). Other schools place this area differently; the variants are documented on this page.
Does pressing this area treat the organ it is named after?+
No. Reflexology maps are traditional diagrams, not descriptions of anatomy or physiology. Systematic reviews have not found reflexology to be an effective treatment for any medical condition.
Sources
References displayed on this page were recorded with the point dataset.