To observe the therapeutic effect of acupuncture in treating thyroid nodules. Methods: Patients were divided into acupuncture study group, acupuncture control group and medicine group by random number table. Acupuncture study group were given acupuncture treatment according to syndrome differentiation of traditional Chinese medicine. Ll ll, LI 14, PC 6, LR 5, LU 7, ST 40, BL 40 were chosen. If local nodules could be touched, then local encircled needling was applied, if not, LI 18 in the disease part was also needled. Reducing method was used. The control group was given CV 12, CV 6, ST 36 needling gently without any reinforcement and reduction needling methods. Two acupuncture groups were treated three times a week, 30 times for one course of treatment; the medicine group was treated with Levothyroxine for 50 days, one time per week for ten weeks. Results: The total effective rate was significantly higher in the acupuncture study group and the medicine group (P<0.05). The volume of thyroid nodules in the acupuncture study group significantly decreased (P<0.05), compared with the acupuncture control group and the medicine group (P<0.05), and no changes of thyroid hormone were observed in acupuncture control group (P>0.05). Conclusion: Acupuncture can effectively inhibit and reduce early benign thyroid nodules, improve clinical symptoms; and have no effect on patients′ thyroid hormone levels.