Graves’ disease is considered an incurable condition by most endocrinologists and other physicians. However, many holistic practitioners have a different perspective on this condition. As a holistic health professional, I was unsurprisingly open to a natural treatment protocol for Graves’ disease when I was first diagnosed with the condition. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t skeptical, though, because while I really wasn’t worried about the safety of natural treatments, I honestly wasn’t sure how effective they would be.
While I wouldn’t call my symptoms excessive, the increased pulse rate was still difficult to deal with and the palpitations sometimes made it difficult to fall asleep. Add to that the tremors, weight loss, and increased appetite, and like many others with Graves’ disease, I considered taking anti-thyroid medication to manage the symptoms. Radioactive iodine wasn’t really offered to me as a first option by the endocrinologist I saw, although I’m sure that would have changed in a few months or years after starting the anti-thyroid drugs. After all, the anti-thyroid drugs do nothing more than relieve the symptoms, although they sometimes put the person into a temporary state of remission.
In any case, I never considered getting radioactive iodine, but who knows what would have happened if I had decided to take the anti-thyroid drugs. But I didn’t as I decided to follow a natural Graves’ disease protocol and it really helped bring my health back to normal. It took only a few weeks for the increased heart rate, palpitations, and tremor symptoms to subside. And within a few months, all of my symptoms were gone, blood and adrenal tests had improved dramatically and eventually normalized, and overall I was feeling great.
How can a treatment protocol for Graves’ disease be so effective?
Before I answer that question, let me be honest and let you know that not everyone responds to natural treatments for Graves’ disease. However, when you think about it, you really have nothing to lose by following such a protocol as the very worst scenario is that it doesn’t work and you have to resort to anti-thyroid drugs or RAI. The reason a natural Graves’ Disease treatment protocol has a great chance of bringing your health back to normal is because, unlike traditional medical treatments, natural treatments attempt to get to the underlying cause of the condition.
What you need to understand is that in most cases of Graves’ disease, the problematic thyroid is not the underlying cause of the disorder. So while prescription medications can treat the symptoms well, they will do absolutely nothing about the root cause of the condition. On the other hand, the goal of any natural treatment protocol for Graves’ disease is to cure the root cause of the condition. Here are some of the things that can lead to the development of Graves’ disease:
• Weak adrenal glands
• A weakened immune system
• Poor digestion
• Hormonal imbalances
• Malnutrition
• Exposure to environmental toxins
• Problems with other areas of the body
It is usually a combination of some of these factors that lead to the development of autoimmune thyroid disease. So when someone with Graves’ disease consults a natural endocrine disorder doctor, not only will they look at the thyroid blood tests that other medical professionals evaluate, they will most likely recommend one or more additional tests to determine if the person has one or more of these problems .
For example, anyone with Graves’ disease has a compromised immune system. However, not all have the same factors that lead to a weakening of the immune system. Many people who eat lots of refined foods and sugars and/or deal poorly with stress develop weak adrenal glands, which in turn can cause the autoimmune response and thyroid dysfunction, leading to autoimmune thyroid disease. Another person could have an imbalance with the hormones estrogen and progesterone, which can wreak havoc on the body and also lead to immune system problems.
The point is that focusing only on the thyroid is a huge mistake. For this reason, most doctors believe that Graves’ disease is incurable, as they focus all their efforts on stopping the excessive production of thyroid hormones and never consider what is causing the thyroid malfunction in the first place. The reason natural Graves’ Disease treatments can be so effective is because they don’t just try to cover up the symptoms, they try to find the root cause of the actual condition and then eliminate it.
Find a doctor who specializes in natural treatments for Graves’ disease
While there are many naturopaths, holistic health practitioners, and other medical professionals who may be able to help bring your health back to normal, I think it’s a good idea to consult a natural endocrine doctor. This is because such a doctor focuses on endocrine disorders and therefore has more experience treating Graves’ disease than a naturopath who treats many different types of conditions.
Whatever you decide, try to keep an open mind. I realize that it can be difficult not to be skeptical about natural treatments for Graves’ disease, especially when almost all endocrinologists and general practitioners recommend either medication or RAI. And don’t get me wrong, some people really need these conventional treatments. In most cases, however, it does not make sense to temporarily treat the symptoms with antithyroid drugs or to damage the thyroid with radioactive iodine.
Most people just don’t realize there are other options, and hopefully now that you have this information, you’ll be trying natural treatments for Graves’ disease. If you’re like most people who follow a natural treatment protocol, you’ll not only feel healthy and energetic, but you’ll regret you didn’t act sooner.
Thanks to Dr. Eric Osansky
