Graves’ Disease: Addressing The Underlying Cause

Before I was officially diagnosed with Graves’ Disease I knew I was going to take a natural treatment approach.  Initially I found out I had hyperthyroidism from my primary care physician, and a couple of months later I saw an endocrinologist, who officially gave me the diagnosis of Graves’ Disease.  But even though I had planned on doing things naturally for my condition, at the time I was still skeptical as to whether or not following a natural treatment protocol would help.  After all, back then I didn’t know anyone with Graves’ Disease who had successfully restored their health through natural treatment methods.

Fortunately things worked out very well for me, as I was able to get into remission without taking any medication, and years later I have still managed to maintain a state of wellness.  And many of my patients have had success in restoring their health back to normal as well.  Not everyone is able to avoid taking medication such as Methimazole or Propranolol, but even when someone needs to take medication it is of course still possible to restore one’s health back to normal.  The problem is that most people who take the medication don’t do anything to address the underlying cause of the condition, as they simply hope and pray that they will get into remission while taking antithyroid medication.  And while some people do get into remission when taking the medication alone, this state of remission is usually temporary.

Unfortunately many people with Graves’ Disease choose radioactive iodine as a first option.  And in most cases it’s because the endocrinologist they were working with convinced them that this was the very best option.  When I saw an endocrinologist for my Graves’ Disease condition I was fortunate that she didn’t try to pressure me to receive radioactive iodine treatment.  Of course even if she did recommend RAI I would have refused it, and I didn’t take the Methimazole she prescribed to me.  But many other endocrinologists recommend radioactive iodine to every single one of their patients with Graves’ Disease, which makes me very sad knowing that most of these people could have preserved the health of their thyroid gland if they had just given natural treatment methods a try.

The Problem With Receiving Radioactive Iodine As A “First Resort”

But why shouldn’t radioactive iodine be the first treatment option?  After all, hyperthyroidism can be a very scary condition to deal with.  After I found out I had hyperthyroidism I not only was in a state of disbelief, but I also was terrified.  And this was without an endocrinologist telling me that if I don’t get my thyroid gland “nuked” there is a chance I would experience a thyroid storm, or perhaps even a heart attack.  The obvious “benefit” of radioactive iodine is that it usually will eliminate hyperthyroidism, and thus will remove the risk of having a thyroid storm, along with other conditions associated with an increased heart rate.

Of course the downside is that radioactive iodine doesn’t do anything to address the autoimmune component of Graves’ Disease.  After all, it’s easy to forget that Graves’ Disease isn’t a thyroid condition, but instead is an immune system condition that affects the thyroid gland.  And while it’s important to manage the hyperthyroid symptoms, receiving radioactive iodine won’t do anything to improve the health of the immune system.  The research clearly shows that someone with one autoimmune condition is more likely to develop another autoimmune condition in the future.  And so it is very important to try to reverse the autoimmune component of Graves’ Disease, and not just focus on managing the symptoms.

How Do You Find The Underlying Cause?

It admittedly can be a challenge to determine the underlying cause of your Graves’ Disease condition.  The primary key is to try to detect the trigger or triggers which are responsible for the development of the autoimmune response.  Some common examples of triggers include stress, infections, food allergens, and environmental toxins.

There are many things you can do on your own to improve your health, such as clean up your diet, do a better job of managing your stress, and minimizing your exposure to environmental toxins.  However, it can be difficult to restore your health on your own.  This is why I think it’s wise to consult with a competent natural healthcare professional who has experience working with Graves’ Disease patients, as this will give you the guidance that you need.

On that note, in the near future I will be releasing an online group coaching program for those who have Graves’ Disease.  This new program for Graves’ Disease will be an affordable self-management/group coaching program.  Although I do think it’s a good idea for those with Graves’ Disease to work one-on-one with a competent natural healthcare professional, I realize that not everyone will choose to do this.  And even if you are currently working with a natural healthcare professional I’m sure the information provided in this program will only further help to optimize your health.

If this is something that sounds good to you I would recommend getting on my Reversing Graves’ Disease VIP priority notification list.

Click Here To Join The Reversing Graves’ Disease program VIP Priority Notification List