Those who have been reading this blog for awhile know I’m not one to suggest that taking nutritional supplements and/or herbs alone is enough to restore one’s health back to normal. And I’m also critical with regards to companies or individuals promoting a single supplement or herb as the solution for a specific condition. One example I have given in the past is the thyroid support supplements and boosters sold on the market, and how just taking a single supplement or herb won’t cure one’s condition, and in many cases won’t even do a good job of managing the symptoms.

However, there are certain nutritional supplements and herbs which can have a profound difference when it comes to certain symptoms, which in turn can help with someone’s recovery from their thyroid or autoimmune thyroid disorder. In this post I’m going to discuss an herb which really does a wonderful job of eliminating a person’s sugar cravings, at least in most cases. This is an extremely important herb, as there are many people with thyroid and autoimmune thyroid conditions who have severe sugar cravings. And eating foods high in sugar on a frequent basis can lead to problems with the adrenal glands, and eventually the pancreas, thus leading to conditions such as insulin resistance and diabetes.

I’ve spoken about this numerous times in the past, as many people with thyroid and autoimmune thyroid conditions have compromised adrenal glands. And in many of these cases, the compromised adrenal glands are responsible for the person’s condition. When this is the case, if the adrenal gland problem isn’t addressed, then there is just about no chance of restoring the person’s thyroid health back to normal. And if a person has severe sugar cravings which has led to the adrenal issues, then these cravings obviously need to be addressed in order to correct the problem with the adrenal glands.

This is where the herb gymnema comes into play. This is an herb that does a wonderful job of balancing the blood sugar levels. And it also is very effective in eliminating one’s sugar cravings in a short period of time. Typically people will have their sugar cravings under control within one week of taking this herb in the appropriate dosage, although for some people it does take longer.

Although this herb is very effective in most people, the quality of the herb is extremely important. I personally use the MediHerb line, as they have a good quality gymnema that has worked very well for my patients. There of course are other companies which offer quality herbs, but the reason I bring up MediHerb so frequently is because they are one of the companies I have used for many years, and both myself and my patients have received excellent results while taking their herbs.

As for how many gymnema tablets you should take each day, this is something you should discuss with a natural healthcare professional. To no surprise, patients who have severe sweet and carb cravings will need to take a higher dosage of this herb when compared to those people who have mild to moderate cravings. Other factors also come into play when it comes to recommending the dosage, such as one’s body weight.

Just as is the case with other herbs, gymnema is also available in a liquid form. In fact, in the past I attended one of the nutritional seminars, and the presenter told the doctors attending to swish a small amount of liquid Gymnema in our mouth for a few seconds, and then immediately gave us a grape to eat. After doing this the grape no longer tasted sweet, as it tasted bitter after consuming the liquid form of gymenma. The tablets don’t work this way, as they don’t instantly anesthetize the taste buds, which is probably a good thing. But they still are very effective.

Can someone just avoid taking gymnema and go “cold turkey” when it comes to consuming refined foods and sugars? Sure they can, as I don’t recommend this herb to all of my patients who have sweet and carbohydrate cravings. However, some people are unable to resist eating refined carbs and sugars and need the extra support. When I followed a natural treatment protocol I personally didn’t take gymnema, even though I considered myself to have a sweet tooth. But I didn’t consider my sugar cravings to be too severe, and so I was able to avoid eating refined foods and sugars on my own. And eventually the changes I made in my diet, as well as other lifestyle factors, helped to balance my blood sugar levels and eliminated my sweet and carb cravings.

So it really depends on the person. Let’s not forget that taking gymnema isn’t just about eliminating the sweet and carb cravings, but its main goal is to balance the blood sugar levels, and the reduction in the sweet cravings is essentially just a side effect of this herb. So truth to be told, looking back it would have benefited me to take the gymnema, although I can’t complain since the end result was fine. But once again, whether someone should take gymnema or just rely on their willpower is something that should be considered on an individual basis.

So those people who have mild sugar cravings might not need to take gymnema, or they might need to take a low dosage of this herb. On the other hand, for someone who has moderate to severe sweet and carb cravings, Gymnema can do a wonderful job of addressing their cravings and will help balance their blood sugar levels, which will in turn help with their adrenal health, and this will improve the chances of having their health restored back to normal through natural thyroid treatment methods.

When it comes to hyperthyroidism and Graves’ Disease, there are basically two trains of thoughts regarding the how dangerous these conditions really are.  Many medical doctors will dismiss these conditions as not being too dangerous, as I’ve read numerous sources which claim that hyperthyroidism and Graves’ Disease are not life threatening conditions.  On the other hand, other sources say these conditions can indeed be life threatening if left  untreated.  So the question I wanted to answer here is “how dangerous is hyperthyroidism and Graves’ Disease?”

In most cases, primary hyperthyroidism and Graves’ Disease aren’t life threatening conditions.  But the reason for this is because the person who has either one of these conditions usually notices the symptoms before they become too severe, and as a result receive treatment, usually in the form of anti-thyroid drugs or radioactive iodine.  However, if someone has hyperthyroidism or Graves’ Disease and doesn’t receive any treatment, then the symptoms can eventually be severe enough to become life threatening.  After all, people can develop an extremely high pulse rate, and can even develop a condition called thyroid storm, which is considered to be an emergency situation.  Once again, this is rare, but it can happen, and so to dismiss Graves’ Disease and other types of hyperthyroidism as not being potentially dangerous conditions is a big mistake.

This presents a dilemma for a person who has hyperthyroidism or Graves’ Disease and is looking to follow a natural treatment protocol.  It usually takes some time for such a protocol to “kick in”, and so if someone has either of these conditions and is not currently taking the anti-thyroid drugs or a beta blocker, should they follow a natural thyroid treatment protocol and wait until they take effect?  Or should they “play it safe” and take the medication?

This obviously is a decision that only the person with the hyperthyroid condition can make.  This is also a big reason why I don’t think it’s a bad idea to combine different treatment options.  For example, someone who is interested in following a natural thyroid treatment protocol can always take the anti-thyroid drugs and/or a beta blocker to help manage the symptoms, and at the same time begin a natural thyroid treatment protocol.  Then after one or two months they can wean themselves off of the prescription drugs.  Once again, this isn’t a suggestion as to what you should do, as this is only a decision that you can make on your own.

Some people wonder why I personally didn’t combine treatment methods when I was diagnosed with Graves’ Disease, as I decided not to take the Methimazole and beta blocker that was prescribed to me, and I just began a natural hyperthyroid treatment protocol.  As I’ve mentioned numerous times in the past, I did consider taking the medication on a temporary basis, but I didn’t think my symptoms were too severe.  My pulse rate was consistently around 90-100 beats per minute, which is without question high (especially for me), but at this point it’s usually not life threatening.  On the other hand, for someone who has an existing heart condition, having a pulse rate this high can be very risky not to manage.  And since some people do have underlying heart conditions, I would never tell anyone not to manage their symptoms, regardless of their heart rate.

Truth to be told, I was taking a risk by not taking the prescription drugs, as there was no surefire way to predict whether or not something was going to happen to me.  Although I believe my heart is in good health, there have been many people who considered themselves to be in an excellent state of health as well, but then they shortly suffered a heart attack.  Heck, I thought I was healthy a few months before being diagnosed with Graves’ Disease!  This isn’t meant to scare anybody, as I just don’t want anyone to make their decision not to take prescription drugs based on what I did.  If you feel really strong about not taking drugs and decide not to take any medication, then that’s fine.  But once again, it’s a decision YOU need to make.

So I will conclude this post by saying that any hyperthyroid condition has the potential to be life threatening if the symptoms become too severe.  Although it’s very rare for people to die from hyperthyroidism and Graves’ Disease, there is always a risk involved if the person’s pulse rate is too high.  Because of this, there’s nothing wroing with taking anti-thyroid drugs on a temporary basis to manage the symptoms, and you can also begin a natural thyroid treatment protocol at the same time if your ultimate goal is to restore your health back to normal.  Just make sure you consult with a endocrinologist or another type of medical doctor regarding the anti-thyroid drugs, and a natural endocrine doctor with regards to the natural treatment methods.

Many people who are considering natural thyroid treatment methods are concerned about whether following such a protocol will offer a permanent solution to their thyroid condition.  In other words, they wonder whether natural treatment methods offer a permanent cure, or if there is a chance of a relapse.  The truth is that if a person restores their health back to normal but then neglects their health there is chance they will suffer a relapse.

Let’s look at an example of this in the form a person named Ellen who has hyperthyroidism and has a high pulse rate, palpitations, and other symptoms associated with the condition.  She follows a natural thyroid treatment protocol, and after a few weeks the symptoms begin to subside, and then after a few months they are completely gone.  She is doing fine for 8 months, but then one night while trying to fall asleep she notices some minor palpitations.  The next day she measures her pulse rate, and it’s not extremely high, but around 85 beats per minute, when it’s normally in the low 70s.  Ellen is upset, as it looks like her hyperthyroid symptoms are returning. 

When following a natural thyroid treatment protocol, Ellen changed her diet dramatically, eating only whole foods for 30 days, eliminating gluten from her diet, and also took numerous nutritional supplements and herbs.  She changed other lifestyle factors as well, making sure she obtained at least eight hours of sleep each night, she did a better job of managing her stress, and she began to exercise regularly.  When her symptoms began to improve she still ate relatively well for a few months, eating some refined foods every now and then, but a few months after she was symptom-free she began eating more refined foods, ate a decent amount of sweets, etc.

What essentially happened to Ellen is that she followed the natural thyroid treatment protocol, continued to eat well for a few months thereafter, but then slowly began incorporating the bad habits into her lifestyle again.  And while she didn’t completely go back to the same habits she had before she began her natural thyroid treatment protocol, she obviously did enough to cause some of her symptoms to return.

This obviously is not what anyone wants to hear, as what people want to hear is that they will follow the natural thyroid treatment protocol, and then their symptoms will completely go away and they will be permanently cured.  Unfortunately it doesn’t work this way, as not only does one need to take responsibility for their health while following a natural treatment protocol, but they also need to maintain their health thereafter.

This doesn’t mean that once you restore your health you won’t be able to eat junk food anymore, stay up late again, etc.  But anyone who follows a natural thyroid treatment protocol needs to keep the following two things in mind:

1) It takes time to completely restore one’s health back to normal (whenever this is possible).  Even though many people experience positive changes in their symptoms quickly, and might even have their labs normalize within a few months, this doesn’t mean the person’s condition is permanently cured.  Just remember that with the development of a thyroid condition, frequently the symptoms are the last to arrive, and the thyroid blood tests also become positive after the condition is “full blown”.  So without question anyone with hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism (including Graves’ Disease and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis) can maintain their state of health after following a natural treatment protocol, but they need to realize that this will take a good deal of time to accomplish.

2) There is always a chance for a relapse.  If you do a good job of maintaining your health, meaning that you eat well most of the time, obtain quality sleep, do a good job of managing stress, etc., then there is an excellent chance you will continue to maintain your health for many years to come after you follow a natural thyroid treatment protocol.  On the other hand, if you neglect your health and go back to the same old habits then there always is the chance that you will suffer a relapse of your condition.  This doesn’t mean you will need to follow a natural thyroid treatment protocol forever, but it does mean that you will continuously need to take care of your health.

So what should you do if you neglect your health and then suffer a relapse?  If this were to happen, the solution is to follow a natural thyroid treatment protocol again, and this time do a better job of maintaining your health.  Some people who suffer a relapse become discouraged and turn to the prescription drugs, or RAI in the case of hyperthyroidism or Grave’s Disease.  They assume that natural treatment methods offer only a temporary solution, and this is true for those who aren’t willing to maintain a healthy state.  But for those who are willing to take responsibility for their health, they will reap the benefits of a natural treatment protocol for many years to come.

Below this post I listed an article which consists of some of the causes of primary hypothyroidism in women (many of these also apply to men).  What’s interesting is that some of these causes have obvious cures, yet just about everyone who is diagnosed with hypothyroidism will be told to take synthetic thyroid hormone for the rest of their life.

For example, in past articles I’ve spoke about how estrogen dominance can lead to a thyroid condition, and how addressing this cause is important in restoring one’s thyroid health.  You would figure most if not all endocrinologists would know that estrogen dominance can affect thyroid function, yet most of them don’t do anything to even determine whether someone has this condition.

The same concept applies to an iodine deficiency causing or contributing to hypothyroidism.  Most medical doctors don’t do anything to detect or correct such a deficiency.  Once again, these people are almost always told to take thyroid hormone to manage the hypothyroid symptoms.

I know some people really do need to take synthetic or natural thyroid hormone on a permanent basis.  But to put EVERY single person with a high TSH on thyroid hormone without trying to detect and correct the actual cause in my opinion is a form of malpractice.

In any case, here is the article I’m referring to:

http://researchabout.com/thyroid/causes-of-primary-hypothyroidism-in-women/

When I was diagnosed with Graves’ Disease, absolutely nothing was done by the endocrinologist to address my immune system.  This is not an isolated case of course, as most patients who are diagnosed with Graves’ Disease are told to take anti-thyroid drugs such as Methimazole or PTU, or receive radioactive iodine to obliterate the thyroid gland.  On the other hand, people with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis are told to take synthetic or natural thyroid hormone to manage the hypothyroid symptoms.  So basically the goal is either to manage the symptoms or destroy the thyroid gland, while nothing is done to try to eliminate the autoimmune response.

This is one of the main reasons why most endocrinologists and other types of medical doctors label autoimmune thyroid disorders as being incurable.  When all they do is give prescription drugs or RAI then it’s no surprise that nobody gets cured.  Now to be fair, some people do need to take prescription drugs, either on a temporary basis, or in some cases, permanently.  But as I have spoken about numerous times in the past, most medical doctors do absolutely nothing for the actual cause of any thyroid condition, let alone an autoimmune thyroid disorder.

I of course realize that medical doctors don’t receive the necessary training in medical school to find the underlying cause of most thyroid conditions.  So for example, when someone has primary hypothyroidism, it’s no surprise that they don’t evaluate the adrenal glands or the hormonal system in an attempt to find the cause of the condition.  However, when it comes to an autoimmune thyroid disorder, it’s no secret that there is a problem with the immune system.  So for them to just tell the person with Graves’ Disease or Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis to take drugs or receive RAI is ludicrous.

So How Do You Eliminate The Autoimmune Response?

If you have been reading my posts and articles for awhile, then you probably know that in order to cure any thyroid condition or autoimmune thyroid disorder, changes in one’s lifestyle need to take place.  Just treating the thyroid gland itself isn’t going to restore someone’s health back to normal.  So for someone who has an autoimmune thyroid condition who wants to restore their health back to normal, they will need to follow a natural treatment protocol under the guidance of a holistic doctor who focuses on endocrine disorders.

Such a protocol will involve eating well (cutting out the refined foods and sugars and eating mostly whole foods), taking quality nutritional supplements and herbs, trying to obtain sufficient sleep, doing a good job of managing stress, and all of the other factors I’ve discussed numerous times.  While you will most likely receive some nutritional support for the thyroid gland itself, the primary focus will be on restoring the health of the immune system and eliminating the autoimmune response.

But as I’ve mentioned in the past, this isn’t as simple as taking an immune system support formula, or other supplements and herbs.  Sure, taking quality nutritional supplements and herbal remedies can play an important role in restoring the health of the immune system.  But a big problem is that other areas of the body can be causing the compromised immune system in the first place.

For example, I’ve discussed numerous times in the past how many people with thyroid conditions have weak adrenal glands.  Weak adrenal glands in turn can lead to the development of immune system problems.  In fact, this is one of the ways in which people develop an autoimmune condition.  Poor eating habits, insufficient sleep, dealing with a lot of stress, and neglecting other lifestyle factors will over a period of months and years weaken the adrenal glands.  And because nobody ever attempts to correct the adrenal gland problem, the condition worsens over time, and the person frequently develops problems with their immune system, which also goes unaddressed. 

Because most people neglect one or more of these lifestyle factors, it’s not surprising that autoimmune conditions such as Graves’ Disease and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis are on the rise.  While one should see a natural endocrine doctor to address an autoimmune thyroid disorder, there no doubt is a lot you can do on your own to help with your immune system.  Simply making changes with certain lifestyle factors can really do wonders for your overall health.

So if you have Graves’ Disease or Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, it is imperative that you address the immune system component.  Even if you have no intentions of following an “official” natural treatment protocol to restore your health back to normal, not addressing the autoimmune response can lead to other autoimmune conditions in the future.  So at the very least you should make an effort to improve certain lifestyle factors in order to help restore the health of your immune system, but you ultimately will want to see a natural endocrine doctor to receive optimal results.