Many people with Graves’ Disease and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis don’t realize that it takes years for an autoimmune condition to develop.  As a result, for those that can be helped through natural treatment methods, it almost always will take a decent amount of time to restore their health back to normal.   I’m not suggesting that it will take years for someone to recover.  But for those that think they can take a few supplements and/or herbs and restore their health in a few days or weeks, this is unrealistic.

The good news is that it usually doesn’t take too long to begin experiencing the benefits of a natural treatment protocol.  Of course it can be difficult to tell for those people who choose to take prescription drugs and begin a natural treatment protocol at the same time, as it could be challenging knowing if it’s the drugs that are managing the symptoms, or the natural treatment protocol.  These people do need to be careful when they begin weaning themselves off of the medication, which is why it’s always a good idea to consult back with your endocrinologist or general practitioner before doing this.

In my case I decided not to take any prescription drugs, so when my symptoms began to diminish, I knew for sure it was due to the natural treatment protocol I was following.  And in my case, it only took a few weeks before I began noticing the symptoms diminishing, and a few months until they were completely gone.  As you know, everyone is different, so some people will experience symptomatic relief quicker than others, while for some it will take longer.  But in most cases it usually doesn’t take too long before realizing that the natural treatment methods are working.

As for why it takes a long time for an autoimmune thyroid disorder to develop, the reason is because it takes years of stressing out the body before it begins to break down.  So even though the adrenal glands weren’t designed to handle chronic stress situations, the body is usually able to handle these types of situations for months, and sometimes even years before it reaches its “breaking point”.  And it’s common for people to deal with chronic stress on a daily basis for a prolonged period of time, which is one of the reasons why there are so many autoimmune disorders.

This doesn’t mean that there aren’t other causes of autoimmune disorders besides chronic stress, but regardless of the cause, it still takes time for a condition such as Graves’ Disease or Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis to develop.  And it can take even longer before one becomes symptomatic.  In fact, in most cases the symptoms are the last thing to develop.  So when you first began experiencing your symptoms, the condition had been developing for months, and most likely years.

And even though the symptoms usually are under control pretty quickly when under a natural treatment protocol, not having symptoms doesn’t mean that your condition is cured.  And to be honest, even when the blood and/or saliva tests come out negative, this also doesn’t necessarily mean that you are completely cured.  As I mentioned in a previous post when I spoke about the differences between remission and a cure, with any autoimmune condition you need to do a good job of maintaining your health, or there is always the chance of having a relapse.

The reason I decided to write this is because for those people with Graves’ Disease or Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis who decide to give natural treatment methods a try, I want them to understand why it will take time to completely restore their health to normal.  This once again assumes that you are a good candidate for a natural treatment protocol, although as I’ve mentioned in other posts, most people with these conditions can benefit from natural treatment methods.  So when beginning such a protocol, please be patient, and realize that it took time for your condition to develop, and as a result it will take time for you to fully recover.

It is no secret that most people are iodine deficient.  And as you probably know, iodine is extremely important for the function of the thyroid gland, as it is essential for the formation of thyroid hormone.  Many people assume that people with hyperthyroidism have an excess of iodine, while those with a hypothyroid condition have low levels of iodine.  The truth is, one can’t make this assumption, as there are many people with hyperthyroidism that are deficient in iodine.  Similarly, some people with hypothyroidism have adequate levels of iodine.

Rather than advise someone to take or avoid iodine, the best way to see if someone is iodine deficient is through testing.  Here are a couple of tests that can tell whether someone is iodine deficient:

1. Iodine loading urine test. This test involves ingesting 50mg of iodine, and then testing the urine to see how much iodine is excreted during a 24-hour period.  If someone has an iodine deficiency, then they should retain a significant amount of the iodine that was ingested.

2. Iodine patch test. This is something you can do on your own, as you can buy a 3% tincture of iodine from your local pharmacy (the orange colored solution), and then paint a 2 x 2 square of the iodine on the inner side of your forearm.  According to the test, if the iodine begins to fade or disappears completely within 24 hours, you are iodine deficient.  There is some controversy over the accuracy of this test.

While I don’t think the iodine patch test is the best test for diagnosing an iodine deficiency, I think it can be used as a follow up test.  For example, you might want to begin by doing both an iodine loading urine test and an iodine patch test.  Assuming both tests come out positive and show an iodine deficiency, you can begin an iodine loading protocol (read below if you have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis) and  use the iodine patch test on a monthly basis to see the progress.  You of course can also choose to do another urine test after three months as well.

I personally was on an iodine loading protocol when I was diagnosed with Graves’ Disease.  So I’m proof that just because you have a hyperthyroid condition does not mean you have a sufficient or excess amount of iodine.  The key to a successful iodine loading protocol is to begin slowly, as I took a product called Prolamine Iodine from Standard Process, which is a 3mg iodine tablet.  I began taking one tablet each day for week, and then increased the dosage by one tablet every week.  How high of a dosage you end up taking depends on how deficient you are, and for most people it is safe to work up to 50mg of iodine per day.  This doesn’t mean everyone needs to get up to this high of a dosage, as this of course depends on your level of iodine deficiency.  As usual, I would not recommend that you begin an iodine loading protocol on your own, but instead consult with a natural endocrine doctor first.

If you have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, you should not begin an iodine loading protocol until you have addressed the immune system component first.  Some natural doctors advise people with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis to completely avoid iodine.  They are partially correct on this, as if you put someone with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis on an iodine loading protocol without first addressing the autoimmune response, they will not respond well.  However, many people with Hashimoto’s are iodine deficient.  And after strengthening their immune system and eliminating the oxidative response that is going on, most will do well on an iodine loading protocol, assuming they begin slowly.

If you have any questions about iodine and your autoimmune thyroid disorder, and/or would like to see some research that expands on what I have discussed here, I highly recommend that you read the book “Iodine, Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It”.  The Author is David Brownstein.

Today I’d like to discuss how to determine the health of your adrenal glands.  There are numerous ways to do this, but the way I recommend doing this is through an Adrenal Stress Index panel, which is performed by a company called Diagnos-Techs.  This test uses saliva-based testing to measure the levels of cortisol, which is a hormone that is secreted by the adrenal glands.

Before I go any further, you might wonder how reliable saliva testing is, especially when compared to blood tests.  Saliva tests are actually very reliable, and they also have the following advantages:

Advantage # 1: They are less expensive than blood tests: To receive an equivalent blood test will in most cases cost significantly more than receiving this test.  One of the reasons is that this test measures cortisol levels at four different times during the day.  Having four different blood tests performed at different times of the day not only would be cumbersome, but would be very expensive.

Advantage # 2: They are non-invasive. If you don’t like getting stuck with a needle, then you’ll definitely prefer saliva testing.  Each time you collect a saliva sample you simply will put a small piece of cotton in your mouth (it comes with the test kit), and then drench it with saliva for a few minutes.  Then you put it in a test tube and ship it to the lab.

Advantage # 3: They provide more accurate information than a single blood test. Because this test measures four different levels of cortisol throughout the day, it is without question more accurate than a single blood test that tests your cortisol levels.  The reason this is important is because the cortisol levels vary throughout the day.  Plus, just because someone is normal in the morning does not mean their cortisol levels are normal at night, and vice versa.  For example, my cortisol levels were low in the morning, but normal at night when I had my first test.  Had only a late afternoon or evening sample been taken, I would have been diagnosed as having “normal” cortisol levels.

Now that you know some of the advantages of saliva-based testing, you might wonder how to go about ordering these tests.  Chances are you will need to find a holistic doctor that will order this test for you, as some chiropractors, naturopaths, and holistic medical tests will order such a panel.  You can also visit http://www.diagnostechs.com and perform a search.  The good news is that you don’t need to find a doctor who practices in your immediate area, as you can always consult with someone over the phone who can order such a test for you.  And in many cases, the ASI panel will be covered by health insurance.

By the way, the ASI panel does more than just measure your cortisol levels.  I’m not going to go into detail about the other tests, but it does measure DHEA levels, which can also be very valuable.  It also measures 17-OH Progesterone, Insulin, Gliadin Ab, and Secretory IgA.  Once again, you can learn more about these tests by visiting the website I listed above.

The next thing I’d like to discuss is the frequency of testing.  It is ideal to have your adrenal glands tested before you begin a natural treatment protocol.  The reason for this is because many people with Graves’ Disease and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis have adrenal gland issues, and often times the adrenal glands will need to be addressed before the other systems can respond.  For example, in many cases the stressed out adrenal glands can over a long period of time lead to a compromised immune system, which in turn can cause the thyroid gland to malfunction, presenting itself as Graves’ or Hashimoto’s.  In this example, if you were to treat either the thyroid gland or the immune system without treating the adrenal glands, very little progress will be made.

After receiving the initial ASI test, many doctors will recommend that you receive a follow up every three months, until the cortisol levels are within a normal range.  With my original ASI panel, I had depressed cortisol levels in both the early morning (between 6am and 8am) and late morning (between 11am and noon), with normal levels in the afternoon (between 4pm and 5pm) and before bed (between 10pm and midnight).  Three months later I retested, and the early morning, afternoon, and bedtime cortisol levels were normal, although the late morning levels were slightly depressed.  However, the overall cortisol burden was within normal limits, whereas with the first test it was not.  The cortisol burden is essentially an indicator of overall cortisol exposure, with the normal values falling between 23 and 42. The first time I was tested my cortisol burden was 15, while it was 26 with the second test.  I decided to do another ASI panel three months later, and the cortisol levels were within normal limits during all four time periods.

As for improving your adrenal health, I’ve discussed this to some extent in a previous post when I talked about managing blood sugar levels, and I will talk about this topic in greater detail in future posts.  So I’m not going to discuss how to make sure your test results improve after three months, although I will say that simply reducing the amount of refined foods in your diet and eating every two hours will help.  Plus, in a previous blog post I also mentioned a herb called gymnema, which can also do wonders in helping to regulate blood sugar levels, eliminate sugar cravings, and thus help to promote adrenal health.

That pretty much does it for this post.  Even if you have no intentions of trying a natural treatment protocol, I do highly recommend getting at least an initial ASI panel to determine the health of your adrenals.  Because while I always will be biased and recommend that you consult with a natural endocrine doctor, when it comes to improving the function of your adrenal glands, some of this you can do on your own.

While more and more people with Graves’ Disease and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis are choosing natural treatment methods to help restore their health, there are many people with an autoimmune thyroid disorder who don’t choose natural treatment methods. Of course there are various reasons for this, but one big reason is that many people who have what I refer to as a “tough case” of Graves’ or Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis don’t think that natural treatment methods can help them.

There are three tough cases I’d like to specifically focus on:

Tough Case #1: The Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis sufferer who has been on thyroid hormone for 10+ years.

Tough Case #2: The Graves’ Disease sufferer who has really severe symptoms.

Tough Case # 3: The person who has had thyroid surgery or has received radioactive iodine.

Let’s first take a look at Tough Case #1, which involves the person with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis who has been taking synthetic or natural thyroid hormone for 10+ years. It is natural to assume that by taking thyroid hormone for so long that your thyroid gland is no longer functioning. For some people this is true, which of course means that taking thyroid hormone is necessary.

On the other hand, just because you have been taking thyroid hormone for many years doesn’t automatically rule you out as a candidate for natural treatment methods. Even though you have been taking thyroid hormone for so long, this doesn’t mean that it is impossible to restore the function of your thyroid gland back to normal. Sure, in some people this isn’t possible.  In others, complete restoration isn’t possible, but it still might be possible to restore enough function to their thyroid gland so that it produces a sufficient amount of thyroid hormone on its own. But for a good number of people, especially those who never had thyroid surgery, completely restoring the function of their thyroid gland is possible.

Of course this probably will take some time to accomplish, but the point I want to make is that if you have been taking thyroid hormone for 10+ years, don’t assume that you can’t be helped through a natural treatment protocol. I would still recommend that you consult with a competent natural doctor before coming to this conclusion.

Let’s move onto Tough Case #2, which involves the Graves’ Disease sufferer who has really severe symptoms. Often times these people aren’t even thinking about natural treatment methods, as they just want their symptoms to be under control. Having been diagnosed with Graves’ Disease in the past I can relate with people who have this condition. And to be frank, someone who has an extremely high pulse rate and other severe symptoms probably should take some prescription drugs to manage the symptoms.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t also choose to take natural treatment methods. You can do both, as you can use prescription drugs such as Methimazole and/or a beta blocker until the symptoms are under control, and at the same time begin a natural treatment protocol to help restore your health back to normal. Although I personally chose to not take any prescription drugs when I was diagnosed with Graves’, if my pulse rate had gotten to greater than 120 beats per minute I probably would have did a combination of the prescription drugs, along with the natural treatment protocol. And by the way, I’m not suggesting that you not take medication if your pulse rate is less than 120 beats per minute, as this was just a personal decision I made. Some people with a pulse rate around 90 to 100 will feel more comfortable taking medication, which is fine.

Finally, let’s take a look at Tough Case #3, which involves the person who has had thyroid surgery, or has received radioactive iodine. When someone has had complete removal of their thyroid gland, they will need to be on some type of thyroid hormone for the rest of their lives. However, if a person with Graves’ Disease has their thyroid gland completely removed, keep in mind that this isn’t doing anything for the cause of the problem. It is just getting rid of the symptoms, as by doing this the thyroid can no longer produce excess amounts of thyroid hormone (or any thyroid hormone for that matter).

But doing this does nothing to address the immune system, adrenal glands, and other areas that may have caused this disorder to develop in the first place. As a result, it wouldn’t be a surprise for someone with Graves’ Disease who has their thyroid gland removed to eventually develop Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. And the reason for this is because the autoimmune component was never addressed by surgically removing the thyroid gland.

When someone has their thyroid gland partially removed, and/or has received radioactive iodine treatment, there is a good chance that their thyroid gland still produces thyroid hormone. As a result, there is a chance that natural treatment methods can help to restore the function of the gland back to normal. This is true even if part of the gland is removed or destroyed, as the body has an amazing ability to compensate under such circumstances. This isn’t always possible, but it definitely wouldn’t be a waste of your time to consult with a natural endocrine doctor to see if you can avoid taking thyroid hormone forever.

In summary, just because you are classified as a “tough case” doesn’t automatically rule you out as a candidate for natural treatment methods. And as I mentioned above, many people that fall under these categories that can’t have the function of their thyroid gland restored to normal still can benefit from natural treatment methods to help strengthen the immune system, as well as address other areas of the body such as the adrenal glands and digestive system. Doing this can make it far less likely that you will develop other autoimmune conditions in the future.

Many people who have Graves’ Disease or Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis have difficulty balancing their blood sugar levels.  While at first glance this might not seem to have anything to do with your condition, the truth is that problems with blood sugar levels can put a great deal of stress on your adrenal glands.  And as I’ve said in the past, weakened adrenals can be one of the primary causes behind your autoimmune thyroid disorder.  The reason for this is that the adrenals can affect the immune system, which obviously is affected in both Graves’ Disease and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.

Besides causing or contributing to your condition, weakened adrenal glands can also lead to sleeping problems.  So if you have difficulty falling to sleep at night, and/or wake up in the middle of the night for what may seem like for no good reason, then there is an excellent chance that your adrenal glands are the reason for this.  One of the hormones the adrenal glands secrete is cortisol, which is normally high when you first wake up, and then decreases as the day moves on.  Blood sugar problems can affect the cortisol levels, making it difficult to fall and/or stay asleep, and can also make it difficult getting out of bed first thing in the morning.  In fact, people with chronic fatigue usually have severe adrenal problems.

In a future post I’m going to go over the details of how to test the adrenal glands, but for now I want to focus on how to eliminate any sugar cravings you might have, which will go a long ways towards restoring the health of your adrenals.  The good news is that in most cases it is possible to completely restore the health of your adrenal glands.  And doing so really isn’t too difficult, although it does of course require some cooperation on your part.

Here are three things you can do to eliminate sugar cravings:

1.    Eat every two hours upon waking up. First of all, you ideally should eat something within 30 minutes of waking up.  If you typically don’t eat breakfast, try to put some type of healthy protein in your body, such as an egg, protein shake, etc.  Then after eating breakfast, throughout the day you want to eat every two hours.  Doing this will help prevent the highs and lows in your blood sugars, putting less stress on the adrenal glands, and will help control any sugar cravings you may have.

2.    Don’t eat too many refined foods. I know this isn’t easy to do, as many of the foods we all love happen to be refined.  But during the refining process, they deplete the food of its nutrients, although they do add some of them back, which is the process of “enriching” your food.  But besides removing the nutrients, the refining process also removes the fiber, which means that these refined foods absorb quicker, which will cause a spike in your blood sugar levels.  So if you eat a lot of refined foods throughout the day, this will create constant surges in your blood sugar levels, which once again will put a lot of stress on your adrenal glands, which in turn can weaken your immune system, and affect other areas of your body.  This doesn’t mean you need to eliminate refined foods from your diet completely (although if you can then that’s great), but most of the foods you eat should be whole foods.

3.    Nutritional supplementation can usually help. A great supplement that can help regulate blood sugar levels and most likely   eliminate any sugar cravings you might have is the herb gymnema.  The only challenge is finding a quality supplement, as a low quality supplement will not be sufficient.  Standard Process is the company I use, although I’m sure there are others out there are of high quality.  As with any supplement or herbal remedy, I would recommend consulting with a natural endocrine doctor to find out the specific dosage you should take, etc.

If you follow the advice I have given above, it will help a great deal in restoring the health of your adrenal glands.  If you have sleeping difficulties and/or chronic fatigue, you should see a great deal of improvement in these areas.  And if your adrenal glands are already functioning properly, it will prevent future problems from developing.

By the way, if you want to learn some more about the physiology of sugar cravings and how it affects not only the blood sugar levels, but also how it ties into the brain biochemistry (in an easy to understand manner), I recommend checking out the book “Potatoes Not Prozac”, by Kathleen DesMaisons.

The other day I read an article about Barbara Bush having a relapse of Graves’ Disease.  In this article, it stated that Graves’ Disease isn’t life threatening.  You can read the article by Clicking Here.  This might cause some confusion, as there have been times when I have mentioned that this autoimmune thyroid disorder can be life threatening.  So who is right, the reporter from ABC News, or myself?

Well, the truth is that most of the time Graves’ Disease is not life threatening.  But if left untreated, the symptoms can become severe.  This is especially true with regards to the pulse rate, as it can get quite high, which puts a lot of strain on the heart.  Over time, this can lead to serious problems, and in rare cases, death.  Don’t take my word for it, as you can simply visit Google, Bing, or whatever your favorite search engine is, and type in the words “Is Graves’ Disease Life Threatening?”.  Upon doing this, you’ll see plenty of articles, some with research that shows that this condition can indeed become life threatening.

Now of course there are other things that factor into this, such as the overall health of the individual who has Graves’ Disease.  Someone who is in excellent health might be able to get away without treating Graves’ Disease for a prolonged period of time, although I still wouldn’t recommend this.  On the other hand, a person who is in a poor state of health has a much greater risk of having complications by not receiving treatment.  And yes, one of the complications very well could be death!

In summary, Graves’ Disease usually isn’t life threatening in most individuals, especially those who receive some form of treatment, whether it’s anti-thyroid drugs, radioactive iodine, or natural treatment methods.  But for those who choose not to treat it, this can definitely be risky, and because of this I highly recommend that you consult with an endocrinologist or natural endocrine doctor and receive treatment right away, rather than play games with your health.

One thing the article does get right is that it states that “Medication can cause long-term remission of the disease but relapse is fairly common, according to the Mayo Clinic”.  This relates to the post I made recently about whether or not autoimmune thyroid disorders can be cured through natural treatment methods.  While the anti-thyroid drugs sometimes can put Graves’ Disease into a state of remission, since it doesn’t get to the cause of the disorder, a relapse is highly likely.  As for natural treatment methods, one can also suffer a relapse when following a natural treatment protocol if they go back to their old habits of neglecting their health, including eating junk food all the time, not sleeping at least 7 to 8 hours each night, not managing stress well, etc.  So the key is to not only restore your health back to normal, but to continue to maintain your health as well.

It is unfortunate that most people with Graves’ Disease and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis won’t ever consider a natural treatment protocol.  Although more and more people with these autoimmune thyroid disorders are turning to natural treatment methods, most people will still follow the advice of their endocrinologist or general practitioner.  What this of course usually means is that most people with these conditions will continue to take prescription drugs for the rest of their lives, without ever attempting to restore their health back to normal.

What I’d like to do in this post is discuss some of the common reasons why people with Graves’ Disease and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis decide NOT to try a natural treatment protocol:

Reason #1: Most people are close minded. This of course doesn’t describe you, as you wouldn’t be reading this information in the first place if you didn’t have an open mind.  While you might not be ready to use natural treatment methods at this time, reading this information shows that you are at least considering it.

Reason #2: Many are skeptical about the safety and/or effectiveness of natural treatment methods. I can definitely understand people being skeptical.  Some people laugh when I tell them that I was skeptical before starting my natural treatment protocol.  They figure that because I’m a natural doctor that I would have been 100% confident that such a natural protocol would work.  While I wasn’t too concerned about the safety of the protocol, I honestly wasn’t sure how effective it would be.  So I was surprised at how quickly the natural treatment protocol worked.  And while the results I personally had might not be enough to reassure you, perhaps you’ll take the same perspective as me before I began my natural treatment protocol.  I figured that there was nothing to lose, as the worst case scenario would involve the natural treatment methods not working, and then I would have to take the prescription medication.  But knowing that the medication wouldn’t cure the condition, along with the possibility of having to receive radioactive iodine, motivated me even more to try a natural treatment protocol.

Of course some people don’t think they are a candidate for a natural treatment protocol, as perhaps they have been on thyroid hormone for many years and figure that there is no way to restore the health of their thyroid gland.  Others who have had thyroid surgery or received radioactive iodine might also think they can’t benefit from natural treatment methods.  I’ll talk more about these “tough cases” in a future post, but I will say that many people who have had surgery or received radioactive iodine have benefited from natural treatment methods.

Reason #3: Financial concerns are definitely another reason why people don’t pursue and/or follow through with such a protocol. Following a natural treatment protocol under the guidance of a competent natural doctor obviously will cost money.  This is why many people will attempt to self-treat their condition, figuring they can pick up a few  supplements and/or herbal remedies at their local health food store.  The problem with this approach is that the results one usually receive are far from optimal.  In other words, they usually end up wasting their money.  The truth is, while following a natural protocol might be perceived as being expensive by many, for most people it is affordable.  And the good news is that it shouldn’t take a lot of money before you begin seeing results.  I began seeing an improvement after only a few weeks, so it’s not as if I shelled out a few thousand dollars before seeing some good results.  It was more like a few hundred, which included the cost of the consultation, the tests, and some quality nutritional supplements.   Finally, let’s not forget that we are talking about your health here.  So while nobody wants to spend money when they don’t have to, the fact remains that this is an investment in both your short term and long term health.

Reason #4: The fear-factor. Many people are simply afraid of the unknown.  Some are afraid of the risks of not taking the drugs, as they fear their condition will become worse.  Once again, I can relate with this, as when I began my natural protocol for Graves’ Disease, I was concerned about my high pulse rate and palpitations, and didn’t want my symptoms to become worse.  But once again, it all came down to wanting to get to the underlying cause of the problem.  And as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, many people choose to continue taking medication in the beginning of the natural treatment protocol, and then eventually wean off the prescription drugs when they begin feeling better.

Reason #5: They lack confidence in thinking that they can follow through with such a program. This is something I wasn’t concerned about when I began my natural treatment protocol for Graves’ Disease.  However, when I began my very first purification program many years back it was a big challenge, as I’ve said numerous times that I grew up eating junk food, drinking soft drinks, etc.  And once again, this isn’t to suggest that following such a protocol only involves a change in diet and taking supplements and herbs, as this is just part of the process.  As for not having the confidence that you’ll follow through with the protocol, all I can say is that it is definitely tough in the beginning, but it does get easier.  Plus, many times we will begin by making some small lifestyle changes, rather than changing everything at once.  For example, for someone who eats junk food regularly, neglects their sleep, and fails to exercise, no natural doctor would expect them to immediately begin eating healthy all of the time, go to bed early each night, and exercise regularly.  Sure, some people do make these extreme changes right away, but not everybody can do this AND stick with it.  So sometimes it is necessary to begin slow, which makes it much easier to follow through.

Reason #6: Some will give in to peer pressure. Some people will be on the verge of choosing a natural treatment protocol, only to be talked out of it by a family member or friend.  This usually happens because most people are close minded, and don’t realize how safe and effective natural treatment methods can be.

So these are some of the most common reasons why most people with Graves’ Disease or Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis will never choose a natural treatment protocol.  If you are strongly considering consulting with a natural endocrine doctor, then hopefully by reading this you will realize not only that natural treatments can be safe and effective under the guidance of a competent doctor, but I hope you also realize that you really have nothing to lose by giving natural treatment methods a try, but have a lot to gain.

Millions of people with Graves’ Disease and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis can benefit from a natural treatment protocol.  For many of these people, complete restoration of their health is a possibility.  Some people with an autoimmune thyroid disorder who follow a natural treatment protocol can’t completely recover, but will still receive some great benefits.

Unfortunately, most people with an autoimmune thyroid disorder will never even try natural treatment methods.  And of the small percentage that actually will attempt to use natural treatment methods to restore their health, many of these people won’t receive optimal results.  And in just about all of these cases, the primary reason why they won’t receive great results is due to a lack of compliance. In other words, most people don’t follow the recommendations of the natural doctor they consult with.

One reason for this is because many people who make the decision to begin a natural treatment protocol think that it just involves taking nutritional supplements and/or herbal remedies.  And while taking supplements and herbs can be an important part of the recovery process, it takes more than this to receive optimal benefits.  Believe me when I tell you that I wish restoring one’s health did involve just taking a few supplements, as it would make it much easier for people to comply.

If you’ve been reading some of the posts on this blog, then you probably realize that there are many different factors with regards to both restoring, and then maintaining one’s health.  Now to be honest, you don’t need to do everything 100% perfectly to receive good results.  On the other hand, those people that choose natural treatment methods thinking they only need to take supplements and can eat whatever they want, as well as neglect the other factors of health, are just wasting their time and money.

I know it’s not easy to be compliant, and I know because I personally was on such a protocol.  Some people think it’s easier for me because I’m a natural doctor, and perhaps to some extent this is true.  But you need to realize that like many people, I grew up eating junk food, and it was difficult to make these changes.  And it still can sometimes be a challenge to resist the temptations of certain foods, to sacrifice quality sleep and instead stay up late watch television (or in my case read), etc. So it can be a challenge to make such lifestyle changes.

The day I realized I had the “willpower” to make these changes came when I first consulted with a natural doctor while I was attending chiropractic school.  He put me on a natural protocol, which at the time included a purification program where I had to avoid all gluten foods.  During this time there was a seminar that a friend and I wanted to attend, which took place in Orlando.

My friend’s parents lived in Daytona, which is only about one hour from Orlando.  So we stayed there the night before the seminar, and my friend and his family decided to go out for pizza.  Being a  pizzaholic, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to resist eating a salad while everyone else ate one of my favorite foods.  It was without question extremely difficult for me, but I resisted the temptation.

The point I want to make is this: if you never tried to make these types of changes in your life, then the most difficult part is getting started.  And by the way, I don’t suggest that everyone who is on a natural treatment protocol immediately begin an extreme organic diet and stop eating everything you enjoy.  If you can eat really healthy right from the start of a natural treatment protocol then that’s great, but some people need to take “baby steps”.

But many people aren’t even willing to make small changes in their lifestyle.  Some will continue to eat junk food all of the time, will sacrifice quality sleep, won’t exercise, etc. For these people, there is just about no chance to restore their health to normal.  Just remember that this is not something we do to you.  You need to be proactive and take responsibility for your own health.  The bad news is that this can difficult to do, and does involve some discipline.  But the good news is that once you get started it becomes easier, and when you begin seeing the results you’ll wish you made these choices much sooner.

When using natural treatment methods for Graves’ Disease or Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, you may wonder if such a treatment protocol can actually cure your condition, or will it just put it into a state of remission.  Some people  think of natural treatment methods as a “natural way” of managing the symptoms, and not actually doing anything for the disorder itself.  I can tell you from experience that a genuine natural treatment protocol should do more than cover up the symptoms.

But as for whether natural treatment methods can actually cure an autoimmune thyroid condition, you first must understand what the difference is between a cure and a state of remission.  Most of us are familiar with cancer being in remission, and we understand cancer in remission as not actually being cured, but is under control and in a “hidden” state.  In other words, someone who is in remission from a certain type of cancer still supposedly has the cancer, but the disease is not in its active form.

This situation actually applies to a friend of mine, who was diagnosed with a form of leukemia a number of years ago.  He took a new type of medication, and it not only controlled his symptoms, but over the last few years his leukemia has no longer been detectable on the blood tests.  Although the doctors won’t label him as being cured, he has been told that he is in a state of remission.  To put it another way, if he were to walk into another doctor’s office who didn’t know he was diagnosed with leukemia, they most likely wouldn’t be able to tell he had such a condition, as all of the tests would come out negative.

Let’s look at another example.  When someone has low back pain due to a pinched nerve and gets the problem resolved by a chiropractor, is that person cured?  Obviously this depends upon a number of different factors.  But even if they are in fact “cured”, one can’t argue that this person can have a “relapse” if they do the same things which originally caused the pinched nerve in the first place. So if the pinched nerve was caused by lifting something heavy combined with poor lifting techniques, there is a good chance the low back condition will “flare up” again if the person were to go back to this way of lifting.

When you think about it then, a cure really isn’t too much different from a state of remission.  I’m not suggesting that there aren’t conditions that can’t be completely cured.  But the fact is that most conditions have a cause, and this includes cancer, diabetes, neck and back pain, digestive problems, migraines, autoimmune thyroid disorders, etc.

How about genetics?  Genetics no doubt is a factor, but many times these conditions are caused by external factors. While genetics may make someone more susceptible to getting these conditions, often times these conditions can be prevented.  After all, twin studies show that if one identical twin has an autoimmune condition such as Graves’ Disease or Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, the other twin only has a 30% chance of developing the same condition, even though they both have the same genetic markers for the condition.  However, when someone with one of these conditions is “cured” or goes into a state of remission, if they continue to live the same lifestyle they did before the condition originally developed, then there is an excellent chance that a relapse will occur.

I personally believe that if I lived the lifestyle that I do now I could have prevented Graves’ Disease from developing.  And while I would like to think that my condition is permanently cured, I believe if I went back to my previous lifestyle that there is a decent chance it would return.  So when someone asks me if natural treatment methods can permanently cure Graves’ Disease or Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, the answer is not so simple.

Assuming the person with an autoimmune thyroid disorder is a candidate for natural treatment methods and it helps restore their health back to normal, if they go back to their previous lifestyle then there is a chance it will return.  This isn’t a guarantee, but I’d hate to deceive anybody and tell them that natural treatment methods will permanently cure their condition, because if you don’t maintain your health, then over time there is a good chance that the same factor, or perhaps a different factor will trigger the autoimmune response and cause a relapse to occur.  Or sometimes the same disorder won’t return, but the person will develop another chronic health condition.

I’m starting to sound like a broken record, and so I’ll wrap this up by saying that for many people, natural treatment methods can completely restore their health back to normal, and these people can MAINTAIN their state of health thereafter if they are willing to change their lifestyle while on the protocol, as well as after the protocol is completed.  This doesn’t mean you will need to live a perfect lifestyle, but you will need to continue to take responsibility for your health.  If you’re willing to do this then there is an excellent chance that you can restore your health back to normal and put your condition into a permanent state of remission.

In the last post I gave you the link to an article I wrote that discussed twelve tips to help you better manage the stress in your life. As I mentioned, if you have Graves’ Disease or Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and are considering receiving natural treatment methods to help restore your health, then it is important that you effectively manage the stress in your life. If you can’t manage the stress then it will be difficult, if not impossible to restore your health back to normal.

While the tips I gave should help you better manage the stress in your life, I realize I only covered each one briefly, and that you might have some questions about some of the tips. As a result, what I’d like to do here is expand a little bit on the content to make sure I address some of the questions you might have and give you a better chance of effectively managing your stress. Of course if you have any questions that I don’t address here please feel free to ask me. You can either post your question on this blog (the preferred way so that others can benefit), or if you’d prefer, you can send me an email.

Question: With regards to drinking purified water, do you recommend distilled water, spring water, or water that has gone through reverse osmosis?

I think it’s fair to say that either of these choices is better than drinking tap water on a regular basis, assuming you’re getting it from a quality source. Although I used to have my own water distiller that I used for years, these days I almost always drink water that has been purified through reverse osmosis. Some say that distilled water is better because it removes all of the minerals, while some will argue that retaining some of the minerals is what makes reverse osmosis better. I personally think that either one is fine and is without question healthier than drinking tap water, which contains chlorine, fluoride, sometimes lead, and can potentially include other chemicals and contaminants that are usually filtered out with purified water.

Question: What types of natural household products would you recommend purchasing?

Obviously it can be expensive buying natural household products, although unlike buying organic food, keep in mind that you won’t be using up these products as quickly as one consumes food. In other words, buying natural laundry detergent to clean your clothes will cost you a few dollars more each month than purchasing a “regular” detergent, but it’s not as if you should need to buy this product a few times each week, or even a few times each month. Of course if you list all of the household and personal care products you use, this could add anywhere from $20 to $50 to your monthly bill, and sometimes more.

But what you need to realize is that many of these chemicals can create health problems down the road if you use them on a consistent basis. And while you can get most of these natural products at a health food store, I personally buy a lot of these products at Trader Joe’s, which has a lot of natural products at a reasonable price. So if you have one of these stores near you, I recommend checking them out.

Anyway, here is an incomplete list of household and personal care products that you might want to consider switching out:

• Any household cleaners (furniture, toilet, oven, etc.)
• Laundry detergent
• Shampoo and soap
• Moisturizers
• Toothpaste

Question: I’d like to begin eating healthier, but don’t know where to begin.  What advice can you give?

It’s definitely not easy to begin eating healthy if you’re used to eating junk food all of the time. I personally grew up eating regularly at fast food restaurants, drinking punch and soda all of the time, etc. And while I still don’t eat a perfect diet 100% of the time, overall I eat healthy. But this wasn’t something that I accomplished overnight, as while one can definitely go “cold turkey” and cut out all of the junk food and soft drinks, for some people it’s better to slowly incorporate healthy eating habits. For example, if you don’t eat any vegetables, rather than trying to force yourself to eat 3 to 5 servings each day, begin with one serving each day. And rather than switching to a 100% organic diet, perhaps you can begin by just eating organic chicken, and then over time add some other natural and organic foods into your diet.

Question: How can just having a positive attitude alone help manage my stress?

As I said previously, having a positive attitude alone probably won’t manage your stress. But we tend to underestimate the importance of keeping a good attitude. So I think it is one of the components of effectively managing stress, but you of course need to do some of the other things I recommended as well.

Question: I’d love to exercise on a regular basis, but even walking is a challenge. What should I do?

If this is due to lack of stamina, then you can obviously begin slowly, walking 5 to 10 minutes each day and then slowly increase your time (i.e. walk for one extra minute each day). If walking just for a few minutes is difficult due to extreme fatigue and/or pain, then I recommend you consult with a natural doctor, as it’s obvious that a conventional medical protocol isn’t working for you. I’m not suggesting that you stop following the advice of you medical doctor, but many simply don’t know how to effectively treat cases of chronic fatigue. Many will simply prescribe a different drug for each symptom you have, until you reach the point where you’re taking 10 to 15 different medications (or more).

Question: There is no way I can get 8 hours of sleep each night. And even on the rare instances where I do, I still feel tired.  What do you recommend?

Once again, I’m going to be biased here and recommend that if you have sleeping difficulties that have not been resolved by your medical doctor, that you consult with a natural doctor. As I mentioned before, most doctors will try to fix each symptom with a different prescription drug. So for someone who has difficulty sleeping, they’ll recommend medication, rather than try to get to the cause of the problem. Many people who have sleeping difficulties have adrenal issues that are affecting their blood sugar levels, which in turn affects their cortisol levels. Until these issues are addressed you most likely won’t be able to get quality sleep each night.

Question: How can massage therapy or chiropractic help manage my stress? And how about acupuncture?

Being a chiropractor and someone who also believes in massage therapy, I can easily dedicate an entire post to this question alone. I can’t possibly talk about all of the benefits of chiropractic and massage therapy, but both have been proven to help relieve stress. Of course part of this depends on the doctor you choose, as not all chiropractors practice alike, and the same holds true with massage therapists. For example, if you go to a massage therapist that specializes in deep tissue work, and you receive a deep tissue massage, then you very well might not find this to be relaxing. This doesn’t mean you won’t benefit from it, but the actual session itself might not be relaxing., and might even be uncomfortable On the other hand, you can also choose to schedule a massage therapy session where you receive a “relaxation” massage, and no deep tissue work. Similarly, different chiropractors have different techniques as well, which is why it’s important to do a little bit of research before choosing any type of healthcare professional.

As for acupuncture, I definitely think that it can also help you manage stress. And like chiropractic and massage therapy, there are many other benefits of acupuncture as well in addition to stress management. I’m sure that while some people reading this information have had good experiences with some of these alternative healthcare professionals, some might have not had a positive experience. All I can say is that don’t give up on chiropractic, massage therapy, acupuncture, or anything other alternative treatment just because of a single bad experience. After all, if you went to a dentist you didn’t like you probably wouldn’t stop going to one altogether, but if you’re like most people would just choose a different dentist.

Once again, I realize that there might be other questions you might have. If so, please don’t hesitate to ask them. Anyway, I hope you found the information I have given on stress management to be valuable. I originally was planning to only write a single post about it, but there is so much to write about that I ended up writing three separate posts and writing an article on the topic. I promise that next week I’ll move onto a completely different topic!