[YEA]  01/25/2010: Barry Richardson from Melbourne, Vic Australia writes: "My wife took 4 drops of bugelweed (orally) every day for nearly two years (2006 -2008) in order to treat and eventually "cure" Grave's disease. During those years she increased and decreased the dose to check for changes in the symptoms which were -- increased heart rate (at night especially) sleeplessness, and agressiveness/intolerance. She increased or decreased the dose accordingly.

That was nearly 3 years ago and she's now clear.

Our GP had not heard of it and a specialist advised against its use.

Dr Barry Richardson"

[BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS]  09/18/2008: Michelle from Los Angeles, CA replies: "... I saw it on earthclinic that some of you use green tea tea bags to relieve bulging eyes, I've also tried it but for some reason, it made my eyes crusty the next morning, but I will still continue working on it because it seems that my eyes are a bit better... though I'm not quite sure if that's true. Will keep you posted! Or if anyone has any advice on this... please reply to this post, thanks earthclinic... you've given me some hope! and thanks soooo much for reading~"

11/20/2008: Thankful from Macon, GA replies: "Michelle, you should also do a heavy metal cleanse and then a liver cleanse. I did this in combination with the oil pulling with coconut oil and you will not believe the amazing results. I used Renew Life cleansing products but you can buy any kind you like. The heavy metal cleanse will give you the most noticable results thats why I did it first. I wish I could send you a picture of how my eyes were and how they are now."

05/26/2009: Regina from Havre de Grace, Maryland replies: "Hi, How are you? You said that a heavy metal clease helped you with your eyes. What did your eyes look like before? What symptoms did you have? Hope that you will respond. Thanks"

08/09/2009: Mel from Montreal, Qc Canada replies: "In response to the green tea bags to help reduce bulging eyes due to graves disease. I was wondering how exactly you did it and how many times a day you did this. My doctors have told me that there is nothing to do about it so I am looking for different alternatives. Thanks."

05/11/2010: Ted from Chicago, Ill replies: "My name is Ted and I was diagnosed with Graves Disease in June of 09. I had the Radiation Iodine Treatment done and wish I would have found this site first. How exactly did the green tea bags help? Could you email me at tb1231@gmail.com and let me know step by step please. Any info would be greatly helpful. Thanks in advance. This is for my bulging eyes. Please help."

06/27/2010: Cathy from Fort Myers, Florida replies: "How do I use the green tea for bulging eyes? I was treated for Graves over 20 years ago and still have the bulging eyes. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you."

06/24/2009: Lily from Anaheim, California replies: "I'm very interested in your bulging eyes's treatment, please provide me more feedback thru my email if you could. Thank you so much!"

[YEA]  02/13/2010: Eve from Virginia Beach, Virginia, Usa replies: "I have had symptoms of euthyroid Graves eye disease (normal thyroid with bulging eyes) for many years (I am 39). I read about Beatriz using honey for the eyes - Thank you, Beatriz! I developed my own method of using the honey. Before I go to bed, I put one or two tablespoons of honey in 6 oz. of warm water, stir thoroughly, and wash out my eyes. Washing out my eyes with honey and water has made a difference, and my eye bulging has been reduced. Since the honey eye wash worked, I wondered if my eyes would be helped if I ate honey. I went to the health food store and bought a jar of royal jelly (865 mg.) mixed with honey and ate a teaspoon every night before going to bed. This helped my eyes some, but I wondered if I could get better results by just eating PURE royal jelly, since pure royal jelly is very potent. I started eating half a teaspoon of pure royal jelly before going to bed and this has probably made the biggest difference in reducing my eye bulging. I cannot find pure royal jelly at the store, so I buy it online. Pure royal jelly is yellow and creamy and must remain cold at all times. It has to be shipped in ice packs, and you will have to pay a lot for shipping but it is worth it to reduce the bulging eyes. I have had this disease for a long time, but by washing out my eyes with honey and eating pure royal jelly, my eyes look better every day. I am anxious to look like my old self, but I have to tell myself to be patient because there is no instant cure. It took time for my eyes to get bad, and it will take time for them to heal. Another tip: I used to experience very severe eye pain, and I occasionally still have mild pain. My solution is to put two or three drops of CLEAR iodine (found at the health food store or online, not the drugstore) in a glass of water and take a couple of sips, which eliminates the pain."

11/27/2009: Aimee from Milwaukee, Wi, USA replies: "How much lemonbalm should I take for graves?"

02/25/2010: J from R replies: "i am replying to all who are inquiring about graves disease remedies. I was diagnosed with graves disease in march 09. i have opted not to have western meds or radiation or surgery. This is my personal choice and i have a dr who supports this. This is what i have taken that is working for me. it has worked slowly but its helping. I found online a tincture made by nativeremedies called thyrosoothe. this worked well but was a little pricy. i now take a tincture made by herb pharm called bugleweed motherwort compound. This is only because i found it in a local store and its a little less expensive. it has taken my thyroid numbers in the correct direction my numbers are still bad but are getting better. its almost been a year now and i know how horrible and awful this disease is. i also have thyroid eye disease and have found no relief for that. if anyone has any remedies im sure we would all appreciate it. i am so sorry to see all the new posts about graves disease. I think its a sign of the times.????? a year ago there were only a few posts about graves disease now there are many. anyways this is my second reply the first one didnt show up, i dont know what happened but i hope this reply finds you all well and i pray for your speedy recovery.

You may email me at lilroughone2@yahoo.com with a subject line of "earthclinic" and i will respond asap.

peace love and life
J."

[QUESTION]  02/15/2010: Virginia from Green Cove Springs, Fla, Clay writes: "I have Graves Disease covered over by Hashimoto. I am looking for something that will help with the eye inflamation. Please can you help?

I am on Levothyroin just increased to 100mg, I have been on 88mg. for years just increased to 100mg.The inflamation is so hard to deal with!

Thank you, Virginia."

06/26/2010: Theresa from Ann Arbor, Michigan replies: "Diagnosed with Hyperthyroid in 2002 I was ordered Synthroid (t4) right away, 88mcg, by a GP. Took it for 7 years, at first it helped my anxiety and feeling cold at night but never felt good as new. In 2009 was under even more stress and current dose was not working I was becoming ever more tired and increased my own synthroid (because I no longer had insurance for blood tests). I upped it to 120mcg and soon developed bulging eyes, and lesions on the front lower part of my legs. (classic hyperthyroid signs - Hashimotos). So I bit the bullet paid to see a Naturopath who sent me to a holistic doctor who tested for adrenal function and thyroid. Results were low thyroid, low adrenal (I had stopped the self prescribed 120mcg and was taking 88mcg). I was then placed on compounded t3/t4 with a starting dose and given additional dosages to titrate up from there until i felt hyper symptoms. Eyes are down, legs are healed. So that was my experience.

In conclusion - the new doctors felt i had hyperthyroid caused by hashimotos which can cause your levels to go up and down. hard to stop the inflammatory reaction. but i feel much better now - being monitored for lab results AND how I feel.

Now taking t3 25 mcg - t4 125 mcg.

Good luck,
Theresa"

[QUESTION]  02/14/2010: Diane from Newtown, 18940 writes: "I am a 50 year old woman just diagnoised with graves disease. Removing my thyroid or radioactive iodine treatments are my options for treatment. My question is do you have to remove or destroy the thyroid to treat it? Can you take supplements and leave in the thyroid?"

02/14/2010: Joyce from Joelton, Tn. replies: "Hello Diane from Newtown,

Sorry you are having thyroid problems, but there is another option besides removing the thyroid or nuking your thyroid - it's called suppressing the thyroid.

Fortunately, one side effect of Lugol's solution or SSKI (both are potassium iodide solution) is suppression of the thyroid. In the states you now need a prescription for either of them, but I found one source of it at an aquarium shop when I typed in Lugol's solution. There is a possibility that some infection triggered this (any prolonged sore throats
recently??) and it just might regain it's normal function if just suppressed for awhile. One source I read on line suggested to take your temperature to know when suppression occurred (apparently it drops your body temp when suppressed). From personal experience, suppression occurs after a month or two of 6 drops per day in unchlorinated water. Since yours in overactive, you would probably be safe with 6 drops 2 x a day until you can tell a difference and then decrease it to 4 to 6 drops per day. After suppressing it for awhile, you omit the potassium iodide solution for a week or so and have your thyroid function retested.

Joyce

P.S. Nuking the thyroid destroys it. Suppressing the thyroid leaves the thyroid active and it can bounce back when the Lugol's or SSKI is discontinued."

[QUESTION]  04/15/2009: George from Lagos, Nigeria. writes: "Hi Ted, I am an hyperthyroidism patient for about 8months now, with bulging eyes. I am taking four tabs of cabimazole twice daily on dr's prescription but it seems not to work for me. At times my eye lid may just go into my eyes and i begin to struggle to bring it out, this hurts. Pls i need an herbal cure to this embarrassing disease. Please help me i'm looking like a frog."

04/16/2009: Lucky from Sb, NJ USA replies: "Personally I have not tried any of these remedies but I just wanted to help so giving some ideas that I read some where. But please check with your doctor before you deceide to use any of these medications.

The Green Pharmacy by James A. Duke

"If you have symptoms of Graves' disease, see a doctor and take the prescribed medication. Do not attempt self-treatment, even though it worked for the young woman whose story began this chapter. In addition to following your doctor's advice, and with his permission, you might also try these herbs.

Bugleweed (Lycopus, various species). Bugleweed has a considerable folk history for treating thyroid conditions, and modern research supports this use. This herb inhibits iodine metabolism and reduces the amount of hormone that's produced by thyroid cells.

Leaf extracts are more active than root extracts. The recommended oral preparation is a tincture (alcohol extract) rather than a tea. In one study using laboratory animals, bugleweed tincture resulted in a significant decrease in thyroid hormone levels.

Bugleweed is widely used in Europe as an herbal treatment for early-stage Graves' disease, often in combination with lemon balm. However, I must caution that bugleweed--and other herbal treatments for Graves' disease--have mild effects and are best used in early stages of the condition or in addition to synthetic pharmaceuticals.

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis). In Europe, lemon balm, also known as melissa, is often recommended along with bugleweed for treating Graves' disease. Studies show that lemon balm causes a decrease in blood and pituitary levels of TSH after a single injection, thus reducing thyroid hormone production. It's not clear if lemon balm has a similar effect when taken orally, but I believe the chances are good. It's probably worth a try.

Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris). A quarter-pound serving of self-heal greens with bugleweed tubers, spiced up with basil, oregano, rosemary and spearmint, should contain significant quantities of the compound rosmarinic acid, which helps suppress thyroid hormone production.

Kelp (Laminaria, various species). Herbal pharmacologist Daniel Mowrey, Ph.D., author of The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine and Herbal Tonic Therapies, notes that among the Japanese who consume a great deal of kelp, thyroid disease is practically unknown, but among the Japanese who have become Westernized and eat little or no kelp, thyroid disease is on the rise

You can buy powdered kelp in health food stores to sprinkle on your food as a seasoning.

Gravestea

To make a tasty mixed herb tea that combats Graves' disease, combine two teaspoons of lemon balm with one teaspoon of bugleweed and then add mint, rosemary, self-heal and verbena to taste. I think drinking this tea regularly just might help.

Verbena (Verbena, various species). Often called vervain, verbena seems to have properties similar to those of self-heal. Extracts have been shown to suppress thyroid hormone production by influencing levels of TSH in the body.

Broccoli (Brassica oleracea). Remember how George Bush hated broccoli? His aversion to that wonderful vegetable deprived him of something that might have helped treat his Graves' disease. broccoli contains naturally occurring substances called isothiocyanates, which help restrain the thyroid from producing too much hormone. When Bush was diagnosed with Graves' disease, several alternative health authorities urged him to eat broccoli. One even published a book titled Why George Should Eat broccoli.

Radish (Raphanus sativus). All of the cruciferous vegetables gently and naturally suppress thyroid hormone production, but radishes do it best, according to medical anthropologist John Heinerman, Ph.D., author of Heinerman's Encyclopedia of Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs. Cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, mustard greens, radishes, rutabagas and turnips. Radishes are used in Russia precisely for this purpose."

SUPPLEMENTS

10/24/2009: Timothy from Chicago, Illinois writes: "I get flare-ups of hyperthyroid symptoms - my test results have come back with the markers of graves disease. I have taken these symptoms to help with my hyperthyroid/jitteriness/insomnia/racing thoughts. If I take them for a few days - a few weeks and then re-take a thyroid test, my thyroid levels actually show remarkable improvement as my symptoms improve:

L-Tryptophan - 500milligrams - 3 pills up to 3X a day (without food)

Magnesium Chloride - 2 teaspoons 3X/a day (with food). I have also used Magnesium Citrate 1-2 teaspoons up to 3X a day. I think I prefer the Magnesium Chloride.

Magnesium Glycinate 400milligrams - up to 3X/day (with food)

Vitamin E - I know some doctors advise against taking large amounts of vitamin E so please check with your doctor. When I get very jittery vitamin E helps make me tired and calm me down so I'll take up to 800 iU a day of vitamin E as well.

These are the supplements that have significantly helped me. Please check with your doctor first!"