Graves' Disease - Editor's Choice

I am a 70 years old man. I am interested in sports: tennis, golf, cycling, alpine skiing, cross country skiing.

Two years ago I got sick of Grover's Disease. The whole body had a lot of itchy Grover's Disease.

I used a lot of hydrocortisone and other oils. There was no benefit from these.

I stopped eating the whole wheat. All the rash Grover's Disease was lost in two weeks.

I tried twice to eat wheat, Grover's Disease immediately came back.

Now it's good to be, not Grover's Disease. I am happy when I found the cause of Grover's Disease

Now I live a happy athlete's life, not Grover's Disease, no wheat.

Hi, I was diagnosed with graves disease 6 yrs ago, I was terrified, especially after seeing the horrible pictures of people on TED Talks! Do not look these up in the internet (huge mistake) anyway 3 days after having a radioactive scan uptake test ((RAIU) to get a diagnosis, the eye symptoms started......I was on carbimazole for 8 months and was then very lucky to go into remission, I know that this is unusual and feel very fortunate, I have been in remission ever since, and do not need any medication.....

I was also very lucky that my eye disease was very mild though it took about 2 yrs to actually become inactive, my right eye was the one which had some mild proptosis and has remained slightly bigger than the left, but people tell me it's not noticeable, I quess only to me :-) and I can only say to anyone with Graves disease and TED, do NOT agree to Radioactive Iodine treatment (which is a type of internal radiotherapy for thyroid cancer) this can def make the eye symptoms worse, or even set it off in people who don't have eye problems!

This can also happen with any medical procedure requiring radioactive injections (i know, I had a sintigram 4 yrs after inactive eye disease and bam, 3 weeks later started with symptoms again! ) and definitely take Selenium supplements and Magnesium, these are the only supps I take, very very important and I believe stops the eye problems from developing or getting worse.

Lastly, Graves disease CANNOT be cured as some have suggested on this forum, it is with you for life, but can be controlled and can stay in remission for a lifetime, so it is NOT the end of the world and there are far worse illnesses to have....all the best to everyone xx

Hi Everyone, First, I want to thank everyone for sharing real advice and help that most of the doctors and medical professionals can't give.

I have been diagnosed with Graves Disease 7 months ago. When I was diagnosed it was medium to severe. Of course they tried to put me on the medication, and send me to the radioactive treatment. I refused both. I can't see that any of those two options would help me to 'cure' that disease. I think that if any, they bring something else, not good, in addition to what you already have. So I started researching the internet for natural help.

After 2 months the bulging eye symptom associated w/ Graves started. I had already taken selenium (from 1st day of diagnosis, max safe dosage) and bugleweed, as well as some other herbal remedies. When the eyes started bulging, I knew I had to do more. I researched auto immune disease more than Graves, started on Aloe Vera and fresh Grapefuit juice, as well as Omega 3 (Dr. Murphy's - correct ratio), and Flaxoil. The Omega 3, taken with every meal did it.

My eyes were back to normal (they were NOT far out) within 1 week. I did the ALCAT test and a nutrient test, and the results were Selenium deficiency, even after I had taken the max dose since 6 months. So Selenium definitely is key, as well as anti-inflammatory nutrition. I am about to have another lab test done in 3-4 weeks, and we shall see. My nutrients test brought back excellent Vit C, D, A, K, Calcium, etc. levels, due to the fact that I really eat what's beneficial vs. what's good. Not always easy, but definitely the way to go if your body is battling something. I was however missing gluthatione and folic acid, which I'm taking now too.

re: graves cure -- The herb Bugleweed (Lycopus virginicus) has long been used in Europe for treating hyperthyroidism. Bugleweed can be used alone for mild conditions or in combination with anti-thyroid drugs. It works by inhibiting iodine uptake and metabolism, reducing the amount of hormone produced by active cells and it reduces the activity of TSI, the antibodies responsible for Graves' disease. The leaf extract of bugleweed is more active than root extracts. A tincture (alcohol extract) equivalent to 20 mg of the drug is more effective than a tea. If bugleweed is used as a tea, amounts as high as 1-2 grams daily can be used. Lycopus is often used in combination with Melissa officianalis (lemon balm). Although the effects of herbal preparations are mild compared to anti-thyroid drugs, herbs such as bugleweed should not be withdrawn suddenly. As with anti-thyroid drugs, herbs should be weaned with steadily decreasing doses as improvement is noted. The variety Lycopus europaeus (gypsywort) is reported to be as effective as bugleweed.