Replied by Jennifer (Sunrise, Fl) on 05/04/2012

Cruciferous vegetables eaten raw (cabbage, spinach, broccoli, white turnip, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, mustard, collard, kale) and peaches, pears, cassava, millet, and rutabagas are goitrogenic (they contain compounds called goitrogens) and will slow down the thyroid. Soy also slows down the thyroid, so maybe you could try drinking a lot of soy milk. Again, it's important to eat these foods raw, because cooking them inactivates the goitrogenic compounds. You could try working them in your diet and see how you feel.

Foods very high in iodine (such as shellfish, sea vegetables, yogurt, cow's milk, eggs, strawberries, mozzarella cheese, fish) also suppress the thyroid. I'm not sure about the contraindictions of eating these with Graves' Disease, so you might want to check.

What you really need to do though, is get to the root of the problem. Graves' Disease, like Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (what I have), is an autoimmune response. You need to see what triggers your autoimmune response. For me, the trigger is stress (when I get stressed, I can feel a goiter develop, I gain weight and my hair starts to fall out). I wouldn't be surprised if your trigger is stress as well. A lot of people who have Grave's Disease have related adrenal problems (again, usually burned out due to a prolonged period of stress). I would check out the information about adrenal problems here on Earth Clinic if you think that might be the issue. You could also check to see if you have a food allergy that is the trigger.

Unfortunately, I don't think there's any "magic supplement" that cures Graves'. You are going to need to get to the root of the problem - addressing the adrenal/autoimmune factors that are triggering your body to attack itself. Stress is probably the issue, so if that's the case, you need to make some major life changes. Stress is unavoidable in life, but CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) with a psychologist will help you learn healthy responses to stress (you could also read books to learn how to manage stress yourself). I recommend yoga, meditation, and breathing techniques for stress management along with magnesium supplementation (or epsom salt baths). Forward bend poses in yoga are good for Graves' sufferers because they slow the thyroid. Be careful with poses that stimulate the thyroid (headstands, backbends, camel posture). I work in stress-relieving massages and reiki treatments into my schedule too. You might also be sleep-deprived, so make sure you are getting lots of rest and relaxation. Make time in your life for enjoyable activities. After I burned out my thyroid due to prolonged stress, making time for relaxation is a priority for me now.

I would only do radioactive therapy as a last resort. It's a very serious procedure. Once your thyroid is damaged, it will never come back. But Graves' is serious if untreated, so if you've tried everything and nothing works, you might have to go that route.

I really recommend Mary Shomon's books about the thyroid. She is a thyroid patient (and thyroid patient advocate) who has exhaustively researched every possible natural (and medical) treatment for thyroid patients.

Good luck to you and I hope you feel better soon! Jennifer

Replied by Bill (San Fernando, Philippines) on 05/05/2012

"For hyperthyroidism, physicians then used Lugol solution in daily amounts ranging from 6 mg to 180 mg, with the most common dose of 90 mg, resulting in success rates as high as 90%. Radioiodide and goitrogens drugs were not available to U. S. physicians until the late 1940's, after World War II.

With the advent of radioiodide and goitrogens as alternatives to Lugol solution in patients with hyperthyroidism, thyroidologists became very destructive, causing hypothyroidism in 90% of these unfortunate patients."

"In a survey of U. S. thyroidologists, some 70% used radioiodide to treat hyperthyroidism instead of Lugol solution used previously to treat this condition safely and effectively with a success rate as high as 90%, compared to a thyroid destruction rate of 90% with radioiodide."

Source: http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/IOD-08/IOD_08.htm

For the many reasons as to why hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism occurs - see this link:

http://www.thenaturalrecoveryplan.com/articles/Book-Review-Thyroid-Health.html

It has also recently been admitted by both the WHO and the CDC that iodine deficiency and thyroid problems have reached pandemic proportions throughout the world -- and particularly in well developed countries like America where Americans seem happy enough to eat chemically processed brominated vegetable oils, bread containng bromine, take medical drugs that contain high levels of bromide, fluoride and chorine. Heavy metals in foods, drugs, pesticides and waste is another big problem. All these factors can all contribute to impairing the thyroid. I would also agree that excercise is good for health -- but in the case of thyroidism caused through an actual deficiency of iodine and other nutrents, I doubt whether any form of exercise would ultimately cure this form of nutrrient deficiency problem.

Here are some reasons as to why supplementing larger dose iodine works to help cure both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism:

* Supplies sufficient iodine/iodide for T3 & T4 formation in the thyroid. Iodide eficiency is satsified.

* Iodine acts as a great chelator of heavy metals like aluminium, cadmium, lead, mercury and arsenic. Heavy metals have a tendency to collect in the glands. If the pituitary gland is saturated with heavy metals -- this gland will atrophy and all hormonal control of all the glands -- including the thyroid -- and their performance in the body will consequently be degraded.

* Iodine helps to remove bromine and fluorine from the body. Pituitary gland operation -- including controlling the thyroid hormone and adrenals output -- also becomes degraded when these halogens are absorbed.

* Iodine kills about 90% of all pathogens in about 30 secs. This provides huge immune support for the body.

* Iodine improves the hormonal and energy pathways in the body. There is a very noticeable increase in energy levels. All hormone receptors in the body(not just the thyroid) are heavily dependent on iodide/iodine.

Other companion nutrients must normally be taken with lugol's and these are:

* Selenium - Very important. This is also a chelator and remover of mercury from the body. Selenium is also needed to provide the antioxidant glutathione peroxidase(GP) which is always involed in the conversion of thyroglobulin to the T3 and T4 hormones. Hydrogen peroxide is produced as a normal metabolite from this process -- and if there is not enough GP then the cell will become damaged by free radical action and antibodies will remove the cell as a result -- which is one of their jobs. Selenium is also involved in the conversion of T4 to the more active T3. So you can perhaps now see what problems and imbalances might arise in the thyroid if there is a Selenium deficiency in the diet. Selenium also helps to provide strong anti-oxidant support for the liver in helping to generate glutathione which further helps to remove poisons, drugs, halogens, heavy metals etc from the blood.

Vitamin C -- Necessary for rebuilding cells and a useful chelattor of heavy metals and immune booster. Vitamin C also removes problems arising from excess bromide in the body causing malabsorption of iodine both at the intestinal and cellular levels.

Zinc -- Very useful for thyroid and autoimmune support. Also useful for generation of Zinc SOD -- another beneficial and strong anti-oxidant.

B3 -- Taken in higher dose as niacin (beware the niacin flush) -- improves depression, digestions, CNS system, blood transport, hypotensive and improves and lowers HDL: LDL ratio. B3 should always be taken with B50 Complex -- because their synergistic action improves overall results.

Magnesium -- All western diets are over-fortified with calcium and lacking in magnesium now. Excess calcium in the diet blocks the absorption of iodine in the body. Magnesium helps to regulate calcium properly in the body and is also involved as a coenzyme with tyrosine to help regulate the proper conversion and storage of iodide to iodine in the thyroid gland.

From both the historic and current evidence, it would therefore seem that orally supplementing higher dose lugol's iodine is more than useful as a protocol which can cure both hyper- and hypothroid problems. For the full iodine protocol with companion nutrients -- see this link:

http://www.breastcancerchoices.org/iprotocol.html

It further also makes complete sense that both hyper- and hypothyroid issues are most likely caused by both lack of iodine as well as lack of other nutrients as suggested here -- since even the WHO admits that there is a worldwide deficiency of iodine in diet now.

Replied by Had (White River Jct, Vermont) on 05/07/2012

I also use D and potassium as most are deficient in that as well. Lugol's is a wonderful lifesaver.

Dr.'s Abraham/Brownstein and more have studies and books out about iodine and every edition seems to be more refined and widens the margins on what we now know iodine cures.

I'm not pushing them, I'm using theraputic doses myself and feel like I'm becoming a human being again and not just a sick, tired patient in my families life. Hoshimoto for most of my life, properly diagnosed 2 years ago.

Replied by Had (White River Jct, Vermont) on 05/07/2012

If you look up Graves on this site you will find much on this, or just plug in iodine, the treatment protocols for this are listed out, I find source reading to be reassuring that I am not missing any parts.