[Anonymous]

#1096605

Hi Lori,
I was wondering where you are at in your treatment of your graves disease…have you had RAI or surgery? Also I was wondering what kind of herbs, if any, that you are taking now.

Sharon/Breath

[Anonymous]

#1027291

Hey warriors, i’m looking for some real help here…..i would like to start feeling better and taking some natural things but i’m not sure what i should be staying away from, if anything in terms of herbs…..i know my doctor said to stay away from echinacea…does anyone know why?? is there anything else that a person with Graves shouldn’t be taking? I would like to find out what these things are and/or where i could find out about this…….JAKE? JAN?? ANYONE????Help me out here please, i can’t turn anywhere else!

Lori

[Anonymous]

#1096606

Hi Lori,

A few things to consider. There are many herbs and vitamins that can help to provide what your body may be lacking. There are also many herbs and vitamins that you may want to avoid depending on where you are in your treatment options. So the answer is it depends on the person, where they are in their treatment and what outcome they hope to achieve.

That being said, where do you go for advice? There are a few sources. Your local pharmacy is one good bet. Licensed pharmacists also are taught what effect herbs and vitamins have on medications. Your doctor is another good source in many cases. They may be able to provide you the name of a good dietitian. If we eat healthy we should get enough of vitamins and minerals. If our systems are lacking they can help you to find a way to replace them.

Doctors of Osteopath (DO as opposed to MD) are good sources in many cases as well. Just as we do not tell you what medications to take or how to take them we cannot recommend what herbs or minerals. There are just so many variables that only a “licensed” professional should be consulted.

All to often we hear from the medical community that a patient was not responding to treatment and the doctor was baffled. The doctor asked the patient to bring in their over the counter stuff they were taking and the mystery was solved. Often the patient went to a herbologist or nutrition center (often a store manned by a kid on commission) and bought hundreds of dollars of minerals and vitamins only to find they counteracted the medication and had to be discontinued.

A good nutritionist and doctor team can tell you if you are lacking something and how to replace it at the time you need it. Remember your needs may change as you progress through your disease.

We are only a click away.

Jake
On-line Facilitator
Co-Author Graves Disease In Our Own Words

[Anonymous]

#1096607

Just wanted to weigh in on this. Please, please, before you put any supplement in your mouth, know what it is, what it does, and why! Some herbs can be stimulants or may depress thyroid function–either way, it’s never very fun to have it thrown out of whack. I know of what I speak–I’m going thru a major flare triggered by iodine. Kelp pills and so-called “thyroid health supplements” are loaded with iodine, and it can really create havoc. That’s just an example, but before I take any more supplements I plan to check with my doc and read up on my own to make sure I’m not messing myself up again! I would just urge everyone to be informed and aware. You really have to take your own self-care into control because you have the most vested interest in your own health!

[Anonymous]

#1096608

Please, Sisusue, do NOT rely on these herbs. Hyperthyroidism is too monumentally dangerous to trust your life to unproven treatments. You may be radically opposed to RAI (which has been proven to make us well, by the way) but there ARE other alternatives most of the time. Talk seriously with your doctor about which treatments, PROVEN to control hyperthyroidism, might be best for you.

Bobbi — NGDF Online Facilitator

[Anonymous]

#1096609

sbenja
I am responding to your post because I too took a natural approach but your not taking anything for your symptoms quite frankly scared me !!! This disease is very serious and not to protect your body from what the symptoms can do to you is something you should think very carefully about while you explore other options. I took the natural approach, but took my meds also. It took two years but I am now in remission. I had to change my entire lifestyle. A total body, mind, and spirit approach. I had to change how I handle stress, anger , what I ate, so many different things. I am fortunate because I found an ENDO that was willing to work with me on my journey who also recognizes that sometimes we can work with our bodies to make things better. As I say that you must also realize that some folks get hit hard with the symptoms of this disease and they need to react quickly to it. Mnay of the folks that post here have a terrible time with this disease, it interrupts everything about their lives. Not everyone is fortunate like I was not to have very many symptoms which afforded me the opportunity to make different choices. I also recognize that at anytime in the future what I am doing may no longer work and the symptoms of this disease could come back with a vengence and I may have to make different choicesat that time.

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