The Thyroid Naturopath’s Guide to Understanding Graves’ Disease: Symptoms, Diagnosis, Root Causes, and Natural Remedies

Welcome to The Thyroid Naturopath’s comprehensive guide to Graves’ Disease, a condition that affects millions worldwide with a 10:1 ratio of women to men and demands our attention for its complexity and impact on daily life. At The Thyroid Naturopath, we’re passionate about empowering individuals in Port Stephens and beyond to take control of their health journey through personalized holistic approaches. 

Understanding Graves' Disease: A Personalized Approach

Graves’ Disease isn’t just a diagnosis; it’s a journey that profoundly affects individuals and their loved ones. With its prevalence globally, affecting about 1 in 200 people or 3% of women and 0.5% of men in the general population according to the American Thyroid Association, it’s a condition that demands our attention and understanding. 

Signs and Symptoms: Listening to Your Body

Graves’ Disease speaks to us through a variety of symptoms, each signalling a disruption in the delicate balance of thyroid function through your immune system. Typical symptoms are both neurological and cardiovascular and include rapid heartbeat or palpitations, anxiety, overwhelm, fatigue, tremor or an internal trembling, excessive sweating, thirst and hunger, weight loss (or weight gain in some cases).  

Most clients who seek my support already have a formal diagnosis and have visited the doctor due to the severity and sudden onset of their symptoms. Antithyroid medications are routinely prescribed to help ameliorate these symptoms at the onset prior to further treatment options. 

Biomedical Model Treatment for Graves’ disease and Hyperthyroidism.

The two main avenues for treatment include symptom control via antithyroid medication and ablation or destruction of the thyroid gland. This is a severe course of action, and radical. At The Thyroid Naturopath, we like to look at all avenues before radical treatment is condoned. 

Here’s a snapshot of biomedical medications and approaches: 

Beta-antagonists

Radioactive iodine therapy is the most common treatment of hyperthyroidism in the US. This is usually prescribed in the event of relapse after a course of antithyroid drugs. Around 50% of patients become hypothyroid within five years after radioactive iodine therapy irrespective of dose. Thyroidectomy 

Thyroid surgical removal is generally the last resort and is used in specific situations such as poor response to antithyroid drugs (especially in pregnancy), very large goitre, or malignant thyroid nodule. 

Root Causes: Unravelling the Mystery

Delving into the root causes of Graves’ Disease opens a world of exploration and understanding. 70% of autoimmune thyroid diseases stem from a genetic predisposition; however, while genetics may load the gun, the environmental impacts are what pull the trigger. Such impacts are either internally derived within our body or externally from our environment.  

Understanding these potential impacts and how they may affect each unique individual with thyroid disease allows us to craft a personalized treatment plan that addresses all environmental factor impacts. While this may be overwhelming at first, by unravelling the mystery step by step, it uncovers the root causes and any sabotaging factors that may be hindering the healing process. 

Causes and triggers of Autoimmune Graves' Disease and Hyperthyroidism:

Understanding the underlying causes of Graves’ Disease and hyperthyroidism is crucial for effectively managing these conditions. While the exact cause remains elusive, several factors contribute to their development: 

Autoimmune Dysfunction: Graves’ Disease is primarily an autoimmune disorder, meaning the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues. In this case, the immune system produces antibodies called thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulins (TSIs) that stimulate the thyroid gland to produce excessive amounts of thyroid hormones. To explain this further, one of the key pathology parameters to have tested is the Thyroid Receptor Autoantibody (TRAB) – a test that is defining factor for Graves’ Disease. Thyroid Peroxidase Autoantibodies (TPO) are also present. Essentially the immune system malfunctions which are thought to be caused by a trigger from a cascade of events (or root causes).  

Genetic Predisposition: There is evidence to suggest a genetic predisposition to Graves’ Disease and hyperthyroidism. Individuals with a family history of autoimmune diseases, including thyroid disorders, are at a higher risk of developing these conditions. However, the known saying, genes may load the gun, however the environment pull the trigger is apt. Just because you have a set of genes doesn’t mean you’ll acquire the disease; in fact, it may give you the awareness to learn more about ways to conduct your diet, lifestyle, and understand your mindset, and emotional wellness. The HLA gene group are key contenders to predisposing autoimmune diseases.  

Environmental Triggers: Certain environmental factors may trigger the onset of Graves’ Disease in susceptible individuals. These triggers can include stress, infections (gut or endotoxin), pregnancy or postpartum, chimerism, excessive iodine intake, gut dysbiosis, radiation, medications, and external environmental toxicants. 

Stress: Stress impact, or rather an unsupported response to stress is a known factor to many disease states, including autoimmune diseases such as Graves’. Improving your response to any stress to help calm and calibrate your nervous system is an important skill and learned behaviour to help your healing. There are two ways to look at stress; how you respond to the stressor, and how you can mitigate the level of stress in your life. Of course, there is a wealth of tools available to help calm and support your nervous system, and it goes deeper than that. It’s about improving your relationship with ‘stress’, so that it doesn’t impact your nervous system and hormonal network to the level that causes distress to your gut-brain axis to ultimately cause immune dysregulation. 

Infections: Gut bug infections such as yeasts, moulds, bacteria, parasites commonly cause leakages to the intestinal membrane wall (the seat of exchange between the external environment of ‘food’ and your internal matrix ‘cellular health’). Typically, where there is gut distress, or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or symptoms I like to order a comprehensive gut function test. From here we can pinpoint the problems and create a tailored gut specific treatment plan to balance and heal. Gut bug infections and mould exposure causing yeast system overload may also be triggers to many autoimmune diseases, including Graves’ and Hashimoto’s. 

Ancient Greek philosopher Hippocrates said “All disease begins in the gut” over 2500 years ago… and nothing has changed!

A special note about viruses:

 A link has been established between Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), commonly known as ‘kissing disease’ and Graves’ disease. 95% of the human population carries EBV. Epstein-Barr Virus is a latent human virus that hides in the dorsal horn of the nerves. Essentially, latent means that it hibernates, and comes out under certain conditions causing infections. For example, being ‘run down’ or exhausted unwell or during menstrual cycle. Certain foods high in Arginine (an amino acid that feeds the virus), may also trigger the virus, as does hormonal changes such as the menstrual cycle, or mental stress overload.  

Excessive Iodine Intake:

Iodine is essential for thyroid hormone production, but excessive intake can exacerbate thyroid dysfunction in susceptible individuals. Iodine is largely deficient in soils and foods; however, although essential, is only required in micro units. Regular supplementation of iodine along with consumption of iodine-rich foods may trigger hyperthyroidism and Graves’ disease.

Gut Dysbiosis:

There’s an established link between a poor gut microbiome and autoimmune thyroid issues such as Graves’ or Hashimoto’s. The hypothesis is that certain microbes cross-react with tissue proteins (thyroid peroxidase antibodies and thyroid receptor antibodies), a process called ‘molecular mimicry’. It is also thought that certain microbes penetrate the intestinal wall causing inflammation, leaky gut, and immune system reactions.

Radiation:

Medical radiation exposure can be a trigger for hyperthyroidism and Graves’ disease.

Emerging Research:

COVID-19 Vaccines: Recent research articles including numerous case studies, literature reviews and Meta-analyses  have found a causal relationship between the COVID-19 vaccine administered and the relapse of Graves’ disease and hyperthyroid symptoms. Since this subject is highly relevant due to the large proportion of people who were administered the vaccine, along with the prevalence of Autoimmunity and Graves’ Disease, I’ve summarized two patient case studies below and provided the references for further reading. 

Patient 1: A 44-year-old female was diagnosed with Graves’ Disease 13 years ago and received treatment for 1 year, after which she remained in remission and discontinued antithyroid treatment. After receiving the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine (CoronaVac), within 1 week this patient complained of excessive sweating, palpitations, fatigue, and goiter (within 2 months due to delayed admission). 

Patient 2: A 49-year-old male was diagnosed with Graves’ Disease in 2018, and after 18 months of treatment was in remission and had a normal functioning thyroid in June 2021. With no record of Sars-Cov-2 infection, the patient received two doses of the mRNA vaccine (June 2021 and July 2021) and within 1 month of the second dose complained of palpitations, tremors, and sweating. Antithyroid treatment resumed to help normalize this condition. 

For further reading about the case studies of hyperthyroidism and Graves’ Disease that were triggered by the COVID-19 Vaccine, please view a selection of the scientific research available on Pubmed.

Environmental Toxicants:

The ubiquitous nature of environmental toxicants can make it difficult to pinpoint, let alone navigate. This is why as a Naturopath, I’m passionate about establishing strong foundations for healthy living, not only for thyroid restoration but also for longevity and health abundance. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are free radicals that may overwhelm our body systems causing inflammation and gene mutations. This is similarly why smoking is regarded as a risk factor for hyperthyroidism and Graves’ specifically. However, the list goes on, and environmental toxins are ubiquitous in conjunction with modern-day living. If you’d like to learn more about this topic refer to my previous BLOG POST about environmental toxins. 

Diagnosis: Shedding Light on the Path Forward

Navigating the diagnosis of Graves’ Disease requires a collaborative approach between healthcare providers and individuals. Through a combination of clinical examination, blood tests, and imaging studies, we gain insights into the inner workings of the thyroid gland and in the context of everything else going on in your body. At The Thyroid Naturopath, we believe in empowering individuals with knowledge and understanding every step of the way. As such, if you’re not doing so already, please ask for a copy of ALL pathology and other test results for your record. For a formal diagnosis, your GP should do the following tests: 

Some common diagnostic tests include: 

  1. Thyroid Function Tests: Blood tests measure levels of thyroid hormones (T3, T4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), Autoantibodies TPO, Tg, and TRAB. 
  2. Thyroid Ultrasound: Imaging studies like ultrasound help assess the size and structure of the thyroid gland. 
  3. Radioactive Iodine Uptake Test: This test measures how much radioactive iodine the thyroid takes up, which can help confirm the diagnosis. 

The Thyroid Naturopath’s Tests:

A definitive diagnosis is not complete without the tests that help to identify insufficiencies, deficiencies, and potential root causes/ or triggers. As a naturopath, and with the autoimmune link, in addition to a comprehensive thyroid panel with autoantibodies, we look at blood/ tissue minerals such as vitamin D, Selenium, and Zinc, a urinary iodine test, and a comprehensive gut function test/ hair mineral analysis test, food inflammation/ intolerance tests. Further, specific signs and symptom overlaps from neighbouring health issues (e.g., bloating) often highlight what further tests are useful in each individual case. 

Natural Remedies: Nurturing Your Body Back to Balance

While conventional treatments have their place, natural remedies offer a gentle and holistic approach to managing Graves’ Disease. From nutritional support to stress management techniques, herbal supplements, and bodywork modalities like massage, aromatherapy (essential oils) and reflexology, there’s a wealth of options available to support your healing journey. At The Thyroid Naturopath, we’re here to guide you towards a personalized approach that honours your unique needs and preferences. 

Alternative Natural Therapy for Hyperthyroidism and Graves’ Disease

Depending on the severity of symptoms and diagnosis of Graves’, it may be difficult to treat using natural therapies alone. As such, working alongside the biomedical model may offer a more measured approach to healing, especially at the onset of diagnosis. 

Post-diagnosis, it’s important to become in-tune with your body, to listen deeply, and build a strong relationship with your body on a cellular level. Essentially, your body is on your side. We just need to stop, take check, and listen in to what we require to heal. Of course, gaining understanding, support, and guidance is of paramount importance to assist you with healing. With hyperthyroidism and Graves, your body needs to rest, be calm, and recalibrate. 

Here’s an overview of The Thyroid Naturopathic approach to helping clients with Graves’ Disease and symptoms of hyperthyroidism. 

Herbal Medicine 

As a Naturopath, herbal medicine blends are created to both ameliorate the signs and symptoms specific to hyperthyroidism and with respect to the person’s whole health picture. Since Graves’ is of autoimmune origin, halting and balancing the immune system, lowering systemic inflammation, quenching free radicals to reduce tissue damage, and supporting stress pathways are key goals. 

Finding the root cause and triggers through testing 

As several rabbit holes may present, and delving into the root cause is key to help stabilize and prevent worsening or relapse. A specific line of questioning to ascertain triggers and functional tests can help to pinpoint the root cause/s. I’ve found that there may be multiple root causes and a main trigger such as stress that worsen the condition. 

We look at neighbouring systems such as the digestive system, hormonal system, nervous system, and recommend functional tests to provide the objective data where necessary.  

Bush flower remedies  

As with all areas of health, we’ll look at the emotional triggers and elements that may be holding your healing back. I find that while at the beginning we delve into the physical layer, emotional blocks may prevent further healing on the deeper layers. As an example; our throat chakra (or 5th energy centre) may be weak due to inability to express oneself, or confidence issues, people pleasing or from deep seated trauma. The subtle healing energies from bush flower remedies may be a useful aid to help release emotional blocks.  

Nutritional aspects 

Uncovering your unique dietary blueprint is the hallmark to sustainable good health. There’s no one size fits all, however are fundamental elements to nutrition that help to lower inflammation, and provide good quality nutrition. Together we craft your blueprint. And specifically with Graves’ Disease and hyperthyroidism we can utilise the natural components of specific foods to help slow down your over-revved thyroid.  

Conclusion: Your Journey to Wellness Starts Here

In conclusion, Graves’ Disease is not just a diagnosis but an opportunity for growth, understanding, and empowerment. By embracing a personalized, holistic approach that addresses the root causes of the condition, individuals in Port Stephens and beyond can reclaim control over their health and well-being. At The Thyroid Naturopath, we’re here to support you every step of the way on your journey to wellness. Let’s embark on this path together, nourishing your body, mind, and spirit along the way. 

Share

Related Reads

GRAB YOUR FREE 'FIRST PILLAR TO THYROID WELLNESS' E-BOOK
This comprehensive guide is your roadmap to understanding and nurturing your thyroid health. Learn how to optimize your nutrition, manage stress, support your thyroid with lifestyle choices, and harness the power of holistic well-being.

If you’d like to grab your personal copy of Megan Taslaman’s 30-page “First Pillar for Thyroid Wellness” ebook please enter your email address and we’ll send you a copy (within 24 hours).

By signing up for my FREE E-book gift, you’ll automatically be on our list to receive emails on thyroid-specific and whole health and wellness topics, newly created recipes and upcoming events. We welcome you to our community, however do respect your privacy, so you may unsubscribe at any time.