Are Vitamins and Supplements helpful for Graves’ Disease?

Which Vitamins and Supplements are helpful for Graves’ disease and Hyperthyroidism, when and how you should take them? 

I am sure many of you consider taking vitamins and supplements, especially if you are diagnosed with an auto-immune disease like Graves’ disease. Needless to say, you are right because our food today is not as nutritious as it was decades ago and we are forced to consume genetically modified foods on many levels. However, vitamins and supplements alone will not cure your Graves’ disease or hyperthyroidism, as some people believe, while taking a handful with different colored pills. But they can definitely help some of the symptoms, and support the immune system to perform at its best possible level. So speaking, don’t rely exclusively on them, but DO use them, WISELY, same as with herbs and other complementary therapies.

I would like to share some useful information with you regarding which vitamins, supplements and minerals are considered the best for Graves’ disease/ hyperthyroidism and why. It also matters when you take them and how in order to get the most benefit from them. Follow the link below to find out more, and your comments are always appreciated:

Vitamins and Supplements for Graves’ disease and hyperthyroidism

How to deal with thyroid antibodies and fix your immune system

4 Methods that can improve your thyroid antibodies, strengthen the immune system and help Graves’ disease and Hyperthyroidism symptoms

Graves’ disease, Hashimoto’s, Rheumatoid arthritis, Addison disease, Diabetes Type 1, Lupus etc. are disorders of the auto-immune system.  One of the differences between them is that they affect different organs. Many people suffering from Graves’ disease or Hashimoto’s disease have a compromised immune system but they wrongly target the thyroid itself through RAI treatment and thyroid surgery. The thyroid is the victim, not the offender!

 

But is there a way to help and treat the immune system in such a way that the thyroid will heal itself and reverse the autoimmune condition, regardless if it is Graves’ disease or Hashimoto’s? It happens there is! I’ve listed 4 methods that I know and researched (some of them I even tried) that help the immune system to recover, check for details below:

How to recover your auto-immune system, improve thyroid antibodies and reverse Graves’ disease

Stress and Thyroid Disorders. What can you do about it?

Neurology, Stress and Thyroid Disorders. Stress as one of the causes of thyroid disorders and what can you do about it?

In the past 10 years, I’ve been asked repeatedly by many people what exactly causes thyroid disorders, and especially the autoimmune type. Apart from the pure psychosomatic explanation and the many other contributing factors I can enlist, the only other thing that came to my mind, in one word, is “stress” or inability to deal with it, in general. But that is only on the surface. Everyone is under stress, no doubt about that. How we handle that stress and specifically how those of us diagnosed with thyroid disorder handle it is totally another question.There is a growing evidence in the scientific field, discussing the relation between stress and auto-immune disorders, and I have to admit I am not surprised, I am actually convinced that one of the major factors for triggering Graves’ disease, hyperthyroidism or any other auto-immune disorder for that matter is exactly stress. The simple explanation about how stress affects us is demonstrated with the so called Vasomotoric cycle, first explained by Gerda Boysen, in 1980s. Graves’ disease patients can easily find themselves in the upper left corner of the pictured, “fixed” in the charging and expression mode.

But there is one thing, that can actually help stress management: this tool is 100% free, safe to use,  easy accessible, and requires very little of your time. The results are profound, even only after 8 weeks of use, as proven by the scientific research so far and by my personal experience on the subject.

To learn more about this tool, click on the link below:

Graves’ disease, hyperthyroidism and the power of 30 minutes 

 

Is your endocrine/immune system down because of dangerous chemicals?

Are you being poisoned without knowing? Your thyroid system may be disrupted because of dangerous chemicals…But there are things you can do to solve this problem….

In my youth, I have to admit, I used many cosmetic products, in order to look pretty (and who didn’t?) Every day I fed my skin with dozens of cosmetic products, as probably you do that too- shampoos, face creams, tonics, make up, lipstick, conditioners, you name it. I also believed that that if these products are sold on the in the stores, someone took the time to check them, had tested them and approved to be safe. Not so folks! FDA (in the USA for example) may not really have your best interest in mind, but I won’t talk about why here. According to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics the European Union currently bans over 1,300 chemicals from its cosmetics. In contrast, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has banned or restricted only 11. In the U.S., major discrepancies in federal law allow the cosmetics industry to put thousands of synthetic chemicals into personal care products that are not tested for safety, even if those chemicals are connected to cancer, disruption of the immune and endocrine system, reproduction or birth defects. If you don’t believe me, read for example the book Toxin Toxout by Bruce Lourie and Rick Smith. I was merely shocked when I read it!

Here are just few of the “most” popular ingredients, often found in cosmetics: 1. Sodium lauryl (ether) sulfate (SLS, SLES) is a former industrial degreaser now used to make soap foamy, it’s absorbed into the body and irritates skin (skin rashes anyone?). 2. Toluene: well-known to disrupt the immune and endocrine system, and fetal development, it’s used in nail and hair products (hair falling, by any chance? Itchy scalp??). 3. Triclosan: used in antibacterial products, hand sanitizers, and deodorants, it is linked to cancer and thyroid system disruption. 4. Phthalates: Plasticizers banned in the EU in children’s toys, but present in many fragrances, deodorants and lotions- linked to endocrine disorders, liver damage and cancer.5. Parabens:  used as preservatives, but linked to cancer, thyroid disruption, and reproductive toxicity. 6. Paraphenylenediamine (PPD): used in hair products and dyes, but toxic to skin and immune system. These and many other products I call the “silent killers” of our bodies. 

The list above is not complete neither exhaustive. But you get the idea, right?

The older I got, the more I read, the more convinced and scared I became, as I found that cosmetic industry uses thousands of synthetic chemicals in its products, with ingredients that are also used in industrial manufacturing processes to clean industrial equipment, stabilize pesticides and grease machines, all of them deadly dangerous to us. Can we all agree that a substance that effectively cleans your garage floor may not be the best choice to put on your face? And do you know that your conditioner is actually a perfumed fabric softener? Things you don’t know can hurt you and sometimes kill you, and I am not trying to scare you, but to offer you solutions that may help the recovery of your immune system and your health. Every little thing matters and counts, when comes to your health.

So, how all this may affect you?

And as we well know Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s disease are actually not thyroid disorders; they are disorders of the auto-immune system that target the thyroid. Once compromised, confused and disrupted the poor immune system, instead of fighting viruses, starts wrongly targeting different organs in our bodies: the kidneys, the liver, and in our case the thyroid. You may think that what you eat and drink is all that counts, but no…what you put on your body and face counts even more, since the skin is the largest organ of the body, able to absorb quickly everything we put on it! So, let’s be careful what we use.

Solutions. Managing toxicity and inflammation….

The best solution is not to pollute ourselves in the first place; for example, by replacing dangerous substances with safer ones. Second, read these labels, take that time, it’s worthy. If you find ingredients that are not familiar to you or sound more like Mendeleev’s chemical table, please do not buy. It’s not worth your health! 

Third: Try to use natural products, to the best you can. I am not saying you should go broke by buying only organic products (which you could, if money is not an issue!). But sometimes there are simple solution that doesn’t cost so much money or too much efforts. And your body will love it. 

What did I do to resolve the chemical poisoning problem? 

I love experimenting and even making my own cosmetic products (my last experiment was with aromatherapy oils, which continues). But this “natural making products” happen to be time consuming, expensive (you buy larger quantities of ingredients than you need) and sometimes not so successful. It takes time and money to get all the ingredients, to find recipes, to try and see if they are working. I decided to save myself this trouble…but still use natural products. And then, as the Universe likes to conspire on your behalf when you have the right intentions, I met a woman that makes that all for me, with love, as she says.

Her name is Teodora Sheriff, mother of three boys, who is devoted to make you beautiful and more healthy at a very affordable price (the natural deodorant she makes with her own hands costs $8, compared to $6.00 and up store chemical deodorant, for example). Initially, she started to “cook” different cosmetics products for herself and her family only, but then she realized that other people are also in need of these natural products, but they may not have the time, resources or energy so she decided to make it more global. This is what she says:

“I believe that everything we need to enjoy a healthy and happy life is given to us by Mother Nature. We just need to look around and remember. Why use synthetic ingredients in our skin care products when there is a great variety of natural oils and butters. An abundance of oils and butters of any kind of plant, fruit, vegetable, spice, etc. are readily available. 

I handcraft all my soaps and lotions with love and joy. I am having so much fun and knowing that my creations are revitalizing for you brings a smile on my face.”

Her products contain only a few ingredients, all natural, no preservatives and synthetic/artificial colors, freshly “cooked” upon request. She uses only 100% natural essential oils, dried herbs and flowers, as she explains. And she can even make you a custom order with your favorite ingredients!

I personally have used her natural deodorant, the body butter (I had to restrain myself not to eat it), body scrub and soap, and so far I am very happy with the results- my skin feels soft, smells great and I know that no chemicals were applied to my skin (which by itself feels great as well!). The link to her products is below, indulge yourself! Your body and your face will love these products and will be thankful for not being poisoned and taking such a good care of it!

 Teodora’s Skin Care

Disclaimer 1: Just like with all beauty products test for sensitivity! Even these are all natural products and some of the ingredients are pure organic, make sure you are not allergic to any of the substances used. If in any doubt, test first on a small spot and check in 24 hours.  Enjoy!

Disclaimer 2: I have no financial or other interest of recommending these products, whatsoever. 

How I detoxified myself with Aromatherapy and why you should do that too..

As you already probably know me, I like to experiment with everything, especially if it may improve my and other people’s lifestyle and health. My newest experiment was with Aromatherapy, and specifically with DoTERRA Essential oils. The purpose was to detoxify myself and my household to the best I can, which I believe will lead to better health and cleaner environment in general.

Why I started with this experiment on a first place? Recently, I came across a book, called “The Hundred Year Lie” by an investigative journalist Randal Fitzgerald. As the author says, we are constantly exposed to all kinds of toxins, for which are not even aware of- personal care products, cleaning products, over-the-counter and prescription drugs (vitamins and supplements as well) and all of the household cleaning products that you use (and I do too!). Then you should consider all of the chemicals that are applied to our clothing, our bedding and to our furniture. Next, you might want to consider the fluoride in your tap water supply, which is now proven to be toxic to our bodies (but guess what- it’s still there!!).

So speaking, the average American carries a body burden of 700 synthetic chemicals, and the situation is even worse if you live near heavy pollution areas (like most of the cities), eat poor quality food (GMO, sprayed with pesticides, or both), drink unfiltered water with who knows what’s in there, or extensively use chemicals in your household for different purposes. And on the top of that, most people just take it for granted that the products they use must have been thoroughly tested and deemed completely safe to use. Not so, folks. Chemicals and toxins are invading our lives, often bringing serious illnesses and chronic disorders and I believe thyroid disorders are no exception. Dangerous chemicals destroy our immune system- making it underactive (cancer), overactive (allergies) or confused (autoimmune disorders). I’ll not explain here why, but if you’re interested check the book I mentioned above. So, logically, the less chemicals you use, the better your immune system will perform, which is very important for people with thyroid autoimmune disorders.

As we all know when you make a decision which is aligned with your “divine purpose”, (in my case  to get rid of unknown, probably dangerous personal care products and cleaning supplies and substitute them with eco-friendly products + essential oils) the whole Universe will start to conspire with you to achieve your purpose.

I  “met” Heather Grant (on Internet of course, where else?), a beautiful young woman, mother of five and she was very kind to introduce me to aromatherapy- as medicine, personal and household care. Because when you meet a mother of five and she starts talking to you should listen as she may have a point.

For the purposes of my  experiment she provided me with 6 DoTERRA essential oils (Lemon, Wild Orange, Peppermint, Lavender, Serenity & Balance combinations). Not much, but it happens they were enough for my experiment. How I did it, what  I’ve learned and done in the past few weeks, what are the results- I want to share all this with you. You’ll be amazed and surprised!!

Not only that: Heather Grant also offered to help spread the world of Aromatherapy…Click on the link below to find out how you can use Aromatherapy for your health, read my recipes and participate in a drawing for a free gift (an essential oil of course!):

Experiments in Life-Style with Aromatherapy

Disclaimer: I have no financial interest for recommending Aromatherapy  or the above essential oils.

Complementary and Alternative methods for Graves’ Disease, Hyperthyroidism or Hypothyroidism

The science today is speechless about what is the cause of Graves’ disease and similar autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto’s disease, Lupus, Diabetes type I, Rheumatoid Arthritis and many others. Some people even have more than one of them. We can speculate forever what caused our autoimmune disorders and probably we’ll never know for sure, neither will our doctors. Especially when the disorder is a possible combination of numerous factors: the chemicals, the genetically modified foods we consume every day, the heredity, the exhausted adrenal glands due to massive and chronic stress, the single traumatic events or mycoplasma bacterium (as noted by some clinicians). The pure physical causes may vary depending on circumstances and conditions, but chronic autoimmune diseases are, in fact, systematic malfunctions caused by collapses in the body chemistry balance. How is that happening? How our otherwise perfectly designed body structure will allow this to happen?

There are many answers to this question and they are very individual for each and every person. But the fact is that the body harmony is destroyed, causing different symptoms, which have only one purpose- to draw your attention to your body. We are no longer mindless because the focus now is on the pain, discomfort and what is wrong with your bodies.

The traditional medicine, unfortunately, does not look at the body as a whole, but as a combination of separate parts put together in something called “body”. Thus, the approaches for treating different disorders is focused only on the dysfunctional organ, whatever that organ is. Alternative and complementary methods though look at the body differently- they treat it as a whole system where all the organs are connected and one organ affects all the others. The approach is completely different and it aims the harmony and alignment of all body parts and systems, so speaking, of the whole body and mind.

There are hundreds of alternative and complementary methods from Western and Eastern culture that can help pretty much any health condition. None of them is better than the other, they are just different approaches. People are drawn to one or another technique depending on their culture, personality or general knowledge. I have listed below 10 alternative and complementary methods that are easy accessible, exist in pretty much any culture and country and are also very affordable. There is no guarantee which one will work for you but based on this ancient wisdom, I believe that your body will greatly benefit from it, regardless which one you’ll chose. 

The only thing that is required from you is to give it a try,  be open to new experiences and be willing to incorporate these methods in your everyday  life.

If you are curios and want to learn more and also get the answers of questions like:

What  is the difference between complementary and alternative technique?

Are these methods safe and how you should approach and practice them?

What are the most popular and easy to implement? Check below:

10 Complementary and Alternative techniques for Graves’ Disease and Hyperthyroidism 

If you have experiences with other alternative  and complementary methods and techniques that helped your condition, please share them.

Even more natural methods and alternative techniques are available in my books below. Please, click on the picture below and check them now:

Raw Juice Therapy for Graves’ Disease and Hyperthyroidism

Raw juice therapy is a method of treatment of disease through an exclusive diet or use of juices of fruits and vegetables. It is also known as juice fasting, when this is the only thing you consume. It is the most effective way to restore health and rejuvenate the body, but with Graves’ Disease and hyperthyroidism you have to be very careful. While I believe that raw juice therapy may be very useful, I don’t recommend the raw juice fasting for the cases of Hyperthyroidism and Graves’ disease. The problem is that raw juice therapy (used by itself only) has tremendous cleansing properties and if you have Graves’ disease and Hyperthyroidism you already have high metabolism and lost a lot of weight. In this case, if not monitored by a qualified practitioner,  it can easily exhaust your organism. But you can safely add 1 or 2 juices every day to your diet. However, if you are Hypothyroid right now (due to RAI, thyroidectomy or any other reason) and struggling with weight issues raw juice therapy, I believe, can help you tremendously.

The Gerson’s Therapy

Gerson’s Therapy, named after its inventor Dr. Max Gerson, relies exclusively on Raw juices (a coffee enemas) to treat and help conditions like cancer and other serious disorders and illnesses. The therapy approach was developed in 1920’s and now the non-profit organization is managed by his daughter, Charlotte Gerson. The book about Gerson’s therapy is available on Amazon, and the Gerson Institute itself is located, to the best of my knowledge in California, but had licensed clinics only in Mexico and Hungary. I will not go in details why the clinics are not in the USA, it’s a pretty ugly story, but if you have Netlix, or even on YouTube, there are numerous documentary videos about this issue. The only thing I know that this is a great loss for the American population and many people travel from the USA to Mexico, specifically to be treated for many diseases in this clinic. The link to their website is at the bottom of that page.

As juices are extracted from vegetables and fruits, they have certain medicinal characteristics that may benefit certain conditions. Besides specific medicinal virtues, raw fruit and vegetable juices have an extraordinary revitalizing and rejuvenating effect on all the organs, glands and functions of the body. For more detailed information, check on the links below.

How it works with Vegetable and Fruit Juices?

6 Main types of Fruit and vegetable juices 

10 General Recommendations for Raw Juice preparation

Fruit Smoothies and Raw Juices by Mariquit Losaria Orendain 

Mariquit Losaria Orendain is my guest writer for this week on my blog. I invited her to share her Raw Juice and Smoothies recipes with all of us. She is  is from Philippines, 47 years old and she suffered from Hyperthyroidism for many years. I have the pleasure to present a few of her smoothies/ fresh raw juices which are very simple to make and the fruits/vegetables can be found anywhere in the world. You may experiment your own combinations as well. Enjoy!

Carrots, Orange, Green apple, and Pears Fresh Raw Juice

Carrots and Pineapple Juice

N.B. Carrots are good for the eyes, because they contain Vitamin A in large quantities. Pineapple has anti- inflammatory properties and is also good for inflammation of the eye tissue.

My smoothie of fruits combination..  Papaya, Banana and Cantaloupe ( Chinese Melon ) Taste good ..

Vegetable and fruit combination for a juice in the afternoon.. Cucumber,Green Apple and Pears..  Cheers!

Happy Juicing!

Do you have a favorite recipe that you found tasty or beneficial? Share it with us!

Want to be my guest writer? Please, contact me!

P.S. This is the link to Gerson Institute

Quick Reference List of 15 Natural Remedies for Graves’ Disease and Hyperthyroidism

When talking about or considering Graves’ Disease and Hyperthyroidism natural remedies, please, have in mind that they cannot substitute any medication and that’s not their purpose. The goal of using hyperthyroidism natural remedies is to complement and help your healing process.

1. 

   Lemon Balm

   Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis). The “officinalis”, in all plant names stands for “officially recognized as a medicinal herb”. Lemon balm has been used for centuries to relieve anxiety and sleeplessness; it has mild sedative effect, relieves menstrual cramps, fights cold sores, relaxes nerves, and eases indigestion. The flavonoids and polyphenolics found in the Lemon balm have been identified as inhibiting the excessive thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). Drink as tea, or buy in capsules. Your choice.

2. Chamomile Tea. Chamomile tea boosts the immune system and fight infections associated with colds, reduces menstrual cramps in women, relaxes the nerves, reduces inflammation. Chamomile tea helps relieve rheumatism as well. You can drink it cold or hot. The chamomile tea bags (refrigerated) are used to relieve swelling associated with Thyroid Eye Disease/ Graves’ eye disease. It’s great for sleeping problems (insomnia) and anxiety.
3. Valerian Roots Tea (Valeriana officinalis, Valerianaceae). The tea is used as a sleeping aid, and it has a sedative effect, so make sure you are not drinking it before driving. It can be mixed with other herbs as well, but really be careful regarding its sedative effect.
4. Nettle tea for your nerves and your hair. This is one of my favorite teas, very pleasant to drink cold or hot. After preparing I just put in bottles and keep it in refrigerator. I drink that instead of water, no sugar added, but you can add some honey if you can’t drink it just like that. Nettle is rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals, anti-cancer selenium, immune-enhancing sulphur, memory-enhancing zinc, diabetes-chasing chromium, and bone-building boron. A quart of nettle infusion contains more than 1000 milligrams of calcium, 15000 IU of vitamin A, 760 milligrams of vitamin K, 10% protein, and large amounts of most B vitamins, as reported by Susun Weed, one of my favorite herbalists. You can also use nettle tea for strong hair (internal and external). It also helps regulating the menstrual flow, especially if you have amenorrhea. It restores mood, replenishes energy, and guarantees sound sleep. Who doesn’t need that?
5. Cruciferous vegetables and goitrogenic foods. Isoflavones and isothiocynates, found in goitrogenous foods and cruciferous vegetables appear to naturally inhibit the thyroid hormone overproduction, so really- start eating them, and the sooner and the more the better. An example of such food products are: Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Peaches, all leafy green vegetable.
6. Aloe Vera: Aloe Vera contains a very important substance, called acemannan, found in its sugar part and it acts as an immune modulator, especially for the thyroid antibodies. It has the power and ability to slow down or enhance the immune system response. In our case- should be able to manage the immune system to recognize its own cells and not attack them. It acts however it is required by the immune system! It also has a huge anti-inflammatory effect regarding Thyroid Eye Disease.
7. Motherwort (Leonurus cardiac) – it is a member of the mint family. You can find this plant pretty much everywhere on the planet, in all continents. It can be also cultivated in your garden. Motherwort balances the hormones generally and helps palpitations; it strengthens the heart beat without increasing the pulse.
8. Hawthorn (Crataegus species) has been used to treat heart disease   as far back as the 1st  century. By the early 1800s, American doctors were using it to treat circulatory disorders and respiratory illnesses. It’s found to be beneficial for heart muscle weakness, for pressure, tightness in the chest and for mild arrhythmia.
9. Vitamin B complex (all Vitamins in B group); Vitamin C- for the immune system; Vitamin A and Vitamin E for your hair and skin. Make sure you take it with food or after meal.
10. Selenium– according to the researchers, selenium deficiency appears to contribute to the development and maintenance of autoimmune thyroiditis because of its effect on the function of selenium-dependent enzymes, which can modulate the immune system. Selenium supplementation with 200mcg of sodium selenite may improve the inflammatory activity seen in patients with autoimmune thyroiditis, but whether this effect is specific for autoimmune thyroiditis or may also be effective in other organ-specific autoimmune diseases remains to be investigated. Selenium supplementation may lower free radical activity, which contributes to inflammation.
11.  L- Carnitine.  The most recent discoveries regarding L- carnitine for hyperthyroidism are done by the Italian endocrinologist Dr. Salvatore Benvenga and his colleagues in 2004. By examining the results of supplementation on group of patients, the researchers studied the ability of carnitine to treat the effects of hyperthyroidism. To date, clinical trials have shown that doses of 2,000-4,000 mg/day of L-carnitine are helpful in individuals who suffer from hyperthyroidism. Future studies may uncover similar benefits of other carnitine formulations such as acetyl-L-carnitine, acetyl-L-carnitine arginate, and propionyl-L-carnitine, along with the doses needed to match the efficacy provided by 2,000-4,000 mg L-carnitine.
12. Copper. Although supportive data is limited, a report from a study group of hyperthyroid women suggests that copper status should be investigated in women with Hyperthyroidism. As it was reported “Virtually all patients in the hyperthyroidism group have found that copper supplementation reduced their symptoms, usually within hours or a few days at most. Most have reported that within three to six months of beginning copper supplementation, they have been able to significantly reduce their intake of antithyroid drugs. While copper is the big story in hyperthyroidism, it is not the whole story. If it were, it would have been discovered years ago. Proper copper metabolism interrelates with and depends upon many other nutrients.” [John Johnson, iThyroid.com]
13. Flax seed oil– it is the most abundant plant source of omega-3 fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid omega-3. The seeds and oil of the flax plant contain substances which are known to promote good health. Flax seed oil is good for: Circulatory System, Immune System, Reproductive System, Nervous System. There are a lot of reports that it can help your Thyroid Eye Disease and practically you can see results in 1 or 2 weeks. The recommended dose is 2 capsules of 1000 mg per day (at least). Flax Seed and Flax Seed oil are rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an essential fatty acid that appears to be beneficial for a lot of diseases.
14. Honey. One of the safest natural cures for Grave’s disease that I regularly use for all purposes is honey. Honey helps the nervous system and not only. Lemon juice and honey is a good remedy in cases of hypertension, insomnia, and nervous conditions. Dissolve a spoonful of top quality honey in a glass of mineral water and add the juice of half a lemon. The beverage is pleasant and nutritious. Honey and insomnia: mix a cup of warm milk with a spoon of honey before going to bed. Sleep like a baby.
15. Bugleweed (Lycopus europaeus, Lycopus virginicus) is used to balance the levels of thyroid hormones (TSH) (hyperthyroidism). It is also used to treat premenstrual syndrome; breast pain; nervousness; trouble sleeping (insomnia) and bleeding. Extracts from this herb are thought to aid in normalizing heart rate, which is indicative of its potential as an alternative treatment for tachycardia. Bugleweed herb is commonly used as a natural treatment for some symptoms of Grave’s disease, such as palpitations.

Enjoy you natural remedies, but before taking or making any of them make sure you are not allergic, especially of you consume them in tincture (it may contain alcohol). If in any doubt, please consult an herbalist or your physician. Most of the remedies can be found in organic food stores, or even in regular food stores over the counter. Supplements- please, be extra careful with them and first do a test and check if your body is lacking any of them or not. Don’t forget that we are all different and need different things, and at different dosages to feel well.

Have in mind that this information is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended, nor should be interpreted as medical advice or directions of any kind. You are strongly advised to consult your own medical doctor/ endocrinologist for all matters involving your health and medical care.

How to manage Hyperthyroidism Palpitations

Tips to manage your Graves’ Disease and Hyperthyroidism Palpitations- Basic Life Style Suggestions

Palpitations are probably the one of the worst symptom of Grave’s Disease, not to mention Thyroid Eye Disease. Palpitations usually strike when you are resting, but not always. When they come you panic, probably feel urged to do things, and move. But should be doing exactly the opposite. Hyperthyroidism Palpitations are still manageable and controllable, with or without beta- blockers. Beta- blockers are usually prescribed by doctors to treat anxiety and in severe cases you should take them as prescribed, but here I’ll give a few other tips that can help you calm down and manage the your hyperthyroidism palpitations.

For the purpose of this writing I will assume that you are working full time, with family and kids. This probably is the worst case scenario, because you have to take care of so many things, many of them even out of your control, I know it from personal experience. So here we go:

1. Morning: if you have to get up at let’s say at 7 a.m. set your alarm clock (not cell) 15 or more minutes earlier. Take your time to wake up completely and stretch, don’t just run out of bed. This is important to keep your stress levels down starting in the morning. If you can, I would also advise you to buy one of these natural sunlight alarm clocks. I am not suggesting any particular company, but they can be found for around $40.  They are worth the investment.
2. So now, open your eyes and tell me what you see in your bedroom? Whatever you see must be pleasing for your eyes. Clean up messy bedrooms as the energy there is stuck, move out all TVs, computers, cell phones or any other technical machines. You don’t need them but they literally bathe you with electricity and interfere with your sleep.
3. Look around your bedroom again- what colors are prevailing? For now I would adivise you to stick with green, light blue, light purple. I am not going into details why, there is an article on my website especially about color (chromotherapy). And yes, it does matter.
4. Go on with your usual routine. If you are drinking coffee, substitute with decaffeinated. If you drink tea- let this be Lemon Balm tea or Chamomile tea. Or Nettle tea. Nettle tea can be bottled, refrigerated and drank instead of water. I highly advise you to do so as it nourishes the adrenal glands like no other herb. I make 2 bottles with Nettle tea, refrigerate them (you don’t have to) but it just tastes better for me. Tea must be fresh for the day. No Green tea, no black or grey. Forget about this for a while. No sugar or artificial sweeteners, you are only allowed honey.
5. On your way to work, if you stay in traffic for an hour, turn off that radio and put some classic or calming music, whatever you prefer. If you don’t have a CD player, just stay in silence. If you travel in a public transportation- isolate yourself with Ipod with that same music I mentioned above, and close your eyes. You don’t have to look at all these already nervous, anxious and frustrated people. It is contagious.
6. At work: Limit your activities to the minimum required by your job. No overdoing, no multitasking, it’s not the time for that. If a colleague gets on your nerves, just walk away. If you are given tasks way below your abilities don’t be scared to talk with the manager and supervisor and explain your situation. They are all people and in most of the cases will understand.
7. Breaks: take them, there is a purpose for them. Lunch break- go for a walk or just isolate yourself in some private place and put your Ipod on. Zone out. Do not engage yourself in meaningless conversations, or online shopping. Get off this computer. Eat slowly, take your time. No sodas, no coke, nothing that contains aspartame. What you should eat and diet is another topic.
8. On your way home: same as above. Do not try to kill your time in traffic talking to people on the phone. Deep breathing. It is proven it is the best way to kill stress.
9. When you get home, before starting your second full time job with the family- cooking, cleaning, homework, etc. just lie down, dear, lie down and close your eyes for about 30 minutes. Everything else can wait. This is your time to recover. Most of our problems come from chronic exhaustion, nothing else. Depression, anxiety, you name it, is usually due to chronic fatigue and tiredness, or at least one of the reasons. After this 30 min you can go back to your usual routine.
10. Sleep- you must spend at least 8 hours in your bed (resting and sleeping). If you go to sleep usually around 11, that means you must be in bed at least 1 hour earlier. Drink a cup of Lemon Balm or Valerian Roots tea, glass of wine is allowed too if you prefer, or warm milk with a spoon of honey. No TV, but you can watch movies (not in bed though). Avoid excessive noise, it hurts.
11. On Sundays, sit down and write 3 things that you love doing: massage, reading, movies, knitting, dancing, and scrapbooking- your choice. And put them in your schedule for the next week. Make sure that they are your priority.
12. Take frequent walks in nature, which helps a lot. Do meditation, regularly 15- 25 min (I mean every single day). I suggest no treadmills, no running, and no aerobics type exercises- you can do them another time. I did not list these activities in the above routine but you can make some space and time for them in your schedule.

This is the most simplified version of a recovery routine to manage palpitations. Do it for 2 weeks and let me know how you feel. You’ll see results,  I guarantee you.

For more alternative therapies visit:

15 Natural Remedies for   Graves’ Disease and Hyperthyroidism

Graves Disease Anxiety. How to fight anxiety without  pills!

Graves’ Disease Stress Management

Graves’ Disease Palpitations. A reason for Thyrocardiac Disease?

 

20 Secrets of Natural and Holistic Healing for Graves’ Disease and Hyperthyroidism, or any disease for that matter

Many people today are disappointed by the traditional medical approach, if they feel sick or have any medical problems. They are tired of taking drugs that have more negative effects, than healing your organs and your body. They don’t want to poison themselves any more with chemicals, that may, or may not work.

Turning to natural and holistic approaches however will require some basic knowledge, when treating different ailments.

Understanding the secrets and foundation of the holistic and natural healing can help you not only in the battle with Graves’ Disease or Hyperthyroidism, but any disease for that matter.

1. Authentic healing will often involve radical changes in how you live. So, be prepared to change not only what you drink and eat, but how you view the world as well.
2. Old habits and attitudes that supported the development of the disease will fall away, to be replaced by new ones that go with a new way of being in the world.
3. Crisis of the body are ultimately expressions of underlying crises of the spirit. Which means generally that something went wrong on a pure emotional and mental level and is just manifested through your body. It is just asking for you to pay attention to whatever is going wrong in your little world!
4. Healing requires letting go what is familiar and stepping into the unknown.
5. Healing may mean challenging belief systems and daring to break taboos.
6. Healing is about getting past the ego, that is what out culture is build on.
7.  Healing involves reconnecting with lost aspects of oneself, some of which exist in other than our “familiar”reality.
8. Effective holistic medical therapy depends on self-awareness.
9. You make major decisions about your own treatment according to what creates a sense of well- being, what boosts your energy or what brings clarity of mind.
10. Your lab is your body. Experiments going on there constantly allow you to find out what suits you and what doesn’t.
11. Herbs are used most often to affect organ systems, Homeophatic for re-balancing the overall “vital force”and flower essences (Bach flower essences) for addressing dilemmas of the mind.
12. Cell salts (Schuessler salts) are working in a horizontal way, affecting the structural components that run through many organs in the body.
13. Herbs are exerting their effect more vertically, tending to affect selectively one or more organ systems.
14. Generally herbs can be divided in 4 major groups- Chinese, Ayurvedic, European and Native American herbs. It is your choice which methods you choose, or a combination of them for best results.
15. There is no “magic” herb, or method that will work overnight- for any disease. It takes time.
16. Many holistic methods will “bypass”the diagnose and work directly on the symptoms and affected organs. The  diagnose is not of primary matter, as it can shift from one to another, or can be easily mistaken.
17. Any holistic and natural treatment will involve physical exercises, diet, cleansing and detoxing and resolving psychological issues as well.
18. Parts of the body, especially if they are “damaged” in some way by a disease, tell us about the whole- your life in general.
19. Perhaps the simplest definition of healing is “to make a whole”.
20. Whenever you start to feel as a whole,body, mind and spirit together, then your healing process is over. Your healing became a way of life. Congratulations!