Hyperthyroid

[Guest guest]

At 04:57 PM 12/26/2003, Merlynn Starr wrote:

>Hello,

>I've checked the archives but couldn't find anything about

>hyperthyroidism. I have a few of the symptoms such as fatigue, dry

>skin, nervousness, anxiety and (gradual) weight loss---now at 25 lbs.

>underweight. I had read that hyperthyroid medicine destroys the

>thyroid gland and want to find a safe alternative.

>

>My metabolism is way too fast. It's hard to gain weight as I seldom

>eat meat, very few dairy products, no junk foods, nor sweets. Any

>herbs that would help balance me out?

 

 

Merlynn, I wish you luck in finding information, I have provided some

information below.

 

I had an overactive thyroid nodule back when I was in university and had it

treated with conventional medicine, by having a radioactive iodine

solution. While that effectively killed the nodule, it went too far, just

as you fear. Over many years my thyroid functionality continues to decrease

and I have to take more and more replacement synthetic thyroid. I suspect

that my thyroid function would have returned to normal by itself after

making dietary changes and doing detoxification routines.

 

Back then, I thought that conventional medicine was the right way to go. My

diet was very poor at the time. Since my thyroid function is still slowly

decreasing, had I left things alone, it might have gone away by itself. By

following a very nutrient-dense diet and detoxifying.

 

I would suggest seeing a naturopath and seeing what he or she has to say.

Perhaps an overall detoxification strategy would work, but you'd have to be

careful and supervised because of your very low body weight. It really

depends on the 'cause' of this in the first place, which a naturopath may

be able to help identify. There are some nutritional factors and

deficiencies that can be the cause.

 

If it turns out in the future that you really do need conventional medicine

in order to intervene if there is a clear danger to your life (heart

failure), I would ask for at least half the potency of the radioactive

iodine that they have determined you need and give it time. You can always

have more of it later if absolutely necessary.

 

 

 

From digitalnaturopath.com:

 

Amino Acid / Protein L-Carnitine

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 50 women with normal

thyroid function were given thyroid hormone and randomly assigned to three

groups: placebo for six months; placebo for two months followed by 2gm or

4gm per day of L-carnitine for months three and four, then placebo for

months five and six; or 2gm or 4gm per day of L-carnitine for the first

four months followed by two months of placebo. Clinical symptoms such as

palpitations and biochemical parameters worsened when patients took

placebo, and returned to baseline or improved minimally during L-carnitine

treatment. Bone loss is normally experienced during a hyperthyroid state,

but bone mineral density improved throughout the trial in all patients

taking L-carnitine. The authors suggest the supplement may be useful for

both preventing and treating hyperthyroidism. [J Clin Endocrinol Metab

2001;86(8): pp.3579-94]

 

Diet

Gluten-free Diet

Some doctors recommend the complete avoidance of gluten/gliadin and

dairy products when this allergy is suspected in cases of Graves' disease

or other autoimmune disease.

 

Dairy Products Avoidance

One doctor reports that taking calcium without magnesium is one of the

worst things you can do if you have hyperthyroidism because this increases

any magnesium deficiency and increases the heart rate and likelihood of

arrhythmia. This is one of the reasons why dairy products, which are high

in calcium and low in magnesium, need to be restricted until magnesium

levels are replenished.

 

NOT recommended:

Raw Food Diet

Most people who try a raw food diet for hyperthyroidism find it makes

symptoms worse. However, there has been at least one person with

hyperthyroidism who achieved a normal thyroid state on a raw food diet.

 

Drug

Conventional Drugs

Because of the importance of controlling hyperthyroidism, the use of

conventional drugs should be considered strongly.

 

Lab Tests/Rule-Outs

Test Thyroid Function

Test for DHEA

Some doctors report finding that a high percentage of patients with

autoimmune disorders, such as Graves' disease, are also deficient in DHEA,

and should be tested.

 

Hydrochloric Acid (Trial)

Some doctors report that 50% of patients with autoimmune disease are

also hypochlorhydric.

 

Mineral

 

Selenium

On June 22, 2001 Dr. Barbara Gasnier reported the findings at the 83rd

Annual Meeting of the Endocrine Society in Denver, Colorado that selenium

supplementation may prevent progression of autoimmune thyroid disease,

especially during the onset of the disease.

 

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.

 

It appears that taking selenium without iodine will result in a decrease in

production of Thyroxine (T4), although there may be an initial transient

increase in T4 to T3 conversion and hence higher T3 and seemingly worse

hyperthyroidism.

 

 

Copper

A significant number of people with hyperthyroidism have reported

improvement, even the absence of symptoms, after long term copper

supplementation. Some felt better within hours of taking copper, and were

eventually able to discontinue their antithyroid medication.

 

Although supportive data is limited, a report from a study group of

hyperthyroid women suggests that copper status should at least be

investigated in women with hyperthyroidism.

 

" Thyroid and immune system health are crucially dependent upon copper. As

far as I can see now, copper deficiency is the most important factor in the

development of hyperthyroidism. Virtually all hypers 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]

 

 

Not recommended:

Iodine

Iodine use is often contraindicated in hyperthyroidism. However, very

high doses of Iodine for short periods (about thirty drops daily of SSKI

for three weeks) have sometimes produced favorable results in Graves'

disease. Because of the possibility of causing a 'thyroid storm' (an acute

hyperthyroid state), this therapy should only be attempted under close

supervision by a doctor experienced in its use.