How People With Graves’ Disease Can Avoid Radioactive Iodine Treatment

If you have Graves’ disease or any other form of hyperthyroidism and are considering the use of radioactive iodine to treat your condition, you may want to seek other types of treatment methods first. Many people do not realize the possible consequences of receiving radioactive iodine treatment. As a healthcare professional and someone who has been diagnosed with Graves’ disease, I can tell you that avoiding radioactive iodine was one of the best decisions I made.

To better understand why you should avoid this type of harsh treatment, it is important to have at least a basic understanding of what this treatment does, as well as the possible consequences if you choose this treatment method. The thyroid gland contains iodine, which it needs to make thyroid hormones. Radioactive iodine is usually administered orally to the patient. It then moves through the bloodstream to the thyroid gland and essentially destroys many of the cells in the thyroid gland to prevent it from making thyroid hormone.

If you go to Google and type “radioactive iodine,” one of the first articles listed talks about how there are few side effects from taking radioactive iodine, and that these side effects don’t happen too often. But then the author casually tells the reader the following: “Once the thyroid becomes underactive, a single daily pill of thyroid hormone, T4, should be taken for life. Although most patients are completely cured, some people will need a second treatment. “

Radioactive iodine IS NOT a cure for Graves’ disease

To sum up what this doctor said, by receiving radioactive iodine, you will be completely cured of hyperthyroidism, but you will become hypothyroid for the rest of your life and you will be forced to take synthetic or natural thyroid hormones every day … for as long as possible. that you have. Live. Call me crazy, but this doesn’t seem like a cure to me. And when treating a disorder like Graves’ disease, you should be aware that radioactive iodine does nothing to address the extremely important immune system component of this autoimmune disorder.

So when someone with Graves’ disease is treated with radioactive iodine, they will most likely be successful in stopping the overproduction of thyroid hormone. Of course, this will eliminate your hyperthyroid symptoms. But here are the following cons of receiving radioactive iodine for Graves’ disease:

1) You will most likely suffer from hypothyroidism for the rest of your life. Again, this means that you will probably have to take your natural or synthetic thyroid hormone every day … forever. Now, to be frank, this is not the case for everyone, as while some people will need to take thyroid hormone daily, others who are told to take it forever could restore their health with natural treatment. protocol. Of course, this depends on how much damage has been done to the thyroid gland.

2) It does nothing to address the immune system component. Although radioactive iodine should help reduce or stop thyroid hormone production and therefore help with hyperthyroid symptoms, it will do nothing to help strengthen your immune system. This will leave you more susceptible to future autoimmune disorders.

3) You do nothing to address the underlying cause of your disorder. In addition to not addressing the immune system component, if other areas of your body have led to the development of your condition, such as the adrenal glands, gastrointestinal system, etc., receiving this type of treatment will do nothing to address the problem. cause and / or contributing factors of your disorder.

If you have hyperthyroidism but not Graves disease, while you may not need to worry about addressing the immune system component, you need to understand that receiving this treatment can still have serious consequences. Of course, I must admit that most cases of hypothyroidism are not usually life threatening, as a severe case of hyperthyroidism can be. On the other hand, when you understand how the thyroid gland affects every cell and tissue in our body, you need to think twice before receiving this therapy.

When is radioactive iodine really necessary?

I am not suggesting that RAI is never necessary under any circumstances. What I am telling you is that it is an extreme form of treatment, and in most cases it should be considered as a last resort. After all, once the thyroid gland is destroyed, it is difficult and sometimes impossible to undo the damage. Undoubtedly, there are situations in which someone might need radioactive iodine treatment, such as in certain cases of thyroid cancer. Others may need this type of treatment when symptoms are severe and have not responded to any other type of treatment.

Around the time of writing, a major league baseball player was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism (not Graves disease). Fortunately, her doctor recommended rest and a change in diet. While your condition is considered mild at this time, don’t think that mild cases of hyperthyroidism are always treated conservatively. As proof of this, I recently consulted with someone who many years ago received radioactive iodine for a mild case of hyperthyroidism, although he had no symptoms. She has been taking synthetic thyroid hormone on a daily basis ever since, when a conservative approach might have initially worked.

What other options do you have?

So what other treatment options are available besides radioactive iodine for people with Graves’ disease, or just a hyperthyroid condition on its own? There are basically three options:

Option n. 1: antithyroid drugs. Methimazole is a common antithyroid drug recommended by some endocrinologists. Many will also recommend a beta blocker, such as propanolol, to help control symptoms.

Option # 2: natural treatment methods. Most people with Graves’ disease are unaware that there are natural treatment methods that could restore their health to normal. Of course, not everyone can be helped with natural treatment methods. And due to the severity of this condition, many people still need to use prescription medications to help manage symptoms when beginning the natural treatment protocol.

Option # 3: No treatment. Choosing not to receive any type of treatment when you are diagnosed with Graves disease can be quite risky. This condition can be life-threatening, so you should choose some type of effective treatment, be it conventional treatment methods or a natural treatment protocol.

Of course, it is up to you to decide which treatment method is right for you. When I was diagnosed with Graves’ disease, I learned about the possible consequences of receiving radioactive iodine treatment. Fortunately, I had a somewhat conservative endocrinologist, as he recommended that I take methimazole, plus a beta blocker to help control my symptoms. And although I considered taking the medication, I decided to consult with a natural practitioner first.

To make a long story short, I decided not to take the prescription drugs and began a natural treatment protocol. And finally I ended up getting excellent results. Not only did the treatment protocol alleviate my symptoms, but my follow-up blood tests (TSH, free T4, free T3, etc.) looked great! They also had my adrenal glands tested early on and these levels (which weren’t good to start with) also improved.

And although I am a natural health professional, like many people who have Graves disease and hyperthyroidism in general, I was skeptical as to whether or not natural treatment methods would help with such a serious condition. And in no way am I suggesting that you not take medication for your disorder, as some people with really severe symptoms need to take prescription medications to control symptoms. And as I mentioned earlier, some people will even need to receive radioactive iodine.

The goal here was simply to let you know that there are other treatment options besides radioactive iodine, and that you should at least get a second opinion before getting this extreme treatment. After all, you only have one thyroid gland, so before you get this treatment, you need to be 100% sure that this is what you really need.

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