How people with Graves’ disease can avoid radioactive iodine treatment

If you have Graves’ disease, or any other form of hyperthyroidism, and you are considering the use of radioactive iodine to treat your condition, you may want to look into 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 diagnosed with Graves’ disease, I can tell you that avoiding radioactive iodine was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

To better understand why you should avoid this type of harsh treatment, it’s 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 thyroid gland’s cells 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 to 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, must 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 summarize what this doctor said, by receiving radioactive iodine you will be completely cured of hyperthyroidism, but you will have hypothyroidism for the rest of your life, and you will be forced to take synthetic or natural thyroid hormone daily… Live. Call me crazy, but this doesn’t look like a cure to me. And when treating a disorder like Graves’ disease, you have to keep in mind that radioactive iodine does nothing to address the immune system component of this autoimmune disorder, which is extremely important.

So when someone with Graves’ disease is treated with radioactive iodine, they will most likely be able to stop the overproduction of thyroid hormone. Of course, this will eliminate the symptoms of hyperthyroidism. But here are the following disadvantages of receiving radioactive iodine for Graves’ disease:

1) You will most likely have hypothyroidism for the rest of your life. So, once again, this means that you will probably have to take synthetic or natural thyroid hormone every day…forever. Now, to be honest, this is not the case for everyone, as while some people will need to take thyroid hormone daily, others who are told they will have to take it forever may be able to regain their health if they undergo natural treatment. . protocol. This of course 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 thus help with symptoms of hyperthyroidism, it will do nothing to help boost 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. Other than 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, then while you may not need to worry about addressing the immune system component, you should understand that receiving this treatment can still have serious consequences. Sure, I’ll admit that most cases of hypothyroidism aren’t usually life-threatening, like 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 still need to think twice before getting this therapy.

When is radioactive iodine really necessary?

I’m not suggesting that RAI is never needed 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 option. After all, once the thyroid gland is destroyed, it is difficult and sometimes impossible to undo the damage. Certainly, there are situations in which someone might need radioactive iodine treatment, such as 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 this writing, a Major League Baseball player was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism (not Graves’ disease). Fortunately, his doctor recommended rest and a change in diet. Although his 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 someone who many years ago received radioactive iodine for a mild case of hyperthyroidism, even though he was not experiencing any symptoms. He has been taking synthetic thyroid hormone every day ever since, when initially a conservative approach might have 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 itself? Basically there are three options:

Option #1: Antithyroid medications. Methimazole is a common antithyroid medication recommended by some endocrinologists. Many will also recommend a beta blocker, such as propranolol, 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 must use prescription medications to help manage symptoms when they begin the natural treatment protocol.

Option #3: No treatment. Choosing not to receive any type of treatment when diagnosed with Graves’ disease can be quite risky. This condition can become life-threatening, so you need to choose some kind 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 knew about the possible consequences of receiving radioactive iodine treatment. Fortunately I had a somewhat conservative endocrinologist, as she recommended Methimazole plus a beta blocker to help control my symptoms. And although I considered taking the medicine, I decided to consult with a natural doctor first.

To make a long story short, I decided not to take the prescription drugs and started a natural treatment protocol. And finally I ended up getting great results. The treatment protocol not only relieved my symptoms, but my follow-up blood tests (TSH, Free T4, Free T3, etc.) looked great! I also had my adrenal glands tested early on and these levels (which weren’t good to begin with) improved as well.

And while I am a natural health practitioner, like many people who have Graves’ disease and hyperthyroidism in general, I was skeptical about whether or not natural treatment methods would help with such a serious condition. And I am in no way suggesting that you do not take medication for your disorder, as some people with really severe symptoms need to take prescription medication to control the 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, at the very least, you should get a second opinion before undergoing 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.