With January being thyroid awareness month it feels extra important to highlight a lesser discussed thyroid condition known called Graves’ Disease. Graves’ Disease the most common cause of hyperthyroidism, also known as an overactive thyroid gland.
Similar to Hashimoto’s, Graves’ Disease is an autoimmune disease which occurs when the body’s immune system is attacking its own thyroid. With this type of autoimmune response, thyroid stimulating hormone receptors are activated, and as a result the thyroid gland begins to excessively excrete thyroid hormones.
Some ways that the body reacts to overproduction of thyroid hormone can include:
An enlarged thyroid, or goiter
Fast, irregular heartbeat
Heat intolerance
Eye inflammation where the eyeballs are protruding from sockets
Irritability
Unexplained weight loss
Sleep problems
Fatigue and muscle weakness
Hand tremors
Graves’ Disease is typically diagnosed through bloodwork to look for elevated levels of an antibody known as thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin (TSI). Blood tests also look for low levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), which shows that the overproduction of thyroid hormone is triggering the body to stop producing enough TSH. In order to make thyroid hormone, the body absorbs iodine from the blood as a key ingredient. In Graves’ Disease the body takes in too much iodine, so a radioactive iodine uptake test may be done to track iodine absorption. Sometimes a scan of your thyroid may also be used to see the gland’s uptake patterns.
Dietary Considerations in Graves Disease
Because of increased iodine absorption in Graves’ Disease, it is important for those with this condition to limit iodized salt or other foods high in iodine, such as seaweed- a noteworthy mention here in Maine! Eating more low inflammatory foods such as green leafy vegetables, fresh fruit, and lean proteins can also help support the inflammation which comes with this autoimmune response. Research suggests those with Graves’ Disease tend to be especially deficient in Vitamin D. Supplementing with Vitamin D3 may be especially important for not just treatment, but prevention of Graves’ Disease, as well as other autoimmune conditions.
Graves From a TCM Perspective
From a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, yin and yang within the body must be in balance to prevent disease. Graves’ disease is often seen as a condition where yin and yang are not in right-relationship with each other, often due to not enough yin. Acupuncture can be particularly helpful at returning the body to a state of equilibrium and at Six Branches we specialize in using acupuncture to treat hormonal imbalances.
In addition to acupuncture, herbal medicine may be especially helpful and can often be used in conjunction with regular thyroid medication. Herbal prescriptions that we prescribe are always tailored to your individual constitution and are based on formulas that are shown to be clinically effective or well-studied in herbal medicine research.
In one study of 92 adults with Graves’ Disease, an herbal formula known as Yingliu, in conjunction with conventional medication methimazole was compared to methimazole alone. Herbs were taken daily for 12 weeks. For those who received herbal treatment with standard medication, free T3, free T4, TSH, and thyroid antibodies all significantly improved more than with medication alone. Thyroid enlargement, fatigue, and dry mouth symptoms also had a greater improvement when herbs were taken in conjunction with medication than with medication alone. This herbal formula consists of twelve herbs which from a TEAM perspective work to help nourish body fluids, clear heat in the heart and liver, decrease inflammation and swelling, and harmonize yin and yang. All of these functions help to balance the body’s hormones naturally, while supporting your underlying constitution.
Yang, H., Bi, X., Tang, H., Zeng, J., Cong, Y., Wu, T., & Chen, Q. (2015). Clinical efficacy of Yingliu treatment for Graves disease. International journal of clinical and experimental medicine, 8(4), 6145–6153.