If you have Graves & # 39; A disease or any other form of hyperthyroidism, and considering radioactive iodine to treat your condition, you can first explore other types of treatments. Many people do not realize the potential consequences of taking radioactive iodine. As a health professional and someone who was diagnosed with Graves Disease, I can tell you that avoiding radioactive iodine was one of the best choices I have ever done.
To better understand why you should avoid this cruel type of treatment, it is important to at least have a basic understanding of what treatment is, as well as the possible consequences if you choose this method of treatment. The thyroid gland contains iodine, which is necessary for the production of thyroid hormones. Radioactive iodine is usually orally transmitted to the patient. It then travels through the bloodstream to the thyroid gland and, in effect, destroys many thyroid cells to prevent the formation of the thyroid hormone.
If you visit Google and enter “radioactive iodine,” one of the first articles lists conversations about how few side effects when taking radioactive iodine, and that these side effects do not occur too often. But then the author usually tells the reader the following: “As soon as the thyroid gland becomes inactive, the one-day thyroid hormone pill, T4, should be taken for life.”
Radioactive iodine is not a cure for graves. disease
Summing up what this doctor said, getting radioactive iodine, you will be completely cured of hyperthyroidism, but you remain hypothyroid for the rest of your life and will have to take daily synthetic or natural thyroid hormone ... as long as you live. Call me crazy, but it doesn't seem like a cure to me. And when treating a disorder such as Graves, Illness, you need to keep in mind that radioactive iodine does nothing to address the component of the immune system of this autoimmune disorder, which is extremely important.
Therefore, when someone with Graves Disease receives treatment with radioactive iodine, it is likely to be successful in stopping overproduction of the thyroid hormone. This, of course, will relieve you of the symptoms of hyperthyroidism. But here are the following disadvantages of taking radioactive iodine for Graves & Disease:
1) You are likely to become hypothyroid for the rest of your life. So again, this means that you may have to take a synthetic or natural thyroid hormone daily ... forever. Now, to be frank, this does not apply to everyone, because while some people need to take thyroid hormone daily, others who say they will need to take it forever will be able to regain their health if the natural protocol is adopted. treatment, Of course, it depends on how much damage is done to the thyroid gland.
2) It does nothing to address the component of the immune system. Although radioactive iodine should help reduce or stop the production of thyroid hormone and thus help with the symptoms of hyperthyroidism, it will not do anything to help strengthen your immune system. This will leave you more susceptible to future autoimmune diseases.
3) He does nothing to deal with the cause of your frustration. In addition to not addressing a component of the immune system, if other areas of your body have led to the development of your condition, such as the adrenal glands, the gastrointestinal system, etc., receiving this type of treatment will not do anything to cope with this cause. and / or factors contributing to your disorder.
If you have hyperthyroidism, but not Graves? A disease, then, when you may not need to worry about accessing a component of the immune system, you need to understand that getting this treatment can still have serious consequences. Of course, I will recognize that most cases of hypothyroidism are usually not potentially life-threatening, since it can be a serious case of hyperthyroidism. On the other hand, when you understand how the thyroid affects every cell and tissue in our body, you should still think twice about getting this therapy.
When is iodine really necessary?
I am not claiming that RAI is never required under any circumstances. I tell you that this is an extreme form of treatment, and in most cases it should be considered as the last option. After all, once your thyroid is destroyed, it is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to reverse the damage. There are, no doubt, situations where someone may need to be treated with radioactive iodine, for example, in some cases of thyroid cancer. Others may need this type of treatment when the symptoms are severe and they have not responded to any other treatments.
Next to the writing date of this article, a major league baseball player had recently been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism (not Graves' disease). Fortunately, his doctor recommended rest and diet. While his condition is considered moderate at this point in time, do not assume that mild cases of hyperthyroidism are always considered conservatively. As evidence of this, I recently consulted with someone who had received radioactive iodine many years ago for a mild case of hyperthyroidism, although she had no symptoms. Since then, she has been taking synthetic thyroid hormone since the conservative approach was initially working.
What are your other options?
So, what other treatment options are available besides radioactive iodine for people with Graves? A disease or just a hyperthyroid state in itself? There are three options:
Option number 1: Antithyroid drugs. Methymazole is a common antithyroid drug recommended by some endocrinologists. Many also recommend a beta blocker, such as propanol, to help control symptoms.
Option number 2: Natural treatments. Most people with Graves Diseases do not know that there are natural treatments that could restore normal health. Of course, not everyone can be helped with natural treatments. And because of the severity of this condition, many people must still use prescription drugs to help control symptoms when they start with a natural treatment protocol.
Option number 3: Without treatment. Choosing not to receive any type of treatment when diagnosing with Graves & Disease can be quite risky. This condition can become life-threatening, so you must choose some kind of effective treatment, be it a conventional treatment or a natural treatment protocol.
Of course, you decide which treatment method is right for you. When I was diagnosed with Graves Disease, I was aware of the potential consequences of taking radioactive iodine. Fortunately, I had a somewhat conservative endocrinologist, as she recommended that I take Methimazole, plus a beta blocker, to help control my symptoms. And although I did consider medication, I decided to first consult with a natural doctor.
In short, I decided not to take prescription drugs and began a natural treatment protocol. And I get great results. The treatment protocol not only treated my symptoms, but my subsequent blood tests (TSH, free T4, free T3, etc.) looked great! I also had my adrenal glands checked at an early stage, and these levels (which were not very good to begin with) also improved.
And although I am a natural medical professional, like many people who have Graves. Illness and hyperthyroidism in general, I was skeptical about whether natural treatments would help in such a serious condition. And by no means do I assume that you are not taking medicine for your disorder, as some people with really serious symptoms need prescription drugs to control the symptoms. And, as I mentioned earlier, some people even need to get radioactive iodine.
The goal here was just to let you know that there are other treatment options besides radioactive iodine, and at least you should get a second opinion before receiving this extreme treatment. In the end, you only have one thyroid gland, and therefore, before taking this treatment, you want to be 100% sure that this is what you really need.
