# Anyone tried a Holistic Dr. for Graves ???



## AndiB (Sep 7, 2010)

I am thinking about trying a Holistic/Natural Endo, but worry about thyroid storm, while going natural. I guess I wont know, unless I try if a Natural Endo works??? :confused0003:


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## lavender (Jul 13, 2010)

I would be really cautious, especially if you have a history of thyroid storm. Untreated it can be lethal. I have seen a lot of "natural" treatments out there on the web. I am very skeptical of someone trying to sell me a product to "cure" a chronic auto-immune disorder. There are no scientifically acceptable natural treatments for Graves Disease. There is a reason for this.

I had a really bad experience with a holistic doc who actually held a medical license which has left me jaded. I spent a lot of money on supplements sold out of her office that did nothing to improve my health. Someone later pointed out that she was probably getting a kick back from the manufacturer.

She actually tested my thyroid in the midst of a several month long illness, and my TSH was really low. She was very concerned with detoxing my body, but never referred me to an endo for follow up. She said I did not look like someone who was hyperthyroid because I am overweight and had no visible goiter or bulging eyes. I think this was a HUGE mistake, and that 5 years of unexplained illness and the eventual thyroid storm I ended up in this past spring could have been prevented had I been followed up on and monitored as my condition suggested. I was still overweight with no obvious goiter or bulging eyes in thyroid storm. Her practice mysteriously went out of business and my medical records disappeared with it. If I knew then what I know now...

Western medicine saved my life this past year. It is not perfect, and I seek complimentary medicine as my budget allows. I personally see a chiropractor, massage therapist, and counselor in addition to my western med docs. I meditate regularly, try to eat a healthy whole foods diet as much as possible and am exercising more now that I am healthy and able to. I think healthy lifestyle changes are an important part of healing, but they will never again be my only method.

I am adding this because I just read your other posts. I hated taking methimazole and propranolol because it felt like they were just keeping me down, polluting my system and not allowing me to heal or think clearly. BUT THEY KEPT ME ALIVE until my condition could be diagnosed and another treatment scheduled. I feel better than I have in years since my surgery 1 month ago. I went hiking without completely exhausting myself this past weekend for the first time in 5 years! I am just so greatful to have my life back, I'm 32, and I feel 32 again.

There is hope to feel better again, and western medicine can help!


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## CA-Lynn (Apr 29, 2010)

Believe me, if holistic treatment really worked, we'd all be taking it. That should tell you something.

Try to stick with the current treatment plan. Just for another week. Develop short milestones. And when that week is up, shoot for another week.......


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## AndiB (Sep 7, 2010)

Lavender,

You describe yourself as I am. I am heavier, no cancer or goiters, no protruding eyes, neck not swollen, etc...You would look at me and say, "No way you have GD." I have been healthy all my life. This is the 1st time I have been sick.

I am so frustrated with GD, because the dr's don't find the cause of our autoimmune disease. The fire needs to be put out! I appreciate you sharing your experience with me with your holistic dr. The holistic dr I am seeing was referred to me and has been around for a long time. And I agree with CA-Lynn, but Western medical will never agree with Holistic! Their route is to get rid of the problem and not realizing what other issues that can arise. They take our other issues one by one and continue to treat until we own our own pharmacy.

How come you did surgery and not RAI, if you mind me asking? I am thinking of doing the same. I am terrified of RAI!!!!

I am happy to hear you are doing very well!!! Cheers to you!


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## lavender (Jul 13, 2010)

If this practitioner feels right to you, then go for it. I would just encourage you to not discount Western medicine in the meantime. I spent a lot of money hoping in vain that alternative medicine would offer some sort of solution that was just not there. I have since learned that it is more important to listen to my own body and the way it responds to a particular treatment/practitioner then someone's reputation or experience. I am a lot quicker at knowing my own internal signals and walking out of someone's office if it's not right.
Which leads me to why I chose surgery. Every time I read about RAI, I could feel in my gut that it was not right for me. To me, it felt like poisoning my body. I read up on potential risks that western medicine pretty much ignores, and it did not feel right to me.
My doctors did not recommend surgery. They thought RAI was a good alternative to surgery. My body did not agree. I just had this sure knowledge that my thyroid had taken my body over, could kill me, and I wanted it out. This knowledge came from years of trial and error with different medical providers and practice learning to listen to my own responses. They are and always have been my most reliable source.
Surgery is violent and risky. I have had trouble with my calcium levels due to damage to my parathyroids during surgery. I do not yet know if it is permanent. In the meantime, I am taking really high doses of calcium and vitamin D. It's inconvenient, and Low calcium makes me feel really bad, but so much easier to deal with than hyperthyroid and meds that made me feel ill. The way I see it, levothyroixine calcium and D are replacing things that would normally be in my body if it were still able to make them. Methimazole and Propranolol were attacking body systems that were working out of control. This feels like a gentler route to me. My voice is taking time to come back to it's normal range. I sing, which has made me sensitive. I can not hit my high notes yet, and I get out of breath easily. To me, it was worth the risk. I feel so much better now, and I knew what I was getting into when I let the surgeon slit my neck open.
I was at a different point than you are when my GD was finally diagnosed. I had been dealing with unexplained illness that I believed was auto-immune related for years. I sought out alternative medicine because Western Medicine (and the holistic doc) told me over and over that I just had the flu, needed to wash my hands more, and that there was nothing more they could do for me. 
Friends who knew me, and the alternative providers I have come to rely on validated that I was not crazy. They saw my body gradually deteriorate. They could not offer a cure either, but did help me cope in the meantime. I had gradually gone from being an very active outdoorsy 27 year old to a 32 year old who lived indoors in a feeble body. It was a depressing and slow decline. 
I honestly gave up on Western Medicine to a degree which is partly why I did not speak up more as my condition was deteriorating this past winter. I didn't feel much worse than all those times they told me I had the flu. I now know that there was blood work I could have insisted they do all along, and that I probably should have seen an Endo years ago when I had an unexplicably low TSH. If I only knew then what I know now... 
By the time my GD was diagnosed, I was really just relieved to have a name for what was going on, and some kind of hope for treatment. I think this made me willing to do whatever was necessary to get better, even taking drugs that scared the snot out off me and having surgery. I am honestly just frustrated that it took me getting so ill that I almost died for western medicine to confirm what I knew all along. 
You comment on being frustrated with not knowing what caused your GD. I think there is a genetic component and a component of our bodies' response to unusual stress. I do not know of anyone in my family who has a diagnosed thyroid issue. I do know that I have PTSD, that my body has experienced a huge amount of stress that other people do not go through, and that I experience my emotions through very physical means. To me, my body was used to fending off so much stress that it no longer knew what was an enemy and what was not. Hence, an auto-immune attack on my healthy cells. Unfortunately knowing this did not make me healthy. Maybe the holistic provider will help you get to the root of your illness.
I have gone on for a really long time. I am still processing everything I have been through and sometimes I get like this. I hope some of this helps you or someone out there. Good luck to you. There is hope that we can feel better, even with Graves.


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