Aa
Graves Disease through someones eyes.....
In our world, we tend to look for deeper meanings, causes, and explanations for many things.
Graves Disease included.
So lets break Graves Disease down, and take a look at what it is..and why there is no cure for this, and all other diseases of the immune system.
Consider the immune system an army. For indeed that is what it is. It patrols and guards, and attacks foreign bodies in a moments notice. The primary protectors of our body are T and B cells. B cells produce antibodies to protect us, and Tcells attack foreign bodies directly. Now these Tcells are basically taught in the thymus, what exactly they are to attack.
Now when our body has Hypersensitivity of the immune system, we basically have an excessive or inappropriate response of our immune system either to external factors, such as allergys or our own body organs. Enter the term, auto-immunity which by definition means: And inappropriate response to self antigens-antigens that originate in our own bodies. When this occurs they are referred to as Autoimmune Diseases, and folks, there are a lot of them out there.
Cousins to Graves Disease include: Addison's Disease, Cardiomyopathy, Diabetes, MS, Lupus, and Rheumatoid Arthritis just to name a few.
Now in Graves Disease, our Tcells have turned the tables and are now attacking our own body organs or systems.
Why does it happen? Simply? Genetics and stress.
Genetics plays a huge role in how our bodies function. From the color of our eyes to what diseases we may or may not develop.
Now add stress. Getting pregnant, serious injury or illness, can stress the body causing hormonal and chemical changes which can cause a mis-programming of the Tcells to occur. Strong emotional stress as well can trigger this effect. Most individuals carry the around the potential for these diseases, and through sheer luck, they never manifest, others, for whatever reason, an internal hiccup occurs, and next thing we know, we have it.
Why no cure?
The immune system is a complex, multifaceted system that runs slightly different for each individual on the face of the earth. To attempt to cure a disease of the immune system, carries the risk of damaging it. The last thing we want to go through life with, is no immunity, or disrupted immunity.
As medical research advances, it may be possible one day to re-boot our immune system much the way we reformat our home computers. As of right now, medicine is incapable.
So instead doctors have worked to come up with a way to control the symptoms of this disease, thus making life more tolerable.
There are two permanent ways to control the symptoms of Graves. Destruction of the thyroid gland by the administration of radioactive iodine.
Surgery to partially or totally remove the thyroid gland.
There is a temporary stop gap. An 18 month window you could say, where doctors can give a patient a thyroid blocking medication to see if it is possible that their Graves will go in to spontaneous remission. This medication is dangerous to the body, and the higher the dosage, the less amount of time you can safely spend on it, before it starts becoming a problem for other body organs such as the liver.
Now auto-immune diseases, and immune diseases have long been a boon to the customer service industry, much like weight control products have. And the reason? Simple. There is currently no cure. Weight control products all carry small print...results may vary. Most diet remedies are nothing more than glorified vitamin supplements. The booklet urging you to exercise to speed up results...is the only medicinal part of the product. Exercise in someone who has never exercised, or lives an unhealthy lifestyle, will show results. Most who stop taking the supplement, also stop exercising, and low and behold the weight comes back. Same with natural, herbal medications and treatments for treating Graves, diabetes, lupus etc.
So what can you do without spending a lot of money and unnecessary time reading books from alleged experts of Graves Disease? Again, simple.
You can help yourself feel better, which can reduce your stress, and make the symptoms appear to magically reduce by making a few life style changes.
1. Get proper rest. 7-8 hrs a night is what the body needs to regenerate itself.
2. Eat a healthy diet. Follow your food guide. Nutrition plays an important role in over-all health. Oh, and just FYI, it is not necessary to eliminate iodine from your diet. On the contrary, doing so, can cause brain damage. It is vital for your health.
3. Drink lots of water. Hydration is important for the proper functioning of all body systems.
4. Reduce external stress as much as possible.
5. Consider one of the permanent treatments for Graves BEFORE undergoing any serious change to your life. The biggest reason is that anything that can go in to spontaneous remission, can come out of it, just as easy. If you decide to become pregnant as an example, that is a huge physical and hormonal stressor to the human body. One of the high risk factors for Graves, is pregnancy. If your Graves returns while you are pregnant, you run serious health risks not only to yourself, but to that of your child as well. If you are taking blocking medications, and the dosage suddenly becomes inadequate, you could be forced for your own safety into a dosage no longer considered safe for unborn children. These are real risks. Always consider a permanent symptom control where available. 25-30% of those with Graves go in to spontaneous remission within 1-2 yrs. BUT, out of those, 90% will have it re-occur at some point, and usually, stronger, and more severe.
And the most important thing of all is to find an endocrinologist that is well versed in the treatment and monitoring of thyroid involved auto-immune disease.
Last but not least find an endocrinologist that is fully versed in the thyroid affected autoimmune disorders.
That's it folks. That is the sum total of Graves Disease.
You will have it for life.
There is no cure.
There are no known natural or herbal remedies that will make it better, and some can actually make it a lot worse.
Graves Disease included.
So lets break Graves Disease down, and take a look at what it is..and why there is no cure for this, and all other diseases of the immune system.
Consider the immune system an army. For indeed that is what it is. It patrols and guards, and attacks foreign bodies in a moments notice. The primary protectors of our body are T and B cells. B cells produce antibodies to protect us, and Tcells attack foreign bodies directly. Now these Tcells are basically taught in the thymus, what exactly they are to attack.
Now when our body has Hypersensitivity of the immune system, we basically have an excessive or inappropriate response of our immune system either to external factors, such as allergys or our own body organs. Enter the term, auto-immunity which by definition means: And inappropriate response to self antigens-antigens that originate in our own bodies. When this occurs they are referred to as Autoimmune Diseases, and folks, there are a lot of them out there.
Cousins to Graves Disease include: Addison's Disease, Cardiomyopathy, Diabetes, MS, Lupus, and Rheumatoid Arthritis just to name a few.
Now in Graves Disease, our Tcells have turned the tables and are now attacking our own body organs or systems.
Why does it happen? Simply? Genetics and stress.
Genetics plays a huge role in how our bodies function. From the color of our eyes to what diseases we may or may not develop.
Now add stress. Getting pregnant, serious injury or illness, can stress the body causing hormonal and chemical changes which can cause a mis-programming of the Tcells to occur. Strong emotional stress as well can trigger this effect. Most individuals carry the around the potential for these diseases, and through sheer luck, they never manifest, others, for whatever reason, an internal hiccup occurs, and next thing we know, we have it.
Why no cure?
The immune system is a complex, multifaceted system that runs slightly different for each individual on the face of the earth. To attempt to cure a disease of the immune system, carries the risk of damaging it. The last thing we want to go through life with, is no immunity, or disrupted immunity.
As medical research advances, it may be possible one day to re-boot our immune system much the way we reformat our home computers. As of right now, medicine is incapable.
So instead doctors have worked to come up with a way to control the symptoms of this disease, thus making life more tolerable.
There are two permanent ways to control the symptoms of Graves. Destruction of the thyroid gland by the administration of radioactive iodine.
Surgery to partially or totally remove the thyroid gland.
There is a temporary stop gap. An 18 month window you could say, where doctors can give a patient a thyroid blocking medication to see if it is possible that their Graves will go in to spontaneous remission. This medication is dangerous to the body, and the higher the dosage, the less amount of time you can safely spend on it, before it starts becoming a problem for other body organs such as the liver.
Now auto-immune diseases, and immune diseases have long been a boon to the customer service industry, much like weight control products have. And the reason? Simple. There is currently no cure. Weight control products all carry small print...results may vary. Most diet remedies are nothing more than glorified vitamin supplements. The booklet urging you to exercise to speed up results...is the only medicinal part of the product. Exercise in someone who has never exercised, or lives an unhealthy lifestyle, will show results. Most who stop taking the supplement, also stop exercising, and low and behold the weight comes back. Same with natural, herbal medications and treatments for treating Graves, diabetes, lupus etc.
So what can you do without spending a lot of money and unnecessary time reading books from alleged experts of Graves Disease? Again, simple.
You can help yourself feel better, which can reduce your stress, and make the symptoms appear to magically reduce by making a few life style changes.
1. Get proper rest. 7-8 hrs a night is what the body needs to regenerate itself.
2. Eat a healthy diet. Follow your food guide. Nutrition plays an important role in over-all health. Oh, and just FYI, it is not necessary to eliminate iodine from your diet. On the contrary, doing so, can cause brain damage. It is vital for your health.
3. Drink lots of water. Hydration is important for the proper functioning of all body systems.
4. Reduce external stress as much as possible.
5. Consider one of the permanent treatments for Graves BEFORE undergoing any serious change to your life. The biggest reason is that anything that can go in to spontaneous remission, can come out of it, just as easy. If you decide to become pregnant as an example, that is a huge physical and hormonal stressor to the human body. One of the high risk factors for Graves, is pregnancy. If your Graves returns while you are pregnant, you run serious health risks not only to yourself, but to that of your child as well. If you are taking blocking medications, and the dosage suddenly becomes inadequate, you could be forced for your own safety into a dosage no longer considered safe for unborn children. These are real risks. Always consider a permanent symptom control where available. 25-30% of those with Graves go in to spontaneous remission within 1-2 yrs. BUT, out of those, 90% will have it re-occur at some point, and usually, stronger, and more severe.
And the most important thing of all is to find an endocrinologist that is well versed in the treatment and monitoring of thyroid involved auto-immune disease.
Last but not least find an endocrinologist that is fully versed in the thyroid affected autoimmune disorders.
That's it folks. That is the sum total of Graves Disease.
You will have it for life.
There is no cure.
There are no known natural or herbal remedies that will make it better, and some can actually make it a lot worse.
Yep...count me in.
I would gladly put in anything that might help other thyroid sufferers :)
I would gladly put in anything that might help other thyroid sufferers :)
Grashi's.. Ha ha ha!
Yeah, I am actually in the throes of putting together a book about my experience with my own disease. Not sure if to call it, Nightmare in my Head, or The lies and deceits of thyroid disease. Wanna be in it? I am thinking of putting some other people's experiences in it too. It'll have photos too.
Yeah, I am actually in the throes of putting together a book about my experience with my own disease. Not sure if to call it, Nightmare in my Head, or The lies and deceits of thyroid disease. Wanna be in it? I am thinking of putting some other people's experiences in it too. It'll have photos too.
Maybe they should call it " GRASHI'S " lol (hehehehe)
No Redead...was an article on the net from a personal point of view from a Graves sufferer...no author though but could be if he tried.
No Redead...was an article on the net from a personal point of view from a Graves sufferer...no author though but could be if he tried.
Pretty much change the words Grave's to Hashimoto's and it is pretty much the same thing. I have had severe Hashi's for over 15 years. They are both auto-immune diseases and in my research have found that the two can overlap quite happily. Some people have had both with swings to hyper and hypo over a period of time. I myself being one of them! In this instance of having Grave's then Hashi's then back and forth, I believe that one day they will give that a name all of it's own. Untill then, the medical profession will keep ignoring those who present one year with one and another with another and hand us labels of 'mental disorders'
Nice article Smilerdeb. Was that from a book? I know I read something similar a while ago. My sister has just been diagnosed with Grave's then they backed out! I was about to copy your post and give it to her, but she is now totally believing in the doctors change of diagnosis...sheesh!
Nice article Smilerdeb. Was that from a book? I know I read something similar a while ago. My sister has just been diagnosed with Grave's then they backed out! I was about to copy your post and give it to her, but she is now totally believing in the doctors change of diagnosis...sheesh!
lol dani......I am not as knowledgable on Hashi's.
But will find all the research on it that I have and post it for you :)
But will find all the research on it that I have and post it for you :)
You are so knowledgeable. This article was amazing and very well written. Too bad you couldn't post one on Hashimoto's ;-)
To me every disease is a 50/50 chance you will get it, either you will or you won't.
Like you stated above, everyone carries the potential for ANY disease, it stays dormant until something triggers it awake, or it just wakes on its own.
I had graves/hyper/goiter back in 1994. (RAI, TT). I was told that since I no longer have a thyroid I no longer have the disease.
I am doing well with the medication, at least I think I am. Tired of doctors so I just chalk everything off to getting old (39).
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Thyroid Disorders Community
We tapped the CDC for information on what you need to know about radiation exposure
Endocrinologist Mark Lupo, MD, answers 10 questions about thyroid disorders and how to treat them
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
