Reversing a Hyperthyroid Problem

In my early 50’s, I started to have a thyroid problem. I knew that both my mother and younger sister had been struggling with their thyroids and had been on thyroid medications since they were in their early 30’s. BUT it was my aunt on my father’s side who surprised me with news that ALL the women on dad’s side had thyroid problems too. It seemed like we all had the same genetically-determined fate!

My doctor dutifully advised me that I would be on medications for the rest of my life and that I might be facing surgery and radiation. We would know more in six months or so. I pushed back, and my beloved endocrinologist was annoyed. It was “obviously hereditary”. What was MY problem?!

I argued that there MUST be a way to see the root cause of this. My family had been wrestling with this disease ALL their adult lives, and I was only getting it NOW? Also, my thyroid was fast, not slow. I asked good questions: What wasn’t I doing? Or what was it that would cause it to crop up now? What other options did I have?

Calmly and respectfully, I DEMANDED that the two of us think it out more analytically; I made it clear that I wasn’t going to buy into his standard solution.

This push back caused my doctor (who I think is brilliant and very caring) to hesitate long enough to remember something important: 30 percent of the population goes into remission before their thyroid problem becomes chronic!

So it might be possible, since I was starting late in life with this problem, that I could go into remission too. “But!” he cautioned, “It will be hard work for the next year.”

And it WAS hard work. It was like driving a car with the emergency brakes on. Many days I felt very physically uneven, unsettled mentally, and it was challenging to feel so physically out of whack. When one gland is off, all the others are put off their balance too. Our glands work together like a well-balanced orchestra. When everyone is in tune it’s a beautiful thing! My orchestra was “out of tune”; I had Graves Disease, and I did not feel like myself.

To stop a fast thyroid, some people can take thyroid blockers until thyroid blood numbers reach normal. I went from one pill to two. Waited for six weeks, looked at the numbers, and went from two pills to three. At four pills, I was starting to struggle to stay awake during the day. Luckily, it was about time to do my six week check up with my doctor.

My tests showed that I now had a medicine-induced, hypothyroid condition. The next step would be to immediately start withdrawing from the four blockers. I went down to three pills and waited for six weeks, then re-tested. Then down to two blockers, waited and tested. Finally, I was down to one pill, and twelve weeks later I was finally down to none. There were six weeks between each phase. Each step was an attempt to find my mental and physical equilibrium before proceeding to the next. I was now off meds but wobbling precariously on a fence between two stages of health.

At “no meds”, I held steady for about six months, but my tests showed that I was still “teetering” (not solidly in remission). My doctor cautiously suggested that “if I wanted to” I could try taking one blocker and see if I felt any better. I DID feel better on one thyroid blocker. The one pill routine continued for another three to four months and it improved my sense of well-being during that time. I felt more grounded and solid mentally and physically with a little medication, and my improvements were sticking.

Then, one day, I woke up ready to stop all blockers. I felt my stability kick in. It was during a time when my young daughter became seriously ill. That upsetting experience seemed to help me reach my natural equilibrium. I was positive that I didn’t need the meds any more. Finally, my orchestra was “in tune”.

So, I stopped taking any pills, and when I retested soon after, the doctor agreed that I had hit a new level.

I have “held” my stability since 2004, and thyroid disease is not something we discuss any more. About one year later, my doctor announced proudly, “I’m not bringing it up any more. You DID IT! It’s over.” So much for genetics!

See my story on blood clotting and c-reactive protein to understand my doctor’s impatience with me when I fought back again (shortly after) over a new health problem! I thank him for helping me become what I am today: an advocate for doctor-patient collaboration and a patient who is prescription-free!

Remember, thyroid disease (hypo or hyper) indicates an auto-immune problem. Once you have one auto-immune problem, you are likely to get others. You have to treat the root cause in order to beat them all (current and future)!

I have several tools to keep my auto-immune system strong.

• I drink as much alkaline water as I can (the goal is to drink half my body weight on a daily basis)
  
• I exercise (bike rides and walk) to keep my stress levels low,
  
• I drink whole-fruit mangosteen juice (Xango brand), and
  
• I take Vitamin D supplements (not necessary if you are out in the sun frequently.)

I wasn’t doing any of these when my thyroid kicked up, and they help insure my stability and keep me in remission.





Learn more about Kangen Water.


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Resources:
List of autoimmune diseases. Even Schizophrenia is auto immune?!

Helpful list of symptoms that indicate auto immune disease.

For Thyroid: This link gives definitions; how gender is linked to auto-immune disease; different severity levels; when AI is good; links smoking and arthritis.

Articles:

• Keeping your Auto Immune System strong
  
• Understanding your Auto Immune System and Aging

Alkaline “Kangen Water” – creating a strong, healthy core:

• What is Kangen Water?
  
• Disease, Research, Healing Information

Buying Mangosteen Juice for Auto Immune Support from RX-Free Zone

Click on the fruit image to view hundreds of testimonials from patients and doctors using mangosteen to treat specific diseases and illness, including inflammation, cancer and blood problems.

Books:

• ABC of Asthma Allergies & Lupus by Dr. F. Batmanghelidj
  (why water can reverse auto immune disease)
  
• Living Well with Autoimmune Disease by Mary J. Shomon
  
• The Autoimmune Epidemic: Bodies Gone Haywire in a World Out of Balance by Donna Jackson Nakazawa