Guest guest Posted November 20, 2002 Report Share Posted November 20, 2002 Thank you JoAnn. I will go to the healthfood store this week to pick up some of the items for my husband. I'll keep you posted on his progress! Sheila > " JoAnn Guest " <angelprincessjo >Gettingwell >Gettingwell > Re: Thyroid Disease >Wed, 20 Nov 2002 21:40:09 -0000 > >---Graves' Disease JoAnn Guest > Sep 05, 2002 18:42 PDT > > >Graves' Disease >(Hyperthyroidism) > >Delving into the literature, I came up with *bugleweed* as one of the >most promising alternatives. Months later, the very same lady came >back to tell me that she had stopped her medication and was drinking >mint teas with plenty of bugleweed. After she'd been off her >medication for a month she dropped by my office beaming. She had just >had a checkup and her blood level of thyroid-stimulating hormone >(TSH, one of the things that goes off-kilter in Graves disese was >fine. The same was true a month later. > >Thyroid Set on High >With hyperthyroidism, there are abnormally high blood levels of >thyroid hormones circulating in the body. These hormones are secreted >by the thyroid gland, which is located in the neck just behind and >below the Adam's apple. The disease was named after an Irish >physician, Robert James Graves, who lived in the early 1800s and was >the first to identify its telltale pattern. > >Levels of circulating thyroid hormones depend on several things, >availability of the mineral iodine, levels of TSH released by the >pituitary gland (located in the center of the brain) and the health >of the thyroid gland itself. >TSH levels are further regulated by yet another part of the brain, >the hypothalamus. All of this translates into a simple formula in a >healthy individual. As TSH levels increase, the levels of thyroid >hormone also increase, until a balance is reached. If the thyroid is >malfunctioning, it's attempts to regulate hormone levels will throw >the system further out of balance. > >Thyroid diseases affect about 2.5 percent of Americans, or some 6.5 >million people, most of whom are women. There are several types of >hyperthyroidism, but Graves disease is by far the most common. >It's an autoimmune condition, meaning that it's thought to be caused >by the immune system attacking the body, and it affects about one >million Americans. > >Doctors treat Graves disease by trying to suppress thyroid hormone >production. Any of several drugs may be prescribed and sometimes, >usually in drug-sensitive elderly people, radiation may be used to >disable a portion of the thyroid gland itself. > > >Green Pharmacy for Graves'Disease > >Bugleweed (lycopus) >has a considerable folk history for treating thyroid conditions and >modern medicine supports this use. This herb inhibits iodine >metabolism and reduces the amount of hormone that's produced by >thyroid cells. >Leaf extracts are more active than root extracts. The recommended >oral preparation is a tincture (alcohol extract) rather than a tea. >In one study using laboratory animals, bugleweed tincture resulted in >a significant decrease in thyroid hormone levels. >Bugleweed is widely used in Europe as an herbal treatment for Graves >disease, often in combination with lemon balm. > >Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) >In Europe, lemon balm, also known as melissa, is often recommended >along with bugleweed for treating Graves disease. Studies show that >lemon balm causes a decrease in blood and pituitary levels of TSH >after a single injection, thus reducing thyroid hormone production. > >Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris) >A quarter-pound serving of self-heal greens with bugleweed tubers, >spiced up with basil, oregano, rosemary and spearmint, should contain >significant quantities of the compound rosmarinic acid, which helps >suppress thyroid hormone production. > >Kelp (Lanimaria, various species) > >Herbal pharmacologist Daniel Mowrey, Ph.D., author of " The Scientific >Validation of Herbal Medicine " and " Herbal Tonic Therapies " , notes >that among the Japanese who consume a great deal of kelp, thyroid >disease is practically unknown, but among the Japanese who have >become westernized and eat little kelp, thyroid disease is on the >rise. >You can buy powdered kelp is health food stores to sprinkle on your >food as a seasoning. > >Verbena >Often called vervain, verbena seems to have properties similar to >those of self-heal. Extracts have been shown to suppress thyroid >hormone production by influencing levels of TSH in the body. > >Broccoli (Brassica oleracea) >Remember how George Bush hated broccoli? His aversion to that >wonderful vegetable deprived him of something tht might have helped >treat his Graves disease. Broccoli contains naturally occuring >substances called isothiocyanates, which help restrain the thyroid >from producing too much hormone. When Bush was diagnosed with Graves' >Disease, several alternative health authorities urged him to eat >broccoli. One even published a book titled " Why George should eat >Broccoli. " > >Radish (Raphanus Sativus) >All of the cruciferous vegetables gently and naturally suppress >thyroid hormone production, but radishes do it best, according to >medical anthropologist John Heinerman. Ph.D., author of " Heinermans >Encyclopedia of Fruits, vegetables and Herbs " . > >Cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, >cauliflower, kale, mustard greens, radishes, rutabagas and turnips. >Radishes are used in Russia precisely for this purpose! > >From " The Green Pharmacy " >Author: James A Dukes Ph.D. > > >JoAnn Guest >jogu- >Friendsforhea- >http://canceranswer.homestead.com/AIM.html >theaimcompanies > " Health is not a Medical Issue " > > In Gettingwell, " Sheila Ealey " <sheilaealey@h...> wrote: > > > > I have already obtained so much good information from this group, I >was > > wondering if any of you had any suggestions about supplements for >Graves > > Disease. My husband has it. For some reason they can't get his th >levels > > down enough for radiation or surgery. He has already maxed out on >the > > medication and I'm afraid it could be doing loads of damage to his >liver and > > other vital functions. His pulse rate remains high and he's gained >lots of > > weight because they don't want him doing any form of exercise. We >are > > puzzled as to what we should be doing. Before all of this, he was >extremely > > healthy. In the 13 years we've been married, he's never had so much >as the > > common cold. He was exposed to TB while traveling in China and >remained on > > medication to prevent onset for 6 months. Well, 18 months after >this, his > > problems began. > > > > Any advice or suggestions will be most appreciated! > > > > Thanks > > > > Sheila > > > > > > > > > > _______________ The new MSN 8: advanced junk mail protection and 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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