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Are Goitrogens Beneficial For People With Hyperthyroidism?

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Goitrogens consist of chemicals, foods, and other substances which inhibit thyroid activity.
For the person who has hyperthyroidism, which involves an overproduction of thyroid hormone, it would seem like a good idea to increase their consumption of goitrogenic foods.
However, being a holistic doctor who actually was diagnosed with Graves' Disease, which is an autoimmune hyperthyroid disorder, there are three reasons why I don't recommend taking this approach: Reason #1: Consuming goitrogenic foods won't cure your condition.
As you probably already know, simply taking goitrogenic foods won't cure your condition, although taking them might do a decent job of managing the symptoms (although they might not).
Sure, perhaps this is a better option than taking anti-thyroid drugs and beta blockers, and it's definitely better than receiving radioactive iodine therapy.
But the ultimate goal should be to get to the underlying cause of the condition.
But wait, there is no cure for hyperthyroidism and Graves' Disease you say? Well, if you see a conventional endocrinologist or general medical practitioner then this will be true, as they will either give you prescription drugs to manage your symptoms, or radioactive iodine to obliterate the thyroid gland.
However, as you'll read below in reason #3, there are other treatment options that can potentially restore your health back to normal.
Reason #2: Taking goitrogenic foods won't always manage your symptoms.
Even though goitrogenic foods inhibit the activity of the thyroid gland, this doesn't mean they will do a sufficient job of managing your symptoms.
After all, how many goitrogenic foods should you consume in order to inhibit thyroid activity? Obviously you can experiment with different foods and different quantities, but there is a good chance that taking these foods alone won't be enough to manage the symptoms to your satisfaction.
And as mentioned in Reason #1 above, why just manage the symptoms if there is a possibility of curing your condition? So should people with hyperthyroidism completely avoid goitrogenic foods? Unlike people with hypothyroidism, in which I definitely would recommend avoiding or at the very least minimizing their consumption of goitrogenic foods, I don't think people with hyperthyroidism need to go out of their way to avoid these foods.
So while I don't recommend for anyone to intentionally begin "loading up" on goitrogenic foods, most people with hyperthyroidism can eat these foods in moderation.
Reason #3: Natural hyperthyroid treatment methods might be able to restore your health back to normal.
Many cases of hyperthyroidism, including autoimmune disorders such as Graves' Disease, can be cured through a natural treatment protocol.
Although not everyone can be helped through these treatment methods, in my opinion it's definitely worth looking into such treatment methods, rather than relying on anti-thyroid medication or radioactive iodine therapy.
How can one determine what the actual cause of your hyperthyroid condition is? Perhaps the best way is to seek the advice of a competent natural endocrine doctor, who will evaluate your condition and determine if you're a good candidate for natural treatment methods.
Besides looking at your thyroid blood tests, case history, symptoms, etc, they very well might recommend additional tests to help determine the cause of your hyperthyroid condition.
And assuming they can help you, they will then recommend an individualized treatment plan to help restore your health back to normal.
Why Can't You Just Self-Treat Your Condition Naturally? Many people with thyroid conditions attempt to treat their condition naturally on their own, without the help of a healthcare professional.
The problem with this approach is that most of the thyroid support formulas and other types of supplements being sold for thyroid health aren't too effective.
And quite honestly, taking nutritional supplements and herbs alone isn't enough to restore one's health back to normal.
Don't get me wrong, as when someone is put on a natural treatment protocol they will be advised to eat well, take certain supplements, and there will be other factors to help them achieve optimal results.
However, what you need to keep in mind is that different people have different needs based on their individual condition.
In other words, if you were to take ten people with hyperthyroidism, while there no question will be some overlap with regards to the nutritional supplements and herbs they would be advised to take, there would also be some variations as well.
Not everyone will take the identical supplements, and different people will also require different dosages.
For example, someone who has been diagnosed with compromised adrenal glands will need to be treated differently than someone with an imbalance of their sex hormones, such as estrogen, progesterone, or testosterone, which can all be factors in thyroid health.
When I was diagnosed with Graves' Disease, I could have easily done some research online, visited my local health food store, and tried to formulate my own natural thyroid treatment protocol.
But as I'm advising you to do, I consulted with someone who had more knowledge than myself about treating hyperthyroid conditions naturally.
So even though I'm a holistic doctor, I didn't take the risk of self-treating my condition either, as while the chances of experiencing serious side effects are slim, it still could happen.
Plus, while most people who self-treat their condition usually don't experience any severe side effects (although once again, there is no guarantee you'll be this fortunate), most people who self-treat their thyroid condition usually don't receive optimal results, and in most cases they just end up wasting their hard earned money.
So to briefly summarize this article, people with hyperthyroidism shouldn't intentionally take goitrogenic foods as a way of managing their thyroid symptoms.
Besides not doing anything to actually cure their condition, taking this approach won't always be effective in managing the symptoms naturally.
On the other hand, many people can benefit from following a natural hyperthyroid treatment protocol, which potentially can restore your health back to normal.
While it might be tempting to self-treat your condition, it's best to consult with a competent natural endocrine doctor, as this will greatly improve your chances of receiving optimal results.
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