Graves’ disease is a very common autoimmune disease affecting the thyroid gland, resulting in a hyper function of this gland. Hyper function is affected with a lot of symptoms that can interfere with normal daily life, as well as threaten the overall health of patients. Some of these symptoms include the following:
- Constant irritability and anxiety.
- Enlargement of the thyroid gland.
- Tremor of the hands.
- Exophthalmos
- Fatigue
- Low libido, erectile dysfunction and menstrual changes.
- Weight loss.
- Heat sensitivity.
Consulting with a healthcare professional to do the necessary blood tests is highly recommended in order to be certain whether or not you have Graves’ disease. However, if the results are positive and you receive a certain treatment for managing the disease, you may also want to change your own diet. The reason for this is that autoimmune diseases are affected largely by the food we take and having certain diet habits may help slow down the destruction process. We can help you find the root causes for your Graves’ disease and start treating them while simultaneously continuing the treatment prescribed by your physician.
One of the important things you should do is test for food allergies. There are different options. One of the things you can do is visit your doctor and ask for allergy testing, but most commonly you will be tested only for IgE antibodies, which is not accurate enough. Visiting a holistic doctor may help use different methods that also measure the IgG antibodies, which is more accurate in finding as many of your food allergies as possible. The sooner you have a list with foods you should avoid, the better it will be for the changes in your diet. People often have allergies for foods they do not even consider being allergic to, because sometimes the reactions are not even noticeable. However, the immune system may easily be irritated by any such food allergies which may result in an increase of the antibodies produced against the thyroid gland, the pancreas, or any other organ.
Another important diet tip is to take as much purified water as possible. You should avoid soft drinks, as well as juices which are high in sugars. The type of water you should drink is different depending on the doctor you get the consultation from. However, water that has been distilled and then enriched with minerals is good enough for the diet you need. Still there are some doctors who recommend distilled water without any minerals. However, you may need to take supplements in some cases depending on the rest of your diet.
There is also the option to try a purification program. It is important to have a competent healthcare professional that is aware of the diet changes and the purification program you choose. Purification programs often include the avoidance of certain foods such as dairy, soy, gluten, and more, as well as the encouragement of eating more fruits, vegetables, chicken, turkey, fish, and more. The best alternative is to be able to buy and eat everything organic, but these days this goal is almost impossible in many parts of the world.
There are certain goitrogens which are known to affect the thyroid gland. This is why you should try to avoid them as much as possible. The same goes for people who have hypo function of the thyroid gland as well. Here is a list of goitrogens you should make certain are out of your daily diet:
- Broccoli
- Soy
- Turnips
- Strawberries
- Kale
- Spinach
- Brussel sprouts
- Cauliflower
- Peaches
If you have a lot of cravings for sweet foods and carbohydrates, as well as junk food, then you will probably have it difficult to adjust to a more healthy diet that excludes a lot of these types of food. Certainly, diet changes do not happen overnight and you will need time to adjust, which is normal. Because of this, you should continue improving your diet even if it is not happening fast enough for your expectations. We can help you find the right diet for your organism and add diversity to it in order to make it more pleasant to your daily life and food cravings. This will help slow down the autoimmune process together with the traditional treatment for Graves’ disease.
Click to read.. Factors associated with developing Graves’ disease
