Many people who have been diagnosed with Graves Disease wonder how they developed this autoimmune thyroid disorder in the first place. The truth is that there are many different Graves Disease causes that exist, and in this article I’ll discuss some of the more common reasons why people develop Graves’ Disease. When I personally was diagnosed with this condition I too wanted to know what was the cause, so I can definitely relate with what you’re going through.
It was perhaps even tougher for me, as I’m a holistic doctor that not only believes that there is a cause for every condition, but in most cases there also is a cure. And while there isn’t a magic pill or supplement to cure Graves Disease, for many people it is possible to restore one’s health through a natural treatment protocol. I’ll briefly discuss this later in this article.
But first, here are some of the different Graves Disease causes:
Graves Disease Cause #1: inability to handle stress. Although most people know that stress can cause a lot of problems, most don’t truly understand the impact that chronic stress can have on one’s health over a period of many months or years. Our bodies were designed to handle acute stress situations, but not with chronic stress. As a result, a person who deals with chronic stress and does a poor job of managing it will most likely develop adrenal issues, which in turn can affect immunity, and over a period of time can lead to the development of an autoimmune condition.
Obviously it is not possible to completely eliminate the stress from your life. But most of us can do a much better job of handling stress. In fact, for anyone with Graves’ Disease looking to restore their health, stress management is a key component.
Graves Disease Cause #2: Nutritional deficiencies. Having one or more nutritional deficiencies can cause or contribute to Graves Disease. There are many different nutritional deficiencies one can have, but two of the more common ones are iodine and Vitamin D. Many people wrongly assume that people with Graves’ Disease have an excess of iodine, but this usually isn’t the case. For more information on the importance of iodine and why most people are deficient in it, I highly recommend reading the book “Iodine, Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It”.
Vitamin D is another important nutrient when it comes to immunity. One of the big reasons many people are deficient in vitamin D is because they avoid the sun, and/or put sunscreen on every time they go outside. For more information about vitamin D, visit the website vitamindcouncil.
These are just two of the common vitamins/nutrients that one can be deficient in. But there are other nutrients that people can be deficient in which have a huge impact on your health. This is yet another reason why you should consider consulting with a holistic doctor, as most endocrinologists and general practitioners won’t consider such deficiencies as being one of the Graves Disease causes.
Graves Disease Cause #3: Environmental Toxins. Just like it’s impossible to completely eliminate the stress from your life, it is also not likely that you will avoid all of the environmental toxins. In the book “The Autoimmune Epidemic”, the author talks about how toxins can affect the immune system and possibly lead to the development of autoimmune conditions. It makes sense when you think about it, as over the last few decades we have been exposed to more and more environmental toxins, and the rate of autoimmune thyroid conditions such as Graves’ Disease have also increased.
Of course more of us have chronic stress and nutritional deficiencies these days as well, so it’s not always easy to pinpoint what exactly has caused your condition to develop. On the other hand, it’s difficult to argue that minimizing our exposure to environmental toxins will only help to keep our immune systems stronger and therefore potentially decrease the chances of developing an autoimmune condition.
Graves Disease Cause #4: Genetics. Although genetics can play a role in the development of an autoimmune condition such as Graves’ Disease, the good news is that it does not play as big of a role as many people think. And while you might not be able to directly control this potential cause of Graves’ Disease (although some research does suggest otherwise), you definitely can control some of the other causes I have discussed thus far. Some research studies show that people with genetic tendencies towards certain conditions may have such conditions triggered by neglecting the lifestyle factors I just discussed. Either way, rather than worry about whether your condition is caused by factors you can’t control, it will only benefit your health to improve other factors that you do have control over.
So these are some of the common Graves Disease Causes. Since most endocrinologists label this condition as being incurable they don’t become too concerned with the cause. However, for a natural endocrine doctor, the cause of this autoimmune thyroid disorder is important when trying to restore the health of someone with Graves’ Disease.
Curing Graves Disease Is No Easy Task
Let me first begin by telling you that curing Graves Disease is not an easy process. This is why it’s wise to consult with a competent natural endocrine doctor, as they will look for the underlying cause of the problem, and then recommend a natural treatment protocol to help restore your health. So for example, if they determine that lifestyle factors are the culprit, such as stress and nutritional deficiencies, then they obviously will help you to better manage the stress in your life, eat better, recommend proper nutritional supplements, address any hormonal imbalances, etc.
If environmental toxins are the problem, which they are in many people, then they will try to remove these toxins from your body, as well as minimize your exposure to these environmental toxins, which admittedly is not always an easy task. While it’s more challenging to help someone with a condition that was caused by genetics, the good news is that is rare for an autoimmune condition such as Graves’ Disease to be caused solely by genetics. Most of the time the person can be helped through natural treatment methods.
Being a natural healthcare professional, I’m of course biased, and therefore recommend that people with Graves’ Disease consult with a natural endocrine doctor. After all, anti-thyroid drugs don’t do anything for the actual cause of the condition, and radioactive iodine should be a last resort due to the damage it does to the thyroid gland. When you think about it, there really isn’t much too lose by speaking with an expert, but there is a lot to gain, and it just might be one of the best decisions you ever make.