RE: Graves and Treatments, My Opinion - and Mine too.

[Guest guest]

Hi Pam,

I am very interested in knowing what alt med options you have found most

helpful. You may reply to me off the list if you think that's better.

Alternative medicine's aims are generally to nudge the body back to balance.

When my physicians had abandoned me years ago, to the course of another very

difficult autoimmune disorder, I used alternative medicine and a strong

faith in a loving power behind the Universe to turn things round and prove

the prognosis of incremental losses and death wrong.

Appreciating you,

Sheila

Graves and Treatments, My Opinion

Hi everyone,

I think all treatments for Graves have flaws. There is not one treatment

that addresses directly the fact that our immune system is broken.

in MA USA

Graves since March 1997

Currently on 0 PTU tablets per day

Was euthyroid from 2000-2002

Will not undergo RAI

[Guest guest]

Hi , You are right, none of our options are perfect. And I agree with

you - of the three conventional options, ATDs seem to make the most sense.

They give you a chance at remission - at keeping a healthy thyroid - and the

side effects really are minimal and rare. RAI bothers me for the same

reasons as many here - there are huge risks and there are no ways to figure

out where you are going to fall when it's over - will you be in the 15% + of

people who get TED? Will you be one of the ones who has to now spend over

$100K to have a baby? Will you be one of 30% + of people who become obese?

Will you develop all kinds of " unrelated " health problems like fybromyalgia?

And how can radiation be good for you when it harms so many others??? I'm

sorry, but those risks are just too iffy. I don't like to gamble - with my

money or my health. Besides the fact that RAI does NOTHING to fix the real

problem which is your immune system - it just trades one health problem with

another.

But the main reason I'm writing, not because I wanted to jump into this

discussion - I've been trying so hard not to - was that no one mentions alt

med when they talk about our options... Alt Med seems to get lost in all

these discussion for many reasons - because people don't know it's an option

or some just don't believe it works, or because insurance doesn't cover, or

because it can take a lot of effort and dedication on the part of the

patient, or whatever. So here it is: Alt Med DOES in fact directly address

the fact that it's our immune system that is broken. Alt Med has been a

really valuable tool in my healing and I just hope that people know about it

and that it comes in many forms and doesn't have to cost a fortune or a lot

of time and effort - it's just about figuring out the best way to take care

of yourself - like good nutrition, yoga and tai chi, breathing and

meditation, rest and exercise, getting in touch with your spirit and finding

your real self, etc. etc.. And if you can go the extra to get professional

advice, it will help you even more - cranio-sacral is like a massage and is

really healing, acupuncture, homeopathy, NMT, etc etc etc - there are so

many ways to do the same thing... it's really worth looking into.

Wishing everyone healthing and health,

Pam B.

Diagnosed 12/2001, mostly alternative medicine, off all meds and herbs by

March 2003. Doing great since.

My story: www.webmosaics.com/thyroid/

-- Graves and Treatments, My Opinion

Hi everyone,

I think all treatments for Graves have flaws. There is not one treatment

that addresses directly the fact that our immune system is broken.

in MA USA

Graves since March 1997

Currently on 0 PTU tablets per day

Was euthyroid from 2000-2002

Will not undergo RAI