Hyperthyroidism can be a stressful thyroid disease to live with.
You must first deal with the effects of an overactive thyroid and because treatments for that condition can leave you with an under active thyroid, you must cope with those symptoms as well.
The good news is that hyperthyroidism can be successfully treated even though it may take a while to get your hormone levels back into balance.
You may find your recovery to be a smoother process if you work with a highly regarded endocrinologist if at all possible.
The symptoms of hyperthyroidism are very unpleasant, you may feel restless and have a pounding heart beat.
You may experience sweating, fatigue, weight loss, hair loss, tremors, and high blood pressure.
These symptoms are caused by too much thyroid hormone in your body.
The goal of effective treatment is to reduce the levels of those hormones.
The first line of treatment is usually medication that depresses the thyroid.
You may also be given medications to control your rapid heart rate and to help you cope with the anxiety caused by an over active thyroid.
If these medications are not successful, your doctor may want to give you radioactive iodine or perform surgery to remove your thyroid.
Both of these options destroy the ability of your thyroid to make hormones so you are left with hypothyroidism and must take hormone replacement medication for the rest of your life.
Hyperthyroidism has many causes, some are temporary and reversible while others damage the thyroid permanently and the only option for treatment is to remove the gland.
A well qualified doctor can help you decide upon the right course of treatment.
You probably want the less extreme options and may look to natural ways to help you cope with your thyroid disease.
Certain types of hyperthyroidism may respond to dietary management and supplements.
A healthy diet can help support your thyroid.
This includes avoiding unhealthy fats and supplementing your diet with fish and fish oil supplements.
You should avoid refined carbs, sugar, and processed meats.
Add antioxidant foods to your diet like cherries, blueberries, tomatoes, and bell peppers.
Some foods might interfere with your thyroid medications, these include soy products and foods high in iron.
You should also avoid stimulants such as tobacco, alcohol, and caffeine.
Try to get at least thirty minutes of moderate intensity exercise every day.
Consider taking a good multimineral/multivitamin combination every day as well.
Talk to your doctor about taking L-carnitine for reducing thyroid activity.
Lemon balm tea is also reported to help normalize an overactive thyroid.
Herbs you should avoid because they might make your hyperthyroidism worse are ashwagandha, caffeinated green tea, ginseng, and bladder wrack.
Having an overactive thyroid can make you feel jittery and anxious.
To help you better cope with these feelings you may want to have regular massages, and learn stress relief techniques.
Whenever you take any type of natural treatments for your hyperthyroidism, be sure to let your doctor know, especially if you are on thyroid medication as your symptoms might become worse or you could lower your hormone levels too much and begin having symptoms of hypothyroidism instead.
Coping with hyperthyroidism isn't easy, but this thyroid disease can be overcome with the proper treatment.
Correcting thyroid disease is like a delicate balancing act with the goal being a thyroid hormone level that is not too high or too low.