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9 Natural Remedies for Hyperthyroidism and Graves’ Disease

Written by Michael Ruscio on December 29, 2020

Robert Abbott

Written by Michael Ruscio on December 29, 2020 — Reviewed by Robert Abbott Robert Abbott

How To Care for an Overactive Thyroid and Graves’ Disease

Woman is considering natural remedies for hyperthyroidism.

Conventional treatments for hyperthyroidism — which is much more common for women than for men— can come with significant side effects or permanent damage to your thyroid gland. The good news is that there are a lot of other options. Natural remedies for hyperthyroidism and general thyroid function improvement include:

  • Dietary changes, such as a gluten-free diet
  • Specific supplements, such as selenium, probiotics, and vitamin D
  • Herbs, such as bugleweed and lemon balm

Let’s explore what hyperthyroidism is, the risks of conventional treatment, and the many natural remedies for hyperthyroidism.

What Is Hyperthyroidism?

Your thyroid gland is located at the front of your neck, and it produces thyroid hormones. These hormones regulate many essential endocrine functions in your body, including energy production, digestive function, and more.

Hyperthyroidism — also called an overactive thyroid — is when your thyroid gland produces too much thyroid hormone. The most common reason for hyperthyroidism is an autoimmune attack on the thyroid gland called Graves’ disease. Though it’s far less common than other thyroid disorders, an estimated one in 200 Americans has Graves’ disease 1. The majority of thyroid patients, including hyperthyroid patients, are women 2 3.

Symptoms of Hyperthyroidism and Graves’ Disease

Natural Remedies for Hyperthyroidism Symptoms Graves' Disease

Symptoms of excess thyroid hormone include 4:

  • Increased heart rate or heart palpitations
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Anxiety
  • Increased bowel movements or diarrhea
  • Menstrual changes
  • Muscle weakness or tremors
  • Enlargement of your thyroid gland (goiter)
  • Increased sweating, or clammy skin
  • Erectile dysfunction or decreased libido
  • Graves’ ophthalmopathy (eye complications such as eye-bulging, tearing, dryness, irritation, puffy eyelids, inflammation, light sensitivity, blurred vision, or pain)
  • Thick, red skin usually on the shins or tops of the feet (Graves’ dermopathy)

Your doctor usually diagnoses hyperthyroidism with:

  • A blood test for levels of thyroid hormones
  • Or, a radioactive iodine uptake test

If your blood test shows low TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) and high free T4 thyroid hormone, this means you are hyperthyroid 5. If you also have elevated thyroid antibodies, including thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulins (TSI), thyroid peroxidase (TPO), or thyroglobulin (TG) antibodies, you may be diagnosed with Graves’ disease 6 7.

The radioactive iodine test can help rule out other possibilities, such as thyroid nodules, toxic multinodular goiter, or thyroid cancer 8. This test does have some potential side effects, so be sure to discuss it with your doctor before taking it.

Causes of Hyperthyroid Disease

There are three main causes of hyperthyroidism:

  1. Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disease of the thyroid gland that leads to hyperthyroidism. Graves’ disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism.
  2. Thyroiditis, or swelling of the thyroid. Thyroiditis can be caused by viral infections 9, radiation 10, certain medications 11, or recent childbirth (postpartum thyroiditis) 12.
  3. Thyroid nodules may affect the production of thyroid hormone and induce hyperthyroidism 13.

No matter the cause, it’s very important to get hyperthyroidism under control. As excessive thyroid activity can lead to heart damage and a life-threatening “thyroid storm,” we want to utilize effective treatment approaches that not only decrease the effects of excessive thyroid hormone, but, if possible, address the root causes for hyperthyroidism in the first place 14.

Natural Treatment Options for Hyperthyroidism and Thyroid Wellness

Treatment of hyperthyroidism must accomplish two goals:

  1. Stop the damaging effects of excess thyroid hormone
  2. Resolve the root causes so that the symptoms stop and don’t recur

Conventional treatment for hyperthyroidism tries to address both of these but doesn’t address the frequently underlying autoimmunity. Anti-thyroid medications — such as methimazole or drugs like beta-blockers that reduce the potential heart damage of excess thyroid hormone — are the first level of treatment for hyperthyroidism. While these medications can help reduce symptoms of hyperthyroidism, they do not significantly address the underlying cause(s) for excess thyroid hormone.

Secondary conventional treatments, such as radioactive iodine therapy or thyroid surgery, permanently damage or remove the thyroid gland to permanently stop the production of thyroid hormones. This stops hyperthyroid symptoms and the excess circulating thyroid hormones. However, destruction of the thyroid gland leaves patients hypothyroid and needing T4 (thyroxine) replacement therapy for life and still doesn’t address the underlying autoimmunity.

The good news is there are natural remedies for hyperthyroidism that rival conventional treatments in their effectiveness and also have fewer risks, consequences, and side effects. They are also likely to address the underlying autoimmunity and other root causes of hyperthyroidism. Let’s discuss.

Diet for Hyperthyroidism and the Gut-Thyroid Connection

Research suggests your gut health strongly influences your thyroid and your risk for autoimmunity 15. One of the biggest steps you can take to improve your gut and immune health is to eat a healthy diet.

Intestinal permeability 16 — also called leaky gut — is suspected to contribute to the development of autoimmune disease 17 18 19 20 21 22 23. We know that imbalanced gut bacteria can increase intestinal permeability 24 25 26, as can eating certain foods, such as gluten 27.

Most research on thyroid health and diet has studied how different foods impact an underactive thyroid (also known as hypothyroidism). However, some of these studies may be relevant for autoimmune hyperthyroidism, because they show an anti-inflammatory diet can reduce thyroid antibodies.

For example, a gluten-free diet was shown in one study to reduce thyroid antibodies in a group of women with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis 28. A gene associated with Graves’ disease (CTLA-4) 29 is also associated with celiac disease 30 31, indicating that gluten sensitivity may be a factor for some Graves’ patients.  

A simple, anti-inflammatory, whole-food diet that is gluten-free, nutrient-dense, and high in healthy antioxidants, like the paleo diet, is a great place to start improving your gut and thyroid health and to improve autoimmunity. The paleo diet has been shown to reduce inflammation by reducing exposure to foods that may trigger an immune response 32 33.

My patient Amy saw significant improvement in her hyperthyroid symptoms from adopting a gluten-free diet.

Natural Remedies for Hyperthyroidism: Supplements

Supplements have a lot of promise as natural remedies for hyperthyroidism and play one of a few different roles. These include:

  • Reducing thyroid antibodies
  • Blocking the action of excess thyroid hormones
  • Reducing levels of thyroid hormones
  • Reducing hyperthyroid symptoms
  • Preventing relapse

Let’s review what we know about supplements for hyperthyroidism.

Selenium

Selenium, a mineral that is used as a dietary supplement, has a number of specific, documented benefits for Graves’ disease.

Patients with Graves’ disease are more likely to have lower selenium levels 34, and a meta-analysis showed that patients with high antibody levels are more likely to have a relapse 35. Selenium has been shown to reduce antibodies and the symptoms associated with Graves’ disease 36, and higher selenium blood levels have been shown to reduce the relapse rate of Graves’ 37.

Selenium reduces the eye complications associated with Graves’ 38 39 40, plus those that are associated with radioactive iodine treatment 41 42.  

Finally, two studies indicated that selenium supplementation improved treatment outcomes for patients using conventional hyperthyroid treatments, such as methimazole and radioactive iodine treatment 43 44 45.

Overall, this is very good evidence that selenium supplementation is worth a trial in your hyperthyroidism treatment plan.

L-Carnitine

L-Carnitine is an amino acid supplement that has been shown to reduce or prevent hyperthyroid symptoms. It’s fast-acting, has a very low risk of side effects, and is even safe for pregnant women with Graves’ disease 46. A clinical trial found that L-carnitine had a positive effect on 47:

  • Weakness and fatigue
  • Shortness of breath
  • Palpitations
  • Nervousness
  • Insomnia
  • Tremors
  • Heart rate
  • Bone mineral density

However, in this study, L-carnitine did not affect the levels of TSH, free T4, or free T3 thyroid hormone.

L-carnitine can also be used to treat a “thyroid storm”, the most severe, life-threatening form of hyperthyroidism 48 49.

Lemon Balm & Bugleweed

Two herbs, lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) and bugleweed (Lycopus europaeus), have been shown in limited studies to reduce hyperthyroid symptoms and to block or reduce thyroid hormones.

In one study, bugleweed was shown to be as effective as beta-blockers for protecting the heart from damage from hyperthyroidism 50. In another study, it was shown to reduce an elevated heart rate from Graves’ disease in humans and rats 51 52.

Additional studies have indicated that bugleweed and lemon balm may block or decrease thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and reduce T3 and T4 hormone levels, which would reduce the symptoms of hyperthyroidism 53.

The evidence here is more preliminary and lower quality than with selenium or L-carnitine, but bugleweed and lemon balm are certainly worth considering as a short-term trial if you are hyperthyroid. Hopefully, future research will confirm these effects in larger samples.

Short-Term Iodine

The iodine molecule is the backbone of thyroid hormones, but curiously, research suggests that excess iodine may trigger hypothyroidism 54 55, which makes iodine potentially useful for treating hyperthyroidism. A small study showed that 150 mg per day of potassium iodide reversed hyperthyroidism in some patients 56. However, the study noted that the effect wasn’t permanent. Therefore, iodine may help you get your symptom under control while you use other natural remedies for hyperthyroidism.

Probiotics

It might not seem like probiotics would have much to do with thyroid disease, but a growing body of research shows that thyroid patients very often have gut imbalances. People with thyroid disease more often have SIBO 57 58, leaky gut 59, low stomach acid 60 61 62, and celiac disease 63, as well as gut infections like H. pylori 64 or parasites 65. One particular study noted a strong association between H. pylori infection and Graves’ disease 66.

Natural Remedies for Hyperthyroidism How Probiotics Work 01

Probiotics help rebalance the gut microbiome and the immune system, reduce gut inflammation, repair the gut lining, and may improve hyperthyroid symptoms, including anxiety 67. Even better, probiotics have a very low incidence of negative side effects compared to conventional treatment.

Between their safety profile and their demonstrated effects on thyroid health, a trial of triple probiotic therapy is worth exploring.

Vitamin D

Most thyroid-related vitamin D research has studied hypothyroid patients. This research suggests that vitamin D deficiency may be associated with higher levels of thyroid antibodies 68 and that supplementation with vitamin D may decrease them 69. But one study showed that hyperthyroid patients who had lower vitamin D levels were more likely to relapse 70.

Considered together, these data suggest vitamin D supplementation may help reduce thyroid antibodies and relapse after treatment for hyperthyroidism.

Stress Reduction

Stress reduction is good supportive care, no matter what your health condition is. This is especially true for hyperthyroidism, where common symptoms include an increased heart rate, palpitations, and anxiety. There is no direct evidence that stress reduction practices can improve Graves’ disease or hyperthyroidism, but practices such as meditation, yoga, or cognitive behavioral therapy may support your healing process while you work on other treatments.

The Bottom Line

You don’t need to destroy your thyroid gland to get control of your hyperthyroidism. Simple diet changes, supplements, and stress reduction, sometimes alongside medication, can bring your body back into balance. If you need support managing your thyroid problems, consider becoming a patient at the Ruscio Institute for Functional Health.

Dr. Michael Ruscio is a DC, natural health provider, researcher, and clinician. He serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Bridgeport and has published numerous papers in scientific journals as well as the book Healthy Gut, Healthy You. He also founded the Ruscio Institute of Functional Health, where he helps patients with a wide range of GI conditions and serves as the Head of Research.

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