Graves’ Disease Symptoms
An autoimmune disease, Graves’ disease is the most common form of hyperthyroidism. It occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the thyroid gland, causing it to enlarge and overproduce thyroid hormone. This can greatly increase the body’s metabolic rate, leading to a host of health problems.
Symptoms include anxiety, irritability, heat intolerance, difficulty sleeping, and fatigue, rapid or irregular heartbeat, shaking, frequent bowel movements, and in women, light menstrual periods. In some cases, the tissue and muscles behind the eyes swells, making them bulge. The skin near the ankles may also develop a thick red rash.
The conventional treatment of autoimmune thyroid diseases like Graves’ disease usually involves surgery and/or medication. Thyroid medications with synthetic thyroid hormones are one of the top sellers that patients usually stay on for life.
The problem is that these drugs don’t address the root cause of the problem and may lead to side effects and other health problems. At Forum Health, our integrative health physicians will look for the root cause of your autoimmune thyroid disease, creating a multifaceted treatment plan that addresses these causes and gives you back your life.
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