Last Updated on February 3, 2025 by Carrie Korem, FNTP
Graves’ disease is a form of thyroid disease that affects 1 in every 200 people in the United States. The disease often involves an overproduction of thyroid hormones, which often leads to hyperthyroidism. I’ve worked with several clients who struggled with graves’ disease and they are now in remission (confirmed by their doctor), so I want to share the common Graves’ disease symptoms and 10 holistic steps you can take.
What is Graves’ disease?
Graves’ disease is an autoimmune condition in which the antibody TSI (thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin) is elevated, and often FT4 and FT3 levels are also elevated.
There is often an excess amount of thyroid hormones circulating in the body, which leads to hyperthyroidism.
The TSI antibodies can be present even when TSH, T4, T3, FT4 and FT3 levels are normal.
It’s important to note that many who have Graves’ disease also have Hashimoto’s Disease.
What Causes Graves’ Disease:
From a functional perspective, three of the most common root causes are chronic stressors and/or some kind of toxicity in the body combined with some kind of gut issue (leaky gut, gut dysbiosis, IBS, etc.)
Here are different kinds of stressors that can be root causes. And, before you jump past this one, please know that everyone has varied levels of stress in their lives and it is always something to consider when you have thyroid disease.
Mental stress – being overworked, having too much on your plate, trying to take on too many things at once, etc.
Emotional stress – depression, anxiety, anger, irritability, feeling overwhelmed, lack of enjoyable activities
Physical stress – exercising too much, lack of sleep, staying up too late, a physical injury like a concussion, broken bone, or sprain
Chronic illness – constantly getting sick with things like bronchitis, the cold or flu, sinus infections, allergies, etc.
Chronic disease – autoimmunity, heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, respiratory disease, etc.
Surgery – any kind
A poor diet – processed foods, an abundance of sugars, using foods and drinks as stimulants when tired.
Environmental – synthetic chemicals in the environment, extreme hot or cold temperatures, pollution, unfiltered water, etc.
Synthetic ingredients – those in body care and skincare products, house cleaners, etc.
Medications – some medications can cause nutrient deficiencies or other side effects that put stress on the body.
A change in your regular schedule or routine – a new baby, starting a new job or school, night shift work, etc.
Radiation – from wifi, cell phone towers, smart meters, bluetooth, baby monitors, security systems, wiring errors in the home, magnetic fields, power lines, dirty electricity, artificial lighting, etc.
Dental work – including amalgam fillings or amalgam filling removal, root canal infections, or other dental infections.
Other kinds of stressful situations or events – car accident, a death in the family, being in an abusive relationship, a cross-country move or just moving into a new home.
Here are some various toxins that can be root causes for Graves’ disease:
Environmental – synthetic chemicals in the environment, pollution, unfiltered water, etc.
Synthetic ingredients – those in body care and skincare products, candles, fragrances, house cleaners, etc.
Medications – some medications can cause nutrient deficiencies, contain toxins (such as food dyes, heavy metals, preservatives, etc.) or have other side effects that put stress on the body.
Heavy metals – this could be from exposure in the environment, in the water, air or food, from amalgam fillings or an amalgam filling removal, medications, etc.
Mold exposure – from your home or workplace, food, in the air, etc.
Here are some various gut issues that can be a root cause for Graves’ disease:
Digestion issues and/or gut dysbiosis – this includes leaky gut, candida, SIBO, low stomach acid (which cause symptoms like heartburn, indigestion, gas, bloating, etc.), IBS, Colitis, etc.
There is always some kind of gut issue when it comes to autoimmunity, so this is definitely something to keep in mind!
What are the Symptoms of Graves’ Disease?
Here is a list of some of the most common symptoms:
Hashimoto’s
Hyperthyroidism
Anxiety
A fine tremor in the hands or fingers
Panic Attacks
Insomnia
Fatigue
Heat sensitivity
Rapid or irregular heartbeat
Sensitivity to heat
Bulging eyes
Sweating
Weight loss
Change in menstrual cycles
Muscle weakness
Diarrhea and frequent bowel movements
Goiter
What are the main labs that indicate Graves’ and Hyperthyroidism?
TSI antibodies:
The TSI antibody (sometimes referred to as TRAb or TSHR) is an antibody that mimics TSH by telling the thyroid to make excess FT4. This also often creates an excess of FT3 and a decrease in TSH.
In some cases, the TSI antibody blocks thyroid hormone production instead.
A optimal TSI level is <1.
Positive TSI results are strongly indicative of Graves’ disease, but do not always correlate with the presence and severity of hyperthyroidism.
The most important thing to understand is that TSI antibodies are an immune system issue that can then affect the thyroid. It’s not inherently a thyroid issue. So even if you irradiate the thyroid, or remove it, there is still going to be an immune system issue present in the body.
TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone):
TSH is a hormone that the pituitary sends out to tell the thyroid to tell how much or how little thyroid hormones to produce.
Please note: TSH levels tell you what your pituitary is up to, but it’s not telling you how much or how little thyroid hormones are being produced.
When it comes to Graves’ disease, TSH levels are often very low because the TSI antibodies are mimicking TSH, which tells the body that it has enough TSH when it really doesn’t.
Everyone is biochemically individual, but from a functional perspective, a TSH level between 0.5-2.0 is the range where people feel healthy and vibrant.
When it comes to Graves’ disease, low TSH can often come from two different causes.
- The pituitary, hypothalamus, and adrenals (also called the HPA axis) are all part of the endocrine system and communicate with one another throughout the day. When the body perceives stress, the hypothalamus can signal to the pituitary to make less TSH and in turn the thyroid will produce more thyroid hormones (FT4). This is how chronic stress can drive down TSH.
- The TSI antibody mimics TSH, and sends the signal to the thyroid to make excess FT4. This causes the pituitary to send out less TSH.
fT4:
FT4 is a hormone produced by the thyroid.
You want FT4 to be in the middle of the lab range. So if the range is 1.0-3.0, you want your FT4 to be 2.0 or close to it. Each lab has a different range, so you have to look at what the specific range is to know what number to look for.
Most often, FT4 is high because there is a severe form of either emotional or environmental stress (from things such as synthetic pesticides, toxic metals, and possibly glyphosate).
FT4 can also be elevated because TSI is mimicking TSH and telling the thyroid to make excess FT4.
fT3:
fT3 is a hormone that comes from FT4. The thyroid makes FT4 and sends most of it to the liver to be converted to fT3. fT3 is the thyroid hormone that goes to every cell of the body.
It’s ideal for fT3 to be in the middle of the lab range. So if the range is 1.0-3.0, you want your fT3 to be 2.0 or close to it. Each lab has a different range, so you have to look at what the specific range is to know what number to look for.
Most often, FT3 is high because the thyroid is making too much T4 that is being converted to FT3. However, this can also happen when there is toxic overload in the body (and remember, toxicity is a very common root cause of Graves’).
When to contact a medical professional:
Always, always, always work closely with your practitioner when you have Graves’ disease. Elevated thyroid hormones can cause all sorts of health issues and so you want your doctor to be monitoring you.
Every client that I’ve worked with who has Graves’ also works with their doctor. I personally think this is the best way do to things even if you want to do things more holistically.
10 Holistic Steps You Can Take for Graves’ Disease:
1. Ask your practitioner for a full thyroid panel. Getting a look at what’s actually going on with your thyroid will give you and your practitioner more insight as to what steps to take next.
Here’s the list of labs to ask for (if your doctor won’t order labs for you, you can order them here):
TSH
TPO
TAA
TSI
Free T3 (FT3)
Free T4 (FT4)
Reverse T3
T3
T4
T3 uptake
Total T3
2. Improve your digestion. As I stated above, there is always some kind of digestive issue when we have autoimmunity. These kinds of issues can be things such: as low stomach acid, indigestion, chronic heartburn, leaky gut, bacterial infections, etc. So, it’s imperative that you take steps to heal any gut issues that may be present.
The first way to do this is by eating in a relaxed state, and making sure your body is producing enough stomach acid so it can properly break down and utilize the nutrients in your food.
Stomach acid (also known as hydrochloric acid or HCL) is a necessary part of the digestive process. HCL is the first line of defense against pathogens, bacteria, parasites, etc. It also helps us digest our food properly.
When the body is in a hyperthyroid state, like with Graves’ disease, it’s often necessary to use supplementation while you’re training the body to make enough stomach acid. Here’s an article I wrote that explains the steps to take.
And, here is an article with my top tips for healing your gut naturally.
3. Support your adrenals. Why? Because anyone dealing with thyroid disease is also dealing with some kind of adrenal issue. An adrenal imbalance will cause TSH levels to rise or fall out of the normal range, and it also interferes with proper thyroid hormone production.
Read this article to learn about 20 steps you can take to balance your adrenals. I can’t tell you how many people have taken the steps I list and come back a month or two later telling me how much better they feel!
4. Reduce your sugar intake. Sugar and stress do the same thing to the body (minus the calories), so to help balance your TSH and reduce antibodies, you need to watch your sugar intake. If you’ve got massive sugar cravings right now (I’ve been there before!), make this recipe for buttermints and follow the directions listed.
5. Reduce your chemical load and detox the liver. As I stated above, a common root cause of Graves’ is toxicity in the system, so it’s a great idea to reduce your toxic load!
First, I recommend switching your skincare, body care, makeup, candles, household cleaning products, etc. to complete non-toxic options. Here’s where you can find a list of my favorites.
6. Along with reducing your toxic load, it’s important to take steps to gently detox the liver, as this can help calm the autoimmune attack on the body.
Detox is an ongoing event, not something you can do in a matter of a few days, so make sure to read this article and see what steps you can integrate into your daily routine.
7. Reduce your stress. Emotional stress is often another root cause of Graves’, so it’s important to look with clear eyes at the stress in your life and take steps to reduce it.
When it comes to emotional stress, I know it can be painful to deal with whatever you’re facing, but it’s a key part of supporting your immune system. Finding a counselor or therapist can be incredibly helpful.
8. Take steps to move away from processed foods, and eat a nutrient-dense grain-free diet. Unfortunately, there are so many toxins in processed foods, so it’s a great idea to slow move over to a diet full of unprocessed, whole foods.
I’ve got hundreds of healthy grain-free recipes here on my site, and another 125 in my cookbook. Eating healthy foods will reduce the strain on your body, reduce inflammation, support the digestive system, and help bring things back into balance.
9. Remember that your practitioner is working for you, not the other way around. It’s ok to ask them questions about the root cause of what’s going on. If they don’t treat you respectfully when you ask them questions about what’s going on with your body, then it’s ok to find another practitioner to work with.
It took me 9 months of going doctor-to-doctor before I found someone who would listen to me and run tests. Being persistent to find the right practitioner to work with pays off!
10. Make sleep a priority. The body cannot heal or properly detox without adequate sleep. If insomnia is an issue right now, read this article and see which steps you can take to improve your quality of sleep.
How can I learn more about the steps I can take for Graves’?
I have four fantastic options for you!
- To download my 50 of my top tips to support the thyroid and immune system naturally, tap here. I’ll also send you an educational email every few days to help you learn how to support your body naturally.
- If you’d like to learn from first steps you can take to help support your thyroid, check out my class, “5 Keys to Thyroid Hormone Balance”. It’s just 45 minutes and I promise you’ll learn something new!
- If you’re looking for a step-by-step plan for Hashimoto’s that truly works (no more piecing together info!), check out my 90-Day Thyroid Reset Program.
- Book a consult with me for one-on-one help. Here’s info about what working with me looks like.
Sources:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/graves-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20356240
mayocliniclabs.com/…and+Interpretive/8634
https://www.endocrineweb.com/endocrinology/overview-pituitary-gland
Disclaimer: The purpose of this post is to give an overview of Graves’ from a holistic perspective. Due to biochemical individuality there can be many various reasons for the root causes of thyroid disease, and many ways to help improve thyroid in balance in the body. This information is not intended to take the place of your doctor’s advice.
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