No. It is much more than a diet. My GRAVES© protocol is made up of six components to address the root cause of Graves disease, which is an out-of-control immune system. Diet is just one of the six components however it is arguably the most important. Poor gut health is implicated in every autoimmune illness and as more than 60% of your immune system is located in your gut, it is NOT possible to reverse Graves disease (or any other autoimmune illness) without addressing gut health. Alongside the other 5 parts of the program, you will need to follow a specific diet for the 12 weeks of the program. The eBook contains a comprehensive list of foods to eat and foods to avoid as well as a full meal plan to follow and all recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions
GUIDE QUESTIONS
Is this a diet?
I've already tried a gluten-free and dairy-free diet. Is this different?
Yes, this is very different. Simply attempting to remove common triggers such as Gluten and Dairy is not actually enough to heal any gut issues you may have and reverse your Graves disease. The program does require you to remove them from your diet as part of the elimination phase, however many, many people are surprised at the other triggers they discover during the course of my program. In order to restore gut health, you MUST first enable the gut to rest, repair itself and then re-populate it with good bacteria. Simply removing the two most common irritants is not going to be enough.
I've already had my thyroid removed. Can I still do this?
Yes. I receive emails every single week from people who tell me that they have had their thyroid removed, but are still having troubling symptoms, or have Graves Eye Disease which is worsening, or have developed a second (or sometimes THIRD) autoimmune disease and suspect that it is linked to their Graves disease. The analogy I find most helpful for people, is one of the engine light in your car. The Thyroid gland is your body's 'Check Engine' light. If you have it removed surgically, or via Radioactive Iodine treatment, the problem that caused that light to come on and malfunction is still there, you now just have no warning light to tell you that there is an issue! You can read more on treatment options here. Simply removing your thyroid will not stop your immune system from producing antibodies and unless you calm the immune system, evidence suggests that it could go on to attack other parts of your body. This is why it is so common to hear of other Graves patients who have developed psoriasis, alopecia, lupus or multiple sclerosis. You MUST treat the root cause. This is what my program is about.
Will it help my Eye Disease?
Approximately 50% of people who develop Graves Disease, will go on to develop Graves Eye Disease and whilst the two are related, they run very separate courses. I have a very comprehensive overview of Graves Eye Disease and the treatment options available to you here.
Is it suitable for Vegans?
No unfortunately not. The main reason is that bone broth forms a huge part of the early stages of the gut reset and is so key for restoring gut health. Bone broth is rich in vitamins, minerals, collagen, glutamine, glycine and proline, which are essential for the gut lining and mucosal barrier. I have had vegetarians tell me that they'd adapted some of the program to suit them, however I do not have a vegetarian supplement for the guide.
Will I need to buy supplements?
Yes. I am yet to come across someone who has not identified a deficiency in the course of their treatment. For some people, simply correcting severe deficiencies is enough to eliminate their symptoms and kickstart recovery. One of the hardest parts of my recovery was understanding where to start as practitioners often gave me conflicting advice. In the guide, I lay out the key supplements you need to test for and supplement with, and the brands and quantities I used, and why. I don't sell supplements and I am not affiliated with any supplement companies because I perceive it to be a conflict of interest.
Is it suitable for children?
Whilst I have had many parents email me to tell me they have successfully used my guide to reverse Graves disease in their child, it is not written for children. However, each of the 6 pillars of my program is applicable to children and parents often tell me that it has helped them not only understand more about the disease but also enabled them to tailor it for their child's unique situation.
SUPPORT QUESTIONS
Do you offer phone and email support?
No, I simply cannot provide one to one support at this time. Depending on where you live, I may be able to refer you to someone who can offer you one-to-one support. I do my best to respond to emails but I receive hundreds each week and just cannot provide the response times that I would want to provide for a one-to-one service.
Can you look at my test results?
I don't provide medical advice and don't have the capacity to provide one-to-one support. In the guide I provide a step-by-step explainer of your test results so that you can become the expert on what is happening in your body. It is crucial that you understand what each result means and the role it plays in your body and my guide enables you to do this.
How do I involve my Dr in this?
I am hearing from more and more people that their endocrinologist or primary care physician is taking an integrative approach to their treatment and this gives me such encouragement that there is momentum within the medical community for a holistic approach to Graves disease, rather than the extremely common position of simply treating the symptoms and ignoring the cause. I strongly recommend that you tell your Doctor that you are pursuing a natural treatment plan alongside their plan and in the book I lay out exactly how to do this, from the labs to request from them, to the research and references they can refer to. If during the course of your discussions with your Doctors, you discover that they do not believe or understand the role that gut dysbiosis, nutritional deficiencies, parasitic infections, extreme stress, exposure to toxic chemicals or any of the other known triggers for Graves disease play, then I always recommend that you search for a Dr who does. Remember that YOU are the person who makes the decisions about your care and recovery, and the team that you hire to support you, which includes your Doctors, are accountable to you. We can all do a better job of advocating for ourselves in many areas of our lives and starting with your health is one of the most powerful, long lasting changes you can make.
If your question isn't answered here, drop me an email at hello@fightinggraves.com or use the contact form here.