Things You'll Need:
- Physician
- Blood Test
- Drug Therapy
- Radioactive Iodine
- Surgery
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Step 1
Have your hormone levels checked. A physician can perform a simple blood test to determine if your hormone levels are normal.
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Step 2
Start a regimen of anti-thyroid medication. The medication will help control your hormone levels and keep them down to the appropriate level. In some instances drug therapy even causes Graves disease to go into remission, returning the hormone levels to normal without the need for further treatment.
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Step 3
Have radioactive iodine treatments. This will shrink and eventually destroy the thyroid gland ridding the body of the hyperthyroidism caused by Graves disease. However, this treatment will actually cause the opposite effect on the body, creating hypothyroidism where the body does not produce enough of the necessary hormones. Hormone supplements will be needed to once again regulate thyroid levels.
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Step 4
Undergo surgery to have the thyroid gland removed. Once again, hormone supplements will be necessary indefinitely to chemically manufacture the appropriate hormones in the body.
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Step 5
Maintain a balanced diet and reduce stress to avoid spikes in cholesterol and edema. Yoga and accupunture are considered natural remedies for controlling the symptoms of Graves disease, but there is no solid evidence to suggest these methods actually cure the disease.
