Q: My doctor put me on a prescription for Graves' disease, but I'm wondering if there are any natural treatments for this condition.

Dr. Wright: For those who may be unfamiliar with Graves' disease, it's an autoimmune disease that causes the thyroid gland to produce too much hormone. Symptoms of Graves' disease include nervousness, insomnia, sweating, tremors, an increased heart rate, unexplained weight loss (often despite an increased appetite), sensitivity to warm temperatures (feeling hot all the time), muscle weakness, shortness of breath, and arrhythmia.

Mainstream treatments for Graves' disease often involve the use of prescription drugs (which must be taken indefinitely to provide symptom relief), radioactive iodine treatments (which often cause hypothyroidism, also known as underactive thyroid), and surgery.

From my own experience in treating patients with Graves' disease, I have found that 300 milligrams of lithium carbonate, taken three to four times daily and accompanied by one tablespoon of flaxseed oil and 400 IU of vitamin E as mixed tocopherols (to prevent the flaxseed oil from oxidizing too rapidly) is often very helpful. Lithium rapidly inhibits thyroid function and the dose listed above usually regulates an overactive thyroid. The flaxseed oil helps to prevent against any potential lithium toxicity side effects.

Another thing to consider is that Graves' disease is an HLA-B8 autoimmune disease. This type of autoimmune disease is characterized by sensitivity to grains and gluten- containing products. To determine if this is a problem for you, you may want to consider working with a physician skilled in nutritional medicine who can help you eliminate all gluten/gliadin grains and all milk and dairy products from your diet.

To locate a nutritionally oriented physician in your area, contact the American Association of Environmental Medicine at (316) 684-5500 or www.aaem.com. (And for more information on HLA-B8 autoimmune diseases, please refer to the March 2002 issue of Nutrition & Healing, available online to subscribers by visiting www.wrightnewsletter.com and logging on with the username and password listed on page 8 of your most recent issue.)