I've got stage 3 adrenal exhaustion, according to the saliva tests, I was taking B vits, vit C, liquorice and ginseng & also made lots of diet & lifestyle changes. Things were going well form xmas to easter, I was feeling increasingly better, then recently had a crash for no apparent reason, other than I went on holiday, which you would think is a good thing! I've been back a couple of weeks and can't seem to shift things, my sleep is often rubbish, fatigued, irritability, poor digestion etc. I'm desperate to get back to where I was as am struggling with work etc but at a loss as to how. I'm speaking to my doc later in the week who is very good, no doubt he will suggest glandulars, but people on here don't seem to get on that well with them. Anyway, sorry to go on, just sick of this thyroid/adrenal thing dragging on and spoiling things as I would be otherwise fine and happy (bit of a toys out of the pram moment there, more apologies).
Lx
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Lolalois
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Adrenal glandulars were suggested to me, but I declined. I think they over-ride the body's defence mechanism to prevent catabolism (tissue breakdown) during periods of continuing stress. Maybe they benefit people whose adrenals are actually damaged and not really working rather than just downregulated - but I think that's a much smaller group of people than the group of people that are advised to take them.
In an ideal world we would remove the underlying causes of stress, but some of those causes of stress can be hidden and difficult to find. One of mine turned out to be gluten intolerance - who knows how long I had that for before finding out that it was a problem.
Hi there, thanks for your reply. I've been glued to Dr Lam recently, its very detailed and also very useful. The one thing I don't think is covered quite so well is the healing of the adrenals. I've made so many changes, as many as are possible without giving up work. I've gone part time, given up gluten and dairy, only eat fresh foods, nothing processed, get plenty of rest (when I can sleep). I think the holiday and change of environment must have just upset my body somehow, but as Dr Lam says if your adrenal fatigue is quite bad little things can trigger a crash.
I do find it hard in our 'get on with it' kind of culture (or maybe that's just my upbringing!) to really listen hard to my body and try to avert crashes. I also find it hard that during a crash the smallest thing will make me feel stressed so its extra hard to avoid stress. Plus I have teenage boys, who are lovely but frankly, a bit stressy at times!
I"m interested that you refused glandulars. I know what you mean about forcing the body into recovery, but also my test results did show that my cortisol and DHEA are both very low, so I'm not sure if glandulars would help increase them. As a vege I'm not keen as they are animal derived, but I'm balancing those things with a need to be a able to function a bit better.
What did you do to get yours healing, other than giving up the gluten, did you do anything else?
Thanks again for taking the time to reply,
L x
I've recently had exactly the same experience - came back from holiday and had an immediate mega-crash.
I get additional support from an acupuncturist, and her interpretation is that although you have a good/restful time on holiday the change of routine and surroundings still puts additional stress on your already fragile system.
I was in such a bad way that I could barely drag myself to see her, but I'm so glad I did - after a couple of sessions I'm back on track again. Don't know whether this might help you, but it could be worth trying.
Hi, thanks for replying, that's really interesting that you had the same experience. Funny you should mention acupuncture, I see someone regularly for either shiatsu or acupuncture and she recently used a Japanese form of acupuncture for the adrenals, which did help for a couple of days. She's been away teaching but I'll be back to see her soon, so fingers crossed that might help.
She said the same about holidays, it does sort of make sense, and also the getting ready bit can mean there's quite a bit to do before going away. Have you recovered from your crash? How long did it take you? Hope you're feeling better.
Hi All I can say is what my endo ( good) and I have found. I have low adrenals, Post renal op. However, I cannot take cortisone, the only treatment that works. However. regardless of that as cortisone such a nasty drug any way. She and I and most endo`s say to first get the thyroid right and then the adrenals will improve. The best test, under a doc, is 24 hour urine collection and corisone tab. midnight , a blood test at 9am. This is the only test I am told is any use. Obvious really as what ever the level of cortisone ( low adrenals) you need to know how much is secreted.That is why lots of 24 hour collections are often done for insufficiency etc. I hope this helps. See a good endo, if not already.
I have managed to get my adrenals from stage 3 to virtually back to normal, but it's taken over a year and I had an easier situation than you - no kids and I had to stop work completely. So have you given it enough time?
What worked for me was many of the things you're trying - regular rest and relaxation (with kids??) and a diet high in protein - for rebuild and repair of the glands as well as for keeping blood sugar levels stable to avoid stressing the adrenals ( when blood sugar levels dip the adrenals are kicked into action). For the same reason, your diet should be low in sugar (especially refined sugars) and alcohol, and also caffeine and should be composed of several small meals a day.Dr James Wilson's book "Adrenal fatigue" is a great practical guide. I used many of the supplements you mentioned - others that were recommended were rhodiola rosea and phosphatidyl serine. I am also dairy and gluten-free.
I also used Nutri Adrenal which I feel supported, as opposed to forcing my recovery but the biggest effect seemed to be from supplementing with modest doses of DHEA, as my adrenal test showed me to be low in that hormone - now it's back in range (after 3 months on 20mg/day) , so I've stopped.
You might like to check your thyroid, as adrenal problems can be linked to problems there too. Thyroid problems in turn may be linked to poor digestion and poor absorption of minerals - so asking your GP for a full iron check might be a good idea.
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