Guest guest Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 7 Adrenal Recovery Mistakes _http://www.drlam.com/adrenalfatiguecenter/7mistakesofadrenalfatigue.asp_ (http://www.drlam.com/adrenalfatiguecenter/7mistakesofadrenalfatigue.asp) Michael Lam, MD, MPH _www.DrLam.com_ (http://www.drlam.com/) Reading Tips For fast reading, scan through the topic headings in BOLD BLACK, important conclusions in BOLD BLUE, and " Must Know " in BOLD RED. To jump to specific sections in this article, click on the respective LINKS in the Contents. 80% of adults at one point or another will experience symptoms of adrenal fatigue. These include fatigue, insomnia, weight gain, salt craving, irritability, depression, and anxiety. They are often triggered by acute or chronic stress, whether it is physical or emotional. Most adrenal fatigue is mild, lasting a few days or weeks, with full recovery. A minority of people will find recovery a challenge. Their conditions last longer than usual. They improve, but never fully recover. Still, a smaller number slowly decompensate and the condition worsens with time. A frequent onset of adrenal fatigue symptoms with ever increasing severity and duration is often a hallmark of adrenal fatigue recovery failure. While the body has a built in a system of self repair, this mechanism is often not properly taken advantage of fully in the recovery process. There are multiple reasons for this failure. Here are 7 most common reasons why. 1. Improper use of nutritional supplements Natural compounds are very different from prescription drugs. Clinical behaviours of prescription drugs usually follow a well defined efficacy curve that is highly predictable. The desired response is usually generated at a therapeutic dose range. Because the body does not have a natural built in system of metabolizing non-natural compounds such as synthetic drugs, toxicity ensues in high dosages. Compare this with natural compounds: First, many natural compounds have different dose dependent behaviors. In other words, how they behave at one dose can be very different from how they behave at another dose. Second, the exact standardization of what is considered a normal dose is not well known or established. The RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) was set up for common natural compounds as a general guide for a healthy population, wishing to avoid recognized vitamin deficiency diseases such as scurvy or rickets. The prevailing view among nutritional experts is that this is hardly sufficient to maintain optimum health, not to mention therapeutic uses. Third, most compounds have little or no recognizable side effects at doses many times higher than RDA dose because the body has the build in mechanism and is able to metabolize them effectively. Nutritional experts therefore tend to use higher doses. Conventional medicine find this hard to understand. Fourth, few studies have been conducted in the toxic consequence of many of the natural compounds due to funding constraints. As a result, there is lack of standardization. Fifth, the same natural compound ( such as herbs and glandulars) can behave differently in the same person depending on the state of dysfuntion. They can act as adaptogens and be beneficial when the adrenal fatigue is mild, but turn stimulatory when the fatigue is severe. Sixth, the optimum therapeutic dosage required for recovery is body-specific. The right dosage for one person is very different for another person, even if the degree of fatigue is similar. Seventh, there is a drastic difference in bio-availabilty of nutrients made available to the cell depending on the delivery system. Oral ascorbic acid capsule absorption is normally from the stomach and seldom exceed 15%. Liposomalized oral vitamin C absorption is far superior as it is delivered through the small intestines. A 100 mg dose of liposomalized oral vitamin C can therefore be many times more effective than regular capsulated or tablet vitamin, though both are oral forms. Eighth, different manufacturer of natural compounds uses different grades and purity which is not disclosed to the consumer on the bottle label. Low quality nutritional supplements is less effective than higher quality supplements. Due to the lack of this knowledge among the general public, inappropriate use of nutritional supplements is rampant in all areas of natural health, including adrenal fatigue. Consumers are often confused, not know what to take, when to take, how much to take, and the right delivery system and form to use. It is no surprise that therapeutic failure is common. The danger of inapproriate use of nutritionals not only impede recovery but invariably leads to worsening of the condition over time. Harm is done to the body more than the benefit. The net result is a worsening state. This is one of the greatest mis-givings of most self-guided and non-professionally guided programs, especially if the fatigue is advance. Let us examine this more closely. Common adrenal fatigue support nutrients include Vitamin C; Vitamin B12; Vitamin B5 and its derivative pantethine; Vitamin E; adrenal glandular from various sources; herbs such as licorice, ashawanda, ginseng, maca (Peruvian ginseng); pro-hormones such as DHEA and pregnenolone; and steroids. These nutrients vary greatly in their intrinsic properties as well as dose-dependent properties. Selecting the right form of nutrient at the right time with the right dose and delivery system is the key to providing the body the necessary nutrients to start the healing process in a systematic and comprehensive fashion. This sound principal is unfortunately not followed often enough. Let us look at the three most common errors in compounds selection; 1. Long term use of stimulatory nutrients can lead to withdrawals and addiction. Though they might have other concurrent adaptogenic properties, many adrenal supportive nutrients commonly used are intrinsically stimulatory in nature in a setting of advance adrenal weakness, These include ginseng, licorice, ashawanda, maca, vitamin B5, and vitamin B12, just to name a few. In principal, they help the body generate energy and overcome fatigue by stimulating the adrenal glands to work harder. Hormones related to adrenal function include cortisol and epinephrine. These are important " fight or flight " and " survival " hormones designed to help the body overcome its perceived stress, physical or emotional. When these nutrients are administered, the body has to absorb and metabolize them to be effective and therapeutic. If the body can accept and process these nutrients, a surge of energy may be experienced. This is considered a desired response. However, many are misled to believe this rush of energy as a sign of successful recovery. Some may even attempt to take more, thinking that more is better. However, there is a significant risk that is seldom recognized. As the body gets used to these nutrients, tolerance may develop. A higher dosage is required over time to maintain the same energy level or avoidance of fatigue. This is a classic sign of addiction. In addition to caffeine from coffee and black tea to kick start the system, the body now has an added addiction – stimulatory nutrients. Without these, the body may experience symptoms of withdrawal resulting in a sudden onset of severe fatigue or " adrenal crash " . The crash can last for hours at first, and then expand into days and in severe cases, months. With each crash, the overall adrenal function worsens. 2. Natural compounds can behave differently at different dosages. Vitamin C, for example, is a common anti-oxidant and adrenal enhancer. At high doses and in certain highly toxic people, there may be transient clinical deterioration due to possible " re-toxification " effect. Melatonin, for example can be more effective at low doses like 0.3 mg than higher doses like 3 to 30 mg. Natural compounds such as herbs and glandulars that are traditionally gentle can become stimulatory at times and generate overreactions as well as paradoxical reactions Some people feel calmer with vitamin C, while others may feel more anxious at various doses. Some of these behavior can be traced to the compound or the environment within with the compound functions. For example, while most people develop diarrhea with excessive vitamin C, some develop constipation instead. These dose dependent changes within a nutrient must be recognized to effectively formulate a nutritional supplementation program. 3. The body’s metabolic state changes during the recovery process. This affects the dosage requirement. The adrenal recovery cycle typically consists of multiple peaks and valleys, resembling a roller coaster ride. While the general trend should be upwards resembling a staircase, in the overall scheme of things, it is normal to have minor down cycles in this recovery process. An experienced clinician will anticipate these dips and take action to help avoid downturn as much as possible by adjusting the dosage of nutrients. Avoidance of crashes is a sign of clinical excellence. Inexperienced clinicians and self-guided programs often find themselves in a catch-up mode after the crash has occurred and not knowing why. Applying the same dose of nutrients throughout the recovery process without careful consideration of this cyclical recovery process can lead to devastating results. You could be overdosing and putting excessive loads on the adrenal at a time when it does not need as much, or under-dosing and thus depriving the adrenal of nutrients when it needs it the most. Sometimes, less nutrients are needed in an up cycle, while more is needed in the down cycle. Other times, it is just the reverse. It is important to match the dosage, form and delivery system to the metabolic curve throughout the entire recovery journey for maximum effectiveness. 2. Inexperienced health care provider. Most conventional physicians are not well informed on adrenal fatigue because it is not a recognized condition in the main stream medical community. The lack of medical education and research results in tremendous misinformation and confusion among the medical professionals and lay communities alike. On top of this, modern medicine has a tendency to lean towards laboratory-based rather than body-based approach of healing. In many clinical settings, modern diagnostic testing is absolutely necessary. It is life saving. In the case of adrenal fatigue, accurate and dependable testing has yet to achieve the level of correlation with the body’s symptoms to be fully recognized by the medical community at large, despite significant development in recent decades. The more advance the adrenal weakness, the lower the clinical correlation with laboratory results. Primary care physicians tend to prescribe anti-depressants and anti-anxiety agents in their best attempt to help. This is usually prescribed after basic stress reduction techniques are recommended and laboratory tests are unremarkable. Referrals are made to endocrinologists if symptoms fail to resolve. Nutritional supplementation may be recommended, but due to the lack of systematic approach, most nutrients are dispensed in a shot-gun attempt to control symptoms rather than focused on allowing the body to use the nutrients to help the adrenal heal. After extensive workups that are generally negative, steroid is often prescribed for symptomatic control often too quickly. While steroid can be used short term in severe cases under experienced hands, addiction often becomes a major issue in the long term, regardless of the clinician's best intention. Chronic use of steroid is often the end result. This can lead to a catabolic state with systemic organ resistance and breakdown. Our current understanding of adrenal function is still at its infancy at best. It is therefore very difficult for any health professional to have a good grasp of this condition from a pure pathological and physiological perspective. The number of physicians with true expertise in adrenal fatigue is very few. Those who are good in this gain their expertise not from textbooks, but from years of clinical experience with real cases. There is no short cut, because textbook cases are few and far between. Because the full recovery cycle can take years to complete in severe case, practitioners with little experience will find it hard to handle cases other than the most mild and straightforward ones. 3. Excessive use of prescription drugs and medications Excessive use of prescription drugs often makes adrenal fatigue worse. We live in a world where symptoms are often classified as diseases and the control of symptoms is considered the cure in many chronic conditions. For example, over 90% of all hypertension today is classified as " essential hypertension " . In other words, we don’t know the root cause of the disease. All physicians can do is treat the symptoms because they cannot treat the root cause if they don’t know what the root cause is. In the case of adrenal fatigue, one should respect and preserve the body’s signs and symptoms. These are valuable sensitive indicators to help guide us in the recovery process. Just as pain is a warning signal from our body that says something is wrong, suppressing pain is not equal to recovery of the condition that causes the pain. Pain suppression is a masking mechanism at best. In the case of adrenal fatigue, this will not work long term, as the body will continue to punish by worsening the symptoms. The logical approach is to give the body the tools to heal itself, while monitoring the symptoms and using them as a barometer of the body’s healing efficacy. This approach is all but abandoned by many. Modern medicine has a tendency to suppress them under the mistaken belief that the absence of symptoms equates to cure. This may work in the short term, but fails over the long run as the body decompensate in one form or another with worsening symptoms requiring an ever increasing dose of medication to control. The following are common symptom relieving prescription drugs used in adrenal fatigue setting: thyroid replacements, anti-depressants, anti-anxiety drugs, sleep medication, blood pressure medications, hormones ( bio-identical or synthetic), steroids, and anti-biotics. Thyroid medications are widely prescribed by physicians to symptomatically control sluggish metabolism associated with hypothyroidism. Their use are justified by conventional medicine based on laboratory tests that show reduced thyroid function evidence by high TSH, Free T3 and Free T 4. Dysfunct ional adrenal glands are often totally ignored. Those suffering from adrenal fatigue and hypothyroidism are treated for hypothyroidism alone. Overtime this approach backfires and causes adrenal fatigue to worsen for several reasons. First, thyroid replacement medications increase the overall basal metabolic rate. The body is put in a state of over-drive. No organ system is spared. Pushing the adrenals to work harder when it is already fatigue can unmask adrenal exhaustion or trigger adrenal crisis. At the same time, weak adrenals can lead to a state of blunted response of the body to thyroid hormones. Weak adrenals is often associated with reduced availability of free thyroid hormone to the cell as well. As a result, symptoms of hypothyroidism often fail to improve over time and may in fact worsen with this single organ approach to healing. The patient remains symptomatic with thyroid replacement. Physicians focusing on the thyroid without considering the adrenals frequently find themselves administering ever higher doses of thyroid replacement or switching from one medication to another without success. it is important to remember that those who are on thyroid medication should not abruptly stop the medication without professional help due to possible unpleasant withdrawal effects. Anti-depressants are often prescribed when physicians are at a lost of what to do. Many do not respond well and develop paradoxical reactions. Physician often find themselves changing from one to another medication in their best effort to help. Overtime, addiction issues may also arise. Anti-anxiety agents are prescribed to help calm the patient. This works only temporarily at best, with ever increasing doses needed long term. Sleeping medication is frequently prescribed to help insomnia. Inabilities to fall asleep and frequent awakening are hallmark signs of adrenal fatigue. Long-term use can also lead to addiction. Blood pressure medication is often prescribed. The patient can be presented with reactive hypertension at first, to be followed by hypotension as adrenal fatigue progresses. This is often due to aldosterone and electrolyte imbalance as well as reactive adrenergic responses. Physicians may find themselves constantly having to adjust the dosage of medication and changing the medications to normalize the blood pressure, only to find the blood pressure becoming more fragile as the adrenal fatigue worsen. Hormone replacement, whether it be synthetic or natural, are often prescribed. These include estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. They are frequently prescribed to manage irregular menstrual cycles, hot flashes and increase energy. Physicians are often misled to prescribe these based on laboratory test results. This may be helpful at first, but response is often blunted after a while. Hormone replacement has its place, but timing is important. The best time to consider such replacement is when the adrenals are well on its way to recovery. Thyroid hormones are also commonly prescribed. Using hormone replacement to suppress adrenal fatigue symptoms seldom generate desirable long term result, though there may be transient and short term sensation of improvement. It is far better to give the adrenals the gentle nutrients it needs to generate its own desired level of hormones. This approach is far more effective and lead to ultimate healing instead of dependency on drugs. Anti-biotic are prescribed to help overcome frequent infection. They can worsen irritable bowel that often accompanies adrenal fatigue, leading to gastrointestinal upset and internal dysbiosis. Irritable bowl symptoms are prevalent, and systematic infection such as candidiasis can be exacerbated. Steroids are commonly prescribed to suppress symptoms of chronic fatigue, irritable bowel, auto-immune conditions, skin rashes, severe fatigue, and frequent allergies, just to name a few . These conditions are commonly associated with adrenal fatigue. While short term steriodal use has its place in adrenal fatigue if carefully monitored, chronic intake of steroid leads to a catabolic state of function where protein and systemic organs are broken down, further weakening of the body and an ever increasing dose to be taken to achieve the same degree of symptom relief. Prescription ion medications often have multiple side-effects. Common side-effects of anti-depressants include dry mouth, urinary retention, blurred vision, constipation, sedation, sleep disruption, weight gain, headache, nausea, abdominal pain, loss of libido, agitation, and anxiety. The more medicine given, the more side effects expected. It is not unusual for the average sufferer to be on three to four medications at one time or another. Just to process the medications alone poses severe stress on the adrenals and the liver. Instead of giving the body tools to heal itself and using symptoms as a guide on how well the body is recovering, the body is not given a proper chance to heal as symptoms are being suppressed. It is no surprise that most people with adrenal fatigue never fully recover. 4. Failure to recognize paradoxical and unusual reactions A paradoxical reaction is when medical treatment, usually a drug, has an opposite effect to an effect normally expected. An example of a paradoxical reaction is when a pain relief medication causes an increase in pain. Some sedatives prescribed for adults actually cause hyper-activeness in children. Experienced clinicians know of this and are on high alert for these abnormalities. Paradoxical reactions are generally more prevalent in natural compounds. The reason is not known. The more decompensated the body is, as in advance adrenal fatigue, the more frequent such paradoxical reactions surface. Nutrient fitting for one body is therefore not necessary good for another one. In fact, it can be toxic for another body. Nutrients can become toxic and paradoxical reactions surface after a period of time of indigestion. This can range from weeks to months. The body may also reject these nutrients immediately from the onset. Instead of feeling better with energy boost, one may feel worse in what is known as a paradoxical reaction. Severe fatigue may be precipitated, setting off an adrenal crash. Common paradoxical reactions and abnormal reactions include: a. A sense of fatigue or malaise or a state of anxiety instead of a sense of calm when taking steroids b. Sudden onset of anxiety attacks and impending doom at rest c. Sudden onset of heart palpitations despite normal cardiac function d. Sudden onset of dizziness and lightheadedness at rest e. Sudden onset of fluctuating blood pressure f. A sense of being " beat up " that lasts for days after vigorous exercise g. Inability to think clearly and difficulty recalling recent events h. Waking up in the middle of the night for no reason and the inability to go back to sleep i. Being constipated instead of having loose bowel when taking high doses of vitamin C or magnesium j. A sense of getting wired up and anxious after taking certain vitamins, adrenal glandular, or herbs k. Getting more toxic instead of feeling better when going through a detoxification program like juice fasting. l. Sudden onset of fragile emotional states such as crying for no apparent reason m. Taking multiple trips to the Emergency Room because one feels impending doom even though nothing is wrong after repeated work-up. n. A sense of well-being after taking selected nutrients, only to be followed by a " crash " One can have any combination of the above. Collectively, they point to an adrenal that has lost its ability to maintain the fine control characteristics of a stable internal homeostasis environment. It is like taking a shower with either very hot or very cold water but not the comfortable warm water. Self-directed recovery programs following standard textbook approach normally fail in such cases because normal healing tools and rules do not apply and in fact may make the body worse. As stated earlier, the more advanced the adrenal fatigue, the more paradoxical and unusual reactions tend to surface. In addition, there can be concurrent paradoxical as well as overreaction that occur close to each other in time. One may feel worse for a few days or weeks, followed by a short burst of well-being, only to relapse back into a fatigue state without doing anything significantly different. The body goes into a phase of homeostatic instability characterized by wild swings in emotional and physical state. This is the worst of both worlds, as the body is caught in a vicious cycle of cascading downward state of function with its own violent attempt to rebalance itself. Eventually, this leads to severe incapacitation of daily function. Symptoms can include severe fatigue, bed bound most of the time, fragile blood pressure, reactive hypoglycemia, unexplained palpitation, severe anxiety attack, profound dizziness, extreme brain fog, frequent infection, and severe insomnia, just to mention a few. This experience is akin it to a state of " living dead " . The clinical picture becomes extremely convoluted and confusing to all but the most astute and experienced clinician. 5. Failure to recognize multi-organ involvement Failure to recognize the multi-organ involvement associated with adrenal fatigue often leads to a narrowed focus that worsens the condition over time. The adrenal glands are regulated through the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The adrenal itself is then intricately connected to many other organs in a variety of axis. One such intricate relationship ties in the thyroid and the ovaries. This axis is called the Ovarian Adrenal and Thyroid (OAT) axis. These three organs are intimately co-dependent on each other for optimal function. They must be balanced if a woman wants to feel good. In man, the balance between adrenal and thyroid is critical. In the case of ovarian-adrenal –thyroid axis, when medication alters one of the organ's functions, it will invariably lead to an often unrecognized change in the other two organs. For example, if thyroid medication is administered, it is not uncommon to see concurrent menstrual irregularities, a function of ovarian hormones, and reduced ability to deal with stress and worsening fatigue, a function of the adrenals. Let us consider this OAT axis more closely. The adrenal glands contribute about 35 percent of female hormones pre-menopausal and almost 50 percent post-menopausal. Today, women often have exhausted adrenal glands by the time they reach their mid-thirties or early forties due to a stressful lifestyle. In adrenal fatigue, cortisol output becomes imbalanced. Excessive cortisol output can lead to multiple undesirable effects. A cortisol induced organ resistance can occur, and applies to nearly all other hormone regulated organs including the ovaries and the pancreas. Few hormones are allowed to work at optimal levels in the presence of adrenal fatigue. For example, cortisol blocks progesterone receptors, making them less responsive to progesterone. Insufficient progesterone production leads to an imbalance of estrogen to progesterone. With reduced progesterone to offset estrogen, the body may experience estrogen dominance and a host of undesirable side effects associated with excessive estrogen, including PMS, irregular periods, and fibroids. Over time, adrenal fatigue is often associated with sub-clinical hypothyroidism as well, as thyroid tissues fail to respond as efficiently to the hormonal signal. That is why chronic stress can make one feel so rotten, like a slow-motion train wreck in progress. Few hormones are allowed to work at optimal levels. Sugar levels can become imbalanced, blood pressure regulation is affected and menstrual flow can become irregular. Often times, the use of anti-depressants, thyroid replacements, and ovarian hormones such as estrogen and progestin (or even natural hormones) often make women with OAT axis imbalance worse. Estrogen replacement often becomes ineffective. Symptoms of estrogen dominance like hot flashes, weight gain at the hips, water retention, and moodiness are commonly observed despite normal estrogen levels. Patients become frustrated as it seems that nothing can help when a downward spiral of multiple symptoms commonly surface, including depression, insomnia, fatigue, metabolic and thyroid imbalances. When multiple organs are involved and decompensate concurrently because of adrenal fatigue, the body's ability to recover is made much harder. Processing and assimilating nutrients are often compromised. Absorption of nutrients from the GI track is reduced, as leaky gut, irritable bowl, food sensitivity, and internal dysbiosis overwhelms the normal flora. Liver function is reduced, despite normal liver function laboratory test results. Good nutrients, if not processed and metabolized properly, become toxic. Toxic metabolites circulate in the body, and if not properly cleared, can lead to brain fog, joint pain, skin rashes, allergies, muscle discomfort, and multiple chemical sensitivity among many other symptoms. No organ system is spared of dysfunction when the adrenals are not in optimal function. As a result, an adrenal recovery program that does not factor in other organ involvement invariably fails as the condition worsens. 6. Over-reliance on laboratory testing The best way to test your adrenal health is to measure your level of free key adrenal hormones such as cortisol and DHEA. Additional hormones such as progesterone, testosterone, and estradiol are commonly measured and helpful as well. There are, however, several common pitfalls. First, saliva testing is preferred but seldom performed in the conventional medicine setting. Saliva testing measures the amount of free and circulating hormones instead of the binded hormone commonly measured in blood test. Most conventional physicians, however, still rely on blood serum testing for adrenal fatigue and can therefore miss the true picture of adrenal function. Patients are often told that their adrenal function is normal when in reality it is not. Under diagnosis is common. Second, there is tremendous individual variance of test results correlated to symptoms. It is not uncommon to have significant adrenal fatigue symptoms presenting with " normal " laboratory results. In advance adrenal fatigue, the 24 hour cortisol curve as measured by saliva test often becomes blunted or flattened. It can and often will stay this way for an extended period of time, even during recovery as symptoms subside. Overdosing or under dosing is frequently seen if one relies primarily on laboratory test results without factoring in individual specificity. Third, laboratory results vary depending on the stage of fatigue. Hormonal levels vary in different stages of adrenal fatigue. In early stages, the cortisol, DHEA and pregnenolone level tend to be higher as the adrenal gland works hard. In late stages, pregnenolone tends to be low, and morning cortisol blunted. These are just some very general rules. There are many exceptions to the rule, and that makes laboratory interpretation the most challenging even to experienced clinicians. Laboratory test is frequently confusing and misleading as a result. Those with concurrent thyroid dysfunction may find similar pictures. They might have classic symptoms of thyroid irregularity clinically and yet the laboratory test is shown to be normal. Conventional physicians often find themselves chasing a moving target misled by laboratory levels. In that process, the body is subject to numerous trial and error protocols. This results in further weakening of the already low adrenal function. The body's signs and symptoms are far superior in terms of gauging adrenal weakness compared to laboratory test based on current technology. A good and comprehensive history taken by an experienced clinician is the gold s tandard and remains the key. 7. Lack of a comprehensive recovery program The body is a perfectly designed ecosystem with built in self repairing properties. It normally can recover on its own if given a chance with proper nutrients, lifestyle and dietary changes, and time. Recovery strategies focusing on this comprehensive approach often produce excellent results, even in severe cases. Results can be seen in a matter of days and weeks. On the contrary, strategies focusing on symptom control and quick results often fail. The root cause, such as removal of stressors, improper dietary habits, and improper use of nutrients, needs to be addressed in a comprehensive program for maximum recovery velocity. If the adrenals do not recover, they tend to get worse with time. Maintaining status quo is therefore not the optimal therapeutic strategy but in fact a strategy that almost guarantees failure with time. The most effective recovery program must incorporate the following: Customized nutritional support based on the person internal terrain and sensitivity level to nutrients. Vitamin C doses, for example, can vary from 100 mg to 10,000 mg or more. Some people do well on regular ascorbic acid, while others do much better on buffered vitamin C or fat soluble vitamin C. Some cannot take vitamin C at all. The delivery system can drastically affact the bio-availability of nutrients to the cell. This needs to be considered along with the quality and form of nutrient. A thorough knowledge of the natural compound and its many properties is a perquisite to a successful adrenal recovery program. Customized lifestyle program based on the person constitution and generic makeup. While general lifestyle tips such as avoiding sugar and caffeine is applicable, there is tremendous variation in routine that needs to be factored in based on each person’s makeup. Exercise programs, for example, need to be particularly adjusted to allow the body to enhance blood flow but not trigger a catabolic state. Sleeping early is good for the majority but may not be good for some. Any attempt to cleanse and detoxify the body must proceed with extreme caution to avoid a sudden toxic reaction. A customized dietary program based on blood and metabolic type is necessary. Some body types do better with protein and fat, while others do better with more vegetables. Some bodies welcome nuts as a good source of fat, while others do not. Alkalizing the body may be good for some but not good for others. What is the right food for one may be a toxin to another. This three prong approach can produce dramatic and quick results if carried out under the supervision of an experienced clinician. Conclusion: Adrenal fatigue is a condition that has puzzled the medical community for the past 100 years. Physicians scorn to come near this because of the lack of a standardized approach and understanding of its progression and therapeutic options. Patients are abandoned and left on their own to self-navigate. The fact that the majority of self guided programs fail is a warning sign that something is very wrong. This paper attempts to outline 7 common mistakes committed by lay and professionals alike. They include inappropriate use of nutrients, failure to factor in paradoxical behavior and multi-system involvement, lack of comprehensive approach, over reliance on laboratory testing, overuse of prescription drugs, and inexperienced health care providers. Imagine living a life where one is bed bound most of the time, exhausted from simple chores of daily living, startled by simple events like ringing of the telephone or door bell, unexplained onset of impending doom, depression, sudden anxiety attacks and heart palpitations, hypoglycemia, hypotension, and insomnia. These are symptoms of severe adrenal fatigue which can results in total incapacitation and a debilitated state of function called the " living dead " . These are the characteristics of the end stages of adrenal fatigue if left to its natural progression. Adrenal fatigue as a condition is much more complicated and debilitating than we think. Fortunately most recover. The body’s stress response mechanism has sustained and ensures our survival for thousands of years. Our understanding of this entity is only at its infancy at best. Those who are suffering or failing to recover on a timely basis should scrutinize their current recovery program for improvements. Qualified professional help from those who are highly experienced should be sought as early as possible to avoid and reverse the natural progression of this condition. Message from Dr. Lam I hope you have enjoyed reading this article. If you have areas you don’t understand, or if you have a specific health concern, feel free to write to me by clicking here _http://www.drlam.com/askme.asp_ (http://www.drlam.com/askme.asp) About The Author Michael Lam, M.D., M.P.H., A.B.A.A.M. is a specialist in Preventive and Anti-Aging Medicine. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Oregon State University, and his Doctor of Medicine degree from Loma Linda University School of Medicine, California. He also holds a Masters of Public Health degree and is Board Certification in Anti-aging Medicine by the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine. He has authored numerous articles and the following books: The Five Proven Secrets to Longevity, How to Stay Young and Live Longer, Estrogen Dominance - Hormonal Imbalance of the 21st Century, and Beating Cancer with Natural Medicine. Reprint Information This article may, in its unabridged, unaltered form and in its entirety only, be reprinted and republished without permission provided that it is for personal and non commercial education use only and further provided that credit be given to the author, with copyright notice and _www.DrLam.com_ (http://www.drlam.com/) clearly displayed as source. Written permission from Dr. Lam is required for all other use. © 2009 Michael Lam, M.D. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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