Well, I'm going a little downhill. Still am on treatment for BLO. But my poor bod is suffering.
HGH, DHEA, ESTROGEN, PROGESTERONE, PG/E2 and CORTISOLS are all low.
Will taking over the counter raw glandulars help? Don't know what to do about the HGH. I already take 50 mg of DHEA a day.
Battling severe fatique and am closing on a house tomorrow. EEEKKK!!
Any insight would be a blessing.
Thanks gang! Posted by ByronSBell 2007 (Member # 11496) on :
I am low in all of those as well! WAY LOW! I am taking cortef and testosterone (both low dose)I have a wee bit more energy but dont feel any better. Atleast it will build my body up to where it was so it can fight better... MY LLMD is the one giving me the hormones. Posted by bejoy (Member # 11129) on :
I spent some time getting to know adrenal world, because I thought Addison's disease was my diagnosis, before I discovered the wonderful world of lyme.
Suggestions:
Read James R Wilson on Adrenal Fatigue Google Adrenal Fatigue
I like raw glandulars, I think they are great
If your cortisol is low, make sure you take enough salt
Check into the following list of supplemets that Wilson reccommends: Vit C to tolerance Calcium Magnesium B complex extra pantothenic acid siberian eleuthero etc.
And of course, sleep until nine and take an afternoon nap if you can.
I understand that adrenal function will improve as lyme diminishes.
Best wishes for your healing.
bejoy
Posted by Ruth Ruth (Member # 11059) on :
I feel like the raw glandulars were an important part of getting my adrenals stronger.
Posted by johnlyme1 (Member # 7343) on :
I also agree the raw glandulars were an important part of getting my adrenals and thyriod stronger. I love Stanard Process's deseccated adrenal, thyroid complex, Prolamine iodine and a low dose of licorice. My energenic tester helped me get to dosing levels that showed marked improvements after a couple of weeks.
Posted by CaliforniaLyme (Member # 7136) on :
On another list someone speculated that the reason Lymies would be responsive at all to the salt/vit c thing is because the salt would boost their adrenals-
I have no opinion on that, just repeating what someone said-
Posted by MariaA (Member # 9128) on :
I second the 'siberian eleuthero' comment- that's siberian ginseng (NOT the same as other ginsengs), or eleutherococcus. It takes a while but normalises adrenal function over a few months.
There are several ways to take it. One is to follow the directions on the tincture bottle. The other is to do higher dosages, 6 weeks on, 2 weeks off, which are described in Stephen Buhner's book Healing Lyme. I do the latter and thought it did a lot for my energy level and ability to handle stress. I had previously been on small doses of cortef for a month and the effect was similar. The high-dosage stuff works quicker. It helps if you can get Herb Pharm brand tincture for the high-dose- it's grown in the US (and organic, I think) and it's a higher-concentration tincture than the others.
Posted by TerryK (Member # 8552) on :
I'm sorry you are going downhill.:-(
I understand that not everyone can do this but in my opinion, the best thing you could do to get these issues under control is work with a naturopathic phyisican who knows something about Lyme. I personally use muscle testing and a naturopathic doctor along with my LLMD to guide my decisions.
My sisters have both used the homeopathic HGH preperations with good success. I've read that the best way to get HGH up is through injections but they are very expensive. I've read that getting enough sleep and working out are natural ways of increasing HGH. Body building circles may have more ideas on how to raise HGH as well.
I found that malic acid was very helpful for my fatigue although still far from gone. It has helped a number of people that I know but I can't guarantee that it will help you because it very much depends on your body which is where muscle testing comes in.
I use a raw adrenal extract and find it useful but I also use seriphos to support adrenals. It is an adaptogen and is supposed to be useful in balancing them out. Some people do great on it and others do not. A balanced B vitamin is essential for support of adrenal glands in my opinion. A book I have recommends in this order, Balanced B, pantothenic acid, Vit C with bioflavonoids, coenzyme A, and L-Tyrosine. After that they recommend raw adrenal glandular, then list as helpful, chlorophyll, CoQ 10, Multivitamin and mineral complex, raw liver extract and raw spleen glandular and last but not least SAMe.
Perhaps start with vit B and work your way up until you find some combination that helps. Terry
Posted by wenan (Member # 10993) on :
I swear by my B12 injections. I was told that anything like siberian ginseng can push already compromised adrenals - not a good idea unless you support the adrenals first.
I did cortef in the past - that also worked wonders. I was on Standard Process' adrenal support but found out I have a severe wheat intolerance so I couldn't take them.
Dr. Wilson's site - adrenalfatigue.org is a good source of info. I also use some of the cells salts - I notice a huge difference. Good luck.
Posted by wenan (Member # 10993) on :
Also, Bioidentical hormones set everything right for me. For the first time in years my hormones are looking pretty good.
Posted by MariaA (Member # 9128) on :
quote:Originally posted by wenan: I swear by my B12 injections. I was told that anything like siberian ginseng can push already compromised adrenals - not a good idea unless you support the adrenals first.
I didn't specifically test for low adrenal function, but I had all the symptoms when I started Lyme treatment. The LLMD I go to said that either cortef or eleuthero/siberian ginseng would work for me, and strongly urged me to try the eleuthero. Buhner says similar things after reading a bunch of studies on eleuthero.
Injectable B12 ROCKS if you can get it prescribed. There was a recent thread on 'cheapest methylcobalamine' which lists a couple of sources.
Posted by aklnwlf (Member # 5960) on :
Thank you all for the wonderful ideas. As usual I forgot I posted this and do a search for my own member number first when I log on.
Good thing! LOL!!
Was relieved to see that this is a typical occurence where Lyme and co-infections are concerned.
My GP is referring me to an endocrinologist. She said my tests were really low.
I've been treated by an LLMD since 2004 and of course take a couple hundred dollars worth of supplements a month.
I've heard of Dr. James Wilson since I got my HGH level back in February and started looking around on the internet. Thanks for the web info.
And BTW what is Cortef?? Herb, supplement, etc.
Posted by CatWoman (Member # 10900) on :
Is there anyone else out there who took replacement dose Cortef and didn't feel ANY relief? I was on it for several months replacement dose (pre-Lyme diagnosis) and it didn't help my fatigue at all.
Posted by CatWoman (Member # 10900) on :
aklnwlf - Cortef is a prescription medication for your adrenals.
Posted by ByronSBell 2007 (Member # 11496) on :
I have been on cortef for 4 months now along with testosterone and thyroid. No relief/improvement in symptoms... Posted by Vanilla (Member # 11155) on :
Get some nettles, good fish oil like Nordic Naturals and take more then the bottle says of the fish oil and borage oil is good too.
Coffee dries out the adrenals so if you drink it limit it to one cup a day if even that.
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