I have been taking standard process catalyn for adrenal fatigue and magnesium. After about two months on it no more heart palpitations, no dizzyness up standing, fatigue improved.
Problem is ive seemed to plateau and dont really want to add all the extra vitamins that come with the catalyn, I really just want something to hit the adrenals.
Posted by Selection10 (Member # 19578) on :
I believe "adrenal fatigue" is just a direct symptom of the lyme and not something that needs to be overly treated. Once you treat the lyme, the adrenal fatigue will slowly improve as well. It's just a symptom.
By hitting the lyme, your hiting the adrenals
Just my opinion.
Posted by mysteryillness1970 (Member # 24588) on :
Check out Dr Wilsons Adrenal Fatigue formulas and get his book, appropriately named "Adrenal Fatigue".
I have been on them for 6 months and my scores have improved.
Posted by lymetwister (Member # 19590) on :
I've been doing alot of research as of lately and talking to many who are experts in this area.
I Disagree and now 100% believe that you DO need to treat adrenal fatigue before you can continue treating if it's hitting you so hard.
If your one of those people that begin to feel a bit better around 9pm, be sure this is related to what I will continue to type here. Thyroid and Cortisol balance out around this time and that is why many feel better at these late hours.
From everything I'm reading and all those I have spoken two over the last few weeks, I'm hearing that both the Thyroid and Adrenals work together to allow your body to Detox.
If one is out of whack, be sure the other is too. Adrenals must be addressed first.
My Hormones are so whacked out, it isn't funny. I'm directly supplementing with Cortef now and getting some well needed energy back now. Anxiety and heart palps are way down as well. My stamina is improving too.
The Thyroid is directly linked to Liver detoxification. If you arn't making enough T3, then you will back up, as what happened to me. Backing up, inhibits liver detoxification.
I could type so much, but I would fill up the page. Some use supps. such as B5 and other things that support adrenal function, but this can take months and months to bring them back.
Here is an article that explains the Thyroid/Adrenal connection: Click Here
I encourage you to google the words "Thyroid Adrenal Connection" and you will see tons of information on what I'm posting here.
Again, I'm beginning to see this is/was my big problem in treating all of this. Bottom line, the more you treat and stress the Adrenals, the worse you will feel and the harder it will be to treat.
What I'm learning speaks volumes in all of this. I'm just sorry I didn't learn of this sooner. I could have saved myself alot of agony.
Let me finish by talking about Steroids. The body's natural steroids are whats being depleted. So all of the talk about "No Steroids" and how they can alter immune function has nothing to do with replacing the body's necessary Steroids. Personally, I'm already beginning to feel the brain inflammation come down from less then a week on Cortef. For me, it's the Hangover head, brain damage feeling that is easing up. Lots of the head pressure, headaches, etc.
This is my own research as I stated above, so don't take it as medical advice. Do your own DD and you will see what I am speaking is 100% true. Hope this helps some of you.
Gary
Posted by carly (Member # 14810) on :
A- In my experience adrenal fatigue is definitely a separate entity that needs to be assessed and treated in order to treat the lyme & co's properly.
So I agree with Gary 100%.
Yes, lyme does affect the adrenal glands, but if you're to the extent that you have "adrenal fatigue" it needs to be treated.
Adrenal fatigue is when your adrenal glands are not producing the proper levels of chemicals (steroids) at the proper times.
It's not something that will resolve with lyme & co treatment.
If you have not been evaluated, ask your llmd about it. If you have been evaluated, follow the protocol recommended.
It will get better, probably about 4-6 mos. Then, you're dealing with lyme & co symptoms.
(That was my experience. I have not have any thyroid or liver problems -again we are all different.)
Posted by Wolfed Out (Member # 23727) on :
Gary wrote:
"Let me finish by talking about Steroids. The body's natural steroids are whats being depleted. So all of the talk about "No Steroids" and how they can alter immune function has nothing to do with replacing the body's necessary Steroids. Personally, I'm already beginning to feel the brain inflammation come down from less then a week on Cortef. For me, it's the Hangover head, brain damage feeling that is easing up. Lots of the head pressure, headaches, etc."
Can someone please explain this to me? The way Gary wrote this makes it seem like there is difference between these steroids.
Posted by chiquita incognita (Member # 30381) on :
Hello Friends A) When I was environmentally ill about 25 years ago and recovered in full (also 25 years ago), it was under the guidance of a masterful immune system healer, the late John Finnegan. He was better than the local doctors specializing in EI, he would heal his patients in 6 months---beautifully too----where other specialists took 18-24 months and even then, their patients didn't fare as well as Finnegan's clients. Finnegan was a med school graduate, herbalist and nutritionist.
His secret, in part, was balancing adrenal and thyroid hormones.
We can not heal nearly as rapidly or as well if either one is low. The person who posted that it gets better with lyme treatment has a point: Infections affect immunity and hormone balance. That's true. However, we aren't nearly as well equipped to toss out the infections until the hormones are balanced. Given optimal thyroid and adrenal hormone levels, our ability to combat an infection will be greatly improved. (So long as no other stumblingblocks are present such as leaky gut syndrome, heavy metal toxicity or other matters to be diagnosed by your doctor).
B) It is not the adrenals which govern the thyroid, as I understand it, but the thyroid which is the "Master gland" and affects the adrenals. I don't know the complicated back-and-forth relationship like a doctor would so I won't say which to treat first. Probably the thyroid, in my best understanding, but that is only a question to ask your doctor and s/he would know the truth of the matter.
C) Here is a product which I have to rave about. It is a very well-balanced herbal formula to support and calm the adrenals, each alike. It's called Stress Take Care by New Chapter Organics:
The effect of this formula may be somewhat energizing as it balances. For some people the energizing would be good, for others it would be the last thing they would need (contra-indicated in over-stimulated conditions, agitation, with nerve shocks from lyme, etc. Probably very helpful in fatigued or weakened conditions).
If you need a more calming effect even as you strengthen the adrenals, try Tulsi also called Holy Basil, from India. This Ayurvedic herb has thousands of years of history and it has been clinically researched, shown to be an adaptogen (adrenal balancer, helping your body to cope with stress). But with a calming effect instead of energizing. Very safe for long-term use.
I would highly recommend the Paradise Herb brand of Holy Basil. They have extremely high quality herbal extracts, which are concentrated but all alchohol has been removed. No excipients, binders, fillers, etc just the pure herb and really high quality: http://www.iherb.com/Paradise-Herbs-Holy-Basil-60-Veggie-Caps/13059?at=0
Here is Holy Basil again with other adrenal-supporting herbs, alongside ashwaganda which, according to Richard Shames MD in his book Thyroid POwer, has been shown to stimulate T3 and especially T4 thyroid hormone levels. But it also acts as adaptogen so it balances adrenals: http://www.iherb.com/Paradise-Herbs-Holy-Basil-Lotus-Bacopa-60-Veggie-Caps/4631?at=0
Orac Energy Greens by Paradise Herbs would be deeply nourishing, lots of cereal grasses for magnesium and chlorophyll while also containing herbs supporting the adrenals. It would probably tend to be more energizing, so I would not recommend it if nerves are agitated or if there are electrical jolts going on, as lyme patients often have. Very good for a tired body and for deep nourishing: http://www.iherb.com/Paradise-Herbs-ORAC-Energy-Greens-182-g-6-4-oz-Each-Serving/12309?at=0
None of the above statements have been evaluated by the FDA. This information does not diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. Drugs and herbs may interact, talk with your doctor. Use this information as questions to ask your doctor, not as guides. Never self-treat. I am not a doctor.
Posted by chiquita incognita (Member # 30381) on :
HI Wolfed Out I will give your question a try but if anybody has any corrections for me, please by all means post below!
The adrenal glands secrete many hormones. Some of these are sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone et al). Better said, the adrenals secrete DHEA which converts to sex hormones. So the adrenals are involved in balancing sex hormones.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dehydroepiandrosterone
Adrenaline is used to jumpstart a failed heart and contract blood vessels in the hospitals. It is responsible for that racy flight-or-fight feeling we have at moments of danger. Your muscles brace themselves, the heart beats fast, etc it's all because of adrenaline. It gets us in gear to act, fast!
Cortisol I am confused about and anybody who can correct me here, please do. I understand on the one hand that it is anti-inflammatory (used in cortisone creams, for example) and on the other hand, it can be inflammatory too. In my best understanding, it is only when it becomes excessive that it can inflame. Again my understanding is not clear, please correct me if anybody knows more about this than I do!
The adrenals also "Tell" the liver when to release glycogen, a blood sugar metabolite. So they play a role in blood sugar balancing too.
Such is my best understanding. I could have a detail or two wrong, and I am not a doctor.
Posted by Wolfed Out (Member # 23727) on :
Thanks Chiquita,
Maybe you can answer this. Is it normal for blood glucose levels to be inconsistent during routine blood work, or does the value stay consistent in a normal person?
For example:
March bloodwork - Glucose: 85
May bloodwork Glucose: 97
My numbers fluctuate between the mid 80s and 100s.
Posted by chiquita incognita (Member # 30381) on :
Hi Wolfed Out It all depends on the time of day,when you had your last meal, and other factors. So to fluctuate I would think would be normal. Now how much of a fluctuation is normal and healthy, and how much is out of range, is a question to ask your doctor and is also a very important one. I am not allowed to diagnose fyi and would love to be able to assure you yay or nay, but the law forbids it. So does my ethic. I would hate to lead people astray and take them down the wrong road. I am not a doctor.
Posted by chiquita incognita (Member # 30381) on :
PS Friends Okay, now I get it! The cortisol mystery solved. Read here:
on the one hand, it is in itself anti-inflammatory as in the link above. It also suppresses the immunity and my best understanding of that (I am not a doctor) is as follows:
If the immune system is hyperactive, attacking the body itself or otherwise going on over-drive, then cortisol can help to put it in check. That's my assumption, at least. All the more anti-inflammatory.
HOwever if there is excess cortisol and the immune system is too suppressed, then it also will result in inflammation.
Now it begins to make sense!
it's all a balancing act, in my best understanding of this.
Again I am not a doctor and I could have a detail about this wrong. Please correct me if you know something that I don't. Learning is fun.
Posted by 17hens (Member # 23747) on :
I agree also that the adrenals and thyroid need to be addressed in most of us (maybe not the "just got sick, getting short treatment" ones) so that we can better survive the bacteria and the treatment without coming out the other of treament as sick as before. (And I say this from my own family's experience.)
The RN helping my daughter says you have to feed the adrenals. She recommended Standard Process' Adrenal Dessicated, 2 in the am before breakfast, and it seems to be helping some already (been on 3 weeks). She might have more adrenal support planned in the future, as now we're focusing on the liver. I'll have to wait and see.
Next time we see her, she'll check the thyroid. She prefers using basal temperatures much more than the inaccurate blood work for thyroid.
She did say the thyroid needs iodine to work well, so she tested DD's iodine levels. (I think SixGoofyKids has talked about this testing.) You smear iodine on your upper arm, filling in a circle the size of 3 quarters. If your iodine level is good, you will still be able to see some of the mark 24 hours later.
The mark was completely gone on my daughter's arm in 3 hours. That means she is lacking iodine as her body just sucked it in like crazy. It showed DD needs to increase her iodine level but just as important to continue testing as too much iodine is bad too.
The RN put DD on Standard Process' Prolamine Iodine, 1 tab in the am before breakfast. That was 4 weeks ago. Now we are to test again today.
If still significantly difficient, we'll go up to 2 pills. Once we find the correct dosage, we'll continue to test absorption and back down on supplimenting as the level stabilizes.
I have not yet found a doctor I could ask about this sort of stuff. The ones I've met don't know squat about how the body works and how to support it and keep it healthy. They seem to be symptom spotters and medicine experts and that's about it.
Of course, I shouldn't generalize. This is just my experience. But it was not easy finding someone educated in this area of health. It took quite a bit of hunting (and praying).
It must have been a blessing for you, chiquita, to work with and learn from such a man as you described.
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