Adrenal Fatigue

[harmony3p]

I was curious to know how long I should do the protocol for adrenal fatigue.

I don't really know if I have it now but was tested a few years back and it came back positive. Basically they said my adrenals had stopped functioning almost completely. I thought I had gotten myself back to normal but I may have jumped the gun. I am now extremely exhausted again and can't seem to keep up with life at all. I have horrible dark, puffy circles under my eyes. I don't sleep well at all. I have irregular menses. I get overwhelmed easily. I am moody. Along with craving sugar, I also crave protein. Lots of protein. If I don't eat enough protein my body shuts down. I can't concentrate, get dizzy, pale, depressed. I eat a couple eggs and suddenly I am demolishing a wall in the backyard. But the energy doesn't stay. I also experience headaches quite often. Many times they are migraines and the only remedy is a dark, quiet room with a bed. I also fight very heavy depression. It has been much worse in the past but I feel it creeping back in every now and again. I am choosing to fight and ignore it as much as possible but I see the negative effects on the tangible part of my life in that I am unorganized, I zone-out in conversations, I avoid socializing, I don't pursue my passions, etc.

I am 23 and sometimes feel disabled. I push myself to do strenuous activities and work alot. For some reason I figured my body would just get used to it. But it hasn't and my hormones are still screwed up. I have no medical insurance and I can't get tested again. I know I have hypothyroidism but I take armour thyroid and iodine to supplement myself. I am also slightly over-weight. I am 5'11" and at my normal am between 130 and 135... I am very athletic and have those eastern eauropen genes. But I gained about 35 to 40 lbs over my whole body and I can't seem to cut the weight. I especially notice weight around my middle, almost to the point where I can't wear any of my normal clothing because my hips are so narrow. I am doing the candida cleanse and I have been working out. I am assuming the weight gain and the inability to maintain it is from the adrenal fatigue/hormone imbalance. I have done a couple intense colon cleanses and done many liver cleanses. I also take digestive enzymes. I know the weight has little to do with digestive problems.

The good thing is that I don't really get sick at all. I haven't had a cold or the flu or anything like that for quite some time so I know I am building up my immune system slowly but surely. I can probably blame this on the fact that I have a water ionizer and drink 3 liters of alkaline water a day. I also have an infrared sauna. And don't worry, I make sure to take all the right trace minerals/ supplements to make sure my body isn't being sucked dry.

I also would like to know when I can resume strenuous activities again. I get bored with yoga/ pilates and walking. I generally play soccer and do kick-boxing. I'm assuming I should just listen to my body but is there an average amount of time I should focus on doing this?

Natalie

[shelley]

It takes as long as it takes! The only reason to stop is because either you're feeling better, or the more estrogenic herbs are causing you problems.

Weight gain can be due to many issues, including low stomach acids, low probiotics, and low minerals. Low or skewed minerals and other nutrients can really mess a person up. If you're getting migraines and have dark circles etc. etc., your liver is still severely messed up. It may no longer have stones, that's debatable, but it still needs milk thistle and certain compounds that will help it deal with digestion better. Have you taken taurine, lecithin, bupleurum, etc? How much nourishment have you done?

[harmony3p]

I haven't done much for my liver besides the flushing. I just started taking lecithin about 5 days ago. Should I try doing another flush and start taking some other supplements for my liver?

I eat kefir and was going to start making the bieler broth and potassium broth. I eat what I can eat on the candida diet and try to eat as nutrient rich foods as possible. I take a whole host of supplements so I'm not sure if maybe I'm missing something that would aid in my liver problems. I did start taking gotu kola, ashwaganda, licorice root, and gtf chromium and noticed a rather severe improvement not only in my energy but my overall well-being. Not so hopeless as I usually am. And I haven't had a low blood sugar attack like I usually get on a daily basis. I also started taking l-ornithine before I workout and before I go to bed and I actually sleep through the night which is not something I have done in awhile. I feel so much better because of those few changes and I'm starting to wonder if I do have adrenal fatigue or not.

One thing I have been taking as well is yellow dock but only for about 5 days. On the site it said to be careful how much I take because it can cause exhaustion. Should I take it every other day or segment a certain amount of time I should take them?

I haven't been taking the actual trace minerals. I thought I was getting enough in the sea salt and other supplements I was taking but I'm thinking because of how much I go in my sauna and workout and what you said that I may be depleting my body. I always try to cut corners with my supplements because it starts to get horribly expensive to keep up with everything. Guess I'm hurting myself more than I'm helping.

[shelley]

I wouldn't take yellow dock for longer than a week. It's very strong.

Yep, it's amazing how much better we feel with enough chromium and other essential minerals in our system!

One of my main rules for the liver is that liver flushing alone by itself is not enough. If you want to see really good results, you have to take liver-cleansing herbs. Liv.52 or Livatone Plus are both good choices. See the FAQ for more.

[woem]

Hi there,
I actually noticed that i gained weight using armour. I had a lot of reverse t3 and so the t4 in the armour was causing me to gain weight as it was making more reverse t3 in my thyroid. I have since switched to just t3 only and dropped the weight. did you notice any w. gain when you added the armour?
I also have excess estrogen which doesn't help.

[shelley]

Lots of people will gain weight once they up their thyroid because they neglect to also up their intake of protein. When the metabolism goes up, so does the need for good protein. If you don't eat it the body has to steal it from your muscles. Once your muscle mass gets too low, the body cannot deal with sugar AT ALL anymore, and so must store it as fat. Very annoying.