Well, SOBS, we all have stress in our life, no matter how perfect your little universe is. Stress affects us at a cellular level and changes our internal chemistry. After awhile, all these changes cause our adrenal glands to give up on us. I am not going to bore you with the science of it all…instead I am going to tell you the signs of adrenal fatigue and then what we can do about it. You might always be a SOB but you will feel good doing it!

The symptoms of adrenal fatigue or stress-induced-exhaustion are as follows: 

Weight gain around the middle or hip area

Fatigue

Sleep disturbances

Depression/Anxiety

Low blood pressure

Low blood sugar

Changes in skin pigment

NO libido (sex drive)

Menstrual irregularities

Sensitivity to caffeine or other chemicals

Allergies

Basically, you just feel like shit and you don’t know why!  If you go into any doctors office in the world and complain about the above they might test your thyroid, check for anemia, and then probably suggest an anti-depressant as treatment. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! That really cracks me up and pisses me off. Treat the cause not the symptoms people.

So let’s talk treatment…SOBs have to take charge of their own health to change it!  We can’t get rid of stress but we can make our body tougher and more resilient to it.  The results of treatment are slow but over time you will feel better and your body chemistry will change.  Here are the treatment options I lay out for my SOBs:

1.  Lower your cortisol (stress hormone) whenever you can.  Whether that means breathing for 5 minutes, a massage, exercise, reading after the kids are in bed, drinking (no, just kidding), just relax and take some ME time.

2.B-Stress Complex–one or two per day with food.  I give a liquid B-Stress formula that is like rocket fuel…it works! I have it as a product for sale on the site.

3.B5–I recommend an extra B5 per day.

4.Adrenal glandulars/herbal combination–I like a combo product that is POTENT. I use ADR and do 2-4 caps/day

5.Omega 3 oils–2000-3000mg/day (fish is best)

6. If testing (saliva is what I use) reveals a high cortisol at night—Seriphos (phosphatidyl serine) 2 caps/bedtime

7.If testing reveals low cortisol all day, I do prescriptive cortisol 2-4 times per day. This has to be prescribed by a qualified physician….

8. DHEA– 10-25mg/day if testing reveals low levels

9. Anti-oxidant support–resveratrol, Vitamin C, Vitamin E

10. Diet–Whole foods (which means no crappy processed food–lean proteins, fruits, veg, whole grains)

11. Magnesium citrate–500-800 mg/day

I promise that if all you SOBs make a committment to change by doing some of the above your body will love you for it. You will age slower, you will feel better, you will lose weight, you will SURVIVE!  I, personally, treat my adrenals every day with my basic supplementation/wellness guidelines and then do more aggressive treatment once or twice per year to keep my stress in check. I may still be a SOB but atleast my body is reacting healthfully to the stress.

rgds

dr.gb

I love the way the country is turning more GREEN. From sustainable agriculture, to wind power, to recycling , and even to green smoothies. I have heard it a number of times since this time last year that “I want to try something different for my healthcare”…even the GREEN health movement is here! I am getting lots of new patients who want to prevent illness, do anti-aging medicine, love alternative medicine but want a REAL doctors advice. I do pap smears, annual blood work, allergy testing, bio-identical hormone testing/balancing, physicals etc…but my philosophy is to treat naturally.

I am even getting referrals from mainstream MDs that have deemed me competent I guess. This is great news for medicine…truly integrative health care. Although I am a bit fearful of the healthcare reform issues…all we can do is wait and see what the tigers figure out.  In the meantime, enjoy life, health and happiness…and heck, even a green smoothie. 

Dr.J

Smoothie recipe #1:  Add ingredients in this order and blend 1-2 minutes until smooth…I add ice cubes to chill.
2 cups water     3-4 leaves of kale (2 cups chopped)     1 peach    1 green apple   2 tbsp of salba seed (chia seed)  

1 scoop of GREENS first powder (sold in my store)

I have been doing weight loss stuff for 10 years in my practice. I have recommended everything from anti-candida diets, to liver detox, to low carb, to low acid, to you name it…I have done it. I get so sick of people not losing weight or losing then gaining it back!!  How frustrating! 

It truly is physics…calories in and calories burned. I can’t watch what each client puts in their mouth and monitor exercise through a nanny cam….I have wanted to at times.  For example, I had a gal that wanted (and needed) to lose 15 pounds. It would help her blood pressure and her ability to fit into her wardrobe. She did a diet diary for me and I found several interesting things. First, skipped meals…Second, a smoothie for breakfast that was atleast 600+ calories (that was half her calories for the day and she didn’t even eat anything yet). After fine tuning her “I eat healthy” diet, she lost 15 pounds and thought it was miraculous. I do believe some people just don’t have a clue what they are actually putting in their mouths. She also said she exercised 6 days per week….I learned that she did yoga, walked a few miles here and there, and worked in the yard (none of these are true cardio exercise to burn calories or fat). Yes, any activity burns calories but if you are trying to lose weight you need to up the “burn factor” .

I have been prescribing HCG to my clients for the last 2 years. It is a strict diet with hormone injections. Sounds crazy but it is based on research from the 1940’s….It is a detox, a hypoallergy diet, and best of all it fricking works. It lasts 6 weeks so it isn’t overwhelming to commit to, it is very cut and dry, and  it is a heck of a jump start! I have had several people lose over 100 pounds (in multiple sessions) and many others lose 25-40 pounds the first session.

What amazes me is that peoples personalities change after losing weight and feeling empowered. My formerly frumpy fat moms are now sassy hot bitches! My chubby men clients are now masculine chic magnets. (All of this of course is in the head of the beholder…again self confidence ROCKS!)   This weight loss stuff, no matter the diet, is the most rewarding thing for me as a physician…..I bet for YOU as a patient too!

Please check out my weight loss section on the site!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!