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

The most common medical issues that cause low energy are hormonal issues. I see a ton of perimenopausal and menopausal gals and their low energy can be due to LOW ESTROGEN. Heck, the night sweats caused by low estrogen can interupt sleep and cause the fatigue the following day. Low estrogen in general does cause fatigue in some women. Low testosterone can also cause a “lack of endurance” type feeling. It is worth it to get these hormones checked and rule out an issue.

Another hormonal issue that causes low energy is a slow thyroid. Hypothyroidism is present in 1 out of 5 women. I diagnose it every day….The lab ranges on testing really suck! I use an ENDOCRINOLOGISTS range which has much narrower ranges.  Sometimes just the patients symptoms tell me they have a thyroid problem that needs treatment. I treat with both prescriptives and natural products (available on the site). So if you have a sluggish metabolism, poor immune system, constipation, dry skin, thinning hair, fatigue,  cold hands/feet, and/or low body temp you need to get tested. Demand a TSH, free T4, and free T3 thyroid panel…..

Low adrenal function can cause fatigue too! Man, hormones really are important! If you are a stressed out person with fatigue your adrenals could use some help. Look in our adrenal section for great natural products to help. Most people benefit from adrenal help!

I hope you understand the importance of HORMONAL BALANCE in your ENERGY. Yes, nutrition, exercise, ruling out allergies, blood sugar and other issues can cause fatigue but I bet the number one cause of low energy is HORMONAL IMBALANCES!

I see patients everyday that have this “stress syndrome”…In fact, almost all of us have some degree of adrenal fatigue. The good news is that they are fairly easy to treat with natural medicine.  It can take 3 months to 2 years for full function to return but you will feel better  the entire time.

I saw a gal yesterday who said she was WIRED but TIRED. This is the adrenal fatigue syndrome in 3 easy words! She was a career driven woman who at 46 was beginning to slow down. She had kids, a husband, a house, a job…need I say more. Her mom had died this past year and she hadn’t been able to rebound since then.  She was dragging herself out of bed in the morning, had low energy all day, weight gain around her tummy, dizziness, headaches, and then insomnia at bedtime….She had burnt out all her reserves and now her body could not deal with stress (chemically that is).

So how do we fix this stress syndrome and adrenal fatigue? Good nutrition is the first step. Protein and hydration are the most important. I put my patient on atleast one protein shake per day to ensure some good quality protein. A diet rich in fruits and veggies, lean protein, and whole grains is best! (I think this is the best for all of us no matter what the issue!)

Next, I may prescribe some herbal combinations and vitamins. I recommend B5, selenium, vitamin C, omega fatty acids, D3, magnesium glycinate (citrate if you are constipated).  I also like adrenal glandulars with herbs. I use a product called ADR with my clients…it works great!  I may also prescribe DHEA to aid the adrenals.  To help the insomnia I use melatonin or seriphos (phos. serine) before bed.

There are lab tests to help make the picture more clear. I do a saliva test for cortisol, a test for DHEA-SO4, and use basic blood work as well. I spend 60-90 minutes with clients so what they tell me is more important than any lab tests but I do use them.

To reduce stress or make your body more resilient to stress is the goal!  I can help your body  but you have to reduce your own stress! Gentle exercise, baths, meditation, smelling the roses, riding your horse, whatever helps you relax will help your body! 

RGDS

dr.greenbean

With the state of the world as it is, I feel the need to share POWERFUL knowledge to keep people sane. I have practiced as a physician for 10+ years and become more frustrated at the medical community as I go along. We need to try to keep people healthy and center on wellness rather than hand out pills for symptoms and treat diseases as they show up. I HATE that mentality!  I mean, come on, if we prevented obesity we would prevent most heart disease and diabetes……..but instead we wait until people are “large Marges” and then treat with drugs to ward off death.

My site is designed to let people search the blog archives or the site and find their particular imbalances. There are products that can help each issue ailment listed or discussed. The products are pharmaceutical grade (you can’t just buy those at the store) and designed to help the body heal itself. Maybe together we can help your body back to balance and prevent disease down the road!

So if you are sick and tired of being sick and tired get your mind open and search the site for help. The only person that can help you is YOU!  Please check back daily for new entries as the site is brand new and will expand exponentially over the next few months.

GET OFF YOUR DUFF and LIVE!

RGDS–Dr.Greenbean