Adrenal Fatigue... or CFS explained from TCM point of view.

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JadeDoo

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Saw this video on youtube a while back and though wow this is like the story of my life. Thought I might share with with you guys here, maybe I'll help somebody out.


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Adrenal fatigue is actually a really common issue for many people, even people who aren't "sick" like we are. It's the result of how hard we have to work to simply just live these days.

What made me realize I really needed help last year was when I "hit a brick wall" and stopped recovering energy. I was suddenly fatigued all the time. The naturopath I ended up seeing told me that I was living on adrenaline for several years, since my natural energy bank has been long depleted. My adrenaline finally wore out. So he's working on healing my adrenal glands in addition to the rest of my body. He's ordered me not to do anything that causes adrenaline, including drinking caffeine. I can have it in small amounts, but I do notice that if I have slightly too much that my adrenaline flares like crazy and it kinda hurts my whole body. I can't calm down and get extremely anxious.

Keeping my adrenaline levels as calm as possible has helped in my recovery, for sure. We need to learn to stop relying on adrenaline!
 
When have you started your therapy with your Naturopathy? And how have the recovery been like? I have serious insomnia probably for years, and I used to basically drink alcohol to put my energy out in the nighttime when at social gatherings otherwise I would barely be able to open my eyes due to not getting any sleep the day before and I think this probably really hurt my body.

Do you have any other tips other than trying to fix your sleep and stay away from caffeine?
 
I started treatment with him last November, and I've been very diligent with his regimen since. He's altered a few things along the way. The recovery has been a slow roller coaster ride, but I AM recovering. When I first saw him I could hardly talk to anyone coherently, getting out of bed was extremely draining, and my husband seriously thought I was dying because I was so unresponsive to everything. Now getting out of bed is a non-issue (most days,) I can think well enough to talk to people without sounding like a complete airhead and idiot, and I'm able to do some types of exercise and chores. I'm still forgetful, my memory is still poor, I wear out easily, and I can never predict how my day will be. I have bad days and I have good days. On my best days I'm still not nearly as energetic as a normal healthy person, but it's enough that I can function. I'm not stable enough to work yet either. So big improvement since last November, but I have a ways to go. My naturopath told me because of how depleted I was, the recovery might take a year or longer, and that I may not ever be as healthy as a "normal" person. But I can get close enough in time, he thinks.

For my fatigue specifically, I'm taking a multi vitamin, B complex, Vitamin D, mercury-free cod liver oil, chromium, and Rhodiola. I'm taking other supplements, and I know some of them do help with fatigue because they heal my organ damage, but their specific purpose is to heal something else. Diet is extremely important in the recovery. I have very low blood sugar (I'm hypoglycemic,) so I have to eat light every 2 hours. He has me eating very high protein, and no carbs, sugars, or starches. I essentially eat grass-fed beef, pasture-raised chicken, non-starchy tree nuts, and non-starchy and non-nightshade vegetables and nothing else. Sugar spikes my adrenaline and my insulin, which hurts my adrenal glands and makes my hypoglycemia worse because I'll have too much insulin production. Sugar is my worst enemy (no honey, fruit, or any form of sweetener!) I simply can't digest starch at this point, because of organ issues, but starch breaks down too quickly, and the body treats it like a fast-burning fuel like sugar. It also produces too much insulin. So no grains whatsoever! I have to get my heartrate up daily for a while in order to burn off all the protein I eat, because if protein isn't burned it can become toxic. Exercise is really hard, and I'm not improving at it, but it is helping calm my fibromyalgia.

I can't do anything that gets my adrenaline levels up. So I'm not allowed to go on amusement park rides, watch scary movies, play high action or horror video games, or anything like it. I also have to avoid stress to the best of my ability. This is the hardest part, obviously, because I don't have a lot of control over stressful life situations.

As for sleep, I'm taking a TON of sleeping herbs at night. I still have insomnia issues and I can't sleep without getting "knocked out" first. I can't use alcohol because my digestive organs can't handle it right now, and it prevents deep sleep. He has a special mixture of herbs I take in a large amount, but I know that valerian root, skull cap, hops, and lemon balm are a very effective sleeping combination. I have to take enough to overpower my adrenal glands, so it ends up being about 10-15 pills a night. Most people only take one or two herbal pills at a time, then complain that herbs are weak. Well, they're not weak if you take enough. Taking enough is key! They won't leave you groggy or hangover either. I also do a bit of light relaxation yoga before bed, and I have an aromatherapy diffuser that I use "sleep aid" essential oil in. Sleep is such a chore, ugh! But I have been sleeping well, for the most part, and it's made a HUGE difference!

I would honestly suggest adding prayer or meditation into your sleeping ritual, but I don't even do that because I lack the mental energy to focus like that. If you can, do!

The key to all of this is to keep your adrenal glands as calm as possible. Food, stress, and lack of sleep are the 3 main things to push your adrenals too hard.

I hope all this helps!
 
I have tried to do mediation but the level of discipline is extremely difficult to do everyday. One thing I was able to do is change my diet to be all organic and eat a lot more veggies and fruits than I used to; I got a magic bullet blender so that made things easier. I find though that my sleep is probably the culprit. 10-15 years of sleep deprivations sometimes up for 48hrs can't be good for you. Have you check out the Dr.Berg Acpupressure device thing before? It's kinda expensive, so I never purchased it though I do have this wooden acupressure thing that I use to massage or press on my shoulders and neck before I go to sleep and it seems to help a whole lot. Better than all the tea stuff that I've been drinking like Valerian roots, chamomile and etc. So I do believe that remove the stress built up in body tightness by pressure points can be very helpful especially for sleep. Maybe you should look into it. Plus I don't think too much of anything is good for you even if it's herbal tea. Thanks for the info, I wish you well and hope you get a steadfast recovery.
 
Ah, I don't drink tea for sleep as it makes me pee too often - these are actual pills, which are much stronger than tea. You're right, too much of anything isn't good for you, but I don't believe I'm anywhere close to too much.

I have an acupressure mat, which cost me about $30. Is that similar to what you're talking about? It does help relax me considerably, but it's also very intense and I don't like to use it unless I'm in pain.
 
Hi, I have been diagnosed with CFS and i also have weak adrenals. The problem with my adrenals is that i need a good sleep, but my adrenals also often prevent me from a good night sleep. I wake up once or twice, so i miss my deep delta sleep fases.

To make sure i minimize waking up at night, I do not drink after 21:00, i go to sleep at 22:15. I do not sport after 19:00, because if you sport later in the evening, this can keep you from sleeping or getting to sleep. And because of my adrenals, i try not to get to much excited during the day or at night, so no action movies or horror at night. Better to read a book and relax.

And last but not least i always meditate before going to bed, this relaxed the mind and body and it has been proven that your sleep is of better quality if you meditate.

Does anybody has another good tip for me for better sleeping at night?
 
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