Adrenal Fatigue and Weight Gain
Tuesday, July 14, 2009 at 8:26PM My two biggest complaints I give any doctor are weight gain and depression. I have tried a myriad of therapies over the past couples of years in order to address these primary issues and some secondary issues. A brief list of these therapies have included thyroid medication, hormone creams, mega dose supplements, anti depressants, vitamin D, and sun lamp therapy. So far, none of these treatments have eased my depression or helped me lose weight.
After feeling so bad for so long and having so many failed attempts to feel well, I feel like I am at rock bottom. I started to analyze my "depression" and how it seems to be getting in the way of doing the exercise that I need in order to lose weight. My depression feels much more like what I imagine chronic fatigue syndrome must feel like. I simply have no energy. And when I say "no energy" I don't just mean for vigorous exercise. It's hard to admit this but I mean that I can barely function and have been feeling this way for about two years with the last year being the worst. I spend most of my day laying down. Any small movement makes me feel dizzy, exhausted and sleepy. In a given 24hr period I average about 12-16 hours of sleep and I don't feel rested when I am awake. I am barely functioning.
Typing in a list of symptoms brought me to a condition called "Adrenal Burnout". I'm not sure if this is my problem but I think it warrants further investigation given the extreme nature of my exhaustion. Here are a few symptoms associated with adrenal burnout:
- low blood pressure
- low body temperature
- low blood sugar
- chronic exhaustion
- need for excessive sleep
- decreased perspiration
- muscle weakness
- depression
- weight gain
- symptoms not helped by thyroid medication
As far as treatment goes, there seem to be no quick fixes. In fact, many web experts suggest it can take anywhere from 1 to 5 years to fully recover, depending on the severity of the problem. This is not good news for me (or could it be a life-changing opportunity?) at this point in my life. I have decided to consult an acupuncturist before doing anything else because that was next on my list of treatments to try anyway. I will keep blogging on my acupuncture experiences and adrenal burnout.
Georgia T.
After this post I did a six-weekly session of acupuncture (all I can afford at this time) and I believe it really helped. If you don't have a needle phobia, I highly recommend trying acupuncture. I felt stronger each session and I now have enough energy to exercise moderately. I am also continuously working on improving my diet, sleep habits, stress level, etc. I feel like I am about 60-70% back to my healthy self. Wish me luck!
Reader Comments (2)
Georgia and everyone else with Hypothyroid;
I read what you wrote on "stop the thyroid madness" and had to follow the link so I could write to you. I was diagnosed with hypo thyroid 2 years ago and have had plenty of ups and downs since. I switched off of levothyroxine 8 months ago when I found my natural doctor and was put on Armour Thyroid, but I still had some issues.
I have come to believe I too have Adrenal problems. I sorta stumbled into it while researching my dry eye issues on the internet and discovered that EVERY single one of my thyroid issues is also a direct symptom of adrenal dysfuntion (including dry eyes), and in many cases, a thyroid disorder is actualy a SYMPTOM of Adrenal problems, and vice versa too. I was amazed to hear this. But even more amazing, my natural Doc (who is also VERY well known for his cutting edge therapies) never ONCE mentioned any of this to me...especially since from what I read, if you have one chances are you are gonna have the other too. So just a few days ago I started taking "bee" products, like Royal Jelly, Bee Propolis, and Bee Pollen every day. These "natures miracles" are huge supporters to the adrenal glands (well, more correctly, to your entire body, since what they can do for basically ANY disease or disorder defies the entire scientific community) and am happy to report that after just a few days I "feel" a big difference. Bee products are also incredible mood boosters, antiviral and antifungal, and great for assisting the immune system (and I need all the help I can get). You can buy all 3 bee products together or individually, in pill form, or gel capsel, or in liquid form with honey (as a stabalizer) that you can just eat right out of the jar. I got the liquid form with all 3 in a small amount of honey. It can run expensive at some places (like $50-$80 for aproximatly a 3 month supply), but Amazon.com has great prices ($15-$40 for a 3 month) and the products come straight from small bee farmers. I have become quite the naturalist, so whatever I can find with the least amount of processing and refining I can get is what I want. Oh, and the higher the mg the better (IE: 20,000 mg of Royal jelly and up) especially when you are starting out and need all the adrenal support you can get. Maybe it will even help with my Dry eyes too.
And another tip, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. Seriously, another one of "natures miracles". I found out about this one from my favorite natural doctors site www.mercola.com. I ditched those fake-butters and other cooking oils for this (but I do keep extra virgin olive oil, since it is so healthy too) about 2 months ago and love it. Once heated, It melts down fast and doesn't have the same coconut flavor as it does cold, so don't worry, your fried chicken won't taste like coconuts. And it doesn't burn in the pan like butter will. It is perfect for baking, frying, sauteeing, ect. It doesn't go rancid, and it is WONDERFUL tasting blended cold in a smoothie. Plus, it supports healthy thyroid function, heals dry skin and hair, raises metabolism, etc. Google it. You will be amazed. Wow, I am writing a novel here....
Anyway, the last thing I will say before I cut myself off here is that I HUGELY recommend if you have a thyroid disorder is taking Kelp. It is a sea veggie loaded with natural iodine and is so supportive of thyroid health. I get mine in bottled liquid form from my local health food store and it is super inexpensive. This small bottle (with dropper) was only $4.50 and you only need 4-8 little drops a day. This bottle will easily last over a month. Possibly 2. Definatly worth it.
Georgia I hope all this helps. I know it has for me.
Charity
Charity,
Thanks so much for the comment. I never expected anyone would actually read my blog so I rarely check it which is why it took me so long to get back to you. My apologies! Thank you for all of your tips. I will definitely try everything you suggested. I am feeling a lot better than I was when I last wrote that post but I am not 100% yet. Shortly after that post I started getting acupuncture every week and it helped. Each week that I went back, I had more energy than the week before. I have been able to start exercising again and feel rejuvenated rather than exhausted after moderate physical activity. I am lucky to live in rural England right now and have access to all kinds of local organic products so hopefully I can get local bee pollen products. Thanks again for taking the time to reach out to me!