Who Has Chronic Fatigue aka Adrenal Fatigue? Are You Being Treated For It? (juice, remedies)

[Ruth4Truth]

Some countries are better prepared to diagnose and treat Adrenal Fatigue (often called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in the US). If anyone here has suffered from this, or is currently struggling with it, please share your experiences, symptoms and effective remedies, if any.

[TiredOfSFL]

I've had adrenal fatigue for years but have not been treated for it because most doctors only know about the extreme adrenal conditions so the usual urine or blood tests came back as "normal". I can't afford to go to a naturopath right now so I'm only doing what I can. On several occasions I've taken adrenal support supplements and they've helped but I probably needed more than that.

About 28 years ago I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia and in 2000 with hypothyroidism, both of which often go together with adrenal issues, so my problems are probably pretty long-standing. One thing I know is that I've never had a good tolerance for stress, and right now I'm probably at a very low point again.

In the past year have had 2 thyroiditis attacks and they go accompanied with symptoms I'm sure are adrenal related, the last one started exactly on April 30 and was horrible, I kept having some scary episodes of accelerated heartbeats, feeling hot all over, queasiness or nausea, colics and diarrhea. Finally, after almost 3 weeks the attacks ceased but I had a minor one last week. My liver is also involved in this and I know there's a relationship between sluggish liver function and hypoglycemia and, therefore, the adrenals (indirectly I think). I began feeling better after starting a raw adrenal supplement but lately I haven't taken it very regularly.

I was recently told by an acquaintance who happens to be a chiropractor to "eat protein every 2 hours" to heal my adrenals. That seemed extreme since protein takes at least 3 hours to be digested. I did know as a hypoglycemic that I was supposed to eat small meals frequently, but frankly, I've rarely been able to do that and perhaps the abuse I've subjected my adrenals to in that regard and also through several other stressors in my life that I might've been able to minimize is what's got me stuck here.

Oh, I also have serious sleep problems which contribute to the adrenal problem, and conversely, my most recent "attacks" made the sleep problem even worse, I'm sleeping entirely during the day and for weeks I've just been going to sleep later and later. So right now I don't know when or if I'll ever be able to get back to normal again.

While doing some searches I found posts of other AF sufferers who had hair tests and the majority agrees that AF seems to stem from a mineral imbalance, and several of the people had high copper levels. I want to have a test like that some day because I know I have problems with minerals, and to that regard I was recently reading how must illnesses stem from mineral deficiencies not just due to poor diet but because of soil depletion, in any case I've always known that the soil in different areas may be rich in some minerals but poor or totally lacking in others so that kind of made sense to me. Most mineral supplements have only a certain number of minerals but all the time I'm reading about research on lesser known minerals that show they may be important for our health so as soon as I can afford it I'm going to order again a liquid mineral supplement (in ionic colloidal form) to see if that helps, I've taken them before but not for that specific purpose but perhaps they had helped to "hold down the fort" so I wouldn't get any worse, I've read stories of people with AF who have been unable to get out of bed so that made me count my blessings!

[Ruralgalnebraska]

Hello,
I'd sure like to get down to the bottom of all of this as well! I've been suffering with it for many years...like around 17. I talked to a man who said it is tied in with my getting a hysterectomy and was put on bio identical hormones. I do feel better! I have also been taking a liquid called "IntraMax" which my cousin recommended who also has same symptoms. I truly am feeling oh so much better but now the lastest "mystery." Pain in one of my feet/ankles which is causes stiffness in the evenings. At times it is also in my knee and even up into my hip on the same leg which makes me very afraid. Wondering if this could be gout due to the meat I seem to need to eat to keep from having the low blood sugar.
It's so odd that we all seem to have the same type of symptoms and how it affects so many different areas.
My symptoms have been: (past and present)
Fatigue
Frequent urination
Dizziness
Chronic Vertigo
Muscle weakness
Depression
Low stress tolerance
Anxiety
Headaches
Swollen neck glands

I don't even want to go on as it's making me depressed!
BUT...I have hopes now with this IntraMax and bioidentical hormones that I will get continue to get better.
After starting on the IntraMax for a few days...I took out ALL the other supplements I had been taking which didn't seem to work anyway...and am just using the IntraMax plus some probiotics at night before bed.
I am thinking to start up on some cherry juice to see if this helps the stiffness and pain in my joints on my left leg.
I wonder how all of this got started?
The man I spoke to said he believes a person has a hormone imbalance when they are young and it begins to cause all kinds of troubles.
As I look back, my troubles began BEFORE my hysterectomy and then got even worse after that.

I thank the Lord that I FEEL better and my hope is to completely heal that I may be able to help others with the same sort of things.

[Ruralgalnebraska]

OH...also...was having so many heart palpitations after eating and then resting that I took myself in the the doctors office one day. They ran many tests (am still making payments on them, over $1000) yet the only thing that they found was my heart was irregular and did I want to see a cardiologist and/or begin taking a beta blocker? I said no thanks.
I then asked if I could be tested for adrenal fatigue and the PA I saw said that there was no test and also no treatment. I had done my homework online and asked if they didn't know about the cortisol saliva test????? She said she knew someone that did these and gave me his name.
I had the cortisol saliva test ($109) and consultation ($60) with a compounding pharmacist.
My cortisol levels were way high in the morning and then dropped like at 10 a.m. and stayed down. He is the one who suggested I get on the bioidentical hormones and faxed the scrip to the PA.
I started the IntraMax like a month later then....it's kind of expensive ($72.95 for a one months supply) but I was spending far more per month on all the other supplements which I felt no different after taking. At least with this...I feel better...plus I KNOW I am detoxing.

[parasol]

Have you considered a magnesium deficiency? Most of us are, and the result can cause debilitating effects on the body. I've just recently learned about magnesium bicarbonate water and its ability to raise the magnesium level in the body, providing almost instant relief of many ailments. So far it's helping with my energy levels and muscle spasms in my back.

I strongly encourage you to do a 5-10 minute search regarding magnesium bicarbonate online. You can make it yourself at home very easily using plain milk of magnesia and carbonated water. Mg(OH)2 + 2CO2 ---> Mg(HCO3)2

Cheers to feeling better.

[in_newengland]

When I first got really sick, about 20 years ago, I was diagnosed with extremely low magnesium. But no matter how much magnesium I took, it stayed low. They even injected me with it and the levels were still really low, as if they hadn't even done anything at all.

Do you mean that this magnesium bicarbonate would make the magnesium STAY in your body? My dr said I was a magnesium "waster".

[parasol]

Originally Posted by in_newengland

When I first got really sick, about 20 years ago, I was diagnosed with extremely low magnesium. But no matter how much magnesium I took, it stayed low. They even injected me with it and the levels were still really low, as if they hadn't even done anything at all.

Do you mean that this magnesium bicarbonate would make the magnesium STAY in your body? My dr said I was a magnesium "waster".

What type of magnesium were you taking? Also curious if they tested only the serum levels or the red blood cell level? I tried magnesium citrate but I didn't 'feel' any different after taking it. After ingesting the water I feel a difference - perhaps due to the better bioavailability. It was just too easy to make that I had to try it. I have magnesium (chloride) oil which is worth trying as well - you apply to the skin which absorbs it. I don't know if the water would boost your levels but I'd imagine over time it has the potential to.

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by parasol

What type of magnesium were you taking? Also curious if they tested only the serum levels or the red blood cell level? I tried magnesium citrate but I didn't 'feel' any different after taking it. After ingesting the water I feel a difference - perhaps due to the better bioavailability. It was just too easy to make that I had to try it. I have magnesium (chloride) oil which is worth trying as well - you apply to the skin which absorbs it. I don't know if the water would boost your levels but I'd imagine over time it has the potential to.

I don't remember what type of magnesium I was taking but I do know that the doctor tested the levels within the cells, not in the blood itself. She said that testing it within the blood was useless because your body will always try to keep the blood in balance. Same for calcium, the body will take the calcium from the bones just to keep the serum levels up.

The other day, after reading this thread, I bought magnesium maleate and I think I am absorbing it because my foot cramps went away. Now if it would just help me with fibro pain and with sleep.

[parasol]

Originally Posted by in_newengland

I don't remember what type of magnesium I was taking but I do know that the doctor tested the levels within the cells, not in the blood itself. She said that testing it within the blood was useless because your body will always try to keep the blood in balance. Same for calcium, the body will take the calcium from the bones just to keep the serum levels up.

The other day, after reading this thread, I bought magnesium maleate and I think I am absorbing it because my foot cramps went away. Now if it would just help me with fibro pain and with sleep.

That's great! Sometimes it takes a little work to find the magnesium that's right for you and your body's absorption abilities. I'm still loving the magnesium bicarbonate water, magnesium oil, and now I'm trying to acclimate myself to the magnesium citrate I bought a while back. I don't think my body likes that one if I take the proper dosage, but I'm going to give it another go now that I've been getting daily magnesium supplementation.

[in_newengland]

After a few days on the magnesium maleate, I THINK the fibro pain IS GOING AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's not helping with sleep but I think it's helping the muscle pain. That would make sense because magnesium relaxes tight muscles. I think that with CFS/fibromyalgia there is a stress component along with a physical component--the stress part causes you (well, some of us anyway) to tense your muscles over a period of time.

That might mean that you would have needed extra magnesium at the time of the stress so that your muscles wouldn't tighten up. I'm supplying the magnesium after the fact but it seems to be working.

I think the trick is to take it throughout the day and then to keep on taking it, don't just stop. I'm taking a good cal/mag too so that I don't deplete my calcium by taking too much magnesium.

Hoping to get physical therapy in a heated pool sometime--that worked wonders 12 years ago when I got fibro. The fibro dr said 20 minutes of aerobic exercise every day. I was so weak that it had to be in a heated pool with a fibro/arthritis coach giving us the exercises to do.

She gave me land exercises to do at home but they were all lying on the floor exercises because I was so weak.

I got better that way.