Suffering With Joy

Adrenal Fatigue, Gluten Intolerance, and War on Ignorance

April 20, 2010

Finally we are getting to the bottom of the chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia issues that keep me limited in activity.  For my readers who may suffer from these difficulties along with insulin resistance and numerous other imbalances, I strongly recommend finding a Natural Health Doctor who can do endocrine gland hormone testing which includes a gliadin test for gluten sensitivity. These tests can be done using saliva collected four times over the day.  No blood drawing is necessary and may even give a false picture because what’s in the blood may not be available to your cells.  That is how many people with thyroid deficiencies end up untreated.  Their blood levels of thyroid say nothing about whether the body cells are able to use the hormone.

What I learned from my current doctor this week is that hormonal imbalance can very well be at the bottom of depression, obesity, insulin resistance, chronic pain, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, insomnia and autoimmune problems such as allergies or diseases like lupus.

In addition to the above, gluten intolerance can be a big factor in creating hormonal imbalances.  It’s really important to know if gluten gives you problems.  Many people today have this sensitivity and don’t know it.  They go to doctors and get prescriptions for symptoms without ever finding out the real issue.  If you have a gluten intolerance, eating wheat, rye, barley, spelt, triticale, kamut and farina will stress your body in a bad way and contribute to adrenal fatigue which leads to other hormonal imbalances. Since everyone’s biological make-up is unique, it is important to look at a large enough picture to know where to start attacking symptoms of imbalance.  Then, with a competent doctor you can begin to solve the problem.  What you need is likely not going to be the same as the next person.

My doctor recommended a combination of supplements for my particular issues and we’ll be getting together in four weeks to see how I’m doing.  This is the first time I’ve felt optimistic about getting better.  We are going to postpone the DNA nutritional assessment I wrote about until we see improvement on the endocrine front.

I’ve been conducting a personal war on my own ignorance for some time now as I’ve continued to search for help.  Please keep looking for someone to help you as I have done.  I know it’s hard because if you are tired all the time just getting out of bed is a challenge.  Don’t give up.  There is an answer for you if you find the right person to help you.  In the meantime, self-education is very valuable.  I recommend Dr. Brownstein’s books, The Miracle of Natural Hormones, and Overcoming Thyroid Disorders Second Edition for insight into some basics.

Because of today’s living styles of dashing about for this, that, and the other thing, stress is a huge factor in adrenal malfunctioning.  Dr. James L. Wilson wrote a very informative and easy to read book, Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome that is a great eye-opener.  Finally, The Cortisol Connection: Why Stress Makes You Fat and Ruins Your Health – And What You Can Do About It will show how the body can get upside down in its cortisol production (mine is) which causes insomnia,  weight gain, and other problems. You can find these and other helpful books in Barb’s Custom Shop under the wellness category.

I’ll be out of town the rest of the week so there may be few posts, but I hope this one will help you in your detective work necessary to start feeling better than you ever have before.

Tip: Look for local practitioners who are members of any of the following: American Alternative Medical Association, American Association of Drugless Practitioners, American Naturopathic Medical Association, and Coalition for Natural Health.

Tags: wellness

1 Comment to Adrenal Fatigue, Gluten Intolerance, and War on Ignorance

1. 

   Great article, Barb! I’ve read about adrenal fatigue. I use a nutritional product called Vega that seems to address this issue as well as other problems. I had stopped taking it for a while and just started back on it. After just a few days I’m already feeling a little better. It’s expensive, though.
   I’m glad you found a good doctor. I just wish insurance would cover alternative health care! I went to a naturopath for a while and it was very expensive. Like you, I try to be my own detective and read many health books
Mary Nicewarner on April 20th, 2010