Adrenal fatigue & remedies

[hannes joubert]

Hey All.

Has anybody had experience with Adrenal fatigue? How is this condition reversed? Can we start an info thread here on this subject?

Look forward to the input...

 

[Zyglamail]

Whats your diet like?

 

[hannes joubert]

Whats your diet like?

Depends on who you ask or what your frame of reference is I suppose.

It is not as clean as a pre contest diet, but is not as dirty as it was in my twenties.

Fruits and veggies as well as whey are a regular feature in my diet. Solid protein in the form of fish and chicken are my main sources of protein. Pork in the form of bacon on a Saturday morning and maybe a steak on a Sunday afternoon BBQ. Coffee has been reduced to a max average of 2 a day. Wheat (in any form) is usually only taken on weekends. Alcahol taken maybe twice a month (two drinks at a time). Have stopped smoking 6 weeks ago. Take away would be taken max twice a week in the form of pizza and KFC/McDonalds. Also try to take a good mix of nuts. Also include olive oil in my salads in the evening.

Full leaded coke/Pepsi and the like is avoided. At least 1.5 litres of water is taken on a daily basis.

Supplement with Omega 3's (3000mg day). Good multi vit, pregnenolone, adrenal support complex, prostate care, horny goat weed complex, resveratrol

Carbs are mostly from pasta/instant noodles and the fruit and veggies as above.

A year ago I underwent a juice fast for 30 days with veggies making up 75% of the juice ingredients. I felt healthy, healthier than I have felt in ages, but, I wasted away, obviously. It also took me 8 months to gain all the weight that I had lost back (that is a LONG time for a rebound) with a really dirty diet (not the above diet).

To be honest I would do the juice fast again if I could somehow negate the loss of muscle mass.

Keep in mind I was diagnosed with low T and adrenal fatigue long before the juice fast, the fast was an attempt to reset the body.

That's all that I can think of at the moment.

H

 

[Zyglamail]

Overall not bad Hannes, I would consider trying to cutback more on anything with grains, you may have a gluten issue exacerbating the adrenal issues. How is your sleep, do you get enough and is it deep?

 

[Power36]

Ive had it...yes you can recover....takes alot of effort, diet, supplements, rest, lifestyle changes.....

 

[hannes joubert]

Ive had it...yes you can recover....takes alot of effort, diet, supplements, rest, lifestyle changes.....

Yip, I am thinking that anything high intensity (be it work or gym etc) is out for the moment, perhaps two years?

 

[hannes joubert]

Overall not bad Hannes, I would consider trying to cutback more on anything with grains, you may have a gluten issue exacerbating the adrenal issues. How is your sleep, do you get enough and is it deep?

Hey Z. So pastas are also out then? I tried to bake a gluten free bread the other day let's just say that it did not work out and leave it at that....back to the drawing board

Sleep, we manage to get about 7 hrs a night during the week and sleep in on the weekends. During the week the sleep never feels like it is enough, during the weekend it actually feels like we sleep to much, but still did not get enough??? Does that make sense? I guess the sleep is not refreshing enough. Cannot say when I last woke up and said "Yes, I am ready for the day"

I have even gone as far as to keep an eye on the ph levels in the body, which seem to be fine anyway.

I will give the grains a rest....

Any other ideas that we may try?

 

[Zyglamail]

Try a ZMA product about an hour before bed on an empty stomach, can help a lot with the quality of sleep.

Yep, pasta is out. It can be hard to get used to but so many people just stress over giving up breads and pasta but its not all that bad. Grab a big slab of meat, big salad, some additional fresh veggies and some fruit. Toss a bunch of olives on the salad and try and use an olive oil based dressing and you wont be hungry. You crave breads and pastas much like suger and its just not that good for us, our bodies have not evolved as fast as our food processing methods and much of what most people eat really throws our bodies for a loop.

If you want to go hard core, for just 30 days google paleo diet. Eat as much as you want of the selected foods, no going hungry, as a matter of fact if your super active it can actually be difficult to eat enough food if doing strict paleo, but after the first week or so I bet you will feel MUCH better.

 

[spainbodybuilder]

Try a ZMA product about an hour before bed on an empty stomach, can help a lot with the quality of sleep.

Yep, pasta is out. It can be hard to get used to but so many people just stress over giving up breads and pasta but its not all that bad. Grab a big slab of meat, big salad, some additional fresh veggies and some fruit. Toss a bunch of olives on the salad and try and use an olive oil based dressing and you wont be hungry. You crave breads and pastas much like suger and its just not that good for us, our bodies have not evolved as fast as our food processing methods and much of what most people eat really throws our bodies for a loop.

If you want to go hard core, for just 30 days google paleo diet. Eat as much as you want of the selected foods, no going hungry, as a matter of fact if your super active it can actually be difficult to eat enough food if doing strict paleo, but after the first week or so I bet you will feel MUCH better.

I just discovered the Paleo diet, interesting for those like me that are suffering from time to time from adrenal fatigue.

 

[Power36]

Yip, I am thinking that anything high intensity (be it work or gym etc) is out for the moment, perhaps two years?

All depends but generally yes....you need to chill....hard core training is out for the moment, and it might sound candy ass but stuff like walking, yoga, tai chi, meditaiton, breathing exercises, and other relaxation strategies are best.....Relaxation Response by Dr. Herbert Benson is a good book that explains how important chilling out is for the body....there is also a book by Dr. Wilson Adrenal Fatigue, that outlines all the supplements, lifestyle changes, and diet changes that can help...

Depending on where you live, finding the right doctor can be a huge help....search for a functional or integrative doctor in your area, but be warned most doctors who are hip to Adrenal Fatigue and do functional or integrative medicine cannot take insurance, as its too much a pain in the ass because traditional medicine does not believe in this condition....to me its real as can be, ive lived it.....if you get tested for cortisol levels throughout the day, using saliva, the right doctor can help see how "bad" it is....you can do cortisol with blood labs, but you need to see how it fluctuates throughout the entire day....

hard core training is out....you gotta eat clean, and the more meat and veggies you eat the better, just eat like a caveman....and sleep alot, and lay down or take naps during day if you can....hydrate...eliminate stressors if you can, whether it be people, places, or situations you can live without for a while that cause any sort of tension.....even if yoga/tai chi type stuff sounds wimpy, get some CDs or DVDs on meditation, breathing exercises, or just the relaxation type chill out music, light some candles, and try to hang out 20 minutes a day in silence without distractions....

Eliminate stimulants, and activities that cause adrenaline spikes.....if you are an adrenaline addict like I was, you gotta take a chill on that stuff...as well training too much or too often is not good at this time...it took me about 1.5 years to recover, but I was a severe case, and I took 1.5 years off of doing nothing but self care, chilling out, and getting to the right doctors...most people cant take the time off I did, so you need to manage your current life the best you can...if you try to "push through it" you will end up making yourself worse or delaying full recovery....