feeling fat, fuzzy or frazzled?

mle_ii · Post by **mle_ii** » Sat Mar 24, 2007 11:12 pm

I just finished reading a book called "feeling fat, fuzzy or frazzled?" by Richard Shames, MD and Karilee Shames, PhD, RN.

In a nutshell it goes into how the three types of hormones effect the body, how they might be out of balance and how to balance them. Specifically we're talking about the thyroid, sex and adrenal hormones. The information about how they work and work with each other, what testing you can get done, how to interpret some of these things was very well written, easy to understand and in line with everything else I've read about the subject thus far.

There's a section where you can answer some questions to help you figure out which area to work on or if you have multiple areas which ones to work on first. If you have problems figuring out where your balance is off it gives you the information you need to figure out what testing to do.

The go into how to balance these hormones via exercises, relaxation, nutritional, vitamin, mineral, amino acid, and herbal supplements. All the way to glandulars, synthetic and natural forms of the hormones themselves.

Very easy to read, understand and figure out how to put into practice. I'd highly recommend this book for others to read who have what they think are hormonal issues regarding thyroid, adrenal and sex hormones.

Thanks,
Mike

harvest_table · Post by **harvest_table** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 12:28 am

Mike,

Aside from eating whole fresh foods, daily exercise helps me feel less fat and frazzled without a doubt. I'll look at that article.

Thanks,
Joanna

Polly · Post by **Polly** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 8:41 am

Hi Mike,

I consider myself lucky that, so far, I haven't had any hormonal problems. And I do regular exercise, meditate to relax, eat fresh whole plain foods, and take 1200 IU of vitamin D daily. Because of my multiple intolerances, I can't do most supplements - they usually make me sick.

For us as a group, we are probably more likely to acquire hormonal problems because of autoimmune (AI) causes. Like Hashimoto's, which results in hypo(low) thyroidism. I am wondering if adrenal insufficiency has been linked to an AI cause? Have you read about this in your travels? Maybe it's more than just stress-related (depleting our adrenals over time) - maybe we can form actual antibodies to adrenal tissue? This also happens with Diabetes type I (which someone here has - is it Numbered Barb?) where antibodies are made to the pancreas and then destroy it.

I especially feel lucky, given that both my mom and g-mom had Hashimoto's and needed to take Armour thyroid daily throughout their lives. I guess MY genes for AI disease were programmed to make antibodies to my colon bacteria (which causes the MC in the first place) and to food proteins rather than to any of my own body tissues. Knock on wood that I don't start making tissue antibodies! LOL.

Interesting issue......

Thanks,

Polly

mle_ii · Post by **mle_ii** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 10:58 am

I can't remember if Addisons is autoimmune, but it is genetic from what I remember.

As far as stress is concerned, what is stress? We mainly seem to pin it down to mental stress caused by internal/external factors. Yet stress can be more than that. It is stress on the body to have to handle inflamation, food allergies/intollerances, ridding the body of heavy metals, toxins, not absorbing enough calories/minerals/vitamins/amino acids/fats, lack of oxygen to the body, lack of water. Add all these up and include those mental internal/external stresses and no wonder we're stressed.

Death by a thousand papercuts.

bobh · Post by **bobh** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 11:06 am

Polly wrote: I am wondering if adrenal insufficiency has been linked to an AI cause? ....maybe we can form actual antibodies to adrenal tissue?

I was tested for that 3 months ago and came out negative (Wow, something that isn't wrong with me!)

Here's the info on it http://autoimmunedisease.suite101.com/blog.cfm/1441

Post by **tex** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 11:40 am

As I mentioned in another post, in the "Treatments" forum, Addison's disease is listed as a localized autoimmune disease.

http://www.labtestsonline.org/understan ... mmune.html

Tex

mle_ii · Post by **mle_ii** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 11:57 am

Thanks tex. What is the antibody produced? Can it be tested?

Oh and take a look at this:
http://www.labtestsonline.org/understan ... sease.html

Secondary adrenal insufficiency is due to a decrease in the production of the pituitary hormone ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone). ACTH is a pituitary messenger -- it tells the adrenal cortex to produce cortisol. If there is insufficient ACTH -- due to pituitary damage, a pituitary tumor, or some other cause -- then cortisol production is not stimulated. Secondary adrenal insufficiency can also arise when corticosteroid therapy (such as prednisone, which may be given to relieve inflammation in conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis) is abruptly halted. These treatments suppress natural cortisol production and it can take several weeks or months for normal production to resume. With secondary adrenal insufficiency aldosterone production is usually not affected.

I've never taken corticosteroids such as prednisone, but other's here have. I'm also wondering if I'm having problems with ACTH instead of cortisol. Why I say this is that I just found that ACTH causes Alkaline Phospatase to increase, and I have low ALP.

Though I also found a quote saying that adrenal insufficiency can cause low ALP levels. Guess I'm off to do more research here. LOL

mle_ii · Post by **mle_ii** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 12:06 pm

Well it appears that 21-hydroxylase autoantibodies are found in Addison's disease, but it doesn't mention anything about adrenal insufficiency.

annie oakley · Post by **annie oakley** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 1:14 pm

I have felt Just like the title of your post for the last three years, and no one has said different......Didn't know there was anothe rway to feel.
Love Oma

bobh · Post by **bobh** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 1:52 pm

Oma, you may want to check your Free T3, Free T4, and the Cortisol levels. You can do it all for $141 without a prescription. http://thecanaryclub.org/content/view/196/52/

Just going to the doctor once would cost half of that. then at least you know what your labs are like, and can think about how to proceed at that point.

bobh · Post by **bobh** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 1:59 pm

mle_ii wrote:Well it appears that 21-hydroxylase autoantibodies are found in Addison's disease, but it doesn't mention anything about adrenal insufficiency.

This one does: The term adrenal antibodies refers to several different autoantibodies that are directed against the adrenal cortex, the outer layer of tissue surrounding each of the adrenal glands. Adrenal antibodies are also known as adrenocorticol antibodies or, more accurately, adrenocorticol autoantibodies (ACA). ACA destroy adrenal tissue, interfering with hormone production, by damaging various adrenal proteins, particularly the 21-hydroxy enzymes. For this reason, 21-hydroxy or 21-OH antibodies are considered more sensitive indicators of autoimmune adrenal insufficiency.
http://autoimmunedisease.suite101.com/blog.cfm/1441

Again, I have flat-lining Cortisol levels when measured at 4 points throughout the day, but don't have these antibodies per lab test in January.

As noted previously on other posts, just the fact of having low thyroid levels can impact the adrenals, and they will attempt to produce more to maintain metabolism (elevated levels) and eventually fail as they can't do it any more, and you enter into stages 4 ->7 of adrenal insufficiency. that would be "primary", and "secondary" is when the pituitary is not sending the signals, which can happen for a variety of reasons including the sudden stopping of Prednisone you mentioned, or severe viral illness, etc.

At the end of the day, it is real simple. You check the dipstick, if the labs are low, you decide how to approach it. If it is secondary AI, that may help you formulate your impression of if this needs to be a supplementation for life, or if the adrenals were simply fatigued, you might want to know that when you try to wean off Cortef in about 6 months to see if they respond.