Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome by Dr James Wilson

Tired All the Time: Ever Heard of Adrenal Fatigue?

It's good to see how many people who are following Lumigrate are interested in the connection between our level of health and what we put into and onto our bodies.  One of the topics that we're frequently asked about, and are really trying to help people become aware of, is 'adrenal fatigue'.  A wonderful book on this topic which I highly recommend is by Dr. James Wilson, a naturopath and chiropractor (AND a PhD in Human Nutrition from Univ. of Arizona).  He has master's degrees in bio/nutrition and experimental psychology. 

I found his book on the bookshelf at the local health food store and bought ever copy I could fine in town (Barnes and Noble, Hastings) AND a couple in Denver in order to get them into the hands of the Lumigrate providers who I thought could really make a contribution to the understand of chronic illness related to this condition. 

The book's title is Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome.  I hope that if you find this interesting and applicable, you'll find a copy and read it.   This is clearly "a common and growing problem of modern life," as he says. Also important to note, there can be extremely serious endocrinology issues which have similar symptoms and consultation with such specialists would be warranted; they are concerned I hear, that people will be dismissing things with this common 'adrenal fatigue' umbrella.  The book identifies the differences in quite a lot of detail and then focuses on how to go about repairing it. 

Essentially, we're made to run from bears .. but not all day.  In my mind, all things which burden the body/mind/spirit fill the body/barrel and you can counteract that by doing things which offset, but if that in/out gets more contributing, then you'll spill over into 'chronic illness', like a barrel that gets full and spills over.  

This full barrel syndrome model is something provided to Lumigrate in it's formative times by Dr. Christopher Lepisto, a naturopathic doctor. We launched in 2009 with a 20 minute video on Lumigrate titled "Chronic Illness: Full Barrel Syndrome."  (Go to the videos tab and simply click for the snippet to play, it's only about a minute and gives you the overview -- OR it's also gone over more thoroughly at this topic in the fibromyalgia 'best bets' forum here at Lumigrate : 

www.lumigrate.com/forum/my-interview-naturopathic-medicine-cfs-and-fms-cinda-crawfords-website.  Here's the graphic we had drawn up of the barrel analogy to make this easier to envision. You'll see at the link above, if you go, that we also delve into the other analogy brought to us later by medical doctor Marc Spurlock, which is about 'load theory' and uses an elevator analogy. 

  < Lumigrate's/Lepisto's "full barrel syndrome" model               Lumigrate/Spurlock's "load theory model"  >       

(Note: blockquote/grey area here edited in October 2014

I REALLY recommend this book because it pulls together a lot of information in an easy to read way -- it gives enough information so you really understand it. It may be more detail that some people enjoy, but for most proactive medical consumers today, I think Dr Wilson really finds a good balance. And if it's too much -- skim it/ skip it!  

I'm having to give a very brief overview, but it includes a lot of information about lifestyle and dietary changes that can be made to help bring a person out of adrenal fatigue and to health.  He does a wonderful job of talking about dietary supplements and hormones.  Food allergies are brought into play in a very good way, including the type of information our Dr. Lepisto's 'Food Allergies' video covers: IgE/skin testing being different than food sensitivities and IgG food allergies.  You'll see from my contributions about the food allergies video on Lumigrate that this plays a big part in my health problems but fortunately I thought to investigate that way back in the beginning.

The way he goes about looking at who most frequently has adrenal fatigue: Taking insurance company actuarial tables of mortality rates, drug abuse, and number of sick days in different professions and eliminate physically dangerous jobs, the mortality rates you see are due to adrenal fatigue.  And he immediately cites the medical profession as being prone to adrenal fatigue and he does a very nice job of describing the intensity of medical school, residency and practice.  Law enforcement as well, which brings in the topic of people working 'shifts' when we normally would be sleeping.  (This has been a topic of conversation on Lumigrate's facebook page recently).   It provides a straightforward rundown of how stressors such as emotional and physical as well as nutritional add up.  (Which reminds me Lumigrate's great free video by Dr. Lepisto, 'Chronic Illness: Full Barrel Syndrome' which graphically shows this concept.)  And there is a whole section of FUNNY cartoons by a Canadian artist named Richard Capener (thank you artists...)!  Everyone I know that has this book loves it!

Respiratory infections have an especially 'devastating' effect on the adrenals, and people can have adrenal fatigue from stress in the womb, and then never have the capacity for handling stress they normally would.  Adrenal glands are the glands of stress in the body, so whenever there is a disease in the body, they become stressed.  See, it's kind of a "catch 22".  Sleep dysrupton gets pulled in as well.  So if you've had a longer than normal recovery period with increased fatigue and decreased stamina, you might want to investigate this subject.  What to do to address it is really well covered by him and too extensive to summarize here with any justice in this format, but I do encourage you to pick up his book.

Also, for anyone accessing the health care system, he does a great service in explaining why it is 'we' don't get diagnosed with this:  For one, because physians know what they have been trained in, and updating all they have to learn about takes more time than anyone has to learn, so change only happens so fast.  This is CRITICAL for the public to understand because you then can really make an impact in bringing to your provider a reasonable amount of information, or loan them the book, and try to have your interest put to the top of the heap. 

Because the way the allopatic system is set up, codes called International Classification of Disease, or 'ICD' determine what we get diagnosed with, and there hasn't been a code for anything but the most extreme, life-thretening adrenal disorders!  And that's just the way medical providers are 'bred' to think typically.  Lab testing that has been used typically play to those more extreme disorders and not this level of adrenal insufficiency.  And since the medical system has been so based in the allopathic and not the 'alternative' strategies, it just doesn't get addressed by most medical providers with most medical consumers coming in and talking about fatigue.  The pharmaceutical industry doesn't have a medication for it -- because the 'medicine' is our oral intake of foods and drink, so there is no training coming from the pharmacuetical or medical equipment industry to physicians, which is how the professional arm of 'the system' get a vast majority of its information updating.

And I can attest to this personally -- I am a medical provider as well and I've experienced first hand 'the system'.  But it's filled with people who went into the professions they did to help people and they continue to be committed -- oftentime at their own health's expense -- to bring you health care as 'we know it'   Right now most people are hoping 'the system will change', but for any students of 'systems theory', systems can only make a certain amount of change in a given time period without virtual anarchy happening.  We all need to really think right now, discuss and learn from each other.  And then become proactive about your own health.   Recruit the team around you (as shown on our home page) and take on the taks of educating yourself and talking with your providers effectively. 

We're helping you to get going on it and hopefully be supportive in the future as well!  Much of what I have been able to accomplish with restoring my health has only come in the past few years when I was accessing providers who were more 'progressive' and had good internet resources and books that weren't available before and then my own situation a few years back getting me motivated to 'kick it up a notch' with my own efforts and self responsibility.   Lots to do with habits and it's one of the reasons Dr. Paula King's 'Strategies for Lasting Change' is one of our videos -- she explains why it's so difficult for us to incorporate a change and gives a guided imagery exercise to use as a tool for success.

I suggest we not complain about what isn't and what has been as it relates to health care, though we need to understand and acknowledge it. Let's move forward and each person start looking into this if it seems to apply and then YOU take what you know to your provider after studying and ask them to partner with you in helping with what you might need.  With adrenal fatigue, though, much of what can help a person can do on your own (but easier with a progressive provider serving you as a consultant), which is lifestyle and diet. 

He has a great, simple pie chart (pun intended because sugars are just so very much a factor in this recovery plan) of the dietary intake for adrenal fatigure recovery (vegetables and whole grains are 60-80%, proteins through nuts, seeds, beans or animal sources 20-35%, and 5-10% fruits and there are some real details in that fruits part related to sugar, and what goes on with your blood sugar really affects your adrenals. He reviews the types of oils which are best (and you'd be surprised by it -- butter is more preferred than olive, but the top of the list is coconut!). There is quite a lot to do with oils that are rancid or fried in which is very novel information. 

And the worst news of all for those of us who are fatigued: "Forbid adrenal stimulating foods and drugs, especially coffee .. the adrenals are already stimulated."  But then he goes on to find a middle ground and discuss how if you're going to have coffee, how to do it with the least negative impact to your adrenals so they can recover.  Chocolate, alcohol... It's a lot of changes to make for most people but if you feel well it's quite a reward.  Who would think that the kind of oils you use would make such a difference.  Well, Dr. Wilson's book makes it all make sense.

Today on facebook there was a nice discussion going on with someone starting a cleanse and how they were craving things that they cannot have on a cleanse: our bodies become addicted very easily to things. It serves to remind how helpful the internet can be as a tool for health care.  Join us there if you are not already (see info in my signature, below), as we really have good interactions and contributions from some great people!  Certainly, use the 'forum' area of this website.

Again, all these things add up, and he really promotes making all these changes to have the best recovery and it depends a lot about your type of personality and where you're at with things, but making some of the changes all of the time or all of the changes some of the time might end up getting you at the same place.  As with anything, you'll likely get out of it what you put in.  There is no free lunch and on this topic, we'll close with one more point: that  consistent food intake is important to adrenal fatigue recover.  It's really a great book and I hope this has picqued your interest because tomorrow I'll be giving a recap of Dr. Rollins seminar on fibromyalgia and I know he's woven a lot about adrenal fatigue into the presentation.

The book is published by Smart Publications --www.smart-publications.com Look em up!

{Reminder .... using the "print" and "e-mail" functions at the bottom of this page allows YOU to be a Lumigrate health education liaison ... Thank YOU in advance and may we have many more with chronic wellness instead of illness in the future because of our teamwork!}