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Hypothyroidism and Adrenal Insufficiency
What is included on this web page:
- A
list of symptoms of hypothyroidism and adrenal insufficiency.
- A
list of things to do to start feeling better, so you can see at a glance
what I’m recommending.
- A
list of books that I highly recommend you read.
- A
list of helpful doctors, testing laboratories, and products I have found to
be reliable and reasonably priced.
- Some
articles from other websites to educate you.
- Some
forms that you might want to photocopy to keep track of your symptoms, so
you can objectively see if you’re improving or not.
Symptoms
symptoms
of hypoglycemia and hypoadrenocorticism
symptoms
of hypothyroidism
an
explanation of the adrenal glands -- highly recommended reading
an
explanation of the thyroid gland -- highly recommended reading
Recommendations
- Rest!
You need lots of it! If
your adrenal and thyroid glands are underproducing, it’s because they are
tired. You can artificially
prop them up with medications or stimulants or stubbornness J
but if you want to heal, you simply need to rest.
Can you get help from family or church for meals, laundry, cleaning,
and little ones? It’s as if
you’re pregnant and need bed rest. You
need it badly! Can you take
naps? Try to be in bed at night
no later than 10 p.m., and sleep in as long as possible, even as late as 9
a.m. Stay home as much as
possible. You’re sick, and
you need to act it. How long
will it take to get better? Plan
on taking as long as it took you to get sick, but in the short term, plan on
a one to three months, for sure! Good rule of thumb: Rest
when the sun goes down and rest for one entire day each week.
- Reduce
stress.
Stress isn’t necessarily negative.
Carrying heavy things, going out in the cold or heat, being on your
feet too long, loud noises, crowds, getting tickled, planning too far into
the future, etc. – these things all require more from your body than you
may have to give right now.
Emotionally, check that you are not anxious or angry.
Spiritually, do you need to forgive someone? Take some time with God
to examine your life for hidden sin that could be causing you to feel
sicker.
- Good
nutrition.
You’re probably already doing this, but this means no
sugar, plenty of vegetables, small amounts of fruit (not juice), lots of
protein and animal fat (just no trans-fat), and small amounts of grains per
day. Try to limit your
carbohydrate intake to 40-60 grams per day.
"Good nutrition" is absolutely essential, but what is it? I
agree with these two websites: Dr. Tim O'Shea and the
Weston A. Price
Foundation.
- Replace
missing hormones.
The book, Your
Thyroid and How to Keep It Healthy, will summarize your hormones,
but if you have the symptoms above, it's likely that your adrenal glands are
fatigued and that you’re not getting enough thyroid hormone in your cells. Order some Isocort
for your adrenal glands, then a few weeks after that, begin to use thyroid
hormone replacement. Click here
for a website that will help with how to treat adrenal
problems.
Here is a list of symptoms that you could be taking or making TOO
MUCH cortisol.
Until you can
replace missing hormones (and repair your body through the points listed above), you have 4 goals:
- Stabilize
blood sugar. Your adrenal gland works with your pancreas to control
your blood sugar. If you have adrenal insufficiency, you will have
symptoms of hypoglycemia. What to do: eat many meals all day
long (every 2-3 hours). Include
protein, fat and 7 ½-15 grams of carbohydrates. If you wake in the night with sweating, hunger, or
nightmares, eat something right away.
- Cleanse
your liver. If your adrenal glands are fatigued, it is because your liver
(and probably your kidneys) are full of toxins. The herbs "milk
thistle" and "dandelion" are helpful, but until you improve
your diet, you will continue to have trouble. Read
this.
- Increase
digestive enzymes. Your adrenal glands are partly responsible for how
well you digest your food, and if your glands are fatigued, your body will
not produce enough enzymes to digest your food properly. As a result,
you'll have digestive trouble (bloating, constipation or diarrhea, nausea,
etc.) Read
this. Here are good products I've used: Pancreatin
and Daily
Essential Enzymes.
- Balance
sodium and potassium levels. In adrenal insufficiency, you may tend to
excrete too much sodium and retain too much potassium. Symptoms
include low blood pressure (which falls even lower when you stand up),
dizziness, frequent urination, and craving salt. What to do:
Salt your food to taste and possibly drink ¼ tsp. sea
salt in water first thing
in the morning and before you go to bed.
- Rest!!!!
Learn to recognize the signals your body gives you when you’ve done
too much. You may start to ache, to get irritable or angry, to cry
easily, or to get a headache. Listen! Rest!
- Urgent
-- Adrenal insufficiency can cause death!
Please read this article
and post it in a prominent location where your friends and relatives will
see it! Also, please print this flowchart
so that you will be aware of how serious your symptoms can be!
Please read the following quotation about enzymes, written by Tim O'Shea,
used by permission, from http://thedoctorwithin.com/index_fr.php?page=articles/heartpatient.php...
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So,
the alternative to [health problems]. The alternative is - digest everything you
eat every day. A few hints:
1.
Stop all dairy immediately. [Anne's note: Only RAW (unpasturized,
unhomogenized) dairy of any kind is acceptable.]
2. Cut way back on white sugar: soft drinks, donuts, cookies,
ice cream, etc. White sugar destroys digestive enzymes, which prevents fats from
being broken down.
3. Eat as many raw foods as possible, because they contain
their own enzymes and won't drain the body's own resources.
4.
Take whole food enzyme supplements - only the absorbable kind, like DigestAMeal
5. Take a powerful antioxidant (free radical neutralizer)
Like Megahydrin.
If you're still smoking cigarettes... disregard everything you've just read, and
light up! Sayonara.
Enzymes taken at mealtime will not only ensure complete digestion at that meal.
In addition, they will break down the toxic, residual, undigested fats and
protein that have been lurking in the intestines and in the bloodstream. This is
no theory. You can see it. You can feel it. It's not medication - it's
nutrition. See
Enzymes chapter.
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Books
Instead of spending money on doctors, spend money on books
instead.
Most Important:
Nourishing
Traditions, by Sally Fally and
Mary Enig – Top priority! This
book is excellent.
Your
Guide to Metabolic Health, by
Dr. Lowe and Dr. Gina Honeyman-Lowe
Other Excellent Books:
What
the Bible Says About Healthy Living, by Rex Russell
Solved:
The Riddle of Illness¸ by
Stephen Langer
The
Schwarzbein Principle, by Diana
Schwarzbein
Enzyme
Nutrition, by Edward Howell
What
Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause,
by John R. Lee
Screaming
to Be Heard, by Elizabeth Vliet
Eat
Fat Lose Fat, by Sally Fallon
and Mary Enig
Food
Is Your Best Medicine, by Henry
Bieler
Doctors, Labs, and Products
Dr. Gina Honeyman-Lowe -- an internationally-known expert
and author in the field of metabolism and thyroid.
She can provide help through telephone
consultations. Also, read through her website.
A Christian doctor (and homeschooling dad) who has been a
huge encouragement to me is Dr.
Mark Rhodes. He can provide telephone consultations, order labwork,
and help you locate prescriptions if necessary. His first telephone
consultation is free of charge.
You can join Canary Club and order saliva testing of your
hormones through Diagnos-Techs Laboratory.
www.canaryclub.org.
They charge $141.55 for a saliva
test.
Are saliva tests
reliable? Please
read this article.
You can check thyroid
levels through BioSafe
labs.
This is a helpful website
for understanding the results
of lab tests.
Articles & Websites
The
physiological effects of stress on the body -- excellent!
Archives at www.chronicfatigue.org
Stop
the Thyroid Madness
Discussion Groups: Thyroid and
Adrenal
(both have excellent links and files sections)
The
thyroid-adrenal connection
Adrenal
Fatigue
Forms
Download the forms from Dr.
Gina-Honeyman's website. Complete a set of the "second set" forms now for a baseline.
Then complete a new set every week, so you can see if you are improving or
not.
You would also be wise to
keep track of:
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Your diet (every bite
and every liquid that goes into your mouth, plus the times) |
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Your resting pulse
(before you get out of bed in the morning) |
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Your basal body
temperature (before you get out of bed in the morning) |
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Your resting blood
pressure (before you get of bed in the morning) plus another measurement as
soon as you stand up |
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Your weight (weekly) |
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All supplements and/or
medications that you use |
More info on health
and nutrition
More info on food
and kitchen sources
I would be happy to help
you try to figure out your hormonal problems. I'm just a mom, not an
expert, but I'll try to point you in the right direction. Feel free to
email me with
questions: anne@anneelliott.com
or you may mail this health history form to
me.
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Helping you
nourish your family wisely 
