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I have suffered from severe exhaustion for the last few years and the routine blood/lab test have come back normal. Tjyroid fluctuates from low to low normal, my temp is avg. 94-96. What are the test I should ask for for adrenal function? I know, I shouldn't have to ask, the Dr. should know. Thanks.
In Reply to: adrenal exhaustion test posted by Sue [213.125] on September 01, 2004 at 09:30:45:
Hi Sue,
You just diagnosed a low thyroid function and are worried about adrenal exhaustion?????
What kind of doctor are you seeing?
If your thyroid is not medicated to get the numbers back to normal, your temperature back to normal, then just keep waiting until the constipation, neurological problems, anxiety, depression, fibro, weight gain, and chronic tiredness set in..
Maybe then you will treat the cause rather then the result.
If you do noit have insurance, there are doctors and welfare clinics which will help you.
Ron
In Reply to: Re: adrenal exhaustion test posted by Ron [1540.81] on September 01, 2004 at 10:25:51:
Under some schools of thought, adrenal exhaustion leads to the hypothyroidism problem.
Addressing the adrenal exhaustion leads to normalization of the thyroid problem. So I'm told.
Certainly worth exploring if it prevents the person from having to start a life time of medication that may just be addressing the symptoms and not the true cause.
In Reply to: Re: adrenal exhaustion test posted by ChironDave [1744.14] on September 01, 2004 at 10:39:13:
Hi Dave,
Sue needs help RIGHT NOW.
Once the thyroid is normalized, the meds can be taperd down to see if the body is capable of compensating on its' own.
If the thyroid can not function sufficiently, it will
be obvious and working on your method can be incorporated
more safely.
Sue could be out of a job if she can not get a handle on this in a hurry. Just think of the stress that could cause.
Ron
In Reply to: Re: adrenal exhaustion test posted by Ron [1540.81] on September 01, 2004 at 10:57:12:
I believe thats incorrect. My repair to my adrenal system
normalized my thyroid like symptoms....I would treat the
adrenals first and use thyroid as a last resort.
In Reply to: Re: adrenal exhaustion test posted by Ron [1540.81] on September 01, 2004 at 10:57:12:
Certainly, there is nothing wrong with addressing the symptoms while having a long term goal to correct the problem.
I wasn't under the impression she needed to turn things around "right now". And from what I understand, supporting the adrenals through supplementation and balancing mineral levels as well as reducing stress does have an immediate effect.
My point wasn't so much regarding the path she should take but to comment that the approach of correcting the adrenal exhaustion would be addressing the thyroid problem, not ignoring it.
With a body temp running between 94-96 I would think thyroid meds, then tapering down, would be something she could explore with her MD.
In Reply to: Re: adrenal exhaustion test posted by ChironDave [1460.109] on September 01, 2004 at 12:39:09:
Hi Dave,
I wonder why her doctor didn't consider this approach,
unless he simply thinks of her as a hysterical female,
as so man docs are apt to do when they reach the limit of their training.
I hope she doesn't get put on pain meds and anti-depressants instead of thyroid meds.
Ron
In Reply to: adrenal exhaustion test posted by Sue [213.125] on September 01, 2004 at 09:30:45:
Would a cortisol blood test or urine test address the adrenal question?
In Reply to: OK, guys, now how about answering her question? posted by Sally [2119.10] on September 01, 2004 at 18:32:09:
Neither is useful. Try supporting the HPA axis first and see
what results..endocrinologists are generally useless.
In Reply to: Re: adrenal exhaustion test posted by Paulc [1041.535] on September 01, 2004 at 12:22:26:
Hi Paul,
Could you indicate what kind of tests accurately measure adrenal exhausation and the names of labs? Also, could you tell what kind of supplements/minerals are used to heal low adrenal activity?
thanks
North*Star
In Reply to: Re: adrenal exhaustion test posted by North*Star [1110.33] on September 01, 2004 at 20:02:29:
None...
Adrenal supplements include Vitamin C to bowel tolerance,
Pantothenic Acid, Glandulars, Amino acids and magnesium
citrate. SR and sleep (possibly aided by Melatonin
are essential.) Ashwaganda is a quick fix to get you
going....
Try these for a month and save your money on the tests...
In Reply to: Re: adrenal exhaustion test posted by Paulc [1041.535] on September 01, 2004 at 20:13:09:
Also worth taking are a mixed B vitamin complex since hi
dose Pantothenic can cause imbalances...max out at 1k and
around 100 of the mixed B`s.
It is worth noting that adrenal stress is not totally caused
by mental stress and a general array of testing is useful
to rule out medical issues.
In Reply to: adrenal exhaustion test posted by Sue [213.125] on September 01, 2004 at 09:30:45:
You may wish to make a search for ASI test at google.It is saliva test.Diagnos-Techs is one of the trusted laboratories performing the test in USA.They have a site,too.
In Reply to: Re: adrenal exhaustion test posted by Paulc [1041.535] on September 01, 2004 at 20:13:09:
Paul
Which amino acids did you used?
Thanks
In Reply to: Re: OK, guys, now how about answering her question? posted by Paulc [1041.535] on September 01, 2004 at 19:01:33:
Paul,
While I agree the saliva tests are best avoided, I'll respectfully disagree with you on blood testing. If you find a knowledgeable endocrinologist who understands that someone's hormones can be barely 10% below mid range and still feel awful (as I was lucky enough to find in AZ), he'll tell you whether your adrenals are working correctly based on blood tests. There are a number of possible blood tests that are useful:
Cortrosyn stimulation: the doctor measures your baseline cortisol. Then he injects you with cortrosyn (synthetic ACTH), which tells the adrenal glands to start making more cortisol. He then draws blood 30 minutes and one hour after the injection, measuring the cortisol each time. If you don't see a certain amount of elevation, it means your adrenals are not working correctly.
AM/PM Cortisol: Cortisol is a diurnal hormone whose levels are highest roughly between 6 and 7 AM and lowest at night. The problem with doing a single blood draw is that you have no idea what the hormone is doing over the day. That said, I still disagree w/PaulC that this test is useless. Suggestion based on personal experience is that a value taken at 8 AM should probably be between the 45th and 70th percentile of the normal range, and a 4 PM measurement should be no more than 50% of what you read in the morning.
The issue with this test is that, if your adrenals are low (or high) it doesn't tell you whether this is occurring because the adrenals themselves aren't working...or if the adrenals are okay but they're not getting the correct instructions from the hypothalamus and pituitary.
The problem is that most doctors just look at the lab's reference ranges...which aren't a whole lot more restrictive than stating that these are values obtained from living, breathing, humans. It didn't mean they were healthy. If your doctor believes strongly in life extension medicine you may have better luck convincing him to boost your supposedly normal hormones.
Hope this helps.
In Reply to: Re: OK, guys, now how about answering her question? posted by Jim B [2346.10] on September 04, 2004 at 16:38:25:
Thanks, Jim.
Although I believe that saliva tests show promise and will show more promise in the future, basically your other information is good.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: OK, guys, now how about answering her question? posted by Jim B [2346.10] on September 04, 2004 at 16:38:25:
Disagree with me..them`s fightin words where I cum from.
All right. So I `m a little too harsh on Endos. I do agree
that blood is better than saliva and I sure wish someone
would get this blood/saliva relationship figured out. There
may and probably is a relationship and I would venture a
guess that it lies in the area of bioavailability versus
plasma stores..with a bit of HP stimulus thrown in to make
matters more confusing. I still can`t believe that 30
years after Selye we are still trying to figure this out.
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