Hypothyroidism and Adrenal Insufficiency

What is included on this web page:

1. A list of symptoms of hypothyroidism and adrenal insufficiency.
2. A list of things to do to start feeling better, so you can see at a glance what I’m recommending.
3. A list of books that I highly recommend you read.
4. A list of helpful doctors, testing laboratories, and products I have found to be reliable and reasonably priced.
5. Some articles from other websites to educate you.
6. 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

1. 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 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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 Adrenal Support for your adrenal glands, as well as Thyroid Support if your basal body temperatures are routinely low.
   • Click here for a website that will help with how to treat adrenal problems.

Until you can replace missing hormones (and repair your body through the points listed above), you have 4 goals:

1. 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 7.5-15 grams of carbohydrates. If you wake in the night with sweating, hunger, or nightmares, eat something right away.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Balance sodium and potassium levels. In adrenal insufficiency, you 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.
5. 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, to get a stomache or headache. Listen! Rest!
6. 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 (Source):

So, the alternative to [health problems] is – digest everything you eat every day. A few hints:

1. Stop all dairy immediately. [Anne’s note: 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
5. Take a powerful antioxidant (free radical neutralizer)
6. 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.

Books

Instead of spending money on doctors, spend money on books instead.

• 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
• Eat Fat Lose Fat, by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig
• Food Is Your Best Medicine, by Henry Bieler

Doctors, Labs, and Products

• Dr. Gina S. Honeyman — an internationally-known expert and author in the field of metabolism and thyroid. She can provide help through telephone consultations at 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 and 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:

• Your diet (every bite and every liquid that goes into your mouth, plus the times)
• Your resting pulse (before you get out of bed in the morning)
• Your basal body temperature (before you get out of bed in the morning)
• Your resting blood pressure (before you get of bed in the morning) plus another measurement as soon as you stand up
• Your weight (weekly)
• All supplements and/or medications that you use

Are you struggling with fatigue? I invite you to download our free audio, “Can Fatigue Be Fixed?”, or check out our e-course, “Too Tired: A Woman’s Practical Guide”. Thanks for visiting!