My Health - Part Two - Research and Education
Whenever I take an aptitude test, the results often show I would make a good researcher or private investigator. In fact, I do enjoy it very much and it is far easier with the internet. A great deal of the research I have done has been medical in nature, for myself and family members.
I first conducted research online when my daughter became mysteriously ill and when there seemed to be no logical cause. On presenting my findings to my doctor, she had to struggle to not laugh out loud. The next doctor was no less helpful and to this day I know he thinks I am a flake! My daughter declined to the point that I had to home school her; then her brother felt left out and I home schooled both of them. He did not like me correcting him, he missed his friends and happily for both of us, he went back to school!
Regardless of the attitudes of those medical professionals, I found support and information from a Public Health Nurse. She set us on a path towards an answer which lead me to develop a protocol to help my daughter return to a normal life. Best of all, the experienced forged an unbreakable bond between us. I could see her illness present physically while the rest of the world could not; they thought she was faking to get out of school. When nobody believed that she was unwell, I knew without doubt that she was not feigning illness and I did not give up on her. It felt very much like us against the world.
My next campaign against the medical community (that's how it felt) was quite different although it ended well. The patient was my husband, an adult who believed the many doctors who thought his wife was crackers. It was no easier to share my research and medical history with my own doctors when I first became unwell; some were quite incensed that I should question their diagnoses or ask them to consider my own.
What I knew for certain was that I was born with allergies and developed eczema as a baby, soon followed by asthma, triggered by allergies and exercise. Without doubt, the intense prolonged stress of my husband's health and work situation which affected our finances was the root cause of my declining health. The problem is, everyone has stress in their lives; what made my case different? Was I just exaggerating?
My Naturopath saved me through treatment and education. Other than the Public Health Nurse, she was the only other medical professional I saw who seriously took into account my own observations and theories. She explained that whenever a patient presented with asthma, allergies, eczema, psoriasis, etc., the liver was not coping with eliminating toxins from the body. It has other functions relating to metabolism, glycogen storage, plasma and hormones but all I needed was to focus on supporting the liver, enabling it to recover and function more efficiently.
As my Naturopath was treating my painful rash caused by food triggers, she had me eliminate any food that might be a trigger; that was almost everything! I faithfully followed her instructions and took all the supplements. After a short period, I asked her if it was possible that my eyesight was improving or if I was imagining that I could see well enough again to do needlework. She was very excited explaining that, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, there is a connection between the liver and the eyes. If my eyes were improving, so must my liver--great news!
Fast forward, I was able to reintroduce foods but have been cautious about a few, especially salmon and asparagus; they caused my first and last rashes. My mother drilled into me that "the Chinese say" when you have a skin condition or if you have had surgery, you should avoid salmon for ten years. Well, my freezer and pantry were filled with salmon I froze and canned! Isn't it meant to be one of the best foods!? How unfair! When I gave away my jars of salmon that I had canned, my fingers wanted to grab tightly and take back each one. It broke my heart. Growing up, I hated those three words, and my mother spoke them frequently, but I strongly suspect my mother and "the Chinese say" the truth. Not only salmon, but my other favourite, shellfish should be avoided. *sigh*
Speaking of the Chinese, another thing I hated was that "the Chinese say" a fat baby is a wonderful thing. Well, let me tell you, I must have been a pretty wonderful baby! Rolls of fat in all the right places for pinching eventually melted into a young girl who was not the typical Asian stick insect, but, looking back with adult eyes, was not chubby. Sadly, in Chinese the words "fat" and "girl" rhyme; "fat girl" became my nickname.
My mother always defended me, saying I was just "big-boned" but had such a pretty face. My friends envied my muscular legs. My hair was so shiny. Whatever. I was the only one in my birth family who was not thin. When I thought I was fat, I actually looked pretty good, and I never dieted. I tried it in my early 30s; I felt and looked incredible--but people could not have been nastier! They said I was too thin, but what they meant was now that you're slim but still have curves, you look good and it makes me insecure. I did not understand that the barrage of negative attacks were more about them than me. Being such a people pleaser, I put the weight back on.
A decade later and before my health went downhill, my friend was having great success with Dr. Abravanel's Body Type Diet. His theory is that each of us has a type based on one of the major glands of the body. The more I read his book, the more alarm bells were going off--he was so clearly describing me, my body type, my cravings, etc. When I did the quiz to see what my body type was, he mentioned my type being told that we were "big-boned" or having "such a pretty face." I immediately bought my own copy of the book and started the diet for the Adrenal Body Type.
Exercise was easy for me. I was always a gym rat but I also had my own exercise equipment and aerobics DVDs at home. During the rest of the day I was never still. I felt and loved feeling powerful! The weight fell off in exactly the right places and I felt fantastic, fitter and stronger and more vital than ever. When I hit a plateau I knew that was normal and what to do about it. Nothing seemed to work. That was in 2005. Just before my food sensitivities and rash.
Once my Naturopath got that sorted out, I asked her if it was possible that I had a thyroid problem. It was so cliché but I wondered why, despite being incredibly fit and active, I always carried extra weight. A four hundred dollar blood test revealed that my thyroid wasn't in top shape but wasn't too bad; however, my adrenal glands were compromised. Really!?
Ping! Where is my Dr. Abravanel's Body Type Diet book!? Could NOT find it.
Fast forward again to my last flu and visit to the ER for difficulty breathing; prednisone was prescribed. Although it saved me many times over, I am so afraid of taking prednisone because I feel that I never recovered from its side effects from 2005-2007. I have never been the same and am convinced it changed me forever and I know it is probably one reason for my psoriasis. When I came home from the ER I Googled "prednisone for asthmatics with flu."
I found a warning to tell your doctor if you are allergic to aspirin or tartrazine--I had a rash from tartrazine. That lead me to more reading, all of it pointing to a condition not recognized by the medical profession--adrenal fatigue. There are differing names such as adrenal burnout and adrenal exhaustion, but whatever the name, the theory is that the adrenal glands have been overworked and/or traumatic or stressful events have pushed them beyond their limits and are no longer able to provide the body with the hormones it produces which are essential to life.
So many bells, whistles and lights were going off I felt like I was in a pinball machine. It all made perfect sense and it also related to what I had learned about my liver. There was definitely a connection between the two and the treatments for both are very similar.
After the blood test revealed that my adrenal glands were compromised, my Naturopath started me on a new program. As with any major life changes, it was not easy and after several months of being diligent I felt no improvement. Without any reward, all the work and deprivation seemed pointless. Unfortunately, this was also during the last few months of my mother's life, when I was on the road so much, being with her and coming home to rest. I completely fell off the wagon.
Meanwhile, I began noticing that every time I got a cold or flu, which was with increasing frequency, it took me longer and longer to recover; in fact, I never recovered fully. I continually felt worse and worse over time. Any time I felt a surge of energy, I would try to build on it by doing some physical activity, including a bit of exercise. Every single time, I would have a setback. It seemed so unfair and I was beginning to feel that I might never again attain a reasonable level of physical strength and stamina. I grew weaker and weaker with each event.
At present, I have the energy to carry out my new daily routine (more on that in the next post) with little or no energy to spare for anything pleasurable. Some days my energy is extremely low; other days it is just low. That would once have been depressing and discouraging but I have learned the reasons for such low energy and am happy to accept it.
All my life, I thrived on being able to work hard every single day, never resting. My adrenal glands were working flat out, producing massive amounts of hormones; the two I will focus on are adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline gives you that burst of energy when you need it, for the fight or flight response. For the same reason, cortisol, known as the stress hormone, is released. A few years ago studies showed there is a link between cortisol production and abdominal fat and resulting associated health problems of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and perhaps certain cancers.
According to my research, the following applies to the adrenal glands, the liver and prednisone use and my current poor health:
- fatigued adrenals have difficulty producing cortisol to counteract inflammatory allergic reactions resulting in more or worse allergies; the more histamine released, the harder the adrenals have to work, creating a vicious cycle of reduced cortisol allowing histamine to inflame the tissues more, leading to worse adrenal fatigue and greater allergic reactions (My allergies are worse than ever, and I have more of them.)
- in autoimmune diseases, such as psoriasis, cortisol levels are inadequate for the degree of reaction taking place in the tissues
- onset of psoriasis is connected to stress and having taken prednisone (My gut instinct knew this applied to me when I first read about this after I had psoriasis.)
- low adrenal function may lead to illness, especially respiratory infections (I have had more respiratory infections in the last few years than I've had in the previous decade.)
- adrenal glands may become fatigued after just one single episode of a particularly nasty infection (Like last May in Ontario?) or may gradually fatigue over time with prolonged or recurrent infections; combined with concurrent stress, the cumulative burden is even greater (Like the 12 years I felt powerless while my husband was dying?)
- the effect of severe infection on the adrenal glands was clearly demonstrated in the autopsy results of the 1918 influenza epidemic; in nearly 90% of the victims autopsied, the infection had damaged the adrenal glands; the extreme stress response in their bodies trying to restore homeostatic balance to the body led to detectable adrenal exhaustion in autopsy (WOW!)
- adrenal glands are so important to lung function that fetal lung development depends on adequate amounts of cortisol in the womb
- progressing adrenal fatigue reduces productivity, decreases tolerance, increases emotional outbreaks and depression (So I'm not just a grumpy old woman for no reason?)
- continued use of prednisone may cause the adrenal glands to atrophy and stop producing cortisol
- reduced memory and mental clarity (I often can't remember things and was so concerned about my brain function that I started taking IQ and Mensa test online. Thankfully, the results were great but I still can't remember things that happened yesterday.)
- weight gain; in addition to the cortisol connection, adrenal glands control formation of fat and muscle and the balance of the two (For two years, each time I had a rash I had no choice but to take prednisone for several days; each time it made me gain weight and grow weaker. The weaker I was, the less active I was, resulting in further weight gain.)
- studies have also shown that people who secrete higher levels of cortisol in response to stress also tend to eat more food, and food that is higher in carbohydrates than people who secrete less cortisol (I have been craving carbs like crazy lately--and have never done so before.)
- overstimulated adrenals create a large appetite and cravings for foods which overstimulate the adrenals (Why I keep feeling worse and never better?)
This is only a small portion of the research findings of the last couple of weeks. I read for days and found more and more material that supported the theory that my adrenal glands are definitely the key, the liver a close second. The good news is that what I did a few years ago to support the liver will also help my adrenal glands. There will be a few changes and additions but the most important information I gained is that it can take a year or two, probably more, for my adrenal glands to recover. My screening test results show I have severe adrenal fatigue--no surprise there.
When I was on the program before and gave up after about eight months without any improvement whatsoever; I wish I had known how long it could take. It would have given me a bit more incentive to carry on and not give up so quickly. Now, armed with much more information, I have decided to do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to regain healthy adrenal function and overall good health. I am too young to feel this old!
A few friends have been shocked that it could take two years or more but I have been declining steadily, and lately, very rapidly, for seven years; two years is nothing!
July is my transition month; by August, I hope to live the life I mean to continue for at least the next two years.
Knowledge truly is power.
I first conducted research online when my daughter became mysteriously ill and when there seemed to be no logical cause. On presenting my findings to my doctor, she had to struggle to not laugh out loud. The next doctor was no less helpful and to this day I know he thinks I am a flake! My daughter declined to the point that I had to home school her; then her brother felt left out and I home schooled both of them. He did not like me correcting him, he missed his friends and happily for both of us, he went back to school!
Regardless of the attitudes of those medical professionals, I found support and information from a Public Health Nurse. She set us on a path towards an answer which lead me to develop a protocol to help my daughter return to a normal life. Best of all, the experienced forged an unbreakable bond between us. I could see her illness present physically while the rest of the world could not; they thought she was faking to get out of school. When nobody believed that she was unwell, I knew without doubt that she was not feigning illness and I did not give up on her. It felt very much like us against the world.
My next campaign against the medical community (that's how it felt) was quite different although it ended well. The patient was my husband, an adult who believed the many doctors who thought his wife was crackers. It was no easier to share my research and medical history with my own doctors when I first became unwell; some were quite incensed that I should question their diagnoses or ask them to consider my own.
What I knew for certain was that I was born with allergies and developed eczema as a baby, soon followed by asthma, triggered by allergies and exercise. Without doubt, the intense prolonged stress of my husband's health and work situation which affected our finances was the root cause of my declining health. The problem is, everyone has stress in their lives; what made my case different? Was I just exaggerating?
My Naturopath saved me through treatment and education. Other than the Public Health Nurse, she was the only other medical professional I saw who seriously took into account my own observations and theories. She explained that whenever a patient presented with asthma, allergies, eczema, psoriasis, etc., the liver was not coping with eliminating toxins from the body. It has other functions relating to metabolism, glycogen storage, plasma and hormones but all I needed was to focus on supporting the liver, enabling it to recover and function more efficiently.
As my Naturopath was treating my painful rash caused by food triggers, she had me eliminate any food that might be a trigger; that was almost everything! I faithfully followed her instructions and took all the supplements. After a short period, I asked her if it was possible that my eyesight was improving or if I was imagining that I could see well enough again to do needlework. She was very excited explaining that, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, there is a connection between the liver and the eyes. If my eyes were improving, so must my liver--great news!
Fast forward, I was able to reintroduce foods but have been cautious about a few, especially salmon and asparagus; they caused my first and last rashes. My mother drilled into me that "the Chinese say" when you have a skin condition or if you have had surgery, you should avoid salmon for ten years. Well, my freezer and pantry were filled with salmon I froze and canned! Isn't it meant to be one of the best foods!? How unfair! When I gave away my jars of salmon that I had canned, my fingers wanted to grab tightly and take back each one. It broke my heart. Growing up, I hated those three words, and my mother spoke them frequently, but I strongly suspect my mother and "the Chinese say" the truth. Not only salmon, but my other favourite, shellfish should be avoided. *sigh*
Speaking of the Chinese, another thing I hated was that "the Chinese say" a fat baby is a wonderful thing. Well, let me tell you, I must have been a pretty wonderful baby! Rolls of fat in all the right places for pinching eventually melted into a young girl who was not the typical Asian stick insect, but, looking back with adult eyes, was not chubby. Sadly, in Chinese the words "fat" and "girl" rhyme; "fat girl" became my nickname.
My mother always defended me, saying I was just "big-boned" but had such a pretty face. My friends envied my muscular legs. My hair was so shiny. Whatever. I was the only one in my birth family who was not thin. When I thought I was fat, I actually looked pretty good, and I never dieted. I tried it in my early 30s; I felt and looked incredible--but people could not have been nastier! They said I was too thin, but what they meant was now that you're slim but still have curves, you look good and it makes me insecure. I did not understand that the barrage of negative attacks were more about them than me. Being such a people pleaser, I put the weight back on.
A decade later and before my health went downhill, my friend was having great success with Dr. Abravanel's Body Type Diet. His theory is that each of us has a type based on one of the major glands of the body. The more I read his book, the more alarm bells were going off--he was so clearly describing me, my body type, my cravings, etc. When I did the quiz to see what my body type was, he mentioned my type being told that we were "big-boned" or having "such a pretty face." I immediately bought my own copy of the book and started the diet for the Adrenal Body Type.
Exercise was easy for me. I was always a gym rat but I also had my own exercise equipment and aerobics DVDs at home. During the rest of the day I was never still. I felt and loved feeling powerful! The weight fell off in exactly the right places and I felt fantastic, fitter and stronger and more vital than ever. When I hit a plateau I knew that was normal and what to do about it. Nothing seemed to work. That was in 2005. Just before my food sensitivities and rash.
Once my Naturopath got that sorted out, I asked her if it was possible that I had a thyroid problem. It was so cliché but I wondered why, despite being incredibly fit and active, I always carried extra weight. A four hundred dollar blood test revealed that my thyroid wasn't in top shape but wasn't too bad; however, my adrenal glands were compromised. Really!?
Ping! Where is my Dr. Abravanel's Body Type Diet book!? Could NOT find it.
Fast forward again to my last flu and visit to the ER for difficulty breathing; prednisone was prescribed. Although it saved me many times over, I am so afraid of taking prednisone because I feel that I never recovered from its side effects from 2005-2007. I have never been the same and am convinced it changed me forever and I know it is probably one reason for my psoriasis. When I came home from the ER I Googled "prednisone for asthmatics with flu."
I found a warning to tell your doctor if you are allergic to aspirin or tartrazine--I had a rash from tartrazine. That lead me to more reading, all of it pointing to a condition not recognized by the medical profession--adrenal fatigue. There are differing names such as adrenal burnout and adrenal exhaustion, but whatever the name, the theory is that the adrenal glands have been overworked and/or traumatic or stressful events have pushed them beyond their limits and are no longer able to provide the body with the hormones it produces which are essential to life.
So many bells, whistles and lights were going off I felt like I was in a pinball machine. It all made perfect sense and it also related to what I had learned about my liver. There was definitely a connection between the two and the treatments for both are very similar.
After the blood test revealed that my adrenal glands were compromised, my Naturopath started me on a new program. As with any major life changes, it was not easy and after several months of being diligent I felt no improvement. Without any reward, all the work and deprivation seemed pointless. Unfortunately, this was also during the last few months of my mother's life, when I was on the road so much, being with her and coming home to rest. I completely fell off the wagon.
Meanwhile, I began noticing that every time I got a cold or flu, which was with increasing frequency, it took me longer and longer to recover; in fact, I never recovered fully. I continually felt worse and worse over time. Any time I felt a surge of energy, I would try to build on it by doing some physical activity, including a bit of exercise. Every single time, I would have a setback. It seemed so unfair and I was beginning to feel that I might never again attain a reasonable level of physical strength and stamina. I grew weaker and weaker with each event.
At present, I have the energy to carry out my new daily routine (more on that in the next post) with little or no energy to spare for anything pleasurable. Some days my energy is extremely low; other days it is just low. That would once have been depressing and discouraging but I have learned the reasons for such low energy and am happy to accept it.
All my life, I thrived on being able to work hard every single day, never resting. My adrenal glands were working flat out, producing massive amounts of hormones; the two I will focus on are adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline gives you that burst of energy when you need it, for the fight or flight response. For the same reason, cortisol, known as the stress hormone, is released. A few years ago studies showed there is a link between cortisol production and abdominal fat and resulting associated health problems of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and perhaps certain cancers.
According to my research, the following applies to the adrenal glands, the liver and prednisone use and my current poor health:
- fatigued adrenals have difficulty producing cortisol to counteract inflammatory allergic reactions resulting in more or worse allergies; the more histamine released, the harder the adrenals have to work, creating a vicious cycle of reduced cortisol allowing histamine to inflame the tissues more, leading to worse adrenal fatigue and greater allergic reactions (My allergies are worse than ever, and I have more of them.)
- in autoimmune diseases, such as psoriasis, cortisol levels are inadequate for the degree of reaction taking place in the tissues
- onset of psoriasis is connected to stress and having taken prednisone (My gut instinct knew this applied to me when I first read about this after I had psoriasis.)
- low adrenal function may lead to illness, especially respiratory infections (I have had more respiratory infections in the last few years than I've had in the previous decade.)
- adrenal glands may become fatigued after just one single episode of a particularly nasty infection (Like last May in Ontario?) or may gradually fatigue over time with prolonged or recurrent infections; combined with concurrent stress, the cumulative burden is even greater (Like the 12 years I felt powerless while my husband was dying?)
- the effect of severe infection on the adrenal glands was clearly demonstrated in the autopsy results of the 1918 influenza epidemic; in nearly 90% of the victims autopsied, the infection had damaged the adrenal glands; the extreme stress response in their bodies trying to restore homeostatic balance to the body led to detectable adrenal exhaustion in autopsy (WOW!)
- adrenal glands are so important to lung function that fetal lung development depends on adequate amounts of cortisol in the womb
- progressing adrenal fatigue reduces productivity, decreases tolerance, increases emotional outbreaks and depression (So I'm not just a grumpy old woman for no reason?)
- continued use of prednisone may cause the adrenal glands to atrophy and stop producing cortisol
- reduced memory and mental clarity (I often can't remember things and was so concerned about my brain function that I started taking IQ and Mensa test online. Thankfully, the results were great but I still can't remember things that happened yesterday.)
- weight gain; in addition to the cortisol connection, adrenal glands control formation of fat and muscle and the balance of the two (For two years, each time I had a rash I had no choice but to take prednisone for several days; each time it made me gain weight and grow weaker. The weaker I was, the less active I was, resulting in further weight gain.)
- studies have also shown that people who secrete higher levels of cortisol in response to stress also tend to eat more food, and food that is higher in carbohydrates than people who secrete less cortisol (I have been craving carbs like crazy lately--and have never done so before.)
- overstimulated adrenals create a large appetite and cravings for foods which overstimulate the adrenals (Why I keep feeling worse and never better?)
This is only a small portion of the research findings of the last couple of weeks. I read for days and found more and more material that supported the theory that my adrenal glands are definitely the key, the liver a close second. The good news is that what I did a few years ago to support the liver will also help my adrenal glands. There will be a few changes and additions but the most important information I gained is that it can take a year or two, probably more, for my adrenal glands to recover. My screening test results show I have severe adrenal fatigue--no surprise there.
When I was on the program before and gave up after about eight months without any improvement whatsoever; I wish I had known how long it could take. It would have given me a bit more incentive to carry on and not give up so quickly. Now, armed with much more information, I have decided to do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to regain healthy adrenal function and overall good health. I am too young to feel this old!
A few friends have been shocked that it could take two years or more but I have been declining steadily, and lately, very rapidly, for seven years; two years is nothing!
July is my transition month; by August, I hope to live the life I mean to continue for at least the next two years.
Knowledge truly is power.