Adrenal Fatigue And B12 Deficiency

How To Treat Vitamin B12 Deficiency Symptoms

Treatment for vitamin B12 deficiency usually starts with B12 injections. Some patients need regular injections for life, depending on the cause of the deficiency. After vitamin B12 shots have returned the bodys levels to normal, its possible to switch to oral vitamin B12 supplements.

Research shows that people who are not B12 deficient do not benefit from supplements. If you have symptoms of B12 deficiency talk to your doctor. The best way to diagnose B12 deficiency and the cause is with blood testing.

S: Sleep Stress Management + Supplements

Sleep: If you are tired and fatigued, you need sleep! You need restful rejuvenating sleep. This means falling asleep without being dependent sleep aids in order to get solid sleep without waking up throughout the night to wake up actually feeling rested. Insomnia can definitely contribute to adrenal fatigue, but adrenal fatigue can contribute to insomnia so tackling both of these together is essential.

• Sleep hygiene is essential. Create a bedtime routine, maintain a regular sleep schedule, create a sleep friendly environment , avoid screen time before bed, exercise earlier in the day, and avoid stimulants late in the day. For more information on improving your sleep, click here.

Stress Management:

• Tips:

• Mindfulness. Meditation, deep breathing, yoga, and reading, are all great ways to help decrease your bodys stress response and help you feel more relaxed and at ease. They can help get your mind off of the daily stressors, decrease cortisol levels, and improve your sleep.

• Have fun. Somehow in our busy over-scheduled lives we forget to take time for fun. We get so preoccupied with work and chores, and the other million things we have to do every day, we forget to have fun! Allow time for something fun to let your stress melt away. This doesnt have to happen every day but making sure it happens regularly is a great way to find balance between work and play.

Lab Tests Needed To Assess Fatigue

• Salivary cortisol
• Blood cortisol and CBG levels, urinary measures of cortisol
• TSH, free T4, free T3, thyroid antibodies, reverse T3
• Hormone evaluation -DHEA, testosterone, estrogen,pregnelone
• CMP, CBC and other routine blood tests
• Vitamin and mineral levels with blood levels and urine organic acid tests
• Comprehensive stool exams to evaluate the microbiota and digestive functions
• Allergy tests for food intolerance
• Heavy metal testing with provocation
• Genetic tests for metabolic mutations

Example salivary cortisol test results

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Many Of My Friends Have Adrenal Fatigue Is This A Legitimate Thing Or A Catchall For Every Malady

The adrenal glands control many bodily functions and play a critical role in our resistance to stress. If an individual experiences a great deal of stress, or has taken corticosteroid drugs like prednisone for a long period of time, the adrenal glands will shrink and not perform properly, contributing to symptoms like anxiety, depression, or chronic fatigue. A popular term used to describe this occurrence is adrenal fatigue, and it is a legitimate thing. An individual with adrenal fatigue will also typically have a reduced resistance to allergies and infection.

One of the best ways to support your adrenal glands is learning how to effectively deal with stress through relaxation techniques and exercise. Another is to ensure adequate potassium levels within the body. This can best be done by consuming foods rich in potassium and avoiding foods high in sodium. Most Americans consume twice as much sodium as potassium, but a natural diet rich in fruits and vegetables can flip that around, giving you more than 50 times as much potassium as sodium. If you want a quick hit, try bananas , or oranges .

Delay In Diagnosis Of Adrenal Insufficiency Is A Frequent Cause Of Adrenal Crisis

Lucyna Papierska

1Clinic of Endocrinology, The Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, Warsaw, Poland

2Department of Internal Diseases, Diabetology and Endocrinology, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland

Abstract

Delay of diagnosis of primary adrenal insufficiency leads to adrenal crisis which is potentially lethal complication. The objective of our work was an assessment whether the establishment of diagnosis of adrenocortical insufficiency in Poland is so much delayed as assessed in the past. We have analysed data from 60 patients with diagnosis of PAI established in our department during the past 12 years and who are still under our care. We found that the time to diagnosis of primary adrenal insufficiency in Poland exceeds 3 months in every patient and 6 months in patients admitted with symptoms of adrenal crisis. Forty-four percent of patients were diagnosed only just after the hospitalisation due to crisis, despite the evident signs and symptoms of PAI. Lack of appetite and loss of body weight occurred in all patients and for that reason a diagnosis of chronic gastric and duodenal ulcer disease was the most often incorrect diagnosis. After the proper diagnosis and treatment, in the course of 111 years of observation, there was only 6 imminent adrenal crises in 5 patients. Our results indicated that training of primary care physicians in the field of recognising and treatment of adrenal insufficiency is still essential.

1. Introduction

2. Material and Methods

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Add The Optimal Foods To Your Adrenal Fatigue Diet To Allow Your Adrenal Glands To Recover And Give Your Body The Nutrients It Needs To Combat The Symptoms

Including specific foods in your daily diet can also help you combat adrenal fatigue symptoms.

Eating foods with higher concentrations of the vitamins and minerals outlined above is a great place to start. The idea is to maintain the levels of nutrients that your body depletes during stressful times.

Although you should include the following recommended food types in your diet regularly, they are essential if you decide to follow an adrenal fatigue diet.

The specific foods listed are just examples. Many other foods fall into one of the five categories above, and you could include them in your adrenal fatigue diet.

B: B Vitamins + Blood Sugar Balance

B vitamins: Not only do your adrenal glands require B vitamins in order to do their job, but stress actually causes your body to use up your B vitamins at a quicker rate than normal. That means that when youre under stress, you need extra B vitamins. B vitamins such as B1 , B5 , and B12 all directly affect your adrenal glands cortisol response to stress. Vitamin B3 and B12 also play a role in your sleep/wake cycle which can be affected by stress and cortisol.

• Tip: Eat animal protein like meat, seafood and eggs to make sure youre getting enough B vitamins in your diet. Typically at least 3 servings/day but this varies from person to person.

Blood sugar Balance: Keeping your blood sugar stable helps decrease stress on your adrenal glands and promotes a healthy insulin curve. The goal is to avoid the blood sugar roller coaster that is caused by spikes and dips in blood sugar due to high sugar intake, lack of fats and fiber, lack of exercise and dehydration. The spikes and dips that create that blood sugar roller coaster lead to inflammation, stress, anxiety, and poor energy, focus, and sleep.

• Tips: Eat balanced meals regularly. You want fat and protein and fiber at every meal.

• Avoid sugary foods and beverages, and any foods marked fat-free or low-fat as these tend to cause a spike in blood sugar which leads to an inevitable dip in blood sugar.

• Also make sure to exercise and drink plenty of water!

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Diet Malabsorption And Fatigue

Without the right guidance and evaluation, sifting through all the dietary approaches being promoted for increasing energy can be a daunting task. Let me simplify what is most important:

• Eat plants with deep colors, both vegetables and fruits to obtain the phytonutrients needed to reset metabolism.
• Avoid simple sugars that strip key vitamins and minerals from ones stores
• Get 40-70 grams of high quality protein that is organically raised some grass fed beef if desired
• Use high quality fats in large amounts-olive oil, nuts and seeds , and if needed MCT oils
• Limit alcohol and caffeine use to 6 ounces red wine, and 1 cup coffee per day
• Consider 5 small meals a day, normalizing blood sugar swings
• Try to get a 12 hour fast between dinner and breakfast with 3 hours between dinner and sleep

My book,The Adaptation Diet, presents a program that will lead to higher energy and improved weight and overall well-being. Take a look.

What Is Adrenal Fatigue Steps To Overcome It Naturally

Reviewed by

• Risks and Side Effects

Did you know that chronic stress can affect your bodys ability to recuperate from physical, mental or emotional stress? This is likely why most people have dealt with adrenal fatigue at some point in their lives.

Many proponents of this condition estimate that almost every person can experience adrenal fatigue, also known as hypoadrenia, to some degree at a particularly stressful point in his or her life.

Because the adrenals influence many parts of the body, symptoms of adrenal fatigue can mimic a number of disorders and isnt always easily recognizable.

Adrenal fatigue symptoms, like brain fog, moodiness and trouble sleeping, can be indicative of many disorders and are often overlooked by doctors. But more and more people are starting to realize that a combination of these health issues often indicate the onset of adrenal fatigue.

If you have adrenal fatigue, it can have significant effects on your overall health. Luckily, you can improve this common issue naturally by focusing on your nutrient intake and lifestyle choices.

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Could Your Fatigue Be Caused By A Shortage In A Rarely Tested Vitamin Or Mineral

The vitamin and mineral deficiencies that commonly cause fatigue are vitamin B12, iron, and vitamin D. But when those labs are shown to be in normal ranges, the investigation into vitamin and mineral levels stops. If you dont have a deficiency of iron, B12, or vitamin D, vitamins/minerals are not causing your fatigue.

Or, are they

There are far more vitamins and minerals than the three I listed. Thorough testing of all vitamin and minerals should be done to determine if those dealing with chronic fatigue have any specific deficiencies that need to be accounted for. Only then can we say that vitamins and minerals do or do not cause fatigue.

In todays post, well look to see if the simple addition of some vitamin or mineral supplements will be enough to improve your fatigue. Lets get going!

A Weakened Immune System

Cortisol has an anti-inflammatory effect that helps to regulate your immune system. Inflammation is often simply a sign that your body is fighting an infection, but cortisol prevents this reaction from getting out of control. Maintaining a balanced cortisol level not too low and not too high is an important part of our health.

If stress is causing your cortisol levels to be elevated, this anti-inflammatory effect becomes too strong. This effectively stops your immune system from working as it should, and this weakened state can last for the duration of whatever is causing the stress. Without a properly functioning immune system, you become vulnerable to disease. Conversely, a lower level of cortisol allows your immune system to over-react to pathogens. This can lead to chronic inflammation and a number of respiratory or auto-immune diseases.

So what does this mean for Adrenal Fatigue sufferers? It depends on which stage of the condition you have reached. In the early stages, consistently high levels of cortisol suppress your immune response and leave you vulnerable to infection. In the later stages of Adrenal Fatigue, low levels of cortisol can lead to chronic inflammation, allergies, and autoimmune diseases. Neither is a good outcome, and so your Adrenal Fatigue treatment should focus on restoring cortisol to a sustainable, balanced level.

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Investigate Your Red Blood Cells

A simple CBC can also tell you the size of your red blood cells. A large red blood cell, which can be revealed by an elevated MCV is a sign of poor B12 status or utilization. An elevated MCV may also be due to folate and B6 deficiency. In my practice, I begin supplementation any time the MCV is 92 or higher.

If you are supplementing and continue to show signs of deficiency, ask your doctor to test you for a condition known as pernicious anemia. It is an autoimmune disease which makes it impossible to absorb B12 via the gut.

Immune Reactions: Allergies And Intolerances:

Environmental allergies of all types can cause significant fatigue, and usually this is obvious because of congestion, sneezing and itchy eyes. Occasionally this is harder to detect, for example during the late fall with mold allergy where the symptoms are more vague fatigue, fogginess, irritated eyes, and a heavy sensation in the head.

Food intolerances can also cause significant fatigue, and first I want to differentiate these from food allergies. Intolerances are not life-threatening, and may not cause an immediate reaction. They are associated with many conditions, such as: allergies, eczema, asthma, autoimmune disease, digestive upset, low energy, low mood, and acne for example. In some people, intolerant foods can cause sleepiness, low energy, strong food cravings and fogginess. Elimination of the offending foods will often improve energy levels within one month. We can track these foods down with a food sensitivity test or an elimination diet.

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Why Am I So Tired

Fatigue, or tiredness is the number one complaint that brings people in for naturopathic care. There are many underlying factors to investigate in determining the cause of tiredness. Below is my top 10 list of factors that that can be causing your fatigue. Many of these are missed in a conventional medical work-up, or they are under-diagnosed if you fall at the low end of the reference range. Each year I add to and update this list because fatigue is so, so common.

Is Adrenal Fatigue Real

• By , Contributor

Low energy and tiredness are among the most common reasons patients seek help from a doctor. Despite being so common, it is often challenging to come up with a diagnosis, as many medical problems can cause fatigue. Doctors engage in detective work, obtaining a medical history, doing a physical exam, and doing blood tests. The results often yield no explanations. It can be frustrating for clinicians and patients when a clear-cut diagnosis remains elusive. An attractive theory, called adrenal fatigue, links stress exposure to adrenal exhaustion as a possible cause of this lack of energy.

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Vitamin B Complex For Adrenal Fatigue

Vitamin B complex has many functions: it protects the heart, supports nervous and digestive system, it also improves mood and is essential for energy production. Adrenal fatigue patients struggle in those areas.

• Vitamin B3 deficiency causes fatigue, headaches and moodiness. This powerful vitamin aids the adrenal glands in producing stress-reducing hormones.
• Vitamin B5 is critical to the conversion of glucose into energy. It also can prevent upper respiratory infections and insomnia.
• Vitamin B6 is needed in converting molecules into more readily usable material. It also might help to calm and maintain a healthy nervous system.

The entire B complex is needed for optimal health. They commonly coexist in food and work together to help each individual B vitamin to perform best. In general, the more stressed I was the more B vitamins I needed.

I get B vitamins from a supplement formulated specifically to treat adrenal fatigue. Ill talk about it in a moment.

Healing Adrenal Fatigue Takes Time

The longer you have been ill, the more damaged your adrenals are, and the longer it will take to heal.

Dont give up if you dont see immediate results from your doctor prescribed treatments.

My fatigue was so severe that it took me a few months to see noticeable improvements. Healing takes time and work but it is worth it.

References:

Wilson, James L. N.D., D.C., Ph.D. Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome

University of Maryland Medical Center. Magnesium.

globalhealingcenter.com: 7 functions of vitamin b12

adrenalfatiguefocus.org: adrenal fatigue and vitamin c

divinehealthfromtheinsideout.com: factors that deplete minerals from the body

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Who Should Be Tested And How

1.1 We recommend diagnostic testing to exclude PAI in acutely ill patients with otherwise unexplained symptoms or signs suggestive of PAI .

1.2 We recommend confirmatory testing with the corticotropin stimulation test in patients with clinical symptoms or signs suggesting PAI when the patient’s condition and circumstance allow.

1.3 In patients with severe adrenal insufficiency symptoms or adrenal crisis, we recommend immediate therapy with iv hydrocortisone at an appropriate stress dose prior to the availability of the results of diagnostic tests.

Evidence

Symptoms of adrenal insufficiency or adrenal crisis are well established by older observational studies and clinical experience and are summarized in Table 1. Delayed treatment of more severe symptoms will increase morbidity and mortality. Treatment should therefore not be delayed by awaiting the results of cosyntropin testing.

Diagnosis of PAI is challenging due to an insidious onset of predominantly nonspecific symptoms over months or years. Therefore, it is essential to keep the threshold for diagnostic evaluation low . The exclusion of PAI is mainly based on the determination of cortisol concentrations in the corticotropin stimulation test.

Plasma cortisol is 80% bound to CBG and 1015% to albumin, so disorders that reduce or increase CBG levels need to be considered in interpretation of plasma cortisol levels .

Technical remarks on diagnostic recommendations