Dr. Wilson's Adrenal Fatigue Book -Highlights

I decided to start a new thread, so as not to hijack the other adrenal fatigue thread. I think maybe Dr. Lam's program may be right for some people and maybe Dr. Wilson's program is right for others, so I'll concentrate on Dr. Wilson's program in this thread. As I mentioned in the other thread, I am VERY impressed with the information in his book, and how thorough he is in explaining everything.

I just found out about adrenal fatigue a couple of months ago. I can't remember where I heard the term "adrenal fatigue", but I hadn't heard it before.... so I knew I needed to look into this since my chiropractor had found that my dizziness was tied to my adrenals and had me on some adrenal supplements (which were helping a little, but not enough).

I will post highlights in my own words, so I'm not copying it directly from the book.

Highlights of what adrenal fatigue is:
Can include (but doesn't have to include everything): chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, serious food and/or inhalant allergies, low blood pressure (such as being dizzy when standing), and hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), .... arthritic pain, decreased immune response, increased fears, anxiety and depression, intervals of confusion, ...respiratory infections, asthma, frequent colds, adult onset diabetes, auto-immune disorders, alcoholism.

The job of the adrenal glands is to help your body cope with stress. Look up "fight or flight". The adrenals affect the functioning of every tissue, organ, and gland in your body, along with what you think and feel. Hormones are secreted by the adrenal glands.

Hypoglycemia
Adrenal fatigue often = erratic or abnormal blood sugar levels.
When the adrenals are fatigued, cortisol levels drop lower than normal. This makes it harder for your body to maintain normal blood sugar levels. Going long periods without eating lowers the blood sugar and further stresses the adrenals. Choosing foods that provide energy such as caffeine, sugary foods, high fat foods will temporarily drive the adrenal glands, but further depletes adrenal reserves. So, years of kicking the adrenals with these types of foods actually makes the adrenals more and more fatigued and more difficult to stimulate.

When to eat
Important to eat before 10am
Eat an early lunch 11:00-11:30
Nutritious snack between 2:00 and 3:00
Evening meal between 5:00 and 6:00
Before bed - a couple bites of high quality snack
(This schedule is based on when your body will need energy to get you through the common crash periods throughout the day).

I'll post next about WHAT to eat and drink...

Interested to read more...

What to Eat

The best thing to do is to combine healthy fat, protein, and starchy carbohydrates at EVERY meal and every snack.

Sugar, sugary foods, fruits and fruit juices make blood sugar rise too high, too fast, and then fall too low, which means you will crash. Fats, proteins, and starchy carbs eaten together provide a steady source of energy over a longer period of time because they are converted into glucose at different rates.

Use SALT, such as sea salt or himalayan salt rich in minerals. People with low blood pressure need the salt. (more in the book about precautions if you are concerned or have high blood pressure).

Foods high in potassium such as fruit (especially bananas and dried figs) make adrenal fatigue worse. The combination of high fructose and potassium is not good. A "healthy" fruit and yogurt breakfast will put a lot of hypoadrenic people on the floor. One sign of hypoadrenia is increased fatigue or shakiness after a high fruit breakfast.

(....more later)....

Just a note: I know many people on here (including myself) have lots of food allergies. Please adjust these suggestions to your specific needs.

Proteins
Good quality protein available from meat, fish, fowl, eggs, dairy and various plant sources is essential to adrenal recovery. (best eaten lightly cooked or raw for easier digestion and better food value, but always fully cook poultry and pork, and make sure the others are free from contamination). If you have problems with digesting proteins you may have low HCL and may need a digestive aid to help digest the proteins. Don't choose less protein and more carb as this will aggravate adrenal fatigue.

Carbohydrates
Starchy carbs are found mostly in grains and certain root vegetables. Good sources of unrefined carbs are brown rice, whole wheat, buckwheat, unpearled barley, whole oats, unhulled millet, quinoa, and amaranth. To cook, simply wash and steam in a covered pot with a little salt and the appropriate amount of water (usually twice as much water as grain). Be careful about eating grains for breakfast. Most with hypoadrenia don't do well with grains first thing in the morning, but an occasional bowl of oatmeal (not instant) seems to be okay.
Combine grains with beans, seeds or nuts to form a complete protein.

Vegetables
You should have 6-8 servings of highly colored veggies each day (bright green, red, orange, yellow, purple). Veggies provide vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. Raw, steamed, sauteed, stir-fried, baked, boiled, or grilled,.... Sprouts are a good source of nutrients. Veggies high in sodium (good for recovery) are: Kelp, green olives, dulse, ripe black olives,... hot red peppers, new zealand spinach, swiss chard, beet greens, celery (leaves and root), zucchini

Fruit
Go lightly on fruits, especially in the morning. If you become more tired, thick headed, or have symptoms of low blood sugar or low adrenals, then eliminate fruit in the morning. Buy organic, avoid chemicals. If you must eat fruit, eat modest amounts. Here is a list of fruits to avoid: bananas, raisins, dates, figs, oranges, grapefruit. // Here is a list of preferred fruits: papaya, mango, plums, pears, kiwi, apples, grapes (only a few), cherries.

Fats & Oils
Ideally, fats should not make up more than 20-25% of your total daily calories but it is important that they are the right kind of fats. Some fats contain cholesterol needed by the adrenal glands to make the steroid hormones essential for adrenal activity throughout your body. The type and quality of fats in your diet is critical because they become a major part of your cell walls, nerves, and the membranes of your body. Each type of fat has its uses (saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated). He has a lot to say about heating oils and what type of oils are best for cooking with (coconut is the best for high heat). He also talks about people who are allergic to "rancid" oils. After reading this, I started to think about my oldest one who gets really gassy after eating potato chips (DH buys them), and I also don't do well after eating tortilla chips and other things with oils. So, I asked my chiro to check for oil allergy and sure enough, he came up with a rapeseed allergy (canola oil). So, no more oils for me unless they are raw and unheated. The best balance of fatty acids is a 4:1 ratio of omega 6's to omega 3's. An easy way to get this is to mix 1 Tbsp flax seed oil with 1 Tbsp of sunflower or safflower oil daily. Add it to food just before you eat it, as a salad dressing, mixed in with veggies, sauces or grains, added to smoothies, etc.) You can also add a little soy sauce to the mixture and use it in place of butter. Nuts and seeds are also a good source of essential fatty acids.

[sweetpeasmommy]

What NOT to eat
Chocolate. A craving for chocolate can sometimes be your body's craving for magnesium, since chocolate contains large amounts of magnesium. Chocolate is also high in caffeine and theobromine, that over stimulate the adrenals and leads to further adrenal fatigue. So, supplement with 400 mg of magnesium per day (magnesium citrate is a good choice). The craving for chocolate should decrease within 1-2 weeks. Carob can be used as a chocolate substitute.

Avoid hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils (such as -vegetable shortening, margarine, and the oil in commercial peanut butters). These oils disrupt normal fatty acid metabolism in your body. They use up the enzymes that normally would be utilized by the good oils, and prevent your body from creating quality cell membranes and nerve sheaths. Avoid deep fried foods (free radicals are an issue).

Avoid foods you are allergic or sensitive to. (A whole chapter in the book about this).

Avoid foods you are addicted to.

Beverages
List of preferred drinks:
Green Tea - better than regular (black) tea or coffee. It has high amounts of antioxidants and other nutrients.
Barley Tea, Twig Tea or Kukicha Tea, Bancha Tea, Herbal Tea

Water - only high quality filtered water. Water poses a specific problem for people with adrenal fatigue because they tend toward dehydration but can easily over dilute the circulating electrolytes in their blood by drinking too much water. The balance of sodium and potassium significantly affects the symptoms of adrenal fatigue. Try adding 1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt to every glass of water (just after you wake up is a good time, and also with your snack at 2pm)

Vegetable Juices
Excellent source of nutrients. Carrot/celery/beet or carrot/parley are good combos. However, too much juice at one time can drive blood sugar levels up too high in some people, so drink 4-6oz at a time.

A good nut milk recipe:
1 cup of your favorite raw nuts and seeds
4 cups of warm spring water
1 Tbsp unfiltered honey diluted with 1/4 cup warm water & 1/4 tsp of sea salt
3 capsules (400 IU) Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols) - open and squeeze oil into mixture
====Blend together for 2-3 minutes on medium high speed. Strain through 3 layers of cheesecloth into a sterile cotainer, squeezing cheesecloth to express as much liquid as possible. Store in the refrigerator. The nut residue can be mixed with cooked rice or other ingredients like dried fruit to make bars, cookies and desserts.

Coffee is BAD BAD BAD (I don't drink it, but if you want more info posted here, let me know).

Alcohol is a special kind of poison. Worse than sugar. Avoid. Even avoid the alcohol in liquid herbal tinctures.

I'll do vitamins next if anyone is interested.....

I am!

[mipennsn]

[tigerlily]

[Lady TS]

<--this is my black tea

[tigerlily]

(I'm not disclosing what's in my cup just yet).

[SilverMoon]

Any more on vitamins and supplements?

[dancingWNC]

very interesting.... reading more...

[a good book under a tree]

[Tandem mama]

I am pretty sure I have adrenal fatigue. Thanks for making this thread!