Melatonin and Adrenal Fatigue

Recently Dr. Oz did a show on women who overdose on melatonin.  Melatonin is a hormone, a natural sleep aid (it regulates sleep bio rhythms), and is sold over the counter.  Most women were taking up to 9 mg a night, when the recommended dose is 1mg a night for two weeks only.  Melatonin in the small dose is good for shift workers and for jet lag.  The symptoms of overdose do not harm the body but result in sleeplessness and a hangover type of feeling.

I've written about adrenal fatigue causing an imbalance in DHEA, estrogen, progesterone, and pregnenolone, but I have never mentioned the low levels of melatonin (associated with the adrenal fatigue) when I received my test results from my saliva testing.  There are other kinds of tests than saliva testing, but these tests are all given by naturopaths, as there is still controversy in western medicine over the existence of adrenal fatigue.  I take only 1mg of melatonin occasionally.

My western medicine doctor told me to go to a naturopath because western medicine isn't good with chronic fatigue.  I was also diagnosed by my naturopath with sub clinical low levels of thyroid hormone, which is caused by low blood sugar.  Most people don't know that low blood sugar puts stress on the body and can cause adrenal fatigue and low thyroid hormone levels.

It is always encouraging for me to hear western medicine doctors like Dr. Oz introduce the concept of adrenal fatigue to the general public.  Here is a link to a western medicine doctor's post that talks about adrenal fatigue.  Her name is  Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP, so she is both a western doctor and naturopath.  http://www.womentowomen.com/adrenalhealth/adrenalglandfunction-nutrition.aspx

The things she recommends parallel the recommendations made to me by my functional nutritionist (naturopath.)  Eat every 2-3 hours to avoid spikes in low blood sugar.  Stay away from caffeine and too much sugar.  Take an array of vitamin supplements, and reduce stress in general.

I wouldn't wish adrenal fatigue on anyone ever.  It is absolutely exhausting, and mine has been chronic over a number of years.  Unfortunately, still, due to ignorance, a lot of people have no clue what I'm talking about when I mention it. 

Here is a description taken from that website: 

“Adrenal fatigue” is another name for sub clinical adrenal dysfunction, also called adrenal imbalance. While adrenal fatigue is well recognized in other parts of the world, there has been some skepticism about it within conventional medical circles here in the US.

Perhaps part of the mystery lies in the conventional approach to testing for adrenal function. The current tests that doctors are likely to recommend are very good at detecting the furthest extremes of adrenal imbalance: Cushing’s syndrome at one end of the spectrum and Addison’s disease at the other... Conventional practitioners could use a deeper understanding of these serious, full-blown adrenal disorders by recognizing that such conditions do not arise overnight. Less dramatic, “subclinical” manifestations of adrenal dysfunction can be terribly incapacitating for patients, too — and these warrant treatment as well. But in the minds of many if not most conventional practitioners, any degree of adrenal imbalance that isn’t Cushing’s or Addison’s falls “within normal limits.”

This is so unfortunate, because millions of people today suffer debilitating symptoms of adrenal imbalance, to the point that their quality of life may be significantly compromised. We know that overwhelming fatigue, inability to cope with stress, sleep disturbances, lightheadedness, recurrent infections, fuzzy thinking, low libido, marked irritability, and many other symptoms can and do arise even when the numbers on conventional tests look “normal.” You may feel unwell and know something is not right, yet have one provider after another tell you he or she cannot seem to find anything medically wrong with you.

When conventional lab results appear normal, many [conventional] practitioners move on to other possible diagnoses, missing the opportunity to heal the underlying causes of adrenal imbalance."

 I think western medicine is great at a lot of things, but I wish conventional practitioners would get on board with adrenal fatigue because I read that up to 2/3 of people are struggling with some degree of this condition.


A Votre Sante (Here's To Your Health,)  Alix