"To give you an idea of the numbers involved, it’s estimated that 60,000 Americans die prematurely of cancer every year because of vitamin D deficiency. Add to this premature autoimmune disease (such as multiple sclerosis), heart disease, allergies (like asthma), diabetes, and Alzheimer’s and the numbers become mind-boggling."
This is a quote from the Whole Health Chicago newsletter which also talks about D3 supplements. To read the whole article copy and paste this link into your browser:
http://www.wholehealthchicago.com/5768/mayo-clinics-stunning-vitamin-d-research/
A Votre Sante (Here's to Your Health,) Alix
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Friday, June 21, 2013
Are you vitamin deficient?
Here is an excerpt from Norm Shealy's newsletter. (www.normshealy.com) He is the "grandfather" of holistic health, and he also trained Carolyn Myss to develop her intuitive medical diagnostic ability.
Everything affects Everything
Deficiencies of ANY essential nutrient can cause multiple problems. In fact at least 85% of ALL illnesses are the result of deficiencies in essential nutrients, exercise and/or stress management!
Most common nutritional deficiencies, and there are many others:
- Magnesium
- Vitamin D 3
- B 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and/or 12
- Folate or folic acid
- Biotin-B 7
- Omega 3's
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin K 2
- Vitamin E, especially tocotrienols
- MSM
- Iodine
- Boron
- Quality protein, especially in vegetarians
- Zinc
- Carotenoids
- Calcium
- Iron
Everything from Alzheimer's to cancer and heart disease can be partially or significantly related to deficiencies. In general, it is far better to take a GOOD multivitamin/mineral plus essential Omega-3's than to depend upon commercial food, unless you raise your own food organically.
A Votre Sante (Here's to Your Health,) Alix
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
March Against Monsanto
Last weekend was the worldwide March Against Monsanto with peaceful protests in cities all over the globe. I talked to a holistic health advisor and personal trainer who attended the March against Monsanto in Chicago. He said it was very family friendly and that there were up to 3000 people who attended and that the protest had a really positive energy. He told me that the media reported that 700 people attended, which is very common for the media to under-report numbers on events like this, since the media aren't on the anti-Monsanto bandwagon (that would would be detrimental for their advertising revenue!)
I've written a lot about GM foods, and now a former researcher--and once supporter--of GM plants is now speaking out about their dangers. It's important to remember that the Bt corn and soya plants are actually registered as insecticides. Much of the research that touts the long term safety to GM crops has been done by industry-insiders (such as Monsanto) as opposed to external groups. The longest animal study done by industry-researchers was only 90 days long!
To read more go to: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/05/28/gmo-dangers.aspx?e_cid=20130528_DNL_art_2&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art2&utm_campaign=20130528
A Votre Sante (Here's To Your Health), Alix
I've written a lot about GM foods, and now a former researcher--and once supporter--of GM plants is now speaking out about their dangers. It's important to remember that the Bt corn and soya plants are actually registered as insecticides. Much of the research that touts the long term safety to GM crops has been done by industry-insiders (such as Monsanto) as opposed to external groups. The longest animal study done by industry-researchers was only 90 days long!
To read more go to: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/05/28/gmo-dangers.aspx?e_cid=20130528_DNL_art_2&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art2&utm_campaign=20130528
A Votre Sante (Here's To Your Health), Alix
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Calcium supplements for men--increased risk for cardiovascular disease
Here is an excerpt from the Whole Health Chicago Newsletter. This is written by Dr. David Edelberg who is the doctor that helped me recover from chronic fatigue (hypothyroid, estrogen dominance, adrenal fatigue and being at "the foothills of fibromyalgia.")
"The issue of calcium supplements and heart disease risk, for example, has been bandied about ever since two reports emerged from Europe last year showing increased cardiovascular risk among women taking calcium supplements. The best guess was that this occurred because the calcium threw off the delicate balance between calcium and magnesium. It was suggested that a combination product would be safer and, in fact, we’ve been encouraging our patients to make this switch.
Nevertheless, women were really nervous about their calcium. An online report (later published in JAMA Internal Medicine) released a National Institutes of Health study that dwarfed the two from Europe. Epidemiologists tracked (ready for this?) 388,229 men and women for 12 years, starting in 1995, to determine if calcium supplements had any effect, positive or negative, with regard to cardiovascular disease. The answer was this: calcium supplements in men increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, but the increased risk does not occur in women.
For all my readers and patients who have emailed me this year about whether or not to take a calcium supplement, the answer now depends on several factors:
- Keep in mind that dietary sources of calcium are best (click here for a list) and eat them regularly.
- Next, consider your risks. Did your mother, aunt, or grandmother shrink with age due to osteoporosis (a gradual loss of bone density)? Are you a thin Caucasian of Northern European extraction (at high risk) or a stocky African American (at low risk) or somewhere in between?
- Finally, check (or recheck) your gender. If you’re an at-risk woman, I suggest this supplement formulated by Alan Gaby, MD, author of Preventing and Reversing Osteoporosis."
A Votre Sante (Here's to Your Health), Alix
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
GMO Alert!
The following is an excerpt from the newsletter at Mercola.com:
Argentina’s population is being sickened by massive spraying of herbicides on its genetically engineered soya fields. Glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, is blamed for the dramatic increase in devastating birth defects as well as cancer. Sterility and miscarriages are also increasing.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
What does fibromyalgia feel like?
Here is the link to a video on YouTube called "Fibromyalgia: What Does it Feel like." I was only "on the foothills of fibromyalgia," according to my doctor (Dr. Edelberg, author of Healing Fibromyalgia.) I would imagine that people with severe fibro must have the patience of a saint and the strength of a titan. Just from the symptoms I had, I can see that this video really accurate and that the dramatic music is really "on the mark":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME06rbUqDPk&feature=player_detailpage
Dr. Edelberg's protocol has reversed my fatigue and I no longer feel like I have the flu or feel "beat up all over." Fibro and chronic fatigue are often overlooked by medical testing, misdiagnosed, and over-medicated. Fibro is a reversible condition and there is a very specific protocol--see Healing Fibromyalgia; parts of this book can be read for free at www.amazon.com.
The things I identified with directly from the video are as follows:
I felt like I had an "invisible illness," feeling like I had the flu, like every inch of my body ached at times, having brain fog as if I walked into a room and forgot why I was there--all the time. Having a sensitivity to smells and chemical sensitivities, constant pain in my upper back (this is commonly where fibro can start), giving up things I enjoyed (for example, hearty exercise used to always be a part of my life but I hadn't been able to do it in years); feeling like the exhaustion altered the course of my life in that I was so tired I was limited in the amount I could do, thinking no end was in sight, and this is just the way life would be for me, going through the acceptance process that I could not be like others who had normal energy--I felt different that other people, had a hard time making advanced plans, especially on lack of sleep when I felt like I had the flu. I felt repeatedly punched in the morning, like I was "beat up" or "hung over," occasionally having tender skin like bruising, feeling completely drained so I could not drag myself out of bed, and feeling exhausted if I slept under 10-12 hours. On top of that I identified with the part of the video saying that many don't believe it exists, I have been called lazy, said to be depressed when I was actually very tired, and I have been told by folks "it's all in your head," and of course, for years, was told there was "nothing wrong with me" by doctors who were ill-informed.
And I was only borderline fibro--think what people must go through if they have it severely!!! If you know anyone who has fibro, please refer them to Dr. Edelberg's book. I am not affiliated with him in any way, except that I went in as a patient and no longer am exhausted! For years I felt like I had severe, constant jet lag as well as the flu at times, and that was my norm--but not anymore!!!
The video says there is not a cure or treatment and that fibro but this is incorrect! Also although fibro is stress related, I am not sure if it is actually a disease of the central nervous system. It is a condition that can be fully reversed or almost completely reversed!
The person who made this video had debilitating fibromyalgia, so I did not experience the following symptoms myself, but I thought the video was very specific and telling about what it is like to have it: I did not experience the debilitation or pain like tin foil hitting a filling, and I did not have any sensations of bad arthritis, full-body spasms; I did not experience constant debilitating full body pain where is hard to stand or walk across the room at a snail's pace. I also did not experience being overwhelmed by sounds.
My formal diagnosis is now hypothyroid--but this went for years and years undiagnosed, and I was eventually told I had chronic fatigue. Because my thyroid is in the low-normal range, it was overlooked as hypothyroid. Furthermore, as I've said in earlier blogs, I was being treated in the holistic health community for adrenal fatigue and also estrogen dominance (a very common hormonal imbalance even in younger women.)
Dr. Edelberg agreed with my prior diagnoses and put me on a tiny dose of natural cortisol (it has to be a small dose to be safe), a small dose of natural thyroid medicine, and also DHEA and progesterone cream, as well as St. John's Wort and magnesium for the muscle aching.
The book Dr. Edelberg pointed me to was his other book, The Tripple Whammy Cure, which is a great book for any woman to read who is experiencing exhaustion. And yes, if you have the conditions listed in the book [the adrenal fatigue, estrogen dominance and sluggish thyroid I have been talking about in this blog,] there is a cure!
A Votre Sante (Here's To Your Health,) Alix
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME06rbUqDPk&feature=player_detailpage
Dr. Edelberg's protocol has reversed my fatigue and I no longer feel like I have the flu or feel "beat up all over." Fibro and chronic fatigue are often overlooked by medical testing, misdiagnosed, and over-medicated. Fibro is a reversible condition and there is a very specific protocol--see Healing Fibromyalgia; parts of this book can be read for free at www.amazon.com.
The things I identified with directly from the video are as follows:
I felt like I had an "invisible illness," feeling like I had the flu, like every inch of my body ached at times, having brain fog as if I walked into a room and forgot why I was there--all the time. Having a sensitivity to smells and chemical sensitivities, constant pain in my upper back (this is commonly where fibro can start), giving up things I enjoyed (for example, hearty exercise used to always be a part of my life but I hadn't been able to do it in years); feeling like the exhaustion altered the course of my life in that I was so tired I was limited in the amount I could do, thinking no end was in sight, and this is just the way life would be for me, going through the acceptance process that I could not be like others who had normal energy--I felt different that other people, had a hard time making advanced plans, especially on lack of sleep when I felt like I had the flu. I felt repeatedly punched in the morning, like I was "beat up" or "hung over," occasionally having tender skin like bruising, feeling completely drained so I could not drag myself out of bed, and feeling exhausted if I slept under 10-12 hours. On top of that I identified with the part of the video saying that many don't believe it exists, I have been called lazy, said to be depressed when I was actually very tired, and I have been told by folks "it's all in your head," and of course, for years, was told there was "nothing wrong with me" by doctors who were ill-informed.
And I was only borderline fibro--think what people must go through if they have it severely!!! If you know anyone who has fibro, please refer them to Dr. Edelberg's book. I am not affiliated with him in any way, except that I went in as a patient and no longer am exhausted! For years I felt like I had severe, constant jet lag as well as the flu at times, and that was my norm--but not anymore!!!
The video says there is not a cure or treatment and that fibro but this is incorrect! Also although fibro is stress related, I am not sure if it is actually a disease of the central nervous system. It is a condition that can be fully reversed or almost completely reversed!
The person who made this video had debilitating fibromyalgia, so I did not experience the following symptoms myself, but I thought the video was very specific and telling about what it is like to have it: I did not experience the debilitation or pain like tin foil hitting a filling, and I did not have any sensations of bad arthritis, full-body spasms; I did not experience constant debilitating full body pain where is hard to stand or walk across the room at a snail's pace. I also did not experience being overwhelmed by sounds.
My formal diagnosis is now hypothyroid--but this went for years and years undiagnosed, and I was eventually told I had chronic fatigue. Because my thyroid is in the low-normal range, it was overlooked as hypothyroid. Furthermore, as I've said in earlier blogs, I was being treated in the holistic health community for adrenal fatigue and also estrogen dominance (a very common hormonal imbalance even in younger women.)
Dr. Edelberg agreed with my prior diagnoses and put me on a tiny dose of natural cortisol (it has to be a small dose to be safe), a small dose of natural thyroid medicine, and also DHEA and progesterone cream, as well as St. John's Wort and magnesium for the muscle aching.
The book Dr. Edelberg pointed me to was his other book, The Tripple Whammy Cure, which is a great book for any woman to read who is experiencing exhaustion. And yes, if you have the conditions listed in the book [the adrenal fatigue, estrogen dominance and sluggish thyroid I have been talking about in this blog,] there is a cure!
A Votre Sante (Here's To Your Health,) Alix
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Exhaustion Mystery finally solved!
Welcome to Elan Vital Wellness. This forum cites holistic health studies and trends as well as chronicles my experience with adrenal fatigue, estrogen dominance, and exhaustion. Never attempt to treat yourself for any condition--always get help from a qualified practitioner. This post mentions my new doctor who is both a western medicine doctor and alternative health practitioner, so it is possible to be treated by someone who is qualified in both natural and conventional modalities.
I invite you to read this blog as you may possibly read parts of your own story:
After three years of investigating, the exhaustion mystery has finally been solved!!! This week I went to see Dr. David Edelberg in Chicago. He is a board certified western medical doctor as well as an alternative medicine practitioner. A leading expert in women's health, he has written the books Healing Fibromyalgia and The Tripple Whammy Cure.
This blog has explored holistic health and discussed adrenal fatigue, estrogen dominance and borderline/sluggish thyroid levels. Estrogen dominance is common amongst women (causing exhaustion and bad PMS) and, over the past couple of years, I have been treated naturally with bio identical hormones, and an eating plan high in protein to balance blood sugar and stimulate the thyroid. (The natural hormonal protocol I was using is called the Kalish Method.) My functional nutritionist, Kristie Yaakoby was helping me with my an extensive protocol. In this blog, I've also talked about the environmental causes of estrogen dominance, as well as adrenal fatigue in prior posts of this blog. (Men with so called man-boobs are estrogen dominant, so this is a pretty relevant issue for men as well.)
The eating plan I have been using to regulate blood sugar--low blood sugar spikes cortisol, and exhausts the adrenals and thyroid--is a diet high in protein, and I have also been eating a fruit with the meal to keep up my blood sugar to stimulate the thyroid according to the research of biologist Ray Peat. I've also taken the MRT food sensitivity test and done acupuncture, but after 2 1/2 years of holistic eating and treatment, I was still exhausted and needed something more.
Now, thanks to Dr. Edelberg, I have a new protocol and a diagnostic name to explain why I was so exhausted all these years and why felt like I was "beat-up" when getting less than 10-12 hours of sleep.
My formal diagnosis is hypothyroid (sub clinical.) Many women who are in the so called "normal-low" range of thyroid hormone tests actually need to be treated as hypothyroid. In fact, this situation is an epidemic that is making women (and men, too) think they are crazy because they are exhausted and their test results are coming back "normal." (See the book The Tripple Whammy Cure because hypothyroid often goes hand-in-hand other conditions like adrenal fatigue or hormonal imbalance and low serotonin.***)
I like to call my experience with adrenal fatigue, estrogen dominance, and hypo-thyroid the Three-Headed-Dragon, because any one condition can be exhausting, but this is exhaustion that begins to build exponentially.
I was told also that I was "on the foothills of fibromyalgia," but not diagnosed with, it since Dr. Edelberg said my symptoms are totally reversible. This explains the muscle pain in my upper back and neck all the time, as well as feeling like I have the flu when tired. Not a good thing. I have cut back on my activities radically over the years, and not been able to have a full schedule--only doing one small activity on the weekends, and then sleeping. This kind of exhaustion is not easily understood by someone who hasn't experienced it.
It has been hard to talk about the chronic fatigue, because most people have not experienced it--responses I've heard are," "you're lazy," "you're imagining it," "you sleep too long," "if you sleep less, you'll feel better," and the ever popular, generic "Yeah, I'm tired too." And it is also very hard to talk about it considering that I know people who are dealing with much more serious health issues. In addition, several people in my family have had much more severe chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. So in light of these more serious conditions, it seems better not to bring it up. For me, this kind of moderate chronic fatigue is truly "an invisible condition," and can go undiagnosed for years.
I never would have considered myself "on the foothills of fibromyalgia" because, as I said, the people I know who have fibro are in severe pain and on pain meds. Fibro often begins as pain in the upper back/neck, and my pain scale in that area is only about a 4, no big deal. Feeling like I had the flu when tired was worse for me.
More women have fibromyalgia than diabetes, and it is commonly not diagnosed, mis-diagnosed, sometimes diagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis, or they are told they are imagining it--there are also aggressive and abusive treatments that are totally inappropriate that are being done by physicians who are ignorant about fibromyalgia.
Dr. Edelberg offers healthy, progressive solutions in order to completely reverse fibromyalgia and the triple whammy exhaustion of adrenal fatigue, estrogen dominance, possible low serotonin, and/or hypothyroid. The triple whammy can lead to fibro, and fibro patients often have low serotonin. Normal levels of serotonin are needed as a stress buffer. Men generally have higher serotonin than women and are therefore more protected from stress.
My protocol, as prescribed by Dr. Edelberg, now includes small doses of natural medicines: A very small dose of natural thyroid hormone, a tiny dose of natural cortisol [this must be given in very small doses], and St. John's Wort to boost serotonin.
The boost in serotonin will help with the flu-like symptoms, and the PMS. My low serotonin levels were not low enough to be diagnosed as depression [I am, in fact, not depressed, but tired, which is very different, and aderenal fatigue/hyopthyroid may possibly misdiagnosed as depression.] Dr. Edelberg will have me continue with natural progesterone and natural DHEA for the PMS also.
The magnesium supplements he gave me will possibly stop the muscle aching/cramping. This and the flu-like feeling is why he said I am "on the foothills of fibromyalgia." He said not to worry about these symptoms because I will feel better in a month.
Today is day 3 of his protocol, and I no longer feel the flu-like feeling when tired, and the muscle pain in my neck/back has been reduced by at least 50% so far!
A month's time for recovery is an extremely short time considering I have dealt with fatigue and exhaustion that has increased progressively since I was in high school! (At one point I was diagnosed as a healthy "long sleeper" at a sleep disorder clinic, so I gave up trying to look for relief, since I thought my life would always be like this.)
And considering that I have been actively searching and continuously experimenting for 3 years with holistic treatments that weren't working for me--although I was doing the right things, but Dr. Edelberg added a couple of crucial things to them--a month's time for feeling better is miraculous! Dr. Edelberg has been working for many years with women with exhaustion, having incredible success at it. For people with "mystery fatigue" who's test results are coming back normal, I highly recommend his books, and if you can, get to Chicago to see him if you think these books might apply to you.
Again, my diagnosis is hypothyroid (at the sub clinical level) caused by low blood sugar, not fibromyalgia (only the "foothills" of fibromyalgia, meaning some muscle pain and also aching as if I had the flu, which is caused by somewhat low serotonin resulting in bad PMS but not depression.) I will write another post with an update in 6 weeks at my followup appointment. I hope to say then that I am totally better. Dr. Edelberg says I probably will be better then but one exception might be the brain fog--which is another thing I don't like talking about, since it is very hard for people to relate to if they haven't experienced it to the same extent. But not to worry, he has another protocol for that as well.
If you liked this article and have friends with "mystery fatigue," please pass this along!
A Votre Sante (Here's To Your Health), Alix
***As a side note, Ray Peat has done work on serotonin dominance, which he says also causes aggression/depression (as does low serotonin), so people who think they are depressed [adrenal fatigue/thyroid are often misdiagnosed as depression] should not necessarily run out and get on St. John's Wort without getting a neurotransmitter profile from a qualified doctor--hopefully one who will offers natural treatments as an alternative to conventional, and who understands balanced serotonin levels--Dr. Joseph Mercola sites studies that antidepressant medication is no more effective than a placebo. Ray Peat cites an research indicating that Prozac is responsible for 50,000 suicides. (Check out www.Mercola.com and google Ray Peat's articles for more information.)
I invite you to read this blog as you may possibly read parts of your own story:
After three years of investigating, the exhaustion mystery has finally been solved!!! This week I went to see Dr. David Edelberg in Chicago. He is a board certified western medical doctor as well as an alternative medicine practitioner. A leading expert in women's health, he has written the books Healing Fibromyalgia and The Tripple Whammy Cure.
This blog has explored holistic health and discussed adrenal fatigue, estrogen dominance and borderline/sluggish thyroid levels. Estrogen dominance is common amongst women (causing exhaustion and bad PMS) and, over the past couple of years, I have been treated naturally with bio identical hormones, and an eating plan high in protein to balance blood sugar and stimulate the thyroid. (The natural hormonal protocol I was using is called the Kalish Method.) My functional nutritionist, Kristie Yaakoby was helping me with my an extensive protocol. In this blog, I've also talked about the environmental causes of estrogen dominance, as well as adrenal fatigue in prior posts of this blog. (Men with so called man-boobs are estrogen dominant, so this is a pretty relevant issue for men as well.)
The eating plan I have been using to regulate blood sugar--low blood sugar spikes cortisol, and exhausts the adrenals and thyroid--is a diet high in protein, and I have also been eating a fruit with the meal to keep up my blood sugar to stimulate the thyroid according to the research of biologist Ray Peat. I've also taken the MRT food sensitivity test and done acupuncture, but after 2 1/2 years of holistic eating and treatment, I was still exhausted and needed something more.
Now, thanks to Dr. Edelberg, I have a new protocol and a diagnostic name to explain why I was so exhausted all these years and why felt like I was "beat-up" when getting less than 10-12 hours of sleep.
My formal diagnosis is hypothyroid (sub clinical.) Many women who are in the so called "normal-low" range of thyroid hormone tests actually need to be treated as hypothyroid. In fact, this situation is an epidemic that is making women (and men, too) think they are crazy because they are exhausted and their test results are coming back "normal." (See the book The Tripple Whammy Cure because hypothyroid often goes hand-in-hand other conditions like adrenal fatigue or hormonal imbalance and low serotonin.***)
I like to call my experience with adrenal fatigue, estrogen dominance, and hypo-thyroid the Three-Headed-Dragon, because any one condition can be exhausting, but this is exhaustion that begins to build exponentially.
I was told also that I was "on the foothills of fibromyalgia," but not diagnosed with, it since Dr. Edelberg said my symptoms are totally reversible. This explains the muscle pain in my upper back and neck all the time, as well as feeling like I have the flu when tired. Not a good thing. I have cut back on my activities radically over the years, and not been able to have a full schedule--only doing one small activity on the weekends, and then sleeping. This kind of exhaustion is not easily understood by someone who hasn't experienced it.
It has been hard to talk about the chronic fatigue, because most people have not experienced it--responses I've heard are," "you're lazy," "you're imagining it," "you sleep too long," "if you sleep less, you'll feel better," and the ever popular, generic "Yeah, I'm tired too." And it is also very hard to talk about it considering that I know people who are dealing with much more serious health issues. In addition, several people in my family have had much more severe chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. So in light of these more serious conditions, it seems better not to bring it up. For me, this kind of moderate chronic fatigue is truly "an invisible condition," and can go undiagnosed for years.
I never would have considered myself "on the foothills of fibromyalgia" because, as I said, the people I know who have fibro are in severe pain and on pain meds. Fibro often begins as pain in the upper back/neck, and my pain scale in that area is only about a 4, no big deal. Feeling like I had the flu when tired was worse for me.
More women have fibromyalgia than diabetes, and it is commonly not diagnosed, mis-diagnosed, sometimes diagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis, or they are told they are imagining it--there are also aggressive and abusive treatments that are totally inappropriate that are being done by physicians who are ignorant about fibromyalgia.
Dr. Edelberg offers healthy, progressive solutions in order to completely reverse fibromyalgia and the triple whammy exhaustion of adrenal fatigue, estrogen dominance, possible low serotonin, and/or hypothyroid. The triple whammy can lead to fibro, and fibro patients often have low serotonin. Normal levels of serotonin are needed as a stress buffer. Men generally have higher serotonin than women and are therefore more protected from stress.
My protocol, as prescribed by Dr. Edelberg, now includes small doses of natural medicines: A very small dose of natural thyroid hormone, a tiny dose of natural cortisol [this must be given in very small doses], and St. John's Wort to boost serotonin.
The boost in serotonin will help with the flu-like symptoms, and the PMS. My low serotonin levels were not low enough to be diagnosed as depression [I am, in fact, not depressed, but tired, which is very different, and aderenal fatigue/hyopthyroid may possibly misdiagnosed as depression.] Dr. Edelberg will have me continue with natural progesterone and natural DHEA for the PMS also.
The magnesium supplements he gave me will possibly stop the muscle aching/cramping. This and the flu-like feeling is why he said I am "on the foothills of fibromyalgia." He said not to worry about these symptoms because I will feel better in a month.
Today is day 3 of his protocol, and I no longer feel the flu-like feeling when tired, and the muscle pain in my neck/back has been reduced by at least 50% so far!
A month's time for recovery is an extremely short time considering I have dealt with fatigue and exhaustion that has increased progressively since I was in high school! (At one point I was diagnosed as a healthy "long sleeper" at a sleep disorder clinic, so I gave up trying to look for relief, since I thought my life would always be like this.)
And considering that I have been actively searching and continuously experimenting for 3 years with holistic treatments that weren't working for me--although I was doing the right things, but Dr. Edelberg added a couple of crucial things to them--a month's time for feeling better is miraculous! Dr. Edelberg has been working for many years with women with exhaustion, having incredible success at it. For people with "mystery fatigue" who's test results are coming back normal, I highly recommend his books, and if you can, get to Chicago to see him if you think these books might apply to you.
Again, my diagnosis is hypothyroid (at the sub clinical level) caused by low blood sugar, not fibromyalgia (only the "foothills" of fibromyalgia, meaning some muscle pain and also aching as if I had the flu, which is caused by somewhat low serotonin resulting in bad PMS but not depression.) I will write another post with an update in 6 weeks at my followup appointment. I hope to say then that I am totally better. Dr. Edelberg says I probably will be better then but one exception might be the brain fog--which is another thing I don't like talking about, since it is very hard for people to relate to if they haven't experienced it to the same extent. But not to worry, he has another protocol for that as well.
If you liked this article and have friends with "mystery fatigue," please pass this along!
A Votre Sante (Here's To Your Health), Alix
***As a side note, Ray Peat has done work on serotonin dominance, which he says also causes aggression/depression (as does low serotonin), so people who think they are depressed [adrenal fatigue/thyroid are often misdiagnosed as depression] should not necessarily run out and get on St. John's Wort without getting a neurotransmitter profile from a qualified doctor--hopefully one who will offers natural treatments as an alternative to conventional, and who understands balanced serotonin levels--Dr. Joseph Mercola sites studies that antidepressant medication is no more effective than a placebo. Ray Peat cites an research indicating that Prozac is responsible for 50,000 suicides. (Check out www.Mercola.com and google Ray Peat's articles for more information.)
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