The Necessity to Support Adrenal Hormone Output
Adrenal insufficiency/fatigue is a major factor in poor health for many people, possibly as high as 50% of the population of industrialized countries. For these people, the first step in restoring health must be to support adrenal hormone output. It is the hormone hydro-cortisone that is inescapably essential for improving health. So, for these people supplementing with bio-identical hydro-cortisone is the gateway to the journey into wellness.
Why such widespread deficiency?
This situation has arisen due to either; acquired adrenal insufficiency from birth or childhood, or most commonly from the many years of demands of hyper-civilization; stress, modern lifestyle, poor nutrition and not enough rest to recover. Further, EMF exposure, in this age of electronic devices (computers, TVs, mobile devices and so on), impacts upon the adrenal glands. Eventually many people end up shifting from this hyper-civilization mode to a burn-out phase of constant tiredness and insufficient energy to do what we used to do. The result is adrenal insufficiency/fatigue. This means that the adrenal glands are unable to produce sufficient hydro-cortisone to maintain health and adapt to life's challenges, be they physical, mental, emotional or physiological.
Our need for hydro-cortisone
Sufficient hydro-cortisone is essential for a balanced immune system. On one hand it is required for a efficiently functioning immune system in times of infection, stress and detoxification, and on the other hand it is required to limit the degree of inflammation in the system. It is a hormone produced in response to stress. Hydro-cortisone also plays an important role in the regulation of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Hydro-cortisone fights inflammation, helps regulate blood pressure and helps stabilize cardiovascular function.
Hydro-cortisone regulates the body's fight or flight mechanism, the body's normal release of adrenaline by the adrenal glands. Low hydro-cortisone levels cause varying symptoms among individuals. The main indicator of chronic low hydro-cortisone levels is fatigue and low blood pressure.
Those with moderate, but not severe, hydro-cortisone insufficiency can sometimes function reasonably well, but need more rest than most people. If they come under stress, (which would include detoxification from therapies, worry, over-work, insufficient sleep and infections or simply being pushed beyond their normal tolerance levels in any way) then they can suffer from more marked fatigue, including chronic fatigue syndrome. It is also possible to lapse into an auto-immune disorder or experience a worsening of an existing auto-immune disorder. The reason for this is that the body requires significantly more hydro-cortisone to maintain its physiological balance in times of stress. In a person already suffering from adrenal insufficiency, their adrenal glands simply cannot produce enough extra hydro-cortisone on demand and this will render the cells even more hydro-cortisone deficient.
Inflammation is a natural part of the immune and healing response, it is a mobilisation of the bodies defences that should normally be halted at the appropriate time for healing to proceed. With any auto-immune disorder, insufficient hydro-cortisone results in inflammation that is not halted when it should be and thus results in detrimental affects on the body, including tissue and organ damage. For example, in the case of asthma, the failure of inflammation to stop at the appropriate time results in distress and constriction of the bronchi. This can, in extreme cases, eventually lead to damage of lung tissue.
Common conditions that can be relieved by physiologic* replacement doses
*amounts consistent with what the body should normally manufacture
Symptoms indicative of adrenal insufficiency
Studies show that a majority of adults will suffer from adrenal fatigue syndrome, but not everyone knows all of the symptoms to look out for. Some of the causes of adrenal fatigue syndrome include traumatic and/or chronic stress, such as the death of a loved one, or prolonged financial or marital stress, or an infection that one never seems to get over.
The most common signs of adrenal insufficiency are:
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excessive fatigue and exhaustion
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low stamina
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feeling run down
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easily overwhelmed by stress or feeling unable to cope
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craving sweet foods
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slow to recover from stress, injury or infection
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difficulty in concentrating
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greater susceptibility to infections
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allergies
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consistent low BP
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excessive sensitivity to cold
The list above is not an exhaustive list and not all of these symptoms will be present in all sufferers of adrenal fatigue.
Some further symptoms include
A study by the University of Minnesota found that young mothers who were depressed were more likely to suffer from low hydro-cortisone levels as compared to other young mothers who were not suffering depression symptoms.
I've tried many natural remedies before, but to no benefit!
The sufferer from chronic adrenal fatigue or more accurately chronic adrenal insufficiency may diligently try all sorts of remedies; nutritional and herbal approaches, different therapies and so on, but fail to get well after months or even years of trying. Eventually these people realise that most of the therapeutic actions and remedies that they take aggravate their condition, so they have to proceed slowly with much lower dose nutritional supplements. Often the very important remedies that could bring about a clinical improvement appear to be the worst aggravators. This can be avoided with the correct physiologic doses of hydro-cortisone.
How do we ascertain adrenal insufficiency/ low hydro-cortisone?
If one has any of the symptoms listed previously it is not wise to assume adrenal insufficiency is the cause. Some of these symptoms can be from other causes. Also we may be a "borderline” case and only become relatively hydro-cortisone deficient in times of stress.
It is now widely accepted that the appropriate blood pressure tests can be quite a reliable indicator of adrenal fatigue or otherwise. This type of blood pressure testing requires more than a single reading, on an ongoing basis, to ascertain an average.
Blood Pressure varies considerably due to several factors, these include but are not limited to:
To ascertain your average blood pressure, measurements need to be taken sitting/lying and then standing quickly, preferably twice daily, at a regular time. For example, once in the morning when the blood pressure tends to be highest and again in the evening when it tends to be lowest. This more or less corresponds to the level of hydro-cortisone in the blood available for use by the cells in so far as the level of hydro-cortisone in the blood is normally highest in the morning and lowest in the evening and at night, just like the blood pressure. There are other factors that influence blood pressure such as arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and salt deficiency/sufficiency.
The conditions should be similar each time you take the reading. This is important as blood pressure readings vary so much over the day, just going to the doctors and having a reading taken is no way to get an accurate result of your typical blood pressure as just the activity and slight anxiety of visiting the doctor can give a result that is not typical. Full details are given in the article
here
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We have sourced a reasonably priced wrist cuff blood pressure monitor for our customers for this testing. We have tested several models and decided that this was the most reliable. Low priced blood pressure monitors are readily available on the internet, but many do not give reliable results. We offer this blood pressure monitor at cost price plus the shipping costs only, as a service to our customers. Please click here |
Is there going to be any harm done by taking hydro-cortisone if one is not deficient will any imbalance be created?
The surprising answer is no (apart from people suffering from the rare Crushing's disease) The reason for this is that if we take a maintenance dose to support hydro-cortisone levels in the body as previously discussed the balancing hormone secreted from the pituitary gland called ACTH will instruct the adrenal glands to produce less than normal hydro-cortisone, hence the final result will be the same amount of hydro-cortisone in the blood and tissues.
The use of hydro-cortisone for serious health conditions
If one has an urgent or serious health concern and the adrenal function is low it seems eminently sensible opting for hydro-cortisone support. This would be appropriate for most people with auto-immune disease. Although Liquorice can help the body to generate and conserve some hydro-cortisone, and has often been used as a cornerstone of treatment for auto-immune disease, those over 40 years old especially, may fail to respond fully to liquorice support. When fundamental changes are occurring in the body the adrenal glands should be triggered to provide more hydro-cortisone than normal to support the process of change.
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If we are to proceed more routinely and successfully in improving health, hydro-cortisone supplementation is often essential. From my personal experience; I took Pregnenolone and DHEA at physiologic doses for 3 months and obtained some minor benefits, but still failed to produce enough hydro-cortisone to stay free from asthma attack. Since I have been taking bio-identical hydro-cortisone not only have I remained asthma free, I am able to tolerate more powerful supplements such as Organic Germanium at a good dose. This will gradually undermine chronic congestion and poor oxygenation and poor acid waste elimination which is often one of the other main causes of asthma and other autoimmune disease. |
John Claydon D.Hom, Founder of Regenerative Nutrition
Relationship of low hydro-cortisone levels to salt and blood pressure
The two most common reasons for low blood pressure are insufficient hydro-cortisone production and salt deficiency. Sadly deficiency is more common these days than in the past due to another sad result of medical misinformation. We have been told to reduce salt consumption as salt, like sunshine, is bad for us. It may come as a surprise that population studies relative to salt consumption reveal that there is a greater risk of cardio-vascular disease amongst people who consume the lowest amounts of salt. In our article on Celtic Ocean Sea Salt, linked below, you will find many interesting facts and several links to further information on this subject. Refined table salt has far less benefit than natural unrefined salt with it's high mineral content, however it is still better than salt deficiency. The adult body loses about 4 grams of salt daily, and the ability to replenish this from food sources is limited. Unrefined salt has the ability to raise low blood pressure and lower high blood pressure. In fact, one of the most reliable ways to lower high blood pressure is to consume unrefined full mineral spectrum salt such as Celtic Ocean Sea Salt
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For the more elderly and those with severely compromised health, a full recovery of adrenal function is less likely. The limit of this recovery will also depend on the total therapeutic program one uses. |
Extracted from the full article (see further reading tab)
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