Re: Re: If you have ADRENAL ISSUES, read this....()

[Guest guest]

I just got puzzled because the literature said that a person whose aldosterone

level goes up, it will cause sodium retention. I haven't had my aldosterone

level done at this time, but my sodium is always slightly below normal or right

at the low normal level.

Re: If you have ADRENAL ISSUES, read

this....()

,

One can still have an aldosterone excess despite what the electolyte levels

say. The

body is very particular about the electrolyte levels and will do anything to

maintain

them. An example is calcium -- and I believe you had a question earlier about

how

to tell if one is deficient in dietary calcium. Because the body is so

particular in

keeping the blood calcium levels " normal, " for smooth heart/muscle function,

if the

diet is deficient, it'll pull the calcium from the bones. (Therefore, the

only way one

can detect a dietary calcium deficiency is by bone density testing,) Blood

calcium

levels can be off with certain disease states, too.

In the case of aldosterone, if levels are off, it's usually a sign of adrenal

hormone

imbalance/adrenal fatigue or perhaps pituitary dysfunction. A high

aldosterone level

can also manifest itself by showing low sodium/low potassium levels. Low

aldosterone level would occur along with high sodium/low potassium. But it's

not

always a sodium/potassium problem as other things can raise or lower

aldosterone

levels.

Janet

[Guest guest]

, are you saying low or high aldosterone. I must have understood. Mine was

dxed by 2 DR's as so low it didn't seem possible, but cause I was fat, they blew

it off. I am on Florinef. Much better now. Normal blood pressure instead of

65/70

Re: If you have ADRENAL ISSUES, read

this....()

,

One can still have an aldosterone excess despite what the electolyte levels

say. The

body is very particular about the electrolyte levels and will do anything to

maintain

them. An example is calcium -- and I believe you had a question earlier about

how

to tell if one is deficient in dietary calcium. Because the body is so

particular in

keeping the blood calcium levels " normal, " for smooth heart/muscle function,

if the

diet is deficient, it'll pull the calcium from the bones. (Therefore, the

only way one

can detect a dietary calcium deficiency is by bone density testing,) Blood

calcium

levels can be off with certain disease states, too.

In the case of aldosterone, if levels are off, it's usually a sign of adrenal

hormone

imbalance/adrenal fatigue or perhaps pituitary dysfunction. A high

aldosterone level

can also manifest itself by showing low sodium/low potassium levels. Low

aldosterone level would occur along with high sodium/low potassium. But it's

not

always a sodium/potassium problem as other things can raise or lower

aldosterone

levels.

Janet

-- In NaturalThyroidHormones , " " <marin@q...>

wrote:

> I am in total agreement with this! One of the things that puzzles me about

myself

though, is this---It has been suggested by someone on the boards that I might

be

having an aldosterone problem, but I don't understand that, considering that I

always

have a low-normal sodium, a low-normal potassium, yet I have the symptoms of

tired

adrenals. What gives with that? I haven't had these adrenals checked, but AM

considering getting the progesterone. My cholesterols are always excellent

(except

for the test I had back in the fall when I was severely hypothyroid), higher

in the good

ones, low in the bad ones, and low triglycerides. I've been depleted of

progesterone

since I was in my late 20s-early 30s. Everything I've read about progesterone

says

that it does raise the cholesterol. I'm thinking that a little goes a long

way?

>

>

[Guest guest]

Ok, the deal was that a HIGH aldosterone would cause HIGH blood sodium? I had

thought that it was suggested that I would have a HIGH aldosterone with a LOW

blood sodium. I haven't had my blood tested for aldosterone, period, but I

always have this low or low normal blood sodium, which could be indicative of an

aldosterone problem, right? I've found that I need to eat a LOT of salt to feel

normal, at times, as in a weakened state. That is, if I have HIGH blood

pressure? I do have high blood pressure sometimes, but NEVER have a low blood

pressure. This is what is confusing me about the tired adrenals issue. The

lowest mine goes is about 130/70, but most times is up higher than that.

Whoever this was that made the suggestion about the aldosterone being whacky, we

were talking about my blood sodium on another site. What's puzzling me about

the adrenal tiredness issue in my case, is that I thought that people with

adrenal exhaustion ALWAYS had LOW blood pressure. This is why we were

discussing the aldosterone issue. I NEVER have low blood pressure, but when it

does go down to 130/70 or so, I feel absolutely awful, just standing up and

moving, even though that is a fairly desirable blood pressure (if not even

lower--I can't tolerate a lower blood pressure, I feel great at with a 140/90,

which is considered to be dangerous!). I thought maybe someone could ferret out

what might be the details of that. As I said, I haven't had the aldosterone

test, but it would probably have to be high, since the blood sodium is LOW?

Re: If you have ADRENAL ISSUES, read

this....()

,

One can still have an aldosterone excess despite what the electolyte levels

say. The

body is very particular about the electrolyte levels and will do anything to

maintain

them. An example is calcium -- and I believe you had a question earlier

about how

to tell if one is deficient in dietary calcium. Because the body is so

particular in

keeping the blood calcium levels " normal, " for smooth heart/muscle function,

if the

diet is deficient, it'll pull the calcium from the bones. (Therefore, the

only way one

can detect a dietary calcium deficiency is by bone density testing,) Blood

calcium

levels can be off with certain disease states, too.

In the case of aldosterone, if levels are off, it's usually a sign of

adrenal hormone

imbalance/adrenal fatigue or perhaps pituitary dysfunction. A high

aldosterone level

can also manifest itself by showing low sodium/low potassium levels. Low

aldosterone level would occur along with high sodium/low potassium. But

it's not

always a sodium/potassium problem as other things can raise or lower

aldosterone

levels.

Janet

-- In NaturalThyroidHormones , " " <marin@q...>

wrote:

> I am in total agreement with this! One of the things that puzzles me

about myself

though, is this---It has been suggested by someone on the boards that I

might be

having an aldosterone problem, but I don't understand that, considering that

I always

have a low-normal sodium, a low-normal potassium, yet I have the symptoms of

tired

adrenals. What gives with that? I haven't had these adrenals checked, but

AM

considering getting the progesterone. My cholesterols are always excellent

(except

for the test I had back in the fall when I was severely hypothyroid), higher

in the good

ones, low in the bad ones, and low triglycerides. I've been depleted of

progesterone

since I was in my late 20s-early 30s. Everything I've read about

progesterone says

that it does raise the cholesterol. I'm thinking that a little goes a long

way?

>

>

[Guest guest]

I don't take any blood pressure meds, diuretics, no CHF, and, according to my

lab tests no kidney issues, that I know of. My blood pressure takes that upward

swing every now and then. I'm just thinking that, if I don't have low blood

pressure (mine is pretty steady most of the time at around 130/70), I may not

have an adrenal issue (I am taking the Nutri-Meds Adrenal Support), or there may

be something else going on that I just can't identify, to keep me from raising

the Armour up higher than 120. I just know that I still don't feel as well as I

could, though it's definitely improved. I just think that 7 1/2 months is quite

awhile to still have to have such slow increases in the Armour. It's like one

inch at a time here! I'm pretty sure that I need a couple of other antibodies

tests run, but it's going to be awhile before I can have them run. I will be

running my thyroid lab and getting my blood counts again here pretty quick. I'm

just hoping that I'm not still anemic. That has been a full 2 months ago that

the red counts came up not so good, so I'm expecting something different this

time. I've been very faithful about the vitamins, particularly the folic acid

and B12. No iron though because it's not showing that I need that one.

Ferritin is a 63.

Re: If you have ADRENAL ISSUES, read

this....()

,

According to my lab book, it's high aldosterone/low sodium/high potassium.

Low

aldosterone/high sodium/low potassium. If you were low on sodium, it would

make

sense that you need more salt and would crave it. The body craves what it

needs.

But you also mentioned you have a low/low normal potassium. Do you take

diuretics

or blood pressure meds? CHF? Renal issue?

Perhaps with your higher blood pressure, the 140/90, you're either taking in

too

much salt during that time or else your body is doing some other compensatory

mechanism. What, I'm not sure.

With adrenal fatigue/exhaustion, there are verying degrees or levels of it.

With a

down right exhaustion, I would think there would always be a low blood

pressure

because the body isn't able to make all the adrenal hormones, including

aldosterone. With me, for example, I show a lot of signs/symptoms of adrenal

fatigue, but my blood pressure is fine. Sometimes on the higher side. My

sodium

and potassium levels are always good. But I produce enough cortisol. It just

isn't

timed right and I get a rather large surge at one point during the day. This

is also

indicative of adrenal fatigue. And probably why I don't tolerate the adrenal

supps

very well at all. I figure this is something I'm just going to have to deal

with and allow

to heal via proper thyroid hormone levels, a good diet, supps and exercise.

To help

normalize my cortisol levels, I'm taking phosphatidyl serine. Just not a high

dose.

Also, high aldosterone is a sign of Cushing's, which is absolute excessive

cortisol.

But as I mentioned before, high aldosterone is associated with other things,

too.

Janet