Re: Cindi

[Guest guest]

,

I found this on Dr. Lee's site:

HORMONE LEVELS IN WOMEN WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE AND FIBROMYALGIA

Low cortisol and estrogen dominance may contribute.

Little attention has been paid to hormonal imbalances in women with

chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia (FM), so it was of great

interest to read some research out of Turkey that shed some light on this

factor.

The study examined hormone levels in 46 healthy volunteers, 68 patients

with FM, and 62 with CFS. Those with FM and CFS had low morning cortisol levels,

as well as high luteinizing hormone (LH) levels. Although not statistically

significant, compared with healthy volunteers, those with FM had higher estrogen

levels and slightly higher progesterone levels, while those with CFS had higher

estrogen and lower progesterone, indicating estrogen dominance.

In the natural rhythm of cortisol release in the body, it is highest in

the morning, rises again in the late afternoon, and falls toward evening. Low

morning cortisol is an indicator that the adrenals are depleted. People with

stressful lives and tired adrenals often have low morning cortisol and high

evening cortisol-they're " wired but tired " at night and can't get out of bed in

the morning. According to Dr. Zava of ZRT Lab, low morning cortisol and

high evening cortisol is a risk factor for breast cancer. For more information

on saliva hormone level testing, please visit www.salivatest.com.

For more information on how to support the adrenals, please read one of

our " What Your Doctor May Not Tell You... books " . There is also a good article

on stress, the adrenals and cortisol, and an interview with Dr. Zava about

how cortisol levels affect thyroid function and aging, in the March 2003 issue

of the R. Lee, M.D. Medical Letter.

Gur A, Remzi C et al, " Cortisol and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis

hormones in follicular phase women with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue

syndrome and the effect of depressive symptoms on these hormones, " Arthritis

Research and Therapy 2003 Vol 6 No 3.

I've read over and over that the adrenals should be address first, before

adding the

Armour.*************************************************************************\

******

in Va.

-----

Cindi,

Thanks for your answer. I thought something was wrong with me and I was

losing my mind. I haven't 'officially' been diagnosed with hypothyroidism.

I've been tested a couple of times and my hormone levels were WNL. But I HAVE

been diagnosed with FMS/CFIDS for about 20 years now and I've also been treated

for depression for almost that long too. Everything about me is slow: speech,

movements, thoughts, poor memory. I also have TMJ and carpal tunnel (had

surgery in both hands). And following a recent thread here, my moons in my nail

beds are absent. I am now on disability with no health insurance so I am going

to be self-treating according to my symptoms.

There is one thing that I'm concerned about though and that's the adrenals. I

feel comfortable starting Armour therapy for my thyroid, but if there is

something wrong with my adrenal hormone, does this need to be corrected prior

to, or in conjunction with the Armour? Or is it OK to take the Armour in and of

itself?

I appreciate your help and the support of this group,

[Guest guest]

Seems like it's heart palpitations or crashing, something like that, if your

adrenals are weak and you treat the thyroid first.

in Va.

In a message dated 6/11/2004 8:17:04 PM Eastern Standard Time,

strollerb@... writes:

> I feel comfortable starting Armour therapy for my thyroid, but if there is

> something wrong with my adrenal hormone, does this need to be corrected

prior

> to, or in conjunction with the Armour? Or is it OK to take the Armour in

> and of itself?

>

tough question. you might want to post it on the yahoo " thyroid " board too

as lots of the ladies there have adrenal knowledge...but here's my answer...

i am very certain i have some worn out adrenals...but I started with Armour

and within three months was up to 3 1/2 grains. I went from pretty much

comatose (sleeping most of the time) to feeling pretty good now. Since I was

able

to tolerate the Armour, evidently my adrenals are better than I thought. But

I

still feel they might need some strenghtening and have some Isocort (an

adrenal glandular product) that I am going to start using).

I think the rule of thumb is that if you can tolerate the Armour...then keep

going up with it until you get rid of your symptoms. What I don't know the

answer to is how you would know if you weren't " tolerating " it.

Maybe someone can help me out here?

Cindi

[Guest guest]

this is excellent information - sheese - it is all so confusing though!! and

overwhelming! no wonder doctors don't want to deal with it!!

Cris

Re: Cindi

,

I found this on Dr. Lee's site:

HORMONE LEVELS IN WOMEN WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE AND FIBROMYALGIA

Low cortisol and estrogen dominance may contribute.

Little attention has been paid to hormonal imbalances in women with

chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia (FM), so it was of great

interest to read some research out of Turkey that shed some light on this

factor.

The study examined hormone levels in 46 healthy volunteers, 68 patients

with FM, and 62 with CFS. Those with FM and CFS had low morning cortisol levels,

as well as high luteinizing hormone (LH) levels. Although not statistically

significant, compared with healthy volunteers, those with FM had higher estrogen

levels and slightly higher progesterone levels, while those with CFS had higher

estrogen and lower progesterone, indicating estrogen dominance.

In the natural rhythm of cortisol release in the body, it is highest in

the morning, rises again in the late afternoon, and falls toward evening. Low

morning cortisol is an indicator that the adrenals are depleted. People with

stressful lives and tired adrenals often have low morning cortisol and high

evening cortisol-they're " wired but tired " at night and can't get out of bed in

the morning. According to Dr. Zava of ZRT Lab, low morning cortisol and

high evening cortisol is a risk factor for breast cancer. For more information

on saliva hormone level testing, please visit www.salivatest.com.

For more information on how to support the adrenals, please read one of

our " What Your Doctor May Not Tell You... books " . There is also a good article

on stress, the adrenals and cortisol, and an interview with Dr. Zava about

how cortisol levels affect thyroid function and aging, in the March 2003 issue

of the R. Lee, M.D. Medical Letter.

Gur A, Remzi C et al, " Cortisol and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis

hormones in follicular phase women with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue

syndrome and the effect of depressive symptoms on these hormones, " Arthritis

Research and Therapy 2003 Vol 6 No 3.

I've read over and over that the adrenals should be address first, before

adding the

Armour.*************************************************************************\

******

[Guest guest]

The way you'd know if you weren't tolerating it, is simply that. You're going

to feel probably as bad or worse than before you started it, with being nervous,

easily startled, as tired, if not tireder, palpitating, racing mind, inability

to be calm, etc... All because, even though your metabolism needs to come up,

it is the adrenals that keep up the pace on this, as the thyroid revs up the

metabolism. If there isn't enough cortisol to do so, then you're going to have

even further symptoms and be in the same pickle as with low thyroid hormone, not

solving your problem. Though I haven't been tested, I've suspected this in

myself because it took forever to raise my Armour to where it is. One solution

for me was to wait to take the Armour for several hrs after I have risen from

bed, no matter what time of day (I'm a night worker), but especially after

rising in the evening, in my case. Since my body has been getting " training "

for a long time now, for the cortisol to rise a little more in the evening (just

a guess on my part in theory), then this would be my largest dose of Armour for

the " day " . I've been taking 3 smaller doses while I'm working, the last one

being after I get home from work. A few months ago, I was having all kinds of

symptoms, trying to raise my Armour dose. Was it because I didn't need the T3

or the Armour? No. I desperately needed it, but, I strongly suspected that I

was probably on the tailend of about a 4 yr phase of adrenals that had been put

into shock by many different events, some of them physical, some of them

emotional, some of them possibly chemicals in the air (I suspect this for the

vertigo). Now recently, I tried to raise my dose of Armour twice, in 15 mg

increments, spaced about a week apart, like so many of the folks have done

successfully, but it wasn't successful for ME. When I tested a couple of weeks

later or so, I saw that it was simply that I was trying to raise it too high.

That's a whole different matter than having uncomfortable symptoms from adrenal

issues. So, it's been one and the other. It's just a matter of using logic,

knowing yourself, and listening to your body, when it screams no.

Re: Cindi

In a message dated 6/11/2004 8:17:04 PM Eastern Standard Time,

strollerb@... writes:

> I feel comfortable starting Armour therapy for my thyroid, but if there is

> something wrong with my adrenal hormone, does this need to be corrected

prior

> to, or in conjunction with the Armour? Or is it OK to take the Armour in

> and of itself?

>

tough question. you might want to post it on the yahoo " thyroid " board too

as lots of the ladies there have adrenal knowledge...but here's my answer...

i am very certain i have some worn out adrenals...but I started with Armour

and within three months was up to 3 1/2 grains. I went from pretty much

comatose (sleeping most of the time) to feeling pretty good now. Since I was

able

to tolerate the Armour, evidently my adrenals are better than I thought. But

I

still feel they might need some strenghtening and have some Isocort (an

adrenal glandular product) that I am going to start using).

I think the rule of thumb is that if you can tolerate the Armour...then keep

going up with it until you get rid of your symptoms. What I don't know the

answer to is how you would know if you weren't " tolerating " it.

Maybe someone can help me out here?

Cindi

[Guest guest]

It is their job to learn and deal with it. You are paying them good money to

learn and deal with it.

Re: Cindi

this is excellent information - sheese - it is all so confusing though!! and

overwhelming! no wonder doctors don't want to deal with it!!

Cris