Tom

[Guest guest]

Tom

My daughter was under the care of a naturopath for adrenal fatigue

and she had an adrenal stress index test twice. This is a saliva test

done four times in one day which assesses levels of DHEA and

cortisol. Her cortisol was very low, but DHEA was okay, so he

prescribed licorice extract and adrenal glandulars plus some B-

vitamins, also a product called Seriphos. The second adrenal test

showed a small improvement in the cortisol levels, but this was

before I figured out the candida connection. This was mentioned in a

book he wrote, but he did not question her about this. This doctor's

speciality is chronic fatigue, and I suppose most of his patients are

more obviously ill than my daughter, who was able to function, work,

exercise, etc. She has stopped taking everything he prescribed except

the licorice extract and she probably took those other things for

about a year. Now she takes, in addition to the Primal Defense and

licorice, a " green foods " powder (Original Greens by Solar Greens),

glutamine to help heal a leaky gut, extra spirulina, and ordinary

vitamins such as C, E and a multi. She is very strict about her

diet, eats only whole grains, little fruit, no dairy foods. Lately

she has been using a whole lemon/olive oil drink once a day and she

also uses Homozon (a fairly small amount). I think she may also be

taking cayenne capsules to help raise her body temp. It sounds like

so much when I list it all! Luckily she is an excellent patient and

says that it's worth the effort to be feeling so good. One thing

that has helped is that she quit her full-time job in March to pursue

another line of work, thinking about returning to grad school, so has

been working part-time, probably about 30 hours a week, but can take

time off whenever she wants. I definitely feel stress was a big part

of her problem, along with a terrible diet in high school (NO fat,

lots of sugar and caffeine), stressful, straight-A college

experience, antibiotics (Augmentin) for sinus problems, and then the

final blow--food poisoning while traveling in Italy. Things went

straight downhill after that, two bad years. Now things are looking

very good and I have my fingers crossed that I have found the solution

(s) for her.