Dr. Peatfield says that I have almost complete adrenal exhaustion, which is probably the reason why I also have poor T4-T3 conversion. He says that supplementing for the adrenal problems should hopefully get my T3 back up. Didn't say how to do it LOL -- I've tried emailing him just now.

He also says that my candida antibody test is normal and that I needn't do anything. I thought I was getting die-off reactions, and I've commented elsewhere about the sugar cravings. Not sure what to make of this, though I know that low cortisol (which I can now say for sure that I have) can also make you crave sugar.

I don't understand why my depression began so suddenly though. Surely adrenal exhaustion is a build-up over time. Chelation doesn't appear to have done anything to change it, and three weeks of a candida diet with antifungals doesn't seem to be getting me anywhere either. Last time I stopped the DMSA I started feeling foggy-headed, and when I took some DMSA it went away. Yet my hair test, which was done after months of chelation (during which time the mercury would have been in my bloodstream), shows very low mercury levels.

What can I do? Part of me sees the green light to give in to those sugar cravings at the moment, but I need to talk to Dr. Peatfield and get some questions answered. I don't really feel like demolishing 3 weeks of very hard work either.

I'm willing to listen to all suggestions here. This all seems so mysterious. I don't understand why I am ill!

You've tried so much. I think it's great to eliminate possible causes, but the mystery continues (as does mine).... your adrenals are showing continual stress and I have to wonder what from?

Don't be fooled by candida and mercury testing Linda. Please don't screw up the diet just now!! Hang in there and keep going, because the cravings maybe from die off and the fact you could be on some kind of "right" track (obviously not THE one). You'll never know unless you give it your best shot and to sabbotage it at this stage, to my mind, is not worth it. I'd keep going for another few weeks before you toss it in.

How frustrating. Chelation didn't seem to produce results? (yet anyway). Do you feel you've done enough ALA? Because so many problems can stem from brain mercury (the control centre) hormone levels, moods and everything. It just seems so bizzare that if it's not mercury, then what kind of problem are you dealing with? Could it be underlying viral / bacteria related?

Could there be any other source of toxicity going on in the mouth? E.g. cavitations?

Im finding this bewildering, but again, not too far different from my own circumstances, which are frustrating and mysterious and continue to be so. Mercury poisoning alone was bad enough, but at least "something" happened over time. This? It goes nowhere. It just STAYS. Like some ongoing black cloud over my body and my life.

Again, do you feel you've done enough ALA? Because this is something I am about to try and have ordered some because frankly I don't know how much more of this I can take (though I say that every year). I need something to clear! Something to lift and I know many others on here feel the same way for similar or different reasons.

I wish I could come up with something Linda, you seem to have covered so many bases and continue to battle on. What reactions do you get with ALA by the way? if any?

I had low levels on mercury testing too. It usually doesn't show up much after amalgams are gone. It just goes into storage, unless someone is actively excreting it to a point where it shows. It's hard to test for. Usually it's more accurate by checking mineral levels or doing a specific challenge test (one that andy recommends, maybe a safer bet for that and more accurate).

Candida? I give up on that, too many people have false negatives and finding that they had it all along anyway. I'd continue with what you're doing and see how things lie in a few weeks. I know the cravings are difficult but also candida is also very bad on the glandular system too, so it's a wise move to treat it, even if you're not sure it's the issue. Usually it's part of the problem, it comes along for the ride so often in many illnesses.

I know what you mean Bex. The cloud has been there for me for 3 1/2 years without lifting, ever. It's bad right now; I've got 2 weeks off school along with my little girl. A lot of the time I sit here and use the computer, or watch films at night, to try to keep my mind off how awful I feel.

Not sure about the mercury. If I'd had even some small improvements, it would help encourage me along that route. I was taking ALA with the DMSA but I stopped when I started the antifungals because I was worried that the ALA would let the mercury from the candida across the blood-brain barrier -- like taking it while you've got amalgams in. I don't know this for sure, I'm just guessing.

DMSA is also hard on the adrenals, isn't it? Maybe this is the real reason why it makes me feel better: it gets some of those chemicals going. Similar to when I'm working in the week. I crash on weekends and feel awful.

I just don't know. But I think you're right -- I need to carry on as I am for now and hold out for some results. You know that dizziness you get with candida die-off, when it's releasing alcohol? I've had it several times, I'm sure I have. It isn't usual for me to feel that way. Maybe something really is going on.

Argh!

Linda

How long have you been on ACE? I noticed that moine has choline in and in Cutlers book it says that choline can wosen depression. In fact i am wondering whether it is having this side effect on me.

What is ACE?

Adrenal Cortex Extract

Linda Lou, my guess is either illeocecal valve dysfunction and/or leaky gut syndrome. Both cause toxins (feces) to be dumped into the bloodstream 24/7 creating extreme fatigue and adrenal failure. When your intestinal system functions properly everything else functions properly. The challenge is to find what in your life is perpetuating intestinal dysfunction.

Good Luck!

Ah right. I'd been taking one ACE tablet each morning; because I'm on a 2-week holiday from work at the moment (not my choice), I am taking 2. I haven't really noticed any difference apart from a little extra energy. But if you think it's not going down well with you, then maybe you can try swtiching to something different?

Thanks for the digestive info. I had IBS a while back but it stopped when I changed my diet. I haven't had any digestive problems since then, or any sensitivities which would come from a leaky gut. As far as I can tell I have no sensitivities at all, just cravings for sugar. I've cut quite a number of things out of my diet but it hasn't made any difference.

I've been sitting here wondering what to do and I'm still not sure. My amalgams have been gone for over 9 months. If chelation were going to help, presumably I'd be seeing some light at the end of the tunnel by now? It was 4 amalgams, and I'd only had them in for 3 years.

Then again, I can't see any other reason for the sudden adrenal exhaustion. OK I was raising a baby with little help, and was missing being at work and having time to myself. But I was enjoying it in other ways. Then, boom, that autumn it happened.

I keep wishing I'd get the answer in a dream or something. I'm stumped.

Linda Lou, keep looking and you will find the solution. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Did you chelate? Read where if people don't chelate their bodies kinda "hit the wall" at the 6-9 month mark.

Btw, since I had my amalgams out a month ago I've got tremendous sugar cravings also. TREMENDOUS sugar cravings. Reminds me of when I quit smoking a long time ago. Like my body is used to a certain level of poison and when the nicotine and now the mercury is removed my body wants the poison from the sugar as a replacement.

Hi linda

I want to keep going to give it a fair chance as I am having more energy.

On sudden adrenal fatugue, I have found that when I get worse it happens slowly then bang! it seems to kick in really deeply. It happened last year. It all seemed to suddenly become profound, like the adrenal were struggling then gave up. Going on the candida diet saved me I think but would take too long to change things enough to stop me from giving up so the ACE is I think necessary now.

Hi James,

I've been chelating hard with DMSA and ALA for 9 months now. I know that a hair test is unreliable, but if I was chelating mercury out then it should have been in my system and should have shown up in my hair test -- that was my guess anyway. I've been um-ing and ah-ing about it all afternoon and I think I'm going to try ceasing chelation. I did , briefly, until I started working on the assumption that I have candida. It would follow that the candida would have absorbed mercury from the amalgams and their removal, so I took DMSA to get it out of my system as the candida was killed. But apparently, according to my test results, I don't have candida. I thought I was getting die-off but from what I can tell, die-off doesn't typically last 3 weeks with no signs of let-up. I've felt awful, consistently, from the moment I cleaned up my diet 3 weeks ago.

I have a book called "Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome." I'm having a serious look at it. I guess it's possible that childbirth, plus the stress of not having a job, being at home with a child all day, not working, etc, might have taken its toll. That's all I can think of. I didn't have any major illnesses or any sudden huge stresses like the death of a family member. But I'm rather a perfectionist, and high-strung, so I've got the right (or wrong) character traits for it.

What concerns me is that I've done a lot of things right, like eating a good diet, taking a good variety of high-quality supplements, getting back to work, and so on, and I don't feel any better. I guess adrenal fatigue doesn't always heal itself, and some specially-tailored supplements are required in my case. Dr. Peatfield didn't actually tell me what to do LOL. I've got to contact him and ask him.

I just feel there must be more to it than simple adrenal fatigue. But what, I don't know. Maybe it's just baseless anxiety.

I'll let you all know how I get on.

Mati, thanks for sharing that. It's maybe possible that I was storing problems up myself for a long time, I don't know. I'm also not sure how to make changes in my life. I needed to get back to work; but even though I work part-time, my job is stressful. It's also stressful raising a child with no family or friends around who can help; I get almost no time to myself. I'm a very introspective, introverted person and I really do need that time. It's going to require some thought.

Good luck with the ACE. Sometimes, you know, the body just needs time to adjust. When I'm at work I can't take 2 tablets in the day, I get overstimulated and end up shaking and crying. Yet now that I'm at home for now, I take 2 and still feel like I've been run over by a bus.

With Dr. Peatfield, I think we're in good hands. Keep us updated on how things are going for you <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Linda Lou, this could potentially be the problem as it is a related to some of the things that you are experiencing such as stress, etc. This condition is also extremely common so the chance that this could be your problem are high. See if this resonates:
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-107201216.html

That's interesting, James. Thanks for that, I'd never heard of it.

Chelation's back on. I think there's still a possibility that I have candida, and that it could be causing the adrenal fatigue. I've had fatigue, congested sinuses, and off-and-on dizziness since I started the anti-candida regime. I can't take more than one cap of caprylic acid per day without diarrhoea and extreme fatigue. Garlic takes it out of me, too. If these aren't die-off reactions then what else would they be?

Test's negative, but only just. I think I'm going to go with what my body seems to be telling me.

Hi linda, did dr peatfield ask you to get your sex hormones tested?
When sex hormones are out of wack alot of the symptoms that occur are the same as thyroid/adrenal,just treating this has made some people feel better.
Im confused everyday about this illness, especially adrenal/thyroid.
Dawn x

It is confusing isn't it. I think he was going to suggest getting the sex hormones tested, but I've already been using progesterone cream for a month and I guess he figured we'd wait and see what happened. Not a blind bit of difference so far LOL.

It's nice to have some concrete results but what's important to me is what's causing the imbalances. I'm going to go with candida for now. I'm just sorry that so many of us here seem to be in the same boat, not sure why things are happening. It's about time that GPs got trained to do their jobs properly and became healers rather than drug pushers.

Hi Linda

If I remember rightly you developed cortisol dysfunction when you came off your antidepressant. As I wean off Lorazepam myself <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> I can vouch that this does cause havoc with your adrenals, and mine are fully supported, belt and braces, with prednisolone, without which I suspect I would be totally non-functional.

My guess is that you had some pretty significant adrenal fatigue to start with from the withdrawal, before embarking on the amalgam removal and chelation thing, which will have stressed your adrenals further. Thyroid is also likely to have been a problem from the withdrawal thing, and is exacerbated by the adrenal fatigue. It may be that, in trying so hard to get better, you have actually got worse.

I think you are in the right hands with Dr Peatfield though. He will treat adrenals and thyroid properly, and if mercury / candida is no longer a problem for you, then you should be one of the lucky ones who just has to find the right thyroid / adrenal dose to regain your life! Replacing thyroid hormone should heal the adrenals (they work in tandem), and you may be able to wean off adrenal support. I would say it is looking quite positive.:)


Nicola

Hi Linda,

I'm glad you're getting some answers. Putting the pieces of the health puzzle together is no small feat.

Like so many others here, I'm in your position as well. I know I've shared this with you on a previous thread but, I also have end-stage adrenal failure.

I just wanted to chime in here and say that I think it's an excellent idea to have a complete female hormone panel done. I'm glad I had it done in addition to having my adrenal gland function tested for cortisol and DHEA.

My results were high estrogen, low progesterone, next to nil cortisol, extremely low DHEA. The doctors have prescribed Cortef (i.e., Cortisol) in physiological doses, DHEA, progesterone cream, and pregnenolone.

The adrenal glands will take from the master hormone Pregnenolone what they need in order to produce hormones, including Cortisol. Then they take available progesterone to accomplish their jobs. So, frequently women with Adrenal Exhaustion will also have low Pregnenolone, DHEA and Progesterone.

I'm also taking herbs and extra B vitamins (B6, B5, B12). These B vitamins are in addition to a complete B Complex vitamin I take along with a multi-vitamin. I'm on alot of herbs and supplements right now after testing deficient in many vitamins from being ill so long.

I'm also getting weekly I.V. Vitamin Infusions of high dose Vitamin C and they add B5, B6, B12 and Glutathione to that. This is to help my crappy immune system.

I just thought I'd share my experience for what it's worth. All of us here know that mercury and other heavy metals can stress and deplete the endocrine system -- particularly the adrenal glands. In addition, as you've mentioned, life stressors play a huge part. However, chronic infection can be an additional cause for adrenal exhaustion -- this would be viral, bacterial and fungal.

At the risk of sounding like a proverbial broken record, I just wanted to say that there is ALOT of undiagnosed infection out there. As I've shared so many times here before, I finally got a diagnosis for all of my health issues. I already knew about the metal toxicity but the infections I am carrying and having to deal with are staggering. Namely, Lyme Disease and Co-infections, along with candida.

Lyme Disease and Co-Infections are epidemic in the U.S. and it is also in the U.K. I do not know whether the British Health officials have categorized it as an epidemic yet, but articles I've read indicate that it is an enormous problem that is going largely undiagnosed. The symptoms can seem rather non-specific too. But Lyme Disease and the Co-infections that go along with it will cause a seemingly rapid case of Adrenal Exhaustion.

Anyway, I just wanted to mention this information in case it might help you at some point. I've posted some information about Lyme Disease in the Lyme Disease section of this Forum.

I don't know about you, but I felt almost validated in seeing the results for my adrenal function. I felt like saying, "See? I told you I've been tired and depressed!" lol! I don't know who I felt the need to say that too, though. I'm blessed with lots of loving family support.

Hope I don't sound too bossy here, but I really think it would behoove you to request complete sex hormone testing. It's really difficult to recover from adrenal fatigue without giving the body what it's lacking.

Sharon

p.s. That book you have by Dr. Wilson was really helpful to me when I was first diagnosed. I think you'll like it.

p.s.s. Here is a link to a UK site on Lyme Disease, testing, treatment, etc. I haven't read the entire site so I don't know whether they are selling anything. The article mentions endocrine disruption being caused by undiagnosed borrelia infections (i.e., Lyme Disease). I've just read the article on this linked page and not read any other parts of the website: http://www.drmyhill.co.uk/article.cfm?id=361

Hi Nicola, nice to see you here again.

Funnily enough, I was also reporting my test results on my Withdrawal and Recovery list and saying that if I had adrenal fatigue before, then the drugs made it worse. I suspect that even if your adrenals are healthy beforehand, the drugs screw them up. This will be obvious to anyone who's taken the damn things.

Thanks for remembering that. Adrenal fatigue might explain some of the lingering withdrawal effects. But the real mystery for me is why I got ill in the first place, before I'd been on any drugs, before all of the chelation etc. One thing at a time though I guess. I feel that diet and chelation -- and now antifungals as well -- are what I know how to do, and what work well for me. I'm going to keep up with them. I brought enough DMSA and Algin over from the US to keep me in supply for a few more months yet anyway. I thought I'd add the ALA back in today, see what happened, and I actually feel noticeably better for it. Not sure what that means.

Thanks for the positive thoughts, I hope things are looking up!

Hi Sharon,

Thanks for that link. I will check it out and bookmark it. I think I need to take this one step at a time but I will keep Lyme disease in the back of my head. I kept other things on file there too, like candida, and have eventually got round to trying to address that now that other things haven't worked as I'd hoped. I'm sorry you are suffering that yourself, on top of everything else. I know how awful this stuff can make a person feel.

Sounds like you've got all guns blazing with the adrenal issue too, goodness. I agree, it would be beneficial to get my sex hormones tested, but now that I've been taking progesterone cream I wonder if it would skew the results. As it is, I thought I might really benefit from it, because of the reasons you mentioned, but nothing's apparent yet after a month. I'll give it some more time. I'm pretty sure that those hormones are out of balance too. They usually are when we experience these problems, aren't they, and I've had menstrual problems too which would seem to confirm it.

Lucky you, getting IV vitamins! That's the way you want them when you are so deficient in them.

I know what you mean about being "validated," but I'm finding out that people don't understand much about this. I told my husband that I have adrenal fatigue but I had to explain what it is. I think I'll hold off mentioning it to anyone else until I can also tell them what supplements I'm taking for it. But certainly my husband's family don't seem to think there's much wrong with me, and sometimes I get the message from them that they think I'm just exaggerating or being a hypochondriac, which is very frustrating.

Don't worry about sounding bossy, all advice is appreciated. Thanks very much, and good luck with your own regime <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Good that you have access to such a good thyroid Doc. I just read an article of his from this link (wonderful info on thyroid/adrenal)

http://my.att.net/p/s/community.dll?ep=16&ext=1&groupid=58631&ck=

Look for the "Adrenal-Thyroid Connection".

If you want to help Adrenal Fatigue get some IsoCort (tm). It's supposed to have a little cortisol in it. When I take it I can definitely tell. Of all the other weak things I've taken for my adrenals (B5, Folic Acid, Maca, Salt, Adrenal glandular) isoCort is the only thing that really helped and convinced my of my adrenal fatigue. It has helped physically and mentally quite a bit at times.

This is where I got mine:
http://www.vitaminmd.com/

If this helps you want to look into getting on Cortef. Have your doc read the "Safe uses of cortisol" my william jefferies (I think).

Have you been monitoring your temps? Mine have been low and the Isocort brought me up to 98.6 when I've remembered to check.

If your temps are low you might look into Wilson's Temperature symdrome or "Reverse T3 Dominance".

Cheers

Dear Linda, you sound like your in the same position as me. I think medication has certainly had some impact, but I too became ill 3 months before being prescribed them. There is an online allergy and Candida test, which is the same ones as they do in hospital, they also test your IGE, to see what levels they're at and how sensitive you are to things like food, chemicals ect. The most annoying thing for me is I have a huge set of results, which show a lot of things that are way out of balance, including, IGG, which is connected to immunology and allergies and who knows what else, but I can't find anyone to look at them and tell me what's going on. I feel so frustrated. I'm feeling really rough today and pretty angry that what may have a simple answer can be just brushed aside. The test results I have which have come back abnormal are incredibly off the level they should be at. My GPs advice, get a job and stop rusting away at home, of course he hasn't even looked at them. I was shocked to find, while doing some research on the immune system and allergies, that the UK is the only country to have stopped the de-sentision injections because they won't pay to train specialists in this field or pay to open clinics. All they need is ten million pounds for the whole system to get going. But I'm sure the NHS can find better things to waste money on. Results of my find also 1 out of 3 of the population now suffer from some allergy or sensitivity to something. Scary stuff. I just have no idea what's causing what any more. All the best Love Tracy x

Linda,

Please see this discussion thread:

http://forums.realthyroidhelp.com/v...=0&postorder=asc&start=0

It's my thread over at realthyroidhelp.com, look near the end...

You may need the same thing I do. Adrenal support in the form of Hydrocortisone (Cortef) and then T3 therapy. If you have a thyroid test with Free T3 and Reverse T3 you can calculate if your RT3 is high T3 / RT3.

Hi sregan,

Thanks for the links. Gail's Thyroid info looks particularly useful, I have bookmarked it.

Yes my temps were low, though according to Dr. Peatfield they weren't that bad. He did a few other simple tests while I was in his office and he said it appeared that my adrenals were functioning pretty well at the time, which is why I was instructed to do my tests on the weekend when I'm crashing at home (which happened without fail). It would seem that they can get themselves in gear when necessary; but at times when I'm resting, I feel godawful. And I always used to be a morning person, but these days I feel like a train wreck when I wake up. My morning cortisol is less than half of what it should be for a healthy person, it just never gets up to that pre-waking peak that it should. I'm a little shocked and frightened that it's so bad, to be honest.

Thanks for the info, too, about cortisol supplements. I'm worried about taking something which could prevent my own adrenals from making cortisol, want to stay away from that, but I assume I'm going to need some big-time help for a start, if I'm going to pull out of the trough. I don't know why Dr. Peatfield sent me my test results without actually telling me what to do next. I'll tell you what I'm likely to do next actually. I'll go get massive amounts of chocolate and pastries because I know they raise my cortisol and help me to feel better.

I don't seem to know my arse from my elbow at the moment. This morning I woke up with hellish sugar cravings and decided that three weeks of no results on a candida diet plus antifungals plus probiotics, coupled with a negative candida test, is fairly good evidence that I don't have candida. I also thought that the DMSA and ALA I'd been taking might have been making me feel better because they were boosting my adrenals. Maybe I feel worse when I'm not taking them for that reason, and not because I'm getting sudden mercury build-up. After all, my hair test was negative.

Once I know what I've been prescribed to take, I'll post here.

Tracy, what's IGE?

hi linda, it takes time for the progesterone to work, i have upped my dose because i was getting more depressed and anxious, it really helps me sleep.
i never got tested either i wish i had but i needed some relief from pms so i started the cream,i knew i was estrogen dominant from my symptoms, have been like it for years now but got worse in the last 2 yrs, so bad that my family life was affected by my mood swings.
Dr peatfield does things so slowly, he is treating my sis in law, she is so bloated and fat, she used to be size 8, he is only treating her adrenals with ACE and lots of supplements, some for candida, her candida results were very high, and thinks that if her adrenals get well, she may not need thyroid treatment at all. she is weaning off all meds, benzos, antidepressants,painkillers, etc. it confuses me because i always thought thyroid should be treated first.

Everything I read says adrenals before thyroid.

Just got my pot of cream out . . . according to my calendar I should have been taking it for the past 4 days. Oops.

Sounds like your sister in law is in safe hands. I'm glad Dr. Peatfield is still practising and helping people. I can't wait to find out what he suggests I take, the suspense is killing me. I've been ill for 3 1/2 years but now that the answers are in sight I don't want to wait another minute LOL.

The antidepressants and benzos just add insult to injury. They make these problems worse than they were to begin with. I hope the mainstream realises this one day.

hi linda, what am i saying! of course you have to treat adrenals first,i have said this in alot of my posts before, i feel brain fogged today like im on sedatives or something, not thinking straight at all,thank God i have a few more days off work.

Since your adrenals are low functioning, you'll feel worse when you are resting. That's when they are actually recovering. Oddly enough, with AF, often when you feel your worst is when they are recovering, because if you feel good they are working hard to eek out more cortisol. Recovery from AF can be a real biotch! And, can seem to drag on for a long time. Actually, it will take time.
.
On the replacement cortisol, I've read things from both camps... some say it's safe in physiological doses and necessary to recover from severe adrenal fatigue because it allows our adrenals to rest, some say no. There is a book (I haven't read it but have seen it recommended by others) called Safe Uses of Cortisol).

You may never know what caused you to crash, and it was probably a combo of things. If you're like me, you really hate that too; I want to the mechanism of action for everything that is going on in my body. I hate the not knowing, because knowing means I can fix it and prevent it from happening again.

On the mercury, have you done a DMSA challenge? Since you are already taking it anyway, why not try one? It would probably be more accurate than the hair test to tell if you are excreting it, because the most efficient excretion pathways are urine and fecal I believe. The challenge test isn't recommended for many because taken in a large dose like the challenge tests are frequently done at, it can really hurt you. But, you can do it with just the regular chelation dose and see how much shows up. You may be onto something about DMSA being hard on the adrenals, thus making you feel better. I gotta look that up.

As for the sugar, it may make you feel better, but it will only make your adrenals worse. One thing that helps me with that is to not eat very much carbohydrate in the morning (especially of the grain variety -- oatmeal is the worst!) -- protein, non-starchy veggie. Carbs in the morning can set me up for disaster. Also, do you notice that you have low BP and urinate frequently? Together, these can be symptoms of sodium wasting, creating a potassium/sodium imbalance. Many with those symptoms find relief by adding sea salt (the gourmet, hand-gathered kind) to their drinking water. I feel so much better when I do this. Actually, the best I have felt was when I would drink a glass of water in the morning with the juice of half or whole lemon along with about a tsp of salt. I would also drink this throughout the day sometimes. Really helped with the brain fog. I stopped when I realized that lemon can act as a detoxer, and I'm breastfeeding my daughter still, so that's not a good idea. Oh, and some are concerned with what's in sea salt toxin wise, but I just felt it was better than regular table salt (aluminum I believe), as do most AFers who use it.

I have no idea about the sugar cravings. Maybe low serotonin coupled with the crashed adrenals -- both of which can cause intense sugar cravings? I found SAMe (s-adenosyl methionine) helped with this and my OCD symptoms -- it's a methyl donor in the serotonin chain. Have to be careful with this one though. The precautions for it I found online. Dr. Diana Schwarzbein mentions in one of her books how to self-medicate with sugar/caffeine for AF, to keep yourself from all out binging. I forget how she says to do it though. Her books are carb counting weight loss books, but there is some pretty good basic biochemistry there relating to serotonin. There is also an excellent thread at stop the thyroid madness on tips for dealing with AF. I'll see if I can find it.

It seems that with AF, most things that we do to make ourselves feel better, actually make the adrenals worse.

Shonda

here's the thread talking about adrenals:
http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=7125

need to salt fast if taking an aldosterone test
http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=10948

Linda, you must realise that you BELIEVE your mercury levels are low. You have this theory that because you chelated the mercury must come out and show up in the hair within 9 months.

This isn't necessarily true. I believe others including andy said that you have to wait at least 12 months for mercury to show up. Andy also said that hair tests are not useful to track chelation progress.

You don't know how much you still have and where it is....

If you had absolutely no improvement from chelation maybe mercury isn't your problem but i would not draw conclusions from your hair test and your theory that the mercury is gone because your hair test shows low levels.

I agree with bg here. Linda, after I had my amalgams out, I didn't start properly "detoxing" until over a year later. That's when I got hit. I know it's different for everybody though. But it usually takes years to get improved/cured from mercury poisoning with chelation. Without it? That's uncertain.

hair tests have been meaningless for me and shown literally nothing and one of the best doctor's on the matter understood and deciphered this result as being bad, rather than good. He said to me that even a healthy person will show higher levels than this. He said that very low levels is not the best sign because the body should be eliminating metals and other toxins daily in order to keep good health. When you see little to no levels of something that should show up higher, then he said you have a case often of retention toxicity. In his experience, those with the lowest levels on testing are the hardest to treat and the sickest of all. He said ideally you would want to see those levels rise, to show it's coming out of you properly.

A doctor giving a conference in the US (one of the best in this area Dr Paula Bickle), also mentioned the case of retention toxicity and made it clear to the doctors in the audience "Be aware, these will be your sickest patients and the hardest to treat". If they have all the hallmarks of mercury and such ridiculously low levels in comparison, you got a stubborn case on your hands.

also, some people are poisoned easily by even low levels of mercury, so that can be another problem. Some have much higher tolerance for it and can even work around it. I cannot even enter a dental office, that's how bad it is for me and others too.

Linda, I cannot say if your issues are mercury or not. I wouldn't know. Perhaps something else is going on that is not being discovered. It is hard to say. You're doing the diet and treating yeast and other pathogens, you've tried chelation but don't seem to notice "much" difference.....perhaps you've not done enough ALA chelating as yet.....this is THE one apparently. And needs to be done from 6 months to 2 years (or more in serious cases).

Aside from that? Endocrine issues are apparently (according to andy) a possible sign of brain mercury, due to the fact it's the control centre and gets into the hypothymus etc. He believes if that is the case? ALA chelation should be of help in time.

Go see http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/
Simply one of the best thyroid sites out there. Lots of personal stories to identify with. Some have said that taking Armour has raised their cortisol levels. Which makes sense if the adrenals and thyroid co-dependant like I've read on Gail's site.


Low dose cortisol 20mg or less does NOT stop your adrenals and is very safe and is absolutely necessary if they are in bad shape. Especially if you are still experiencing stress. I took one small IsoCort which is supposed to have 2.5 mg of cortisol and found myself having energy into the evening for a change. It was terrific and showed me without a doubt that I needed cortisol badly.




The things I've taken that were supposed to move mercury have always wiped out my adrenals. I believe once the mercury is mobilized it has an affinity for adrenal and thyroid. Supporting those glands makes absolute sense when chelating.

Hi Linda

Bg123 said
I agree with bg123. It is too early to discount the mercury just yet. You feel better when chelating…….i think that alone is a good indication that you are 100pct on the right track with chelation.

Linda said
“Surely adrenal exhaustion is a build-up over time” – Nope......when it goes…..you crash…..it will have been struggling and then something will put you over the limit…then bam….you crash…from what I understand that’s exactly how it goes.

You keep talking about your hair test reading low…hair tests are not a good way to track progress of chelation, I believe Cutler said it’s because the results can sometimes sidetrack you. They make you think other things are more important. Other things ARE important but you must not let those things distract you from the root cause mercury problem and curing that is via chelation with ALA.
The reason people (i.e. us) have a problem with mercury is because our body cannot and do not excrete mercury….which is why your test comes up like it does. Dmsa, ala does not aid excretion via the hair…(I think…correct me if I got that wrong on that.)

Re the candida test result…those tests are notoriously wrong a lot of the time…but the most important thing to do is to treat the symptoms….and not the lab results. If you react to sugars and crave them, it may be something else….maybe not candida, but maybe hypoglycaemia? Whatever you call it, it is irrelevant…if you get a bad reaction from refined sugar….then avoid refined sugar. Simple. Treat the symptoms not the lab results. And if you must feed it, there are plenty of sugar free ideas on this forum that will satisfy without damaging you.

Hypoglycaemia, Candida, adrenal fatigue, thyroid trouble and mercury poisoning all go hand in hand together. time after time on Yahoo FDC, people say treating the adrenals and thyroid is SOOOOOO important and they say stuff like “if only I had know then……………. it would have helped SOOOO much…..IMHO adrenals and thyroids should be investigated and supported prior to chelation.”

You should be real happy that you have discovered something else wrong with you. Adrenal fatigue! I know its sounds strange to say such a thing…..But now you can take steps to support those struggling organs. Before you had no idea…now you have the chance to take positive action and support yourself. Luckily you have Dr peatfield to hold your hand. send him an email…call him….he will reply soon enough. I believe he does not personally reply to the emails. He reads them and hand writes a reply…which his secretary must then type up….call her! That’s what I did….she said…”oh yes, Sunshine….i have his reply to your email here….let me read it to you.” Email reply came 2 weeks later.

Re cause of adrenal fatigue: Not sure why you are struggling to see the wood for all the trees…surely mercury poisoning is enough? add family, kids and then amalgam removal, and chelation (chelation is hard on the adrenals)…….. i can’t remember exactly how it works….. but its all to do with the pituitary gland. Mercury sits on the pituitary gland and the wrong signals get sent to the thyroid and adrenals….in fact….i can remember so I will stop…..but suffice to say…mercury screws all that stuff up and chelation is needed and support for those glands is vital….which is just what Dr Peatfield will help you with. You have adrenal fatigue and he IS an expert on that and he will help you big time.

Re “safe uses of cortisol” by Jefferies. That book is heavy duty and not written for that layperson. Interesting but heavy duty. Other books are better than that one.

I am so glad you found all this stuff out<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> Good luck Linda <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/byebye.gif" alt="" />

Mercury sits on both the pituitary and the hypothalamus whihc are both on the brain. Chelating with ala will cross the BBB and remove the problem, supposedly.

I just wanted to say a big thank-you to everyone who's written here and offered advice. It got a little overwhelming LOL. The level of support here is fantastic.

I'm certainly taking the warnings about mercury on board. What I'm trying to do -- what I always try to do -- is look at the evidence and try to follow where it seems to lead. Mercury has always been a possibility, and I'm in no doubt that the chelation helped me after I got my amalgams removed; after all, I got a nasty dose of it during that procedure and it needed to be removed. However, the question remains: Was it the original problem? Is it a problem now? I don't know. It seems equally possible that the main problem has always been adrenal fatigue. The DMSA and ALA could have been making my adrenals perform just like going to work does. I think what I'm going to do is leave off for now, especially since while I'm trying to heal my adrenals they don't need the additional stress. If I end up getting mercury symptoms again down the road, I think I'll be able to recognise them for what they are, and I've still got plenty of DMSA left if I need it.

Thanks sregan for your input here. I'd come across the Stop the Thyroid Madness site before, it's a good one. I hadn't realised, though, that they had so much info about adrenal fatigue. I've been there and printed it out; they even suggest a Cortef dosing schedule. They're one of the few sites that advocate its use; so many others just list nutritional supplements, most of which I've already been taking for quite some time. I can see now why the Cortef would be necessary -- it probably is, for me -- and I am no longer afraid of using it at the dosage that Dr. Peatfield would suggest. In fact, I'm looking forward to taking it and starting to feel better. These long holidays from school are ironically difficult for me because without the stimulation to my adrenals, I just crash. This morning I felt like hell raked over and ended up taking 3 ACE tablets. The time-change probably hasn't helped.

I get what you're saying about these rest periods being good for healing, but I don't think it's going to happen to the extent I need until I can get some Cortef. After all, before I went back to work just a few months ago, I was at home with my little girl. Even without the stress of the teaching job (which unfortunately isn't easy on the adrenals either), I never got any better. It's easy enough to say that the rest periods heal, but it's pretty difficult to function at the time! I've got various chores waiting to be done, my house is a mess, and I'm hoping that in a week or two my motivation and energy will start coming back and these things won't be so hard to attend to.

I've got an appointment with my GP this Friday and I'm hoping to hear from Dr. Peatfield before then so I know what exactly to tell him and request from him. I tried phoning last week but he had his answering machine on, saying that he was doing clinics in the north, and that he'd be back in his office for a short period this Wednesday afternoon. I'll try phoning again today though and see if I can at least get his secretary. I'm still not sure why he didn't include treatment instructions with my test results.

A question for anyone here who has see Dr. Peatfield and taken Cortef: Did you have any trouble getting your GP to prescribe it? Mine is usually pretty co-operative and sympathetic, and I will show him my test results, but I'm also aware that his allopathic system doesn't recognise this condition unless you're about ready to die from Addison's Disease. I'm a bit worried that he may refuse to give me my prescription, and then I'll be rather stuck.

The way I understand it is….mercury is the root cause of the problems. You have adrenal and thyroid problems because of the mercury sitting inside you, screwing you up. Once the mercury is chelated out, the adrenals and thyroid can then heal & recover. In the meantime adrenal & thyroid support greatly helps you live your life.

Re your GP: don’t let him sidetrack you from what you know is true.