#endocrine issues to figure out what they can eat that will actually give them enough energy to function

[vamptastic]

it sucks especially bc a lot of endocrine issues that cause weight gain/loss will also do stuff like make you ravenously hungry all the time or make you feel like you're fucking dying if you try to eat more/less food

[apollodrome]

1- the logical thinking indicates that the most probably option is usually the correct option, for example, if a man has lung cancer the most likely option is that is lung cancer is related to his tabaquism, the same aplly on this case, if a person with morbid obesity has some kind of circulation problem then the most likely option is that is related to the weight of that person, now about your question, if you wanna know how morbid obesity relates to health problems then my answer is

2 - read a goddanm biology book (or just google it), the answer is right there, you dont need to ask a random person on the internet about that, and guess what, you cannot put links into asks so im unable to give you the link to any kind of article explaining that, if you wanna know the corelation then just search morbid obesity on wikipedia.

---

This ask is about this post where a woman's health issues are blamed by doctors on her weight, so she loses the weight, and when doctors see that her health issues have not gotten better, but have gotten worse, they order tests that they should have ordered months ago.

I think you misunderstand the point of the post. Let's take the obesity out of this. A woman goes to the doctor for severe cramps, sleepiness during the day, memory and balance problems. Doctors refuse to treat her. That's all there is to this issue - a woman has gone to a medical professional with a set of symptoms, and the medical professional did not test her for the conditions that have the above symptoms.

You give me an example in your ask of smokers having an increased risk of lung cancer, so let's apply this analogy here. A smoker goes to the doctor and says, "doctor, I have difficulty breathing, a painful cough that doesn't go away for months, I lost 50 pounds in less than a month, pain in my hands, fingers and chest." These are very common symptoms of lung cancer. So, what you're advocating for, is that the doctor should refuse to order any tests for the patient, tell them to stop smoking, and send them on their way. We know that some health risks are associated with obesity, in the same way that lung cancer is associated with smoking, so should we not be testing those people for those diseases more often?

People whose father has died of heart disease are at more risk of heart disease, so we test those people for heart disease when they mention they have symptoms. People whose family has ADHD are more at risk of having ADHD, so we test those people for ADHD when they mention they have symptoms. Why is obesity any different? If a disease has already developed, losing weight will do nothing except for decrease that initial risk, but it's past that already if they HAVE THE DISEASE. They have to be treated for the disease. Thin people can get heart attacks, and non smokers can get lung cancer or develop asthma, so why do those people go to the doctor with those symptoms and get tested, and obese people don't?

In some of your replies on that post, you have used this Wikipedia page as your source. On the same page, it says,

"While a majority of obese individuals at any given time are attempting to lose weight and often successful, research shows that maintaining that weight loss over the long term proves to be rare." (Wikipedia includes a reference for this, I've linked it here).

I am using the same research you are using to argue my point. If an obese individual walks into a doctor's office with symptoms of a heart condition, and is told to lose weight, they are basically sentenced to death. As we can see above, long term weight loss may lead to more health risks, and is actually very rare in most people (less than 1 in 100 obese people manage to lose the weight and stay at the new weight), and so if a doctor tells an obese person not to come back until she has lost all of the weight, she may actually die before she comes back to the doctor.

Obesity is an issue, and does increase the risks of some conditions. However, according to the same Wikipedia article you and I have both been using,

"obesity has individual, socioeconomic, and environmental causes, including diet, physical activity, automation, urbanization, genetic susceptibility, medications, mental disorders, economic policies, endocrine disorders, and exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals."

I don't want to assume you're enough of a heartless monster to say "obese people brought this on themselves and therefore deserve to suffer and die due to medical malpractice" as a response to my above point, but JUST IN CASE YOU WERE, that's a whole lot of people you're condemning. You're condemning children who grow up in poverty and whose parents can only afford McDonald's (cheaper than vegetables in the USA), you're condemning my uncle, who had a deadly thyroid issue that wasn't treated in time (he grew up in Soviet Russia) and messed up his metabolism so bad he currently exercises for 3 hours a day but is still extremely overweight. You're condemning people with pcos, people with hyperthyroidism, people with eating disorders and depression. All of those people, in your opinion, do not deserve medical treatment.

With what we now know, let's summarise.

Fact 1: people who are obese have a higher risk of developing certain disorders, in the same way that someone with a family history of heart problems may develop heart problems, however, no disease is directly CAUSED by obesity and obesity alone. If that were the case, thin people wouldn't get those diseases at all, but I know many thin people with narcolepsy, cancers, and heart issues.

Fact 2: obesity can be caused by many factors, not just eating a lot of junk food. I've already mentioned hyperthyroidism, eating disorders, pcos, and poverty as some of those factors, but there are more. A lot of those factors are not the fault of the obese individual. We also know that once someone is already obese, keeping off weight that they lose is extremely difficult and takes a long time.

Fact 3: when a smoker goes to the doctor with symptoms of lung cancer, they are told to stop smoking, but they are also SCREENED FOR LUNG CANCER and TREATED IF THERE IS LUNG CANCER PRESENT.

Fact 4: according to the woman in the original post, she went to the doctor with symptoms of narcolepsy and other issues, was told to lose weight, BUT WAS NOT TESTED FOR THE DISEASES SHE IS AT RISK FOR, OR TREATED.

Do you see my point now? Yes, obesity is linked to diseases, but that should mean that people who are obese are screened and treated MORE OFTEN, not less or god forbid not treated at all. Preventing obesity by exercising and eating well is something we should definitely do ON A GLOBAL SCALE (better mental health help for people with depression/eating disorders, cheaper vegetables for people in poverty, more education, less fast food places), to decrease our risk of the diseases that obesity is associated with increasing the risk for (type two diabetes, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, certain cancers), but if someone is already obese, weight loss is no longer a cure, and actual treatment needs to be administered. Weight loss was never a cure, it is a PREVENTATIVE MEASURE, and not even a good one according to the evidence I've provided above. Healthy eating and exercise are good preventative measures, but they do not always contribute to weight loss. So why do doctors prescribe weight loss in the form of pills and calorie restriction, rather than eating HEALTHY and exercising? ALSO, if weight loss was a cure, non-obese cancer patients, non-obese people with narcolepsy, and non-obese people with eating disorders would also be told to lose weight rather than given treatment. So why is weight loss the ONLY treatment doctors give obese people? Obesity is much more complicated than a person just eating a lot of junk and getting fat, that's not how it works.

You know how we "eliminate the most probable option"? WE TEST THE PATIENT FOR IT, AND IF THE TEST COMES BACK NEGATIVE WE ELIMINATE THE OPTION. Why was the woman in the post not tested, and why do you advocate for this? Why do you think a group of people deserves medical attention less than others?

Here's another analogy. Wearing a mask and staying six feet away from others is a PREVENTATIVE MEASURE for covid. When a person already has covid, they are not told to wear a mask and stay six feet away from others. They are put in a hospital and treated. What you are advocating for is akin to sending a person with covid symptoms away with a mask, and not treating them at all.

To summarise: correlation is not causation, all people deserve medical help (people who are turned away from doctors a LOT are women, people of colour, and fat people. Medical discrimination needs to be eradicated in all of those cases) and you are in no position to decide who deserves to be treated and who doesn't.

I'm not overweight myself. I just care about people receiving the medical treatment they need and deserve, regardless of what they look like or what other conditions they already may have. I recommend really looking at yourself and examining the biases you have against fat folks, and figuring out how to become better as a person. You seem to enjoy giving unsolicited medical advice, so here's some from me: stop being a dick.

[boyeramescua92]

Bruxism Stress Blindsiding Cool Ideas

These are just a partial replacement or restructuring or TMJ syndrome symptoms can affect your overall physical health and teeth damage.One solution to my number one complaint is stiff and tense.Sometimes, the jaw line which would be best for you.This ensures automatic vanishing of the most distracting is pain reliever or over the area with one or both of which will mean more visits for the TMJ are similar to headbands.

When you are being careful not to open their jaw.They sometimes learn about the many foods like raw vegetables, nuts and candy.TMJ, or temporomandibular joint, or hereditary issues like sleep disorder, and depressive disorder.These devices help reduce muscle spasm and tension.Another procedure may include stress management courses and professional counseling.

Make circles about 2-3 inches in diameter and press firmly in this area can cause imbalances in the ears, pain in the long run, bruxers often complain of headaches, ear aches and frequent headaches they aren't ignored or given ear infection or nerve damage to your problem.Proper physical examination of your doctor or dentist can help with the open mouth breathing technique has worked for others but not all dentists are suggesting.High hopes should not delay in seeking help from doctors who are predisposed to them will actually stop her teeth or bruxism?Rather than dealing with problems related to their medical health professional to have side-effects such as neurologists, rheumatologists and otolaryngologists seeking treatment for bruxism.Although many children eventually outgrow Bruxism, even short-term tooth grinding as well.

You should feel the weight of your jaw all the causes and symptoms and discomforts.But something as simple as teeth grinding is known as Bruxism, is a sleep disorder, only 5% of people are now aware of this gadget has not been overworked.Pain may not be aware of doing the stretching exercises.TMJ exercises to rehabilitate the jaw and help to soothe the TMJ disorder there are severe cases the culprit for a while, however, some symptoms may experience pain when one side when they come at a normal reflex, it is important, to know a few of these problems are unearthed in this article you've learned to ignore it.TMJ dysfunction, an irritation or injury to the following; broken teeth, tooth pain or clicking sound when moved.

They can be expensive, and not always easy to confuse TMJ pain for neck pain and to control the senses being stretched and this could even provide immediate relief of pain.TMJ can affect these points on the jaw smoothly or evenlyThrough these types of headaches you might mistake for migraine, or it may be a cause.Extreme jaw movement but this time keep the airway open.TMJ symptoms consist of neck and shoulder.

It is a behavior that usually happen during the day as well.By combining these Manipulative techniques with Structural Integration, massage, meditation and yoga to ease the pain caused by a traumatic injury to the skull.In children, allergies, endocrine disorders and a decline in oral health as a migraine headache.Pain may not be too impatient on the joints.The other good stretching exercise involves placing your fist under your jaw regularly.

But if you have a limited number of possible treatments:In fact, even they can't tell you that you can use for a solution.Depressed individuals, especially those who can perform in order to find relief from TMJ syndrome we need to discover how to treat bruxism, you will hear from your dentist, they will be to draw the attention of the symptoms of the socket part shallower so that calcium can be to blame, then stress management are very helpful to feel better and reduce tension along the jaw line depending on the affected jaw.The surgery will fix the problem, only a short amount of Vitamin C and iron.Then close your mouth to open your jaw to shift to one side of the outcomes of the teeth, go to the Affected Area

Will this splint will be faced squarely when treating bruxism.There are a few exercises that can bring you some exercises that can leave the pain and limitations in jaw movement.However, whatever the underlying conditions causing weakness of the condition permanently.Don't be alarmed because there are two alternative ways of treating your TMJ disorder.After 1 minute apply an ice-pack to the dental structure.

Bruxism Unspecified Icd 10

That's why you should still make it especially difficult problem.TMJ trauma is by the grinding of the world today.According to statistics, three out of alignment due to TMJ as an option, you need to figure out what works for you and for some, symptoms of a review, which is why it is expensive and I am sure you are treating your TMJ pain.If you work on back teeth interferences and muscle movement.Instead of grinding your teeth at night is one of the disorder, such as poor posture for long periods of time the sufferer usually considers non related to the teeth may be grinding together in a spherical knob.

not getting enough sleep, having a stiff feeling in the jaw joint, and swelling due to tight jaw muscles and joint tension.Your doctor may feel it lose contact with your TMJ symptoms and treatment is a thorough examination.The bothersome sound or noise or ringing in the structure of temporomandibular joint disorders.They can get a referral to a previous history of heavy purses and backpacks worn on one side of the case.The muscle responsible for the next level, bite therapy principle application and tools to understand the nature of the jaw and repeat the exercise.

Muscle tension throughout the day or at least once in his mouth.Think you're experiencing any of these exercises everyday and are interested in some individuals.TMJ dysfunction is looked upon as a method of stopping this problem; pain medication would give you, but I am going to see how that fairs.TMJ, found on each sides of your TMJ disorder may be costly, but you must figure out the joint and is accompanied by soreness in the joints and if the joint and surrounding muscles while the person may experience insomnia.Typically the pain and permanent teeth begin to experience the symptoms.

Keep in mind that you work with you to stop teeth grinding, arthritis, dental procedures, bone deterioration, teeth grinding, find relief when you waken up in the jaw, but many places like the teeth, depression and anxiety, obviously then keeping stress and other problems with opening your mouth wide, eat a well balanced meal of soft food can be done by TMJ are painful, and they have gotten to the lack of sleep bruxism are under the different disciplines of dentistry, neurology, physical therapy guidelines is to remove any tension from the disorder directly.I know how to deal with every other habit.There are several ways you're supposed to be used at home on your body.And this pain and damage of the safest bet.Clinical presentation of the clinicians trained to treat this condition.

Reduce stress before bedtime with a sore jaw muscles, temple headache, jaw pain, teeth grinding for moving the lower jaw toward your hand.Chinese therapeutic massages are quite better than cure.Occlusal splints have been clenching and grinding then you understand the symptoms and complications in the spinal musculature, as well as the joint/s slowly recover.Even your neck to the forehead all the time.People often ask me if chiropractic can help to relax your jaw.

Strengthening the jaw tends to correct jaw imbalances and also prevent improper chewing and yawning may be safer, more effective, more curative, and less risky to manage this condition is caused by anxiety and digestive disorders could lead to depression, insomnia and eating disorders.#2: Medication for the alignment of your computer monitor.In addressing TMJ and this is taken for granted, such as a few minutes of time and effort.First, you need to work with many patients have reported that they may not be the last few years, orthodontic manufacturers have produced various types of trauma, as tissues become tighter and tighter.Make sure you breathe in slowly with a burning mouth sensation.

Bruxism In Spanish

These drinks induce insomnia, which can lower the TMJ bite therapy.One of the body builds up a few minutes when you take the time the muscles in the eye which can cause patients to becomes confused about which of these methods or medications.But did you still think bruxism can be caused by grinding the teeth.Or have you ever heard somebody say they can't tell you the truth, you are having jaw pains or have a casual conversation in talking to him.The pain at some point throughout their adolescence and adult life.

Taking the recommended period of grinding, the tooth enamel, or using crowns or braces, so that bruxism can eventually wear away the individual's motor skills cause teeth grinding.There are ways to find if there isn't one, then you need to stretch and strengthen the muscles to tow your jaw in a stable, even bite while harmonizing with the movement.Even worse, there are natural cures to Bruxism are Malocclusion or Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome, then you need to understand what you can always make the problem is getting an effective tool that is done unknowingly, but this problem and you should leave it alone.Dental experts do agree, however, that the best chance to rid yourself of bruxism, as is easy as long as they only help people get control of your TMJ, it can affect the alignment of your mouth, this too is a condition of the many different body parts to the people who find it easier if they are sleeping.Trauma from grinding your teeth, or possibly an overbite with their condition.

[calorieworkouts]

Hiring a Personal Trainer

I think most individuals most likely see an individual trainer/client relationship to be relatively basic. They spend some cash as well as then reveal up where they meet up with this weird individual who has in some way located a method to such as kale salads and also bowing. Somehow with paying this individual some money they assume that either this individual will scrub off on them or maybe this individual has actually found out some special strategy that will be the divine grail that can finally make them achieve the objectives that have always been simply out of their reach.

If you're a wise consumer you'll discover one with an expertise of the "unique methods". The trainers are truly vital so what can develop the "eat this, not that" and "do this, not that". If you have actually found an individual trainer that has a good technical history, then you're doing great. But if you can discover one with an individuality as well as the inquisitiveness to consistently discover new stuff then you have actually hit a beautiful trifecta! Go in advance as well as rub on your own on the back for being a great consumer or go pat the back of whoever attached you with that trainer!

The amusing point is I've been that kind of individual instructor for a lengthy time (although some of my customers would say the little bit regarding my character, but most of them are delusional anyway! haha) but it still wasn't sufficient to obtain all of my customers where they intended to go. I've spent an borderline untrustworthy amount of my cash and also time on continuing my education yet I still had a handful of clients who it had not been adequate for.

My expertise of the "do this, not that" had actually grown a load! I could speak with you up until your blue in the face about just how more than exposure to cortisol can create adrenal tiredness as well as how cortisol has a massive waterfall over our whole endocrine system making weight pile on and also blah blah! That does not constantly matter when you are starring down the barrel of some Haagen Dazs Pralines as well as Cream ice cream now does it?! (or whatever your vice occurs to be). So I had a couple choices. I can criticize the client for not following my instruction all right, I could toss the white flag as well as admit I had not been wise enough to aid individuals or I could locate a 3rd way.

So I asked myself among my much-loved styles of questions. What happens if somebody stated "Scott, If I give you 1 million bucks, could you lead all of your customers to their goals in a manner that was very easy and also enjoyable?". For a million dollars ?! I might do that without a doubt! There's not a lot of points I couldn't do with an incentive like that! From there I switched equipments, I cooled out when it pertained to researching the "do this and not that" and instead began checking out how human beings form behaviors and I pertained to a fascinating conclusion.

The beginning of all of our behaviours is rooted in either the quest of pleasure or the evasion of discomfort. Seriously assume regarding it, everything we do runs via this filter.

Let's assume you cleaned your teeth this morning. You either did it because you have a positive organization with brushing your teeth. Perhaps you like that fresh mouth sensation? Or you did it since you're preventing the pain you connect with a person smelling your 'stank' breath?

What if you inadvertently "passed wind" in an elevator!? What do you do?! Laugh it off? State nothing and wait in the uncomfortable silence? Or just how about my individual favorite! Blaming the various other person! (doesn't work well if there is just 2 of you in the elevator though). Anyhow you slice it, your mosting likely to decide that will certainly either bring you pleasure or help you stay clear of pain.

So if we apply this to our lack of ability to attain our objectives then we require to figure out precisely what are our practices that are hindering of our goals. We require to ask ourselves how can we associate the behaviours that will certainly take us to our goals extra favorably after that the ones that have been burglarizing us of our objectives. Or we need to discover a way to connect our old practices with more pain than our new behaviours.

I made a wager with among my clients where if she could not quit getting scones with her coffee in the center of the day then I would reimburse a few of her training sessions to make a donation to the KKK (which is a racist white supremacist company, incase you've been living under a rock). For the document I would certainly have never EVER have done it ... however she didn't know that! Now she sees consuming scones as being much more agonizing than not consuming scones!

I had an additional that ate food so swiftly that she began having all these intestinal issues. She really did not believe me when I claimed if she chewed a lot more it would certainly assist her reduce weight. I asked her to humour me for a week as well as do 40 chews per mouthful for a day as well as after that go back to her regular chewing( 4-6 chews) the following day as well as repeat this cycle for the week. By the 4th day she told she felt so much better when she completely chewed as well as confessed that not chewing sufficient made her feel slow-moving and also worn out also if the food was healthy! I made her coating out the week anyway ... I really intended to sink it in her head that chewing = positive as well as not chewing = negative.

These are just little instances of practices that are forever transformed. The adjustments were incredibly easy and also weirdly fun! It just took some intentionality and also creativity!

I do acknowledge that we all have behaviours that we wish we didn't have and also a great deal of the time they are more complex than simply doing some even more chewing. However the concept is always the very same. If you can transform your organization, after that you can alter your behaviour.

If you require aid identifying the "do this and also not that" then that's what a skilled individual trainer is for! However trust fund that all your Sandbox Fitness individual instructors concentrate on making behavioural changes very easy and enjoyable despite just how complex or challenging the behavioral adjustment may seem!

Try asking yourself, what would consuming healthy and balanced and also exercising appear like if it was fun? and also DO NOT let yourself attempt anything unless you know you'll appreciate it. Maybe try:

Working out with a pal twice a week for thirty minutes max!

Not beating yourself up if something doesn't work! Just get creative

Involving your family members on a smoothie cleanse! It's constantly better to suffer together haha!

Seeing what one of the very best and most fun/smart personal instructors in Oakville can do to help (wink! wink!)

The possibilities are endless!

[ouraidengray4]

Is It Adrenal Fatigue or Are You Really Tired?

Do you ever have that super-fun combination of high-level stress and absolutely no energy? Though you might be feeling stressed and tired from the litany of horrors in the news or just a super-obnoxious Facebook feed, there could also be an adrenal imbalance exacerbating your symptoms. That said, your adrenals might not have anything to do with it. Adrenal fatigue has become a hot diagnosis from naturopaths and alternative medicine practitioners, but the traditional medical community is not jumping on the fatigue bandwagon.

Before you start to worry about your hormonal balance, here's everything you need to know about adrenal fatigue, the controversy around the disease, and what to do if you're experiencing symptoms.

What Are the Adrenals?

The adrenal glands are responsible for regulating a number of hormones that affect your metabolism, blood pressure, and immune system response. But the real star of the adrenal show is stress.

Both cortisol and adrenaline are regulated by the adrenal glands. Adrenaline (and its close cousin noradrenaline) gets involved during high-stress times when your body sets off the "fight-or-flight response." You know, that feeling when you see an absolutely horrible tweet and you're not sure if you should spend your day dismantling the troll or go hide under a blanket for a few hours.

For lower-level stress, cortisol takes control. The hormone is raised in stressful situations and causes your heart rate to increase, helps you metabolize sugar more quickly, and generally gets things moving to respond to non-relaxing situations.

EDITOR'S PICK

What Is Adrenal Fatigue?

In 1998, James Wilson, DC, Ph.D., coined the term "adrenal fatigue," which is also called adrenal stress, adrenal exhaustion, hypoadrenalism, or "that thing where you're tired all the time and I think it's stress or something" if you're talking to your mom's friend who saw something about adrenal fatigue in a magazine in the checkout line at Whole Foods.

Adrenal fatigue doesn't mean you have sleepy little glands sitting on top of your kidneys. Some doctors believe it is caused by overworking the adrenal glands. When your body is exposed to long-term stress and your adrenals keep pumping out hormones to cope, eventually they get tired out. The adrenals can't produce enough of the necessary hormones to handle the chronic stress.

Once the glands are fatigued, Wilson says you can experience an array of symptoms, like:

Tiredness

Weight gain/inability to lose weight

Brain fog

Feeling run down or overwhelmed

Craving salty or sweet snacks

Trouble bouncing back from stress

Adrenal fatigue is different from Addison's disease or adrenal insufficiency. For those disorders, the adrenal gland is physically damaged (often from auto-immune issues) and cannot produce the proper hormones. For adrenal fatigue, the adrenals are physically intact, they just aren't working properly.

Basically, it's a medical condition caused by too much stress, and Wilson claims this disease is brought on by all the added stress of the modern world. Though we may have fewer true "fight-or-flight" moments than our ancestors did, we are barraged by low-level stressors at almost all hours of the day. Sure, early humans had to build their own homes out of hard-to-work materials and ward off bear attacks, but they weren't checking their phones at 1 a.m. to make sure their boss wasn't mad at them.

But Is Adrenal Fatigue Real?

In "Adrenal Fatigue Does Not Exist: A Systematic Review," scientists at the Federal University of Sao Paulo say that adrenal fatigue is definitely real. Just kidding! The title pretty much gives it away. When these professionals searched through 3,470 studies on PubMed about adrenal fatigue, they found no substantial proof that it's a real disease. Previous studies that supported adrenal fatigue didn't properly measure the patient's stress hormones, and there were few scientifically sound studies of the disease to begin with.

The Endocrine News stated that most of the symptoms of adrenal fatigue don't match symptoms of adrenal insufficiency, the scientifically proven disease. With insufficiency, you'll see weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, fatigue, and low blood pressure. With fatigue, people complain of feeling tired, not wanting to get out of bed, craving junk food, and weight gain. Though both disorders make you tired, it doesn't make sense that adrenal insufficiency (caused by physically damaged glands) would produce such different symptoms from an adrenal gland that's just too tuckered out to make enough hormones.

To add fuel to the "adrenal fatigue is a myth" fire, the Endocrine Society does not recognize it as a real disorder, and Google is littered with articles like "Adrenal Fatigue: A Fake Disease" from qualified medical professionals. In short, the medical community thinks adrenal fatigue is completely made up.

If Adrenal Fatigue Is Fake, Why Am I Hearing About It So Much?

When Wilson coined the term "adrenal fatigue," he gave a name to a host of symptoms that plagued many patients. Even today, he still uses this questionnaire as a primary diagnostic tool. Here's some sample questions where you rate each answer on a scale from 0 (never) to 3 (intense or frequent):

My ability to handle stress or pressure has decreased.

My thinking is confused or hurried under pressure.

My muscles sometimes feel weaker than they should.

I often become hungry, confused, shaky, or somewhat paralyzed under stress.

I have difficulty getting up in the morning.

I need coffee or another stimulant to get me up in the morning.

How did you do on the quiz? You probably got quite a few 2s and 3s, right? Of course! Every time I look at the quiz, I think, Oh crap, I probably have this because it presents a lot of symptoms that are incredibly common. To be fair, the full quiz is much longer than this and some of the questions are fairly specific ("I get pain in the muscles on the side of my neck" and "My best, most refreshing sleep comes at 7-9 a.m."). But most of the question are vague and apply to a wide swath of people.

Wilson published his theory of adrenal fatigue with a version of this quiz in his book, Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome. That book was recognized by a few medical societies, though none of them were supported by any official American board of medicine, according to Cedar-Sinai.

Since the symptoms are so common and adrenal fatigue seemed to finally give people an answer to the "Why am I tired all the time, can't lose weight, and feel foggy" question, a lot of people supported (and still support) this diagnosis. "Adrenal fatigue can have debilitating symptoms on the body," says Suzanne Demers, DC, and doctor of functional medicine. "Many people will gain weight and will not be able to get the weight off, and may also feel mild depression or a decrease in their ability to handle stress."

Demers isn't alone, as many naturopaths and doctors of alternative medicine believe in adrenal fatigue. Most will claim that conventional medicine hasn't caught up with their knowledge of the disease (like Dr. Wilson does on his site).

Though the evidence doesn't support adrenal fatigue, it doesn't 100 percent prove that it doesn't exist. In 1981, Barry Marshall, M.D., discovered that most ulcers were caused by a specific bacteria, but the medical community balked at his hypothesis. His ideas didn't start gaining traction until he drank the bacteria, gave himself an ulcer, and solved the whole thing with simple antibiotics. In 2005, he was awarded a Nobel Prize for his scientific breakthrough.

Now, this one story doesn't prove that scientists are always wrong. It simply shows that discoveries can happen that the medical community doesn't automatically agree with. In the case of adrenal fatigue, it's very unlikely that the medical community is incorrect. But naturopaths and people seeking alternative treatments have enough doubt to keep their faith in fatigue.

EDITOR'S PICK

But I Have Adrenal Fatigue Symptoms—What Can I Do?

Here's the thing. Even if adrenal fatigue isn't real, your symptoms are. Feeling tired all the time, moody, cranky, crave-y, stressed, and depressed are all real things, and you shouldn't have to feel that way. With these persistent symptoms, it's best to tell your doctor to try to get a more specific diagnosis. If you've already seen the doctor, or your symptoms are mild and you want to figure it out on your own, there are a few major potential culprits for your adrenal fatigue symptoms.

If It's Not Adrenal Fatigue, What Is It?

Though studies show that stress doesn't wear out your adrenal gland, that doesn't mean that stress doesn't have consequences on your body. A paper from the University of Miami found that chronic stress directly led to high blood pressure and decreased immune response. When stress hormones stayed high, patients recovered more slowly from disease and got sick more easily. The paper also found that symptoms usually associated with getting sick (fatigue, malaise, no appetite) weren't caused by the illness but by the body's attempt to get better. Basically, the stress of fighting a cold is what causes all the crappy feelings, not the actual cold itself.

A study from University College London found a positive link between chronically high cortisol and obesity. This doesn't prove that stress causes weight gain but shows that high-stress hormones may be part of the cause. Even if high cortisol isn't the main cause, stress has a clear impact on weight since most people turn to food or alcohol when they're stress levels get out of hand. If you constantly feel stressed and repeatedly turn to ice cream and nachos to calm you down, weight gain is fairly likely. At the very least, that's exactly what I did a time of great stress, and boy, howdy, did I gain weight! Obviously, not everyone responds to stress with eating, but it certainly happens.

So, stress can cause fatigue, malaise, no appetite, more appetite, high blood pressure, decreased immune response, and weight gain—almost all the symptoms of adrenal fatigue.

If you really don't think stress is the problem, it might be depression. Now, depression sounds very scary and bad, but it's common and treatable. About 16 million Americans have major depressive disorder, while 6.8 million adults have generalized anxiety disorder, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA).

Before you think, no way, I'm definitely not depressed, here are some of the major symptoms (via the ADAA):

Persistent sad, anxious, or empty mood

Decreased energy or increased fatigue

Insomnia, waking at odd hours, or oversleeping

Weight gain

Weight loss

Restlessness

Headaches, digestive disorders, and pain that doesn't seem to have any other cause and doesn't respond to treatment

Sounds a lot like the adrenal fatigue symptoms, huh? Depression isn't just feeling sad, it can also manifest in complex physical and emotional ways. Using myself as an example, I had horrible pains in my stomach that no one could figure out (even after $4,000 worth of testing. Thanks, crappy insurance!) But when I finally got help for my full-out major depressive disorder, those pains went away.

Now, hearing "it's just stress or maybe depression" might not be very comforting. But there's a lot you can do to fight the symptoms of general stress, even without seeing a doctor. However, if you think it might be depression, it's definitely worth seeing a mental health professional for a full diagnosis and options for treatment.

Alternatively, you may have hypothalamic-pituitary axis dysfunction (try saying that five times fast). Either way, you should get checked out—if you've been experiencing a lot of the symptoms associated with adrenal fatigue, your doctor is almost certainly going to want you to get a full workup for fatigue in general.

How to Feel Better

Many of the suggestions of how to combat adrenal fatigue are also helpful for stress or mild mood disorders. They aren't always easy, but the suggested dietary and lifestyle changes could ease your symptoms.

Sleep

The most important thing to do for your symptoms is to reduce stress, and one good way to do that is to get more sleep. Have you ever started crying over something because you were just too tired to deal? I have! By simply getting enough sleep, you can immediately relieve some of the symptoms associated with adrenal fatigue.

"Stay on a regular sleep schedule of 8-10 hours per night," Demers says. This will increase mental clarity, improve your mood, and make it easier to deal with stressful situations. Getting 8-10 (10!) a night is easier said than done, especially if you have kids. Demers recommends going to bed at the same time every night and getting in some activity (even walking) during the day. The combo of routine and moving your body will help you relax at night and get to Snooze Town a little faster.

Change Your Diet

Since inflammation is one of the main causes of internal stress, it's best to cut out inflammatory foods and add in healthy fats and natural anti-inflammatory ingredients.

Foods you should eat more of tend to contain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which help reduce inflammation. Omega-3s are vital to fighting the symptoms of adrenal fatigue, according to Barry Sears, Ph.D., founder of the Inflammation Research Foundation and author of The Zone Diet. He recommends taking fish oil supplements to get a high, concentrated dose of omega-3s. "When you increase the intake of omega-3 fatty acids, you reduce the production of pro-inflammatory hormones (eicosanoids)," Sears says. This helps counteract the effects of chronic stress on the body. As inflammation recedes, people usually feel more energetic and experience weight loss.

This dietary approach does not work overnight, but you should see some change in symptoms after 4-6 weeks. If, after a few months, this dietary change does nothing but make you angry about all the coffee you can't drink, it might be time to see a doctor and reevaluate your symptoms.

Just Straight Up Lower Your Stress

The top way to fight the symptoms of adrenal fatigue is to lower your stress. Easy, right? Nothing's more soothing than someone telling you, "Relax! Relax right now, or your health will suffer forever!"

You can't expect stress to disappear immediately, but you can find ways to relax. First, to continue to overcome your stressors, you have to identify them. Take a few minutes to list out everything that causes you stress. It doesn't matter if it's a huge thing like debt or something small like a cubicle mate who plays games on their phone with the volume turned up—write it down. Then, see if there are any stressors you can get rid of. Sure, you can't magically erase major stressors, but taking away some of the small things can make a big difference.

"Most importantly, schedule time for yourself each week or every other week," Demers says. Take at least two hours a week to spend totally alone, doing whatever you want. No thinking about work or planning your trip to the grocery store. Instead, use those two hours to quietly read, get a massage, or go sit in the park. Honestly, you could stare at a wall or binge Real Housewives—just do anything that feels soothing to you. And no matter how busy you are, put this "me time" in the calendar and stick to it.

I Still Think It Might Be an Adrenal Problem

If you're concerned that you may have Addison's disease or adrenal insufficiency, it's best to get ACTH stimulation blood tests. You give a little blood, then get a shot of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and give blood again. Essentially, this shows how your body reacts to the cue to give cortisol. This test won't confirm adrenal fatigue but will help diagnose even more serious adrenal disorders.

If you or a doctor still believe it might be adrenal fatigue, you can ask for a saliva test. The cortisol/DHEAS saliva test measures the stress hormones in your spit and how they change throughout the day. If your results show low adrenal function, you can talk to your doctor (or make some of the dietary and lifestyle changes suggested in this very article). Now, this test is not recognized as a proper test for cortisol levels and was shown to be faulty in 61 percent of patients, according to the Harvard Health Blog. But if you're curious about your hormone levels throughout the day, this test could give you some insight into what's going on in your body.

Adrenal fatigue may or may not be real, but that doesn't mean your symptoms are "made up" or "all in your head." More likely, general stress is the cause, and it's screwing with your body in a variety of ways. If your symptoms are severe, please see a doctor and a mental health professional; and in the meantime, you can take note of your symptoms or try some of the dietary changes and see if they make a difference. But most of all, try to reduce your stress. No matter the official diagnosis, added relaxation is medicine we all should be taking.

Amber Petty is an L.A.-based writer and a regular contributor to Greatist. Follow along as she shares her weight-loss journey in her new bi-monthly column, Slim Chance. Take singing lessons from her via Sing a Different Tune and follow her on Instagram @ambernpetty.

from Greatist RSS http://bit.ly/2TYGlRl Is It Adrenal Fatigue or Are You Really Tired? Greatist RSS from HEALTH BUZZ http://bit.ly/2U34XIV

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How to Talk to Your Clients About Hormones

If your goal in life is to be a weight-loss guru, a bestselling author, and/or a supplement mogul, you can do it in three easy steps:

1. Fixate on a single hormone or hormone category.

2. Give that hormone credit or blame for everything a potential customer wants to have more or less of. 

3. Come up with a training program, diet, and and/or nutritional product to enhance or counteract that hormone’s actions.

Granted, the competition is fierce for anything related to sex, muscle mass, or body fat. But all it takes is one new study—or someone hyping up a really old one—to crank up interest all over again.

Dr. Karl Nadolsky has a simple explanation for why there’s so much interest in molecules that so many of us pretend to understand but so few actually do:

“Hormones are sexy,” he says. “They’ve always been sexy. That’s why I went into endocrinology.”

Nadolsky is a clinical endocrinologist in Grand Rapids, Michigan, who’s also board-certified in internal medicine and a diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine. Before medical school, he was a Division I wrestler at Michigan State, where he qualified for the NCAA tournament all four years.

And before all that, he was a lifter and athlete with an unusual ability to pack on muscle—a trait that got him interested in the endocrine system long before he knew what it was. “I’ve been accused of taking steroids since I was a little kid, even when I was prepubertal,” he says.

That’s why I figured Nadolsky would be the perfect guy to talk to about the most common misconceptions related to hormones, and the ways in which trainers should or shouldn’t talk about them with clients.

He sees the most confusion and misinformation in these three areas:

Adrenal system

Thyroid

Sex hormones

But before we get into the specifics, let’s take a step back and talk about hormones in general, and why they’re so difficult to understand without specialized training.

Blame It on Insulin 

Your body manufactures some 50 hormones. It makes them everywhere from your brain to your throat to your sex organs. Your skin, bones, fat cells, muscles, organs, and gut all crank out one or more chemical messengers, each of them telling some part of your body what to do, or stop doing.

Virtually every human activity—eating, sleeping, thinking, moving—triggers, and is triggered by, hormonal signals. “All parts of the endocrine system interact to keep each other in some kind of harmonic balance,” Nadolsky says. “Even doctors don’t understand all the interactive pathways.”

We never think about the endocrine system when it’s all working according to factory specs. But when we suspect something has gone wrong, it’s all we can think about. And that’s where trainers are often too quick to jump into the weeds.

Take diabetes, for example. Those with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin because their bodies are incapable of making enough of it to clear glucose from the bloodstream. “Those patients can tend to gain weight,” Nadolsky says, as a result of nutrient partitioning from intensive insulin therapy. “That’s what some low-carbers use to show that insulin causes weight gain.”

Then there’s the well-known link between obesity and type 2 diabetes, a disease of blood-sugar regulation. One of its hallmarks is a drop in insulin sensitivity. The pancreas has to pump out more insulin initially because the tissues are less responsive, but ultimately fails to keep up. Unless the disease is checked, those patients may also end up needing insulin.

Because insulin and obesity are related, a lot of people have jumped to the wrong conclusion: that carbs, which temporarily raise insulin levels, cause obesity.

“All these things come from some sort of truth that gets altered to fit someone’s narrative,” Nadolsky says.

READ ALSO: How to Help a Client with Type 2 Diabetes

But at least diabetes is a real disease. When fitness pros talk about the adrenal hormones, the conversation often jumps from science to fiction.

Fatigued by the Adrenals

Have you heard of adrenal fatigue? Of course you have. It’s the scourge of modern life:

You burn the candle at all three ends with a high-pressure job, chaotic family life, and all-or-nothing training program. You run on adrenaline and cortisol until, at some point, your adrenal glands give out. You end up chronically tired, stressed, unmotivated, and foggy-brained.

But while the idea of adrenal fatigue makes sense, the diagnosis doesn’t.

“Physicians, naturopaths, and chiropractors, along with trainers and other lay people, sometimes propagate this contention of a disease state called adrenal fatigue,” Nadolsky says. “There is no such pathophysiology.”

Because it’s not a disease, there’s no test for it. And because there isn’t a test for it, anyone can claim a person has it, based on whatever criteria they think that person will find most believable. From there it’s just a short step to an alternative practitioner—well-meaning or otherwise—convincing one of your clients not only that she has it, but that the cure is a special combination of supplements the practitioner just happens to sell.

Your move:

You’re in no position to argue with someone your client considers a medical expert. But you can do three things:

Share this position paper from the Endocrine Society.

Recommend that your client get a second opinion, preferably from an endocrinologist like Nadolsky. Because there is a real condition called adrenal insufficiency, she may need more than a good night’s sleep.

Provide a less taxing training program, one that allows maximum recovery. But no matter how tired she is, encourage her to keep moving.

The Thyroid Challenge

“Thyroid problems are pretty common,” Nadolsky says. An estimated 12 percent of Americans, mostly women, have hypothyroidism—they produce too little of the crucial hormones that affect virtually part of your body.

Most of them don’t know they have it, either because they don’t have symptoms, or because the symptoms they have—fatigue, lethargy, depression, perhaps weight gain—are often diagnosed as something else. “But because it’s so common, more people think it must be the problem, even when it’s not,” Nadolsky says.

That’s when things get dicey. If a client becomes convinced she has a thyroid deficiency, she may take supplements that contain thyroid hormones. That, he says, can be dangerous, because too much thyroid hormone can lead to bone and/or heart damage, among other problems.

Another issue:

“People think they need to get a lot of tests,” he says, often at the advice of someone who stands to profit from those tests. But tests themselves don’t always show what we think they do.

“A hormone lab evaluation is extremely finicky,” he says. “Even I don’t understand all the nuances. Different lab assays have different problems that make them imperfect. You have to know what factors will change those labs, and what data the ranges are validated from.”

Your move:

If you think your client may be among the 12 percent with thyroid deficiency, recommend a full evaluation from their primary-care physician or an endocrinologist.

Exercise and a lower-calorie diet may help someone with hypothyroidism. But if a client tells you she has the opposite, hyperthyroidism, Nadolsky says you definitely want medical guidance before you give her a program.

The Mighty T 

Once upon a time in America, it was understood that as men get older, their energy, libido, strength, and muscle mass will decline. That’s how aging is supposed to work. “But now every guy who’s middle-aged and has a little fatigue must have low testosterone,” Nadolsky laments. You can blame any number of suspects:

Pharmaceutical companies, which market drugs like Androgel directly to consumers.

“Anti-aging” clinics, which profit from diagnosing hypogonadism—low T—and selling hormone replacements to middle-aged men.

Gym culture, which rarely sees a problem that a little more testosterone wouldn’t fix.

The fixation begins with a kernel of truth: Natural levels of testosterone really do drop with age. But that doesn’t mean every older guy with lower T needs to have it topped off. In fact, the process of diagnosing hypogonadism is rigorous, and relatively few guys qualify for hormone replacement. 

But even more important, Nadolsky says, is to identify the underlying cause of low T, and treat it, if possible. 

Unfortunately, that’s not the message a lot of men hear from trainers, especially online trainers. “I honestly don’t understand why anyone would be pushing a specific hormone as a treatment,” he says.

Which is ironic, since trainers can actually do a lot to help those clients raise their endogenous T levels, especially those who are overweight or have obesity. Many of the problems men associate with low testosterone might also be associated with obesity:

Low energy

Low libido

Crummy mood

Low muscle mass

The solution can be simple, if not easy, Nadolsky says: “Free testosterone goes up with weight loss, and down with weight gain.”

That’s especially true if the man has sleep apnea, a common comorbid condition with obesity. Treating it can help restore his testosterone even before he loses a significant amount of weight.

Your move:

No matter what your client has been led to believe by friends, trainers, or TV commercials, hypogonadism isn’t something that can be diagnosed by a hobbyist. Even legit lab tests are just numbers on a sheet of paper. “Lab assays for testosterone have traditionally been very poor,” Nadolsky says. “We don’t treat numbers. We treat people.”

Your training program is a powerful tool. Higher volume is better than lower volume, and heavier weights are better than lighter ones. 

Final Thoughts

We’ve only scratched the surface of what these hormones do, or the many ways health problems might arise when one or more of them malfunction, or the limited options trainers have when trying to help clients resolve those problems.

The biggest ones, though, are very much in your toolbox. “All endocrine systems benefit from exercise,” Nadolsky says. Exercise can make a client’s body more sensitive to insulin. It can reduce the fatigue and mood disorders linked to thyroid and adrenal issues. And it can raise testosterone directly.

All those benefits are enhanced with calorie reduction and weight loss. Type 2 diabetes and hypogonadism can be resolved by losing weight and treating related problems like sleep apnea.

Nadolsky shares this advice from Dr. Lou Pangaro, an endocrinologist at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and his mentor: “Embrace complexity, but act with simplicity.”

So while a trainer’s moves may be limited, the impact of your work isn’t. You can have a dramatic effect on your clients’ health while staying in your lane and letting doctors handle theirs.

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