Treatment Plan

The naturopath said, "I think we can safely say you are beyond Adrenal Fatigue, into Adrenal Exhaustion."  Treatment plan:

• Megadose of multivitamins with minerals
• Quality filtered fish oil
• Herbal adrenal support syrup
• Vitamin D

I had taken to my appointment all the supplements I was taking at the time so the naturopath could look at them herself, and this is what she told me about them, as closely as I can recall.

• Multivitamin tablets: capsules are usually made with fresher ingredients therefore more beneficial, whereas tablets are generally older ingredients pressed together and often not digested or absorbed well by the body.
• Cod liver oil capsules: unless you're sure they're a high quality filtered fish oil, they could actually be harmful because of mercury and/or other pollutants.   (She actually asked my permission to throw them away, which she did on the spot.)
• Colloidal minerals: I wouldn't need them if I took the multivitamin she prescribed because it would contain the minerals.
• Adrenal capsules: I wouldn't need those either if I took the herbal adrenal support syrup she recommended.

Besides learning those things, I also read in internet articles that self-medicating can actually prevent the body from healing, either from under-dosing so the adrenals don't get the help they need, or over-dosing so the adrenals depend on the supplements and won't start producing for themselves.  A professional can diagnose an individual's specific needs, prescribe accordingly, and monitor to make necessary changes.
Meanwhile, I quit my massage practice because I was too out of breath (especially if a client wanted to converse), my heart beat too hard to keep up, my muscle strength would just give out so I couldn't do the work, and I couldn't stay awake through a one-hour massage.  I would literally give a massage with my eyes closed.  My clients would get off the table at the end of a session feeling so relaxed they would say, "Ahh, I'm going to go home and take a nap!"  Little did they know I did exactly that myself--for the entire rest of the day.