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Adrenal Fatigue Recovery:
Am I On The Right Track?
Michael Lam, MD, MPH
www.DrLam.com
Recovery speed from adrenal fatigue varies greatly from person to person. Under expert guidance, the process normally takes a few weeks in mild cases to a few months in moderate cases. In severe cases, much longer time might be needed.
Many people question whether a total and complete recovery from adrenal fatigue is possible. The answer is yes in the vast majority of cases, but only if done right. Adrenal fatigue often takes a decade or more to develop. It is important to allow the body time to recover. A few months of recovery is considered a short time within this time horizon. Time is a great healer when the body is given the proper nutrients along with proper lifestyle and dietary protocols. Those who demand a quick recovery invariably become disappointed because the body is not a light switch that can be turned on and off at will. A systematic and logical approach works the best under professional guidance.
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The recovery curve is a graphical representation of how the body recovers on the vertical axis plotted against time on the horizontal axis. A good recovery curve usually consists of multiple cycles. Each cycle has three sequential phases, resembling an "S" curve that last from 1-6 months each. The overall successful recovery plan consists of multiple "S" curves in an upward sustained series without allowing any major downward crashes. Over time, this will resemble a series of stair-steps upwards, as illustrated in the graph below.
Let us look at this cycle in more detail. Each cycle consist of three phases:
- Preparation phase. This phase normally lasts 2-6 weeks. During this time, the body normally does not feel any significant difference even though nutrients have been administered. One continues to feel fatigue. This is the phase where the body builds its lost reserve and internally gets stronger. It is not infrequent to feel even feel worse from time to time. Paradoxical reactions may arise during this time and adjustments of nutrients may be needed. It may involve increasing or decreasing the dose, depending on the body type and sensitivity level. Strategies that do not allow the body to go through this important preparation stage often fail over time, as the body simply does not have the reserve it normally needs to cushion itself against stressful time. Small dips within the recovery cycle will then occur. It is like forcing an athlete to run a sprint without adequate warm up.
- Honeymoon Phase. This usually follows immediately after the preparation phase and can last 4-12 weeks if the preparation phase is carried out properly. During this time the body is able to handle stress better. Fatigue reduces, palpitation frequently dissipates, and anxiety attack diminishes. Blood pressure starts to stabilize, brain fog starts to dissipate, and functional sleep returns. There might be mini-crashes and setbacks from time to time that last a few days. They are more tolerable compared to before, but recovery is faster. There is an overall sense of well being as if a burden has been lifted from one’s shoulder. An overall sense of optimism returns. Those having frequent infections will find that recovery is faster, and frequency of infection is reduced. By the end of this phase, many troublesome symptoms should have greatly reduced. There should be sustained energy to carry out normal daily activities, and social activities returns. If there is concurrent thyroid illness, many will note the returning thyroid function and that less medications are required. Any female hormonal imbalance such as PMS is reduced and menstrual cycles become more regular.
- Plateau Phase. The body is stabilized. There is no set time frame for the duration of this phase. Generally, it lasts a few weeks to a few months. For some, it can be much longer. Many on self-guided programs would not be able rise to the next cycle due to the lack of foresight and planning. This is perhaps the most trying time, as impatience sets in. Most interpret the lack of continuation and sustained improvement as failure and become disappointed. Thus, additional stress can be put on the adrenals unknowingly. Others might start to take more nutrients, thinking that it will help speed up the process and forcing the adrenals to work harder at a time when it is not capable of doing just that. Forcing the body to accelerate instead of allowing it time to rebuild itself is a grave mistake and often leads to unexpected and severe crashes at the end. An experienced clinician will use this time smartly to allow the body to rest, yet slowly transition the body using proper nutrients to get ready to go to the next preparation of the full recovery program.
As a person goes through multiple successful cycles without major setbacks, the overall sense of well-being gets better with each cycle. Though the most dramatic improvement often comes in the first few cycles, one accumulates more energy with time, and fatigue becomes less pronounced. Any setbacks between the cycles are often less severe as the previous crashes. One archives a higher high and a higher low in terms of well-being with time. This is recovery at its best. The body is allowed to rest after each upward movement. It has time to build up reserve before ascending again. This reserve building time is critical. Proper nutrients administered here strengthen the adrenals and cushions the mini-crashes and setbacks so frequently experienced by all. Having enough reserve allows the body to continue its rebuilding process on a sustained basis while withstanding insults from daily life.
Most people have a mistaken belief that the hallmark of a successful recovery program has an early onset of increased energy and fatigue removal. They expect this to be sustained on a linear basis uninterrupted in an upward trend line. This ideal situation only occurs in a minority of cases where the fatigue is very mild and under expert guidance. For most cases, due to internal derangement of the adrenals, the road to recovery is laden with pot holes and crashes.
Most self-guided programs achieve success in ascending the first cycle. Those who take stimulatory nutrients often experience an initial sense of well-being, followed by a prolonged plateau that is unable to ascend further. We call this "hitting the wall". Regardless of what nutrients are given, the body fails to gain more energy. Fatigue continues, as illustrated in the graph below in line A
Overtime, the body starts to decompensate, and with a stressful event, a crash is triggered and the recovery process goes backwards down a few steps. The body returns to a function worse than before. It then stabilizes for a while, but is unable to regain its composure. Extraordinary effort is needed to gain a small incremental sense of well-being. With each succeeding stress, the body decompensate further. Stressors can be physical such as excessive exercise, emotional such as mental strain, or nutritional such as taking more nutrients that are thought to be good but cannot be processed or assimilated. The overall recovery curve resembles that of a stair step going down, with lower low and lower highs as illustrated in line B
Those whose bodies are constitutionally sensitive may not even experience the initial onset of energy. They crash right from the beginning and never fully recover from it, as illustrated in line C.
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About The Author
Michael Lam, M.D., M.P.H., A.B.A.A.M. is a specialist in Preventive and Anti-Aging Medicine. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Oregon State University, and his Doctor of Medicine degree from Loma Linda University School of Medicine, California. He also holds a Masters of Public Health degree and is Board Certification in Anti-aging Medicine by the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine. He has authored numerous articles and the following books: The Five Proven Secrets to Longevity, How to Stay Young and Live Longer, Estrogen Dominance - Hormonal Imbalance of the 21st Century, and Beating Cancer with Natural Medicine.
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