Hi all,

As James isn't posting here anymore and on his new message board he takes a while to get back - I hear he is busy with his new book - I just wanted to share my current situation with adrenal fatigue which I had struggled with for years.

My primary problem was insomnia, and it was chronic and persistent for 2 years. At age 25-27 that's very worrying. I was taking herbs under Hv's advice and trying to get as much rest as possible, but nothing really "worked" until I heard from a nutritionist that I might be hypoglycemic.

After a lot of research I tried a low glycemic diet, which means no starches, hardly any grains, only sellect fruits that have a low GI, no potatoes at all, and very little sugars (which, according to what I've seen, can be better than starch because we can eat them in such small amounts to get the sweet taste). I have been sleeping 10 hours a night for about 2 months, and my lady's slipper, glycine, and kava have all remained untouched. It's amazing to me and everyone around me how well I am sleeping. I discounted diet from the healing process for years and I wish I had thought of this sooner because I really believe it has so much to do with how much better I feel. I can talk more about this if anyone has any questions about what I find to have worked for me, and what hasn't.

on a related note, my previous problems, which I wouldn't wish on anyone - insomnia, jitteriness, anxiety, irritability and anger, irregular menstruation, dizziness in high heat - have been replaced with deep sleep, regular menstruation, calmness, even moods - but, also low libido, tiredness during the day even after plenty of sleep, lack of motivation - in other words, kind of the other side of the same coin. Of course I see this as an improvement, because finally I can get the rest that I know I need to heal. I'm letting myself do it and it feels great.
In a few months, though, if things continue this way, I want to figure out a plan for getting myself balanced. At my age, I think I should have more energy, and I want to be motivated to live my life and do my various projects without just wanting to sleep all day. Furthermore, it's become a bit of a strain on my relationship, as understandably, my long term boyfriend is worried by the fact that my libido has swung around to the complete opposite end of what it alwas ways. Low testosterone, I suppose, when previously, Hv said it sounded like I had high testosterone.

I'm considering switching to more "stimulating" adaptogens in a few months such as jiaogulan and maca while making sure to get plenty of rest and support my adrenals. Also, my acupuncturist will help me with some "yang" supporting herbs, as I've been taking "yin" tonics for quite a while now - as long as they are not highly stimulating, like korean ginseng, which really messed me up once.

Does anyone have any experience with these (apparently, to me) different healing stages of adrenal fatigue?


Thanks all,

J