Bev’s Story
On Armour, and uses adrenal support when necessary…and she’s enjoying life!
I started several years ago with Nutri-meds Thyroid and Adrenals, one each, per day…but about three years ago, that regimen and all the supplements, herbs etc. I was taking were no longer enough. So I went to a doctor for the first time in many years, and asked for Natural Thyroid Hormone. He told me my TSH (the only test he did for thyroid even though I requested more) at 3.4 was “Normal”, but I knew that was wrong. At that “normal” TSH, I had felt cold at the core and was unable to get warm. It felt life-threatening.
After getting over the shock of spending all that money out of pocket for a physical and lab tests, I realized he was not going to help me and I better help myself! I could not afford to go to another doctor and certainly not one after another, with no insurance. I took my life into my own hands and that is when I found the Natural Thyroid Hormone list and also did lots and lots of online research myself and ended up on Armour and Isocort.
The dose per day for Isocort is up to 8 a day but I usually took 4 in the a.m. and 3 in the afternoon or often much less than that. I did that for awhile. I also looked into other Adrenal Glandulars, always on the lookout for an Organic one.
Finally, I sent for some Hydrocortisone just to see what effect it would have. When I used it, which was rarely, I used 2.5 mg. a few times a day. I prefer to use Isocort or the Glandular and have been on some combination of the above for about three years.
A few months ago, any adrenal supplement started to make me feel jittery or over-stimulated so I cut back and then stopped taking them altogether, figuring my adrenals had healed. They had—for normal daily life. I went without any adrenal hormone for months.
However, my husband got the flu, and with good immunity, I didn’t get it for three weeks. But finally when I was a bit tired, and had some other stresses, I too got the flu.
That changed everything…that is when you need adrenal reserve and I didn’t have it. Either that, or Dr. Jefferies says, the influenza actually shuts off the hypothalamus and pituitary from calling for hormone from the adrenals. So even people with no adrenal problems have a problem when they get the flu! So even if my adrenals were fine, the flu disabled them. I suspect it was a bit of both.
Jefferies in the book: “Safe Uses of Cortisol” says that people should take about 20 mg. of Hydrocortisone/4 times a day when they get the flu. When I finally remembered, I took the 20mg./4 day and felt all the better for it! But unfortunately I also had a bacterial infection that developed at the same time as the flu and I didn’t realize it for quite awhile, so that complicated matters.
Since Hydrocortisone does not help bacterial infections, I got the antibiotic and after a time it kicked in and I reduced the amount of hydrocortisone I was taking. Next time I would take the 20mg./4 day Cortisol till I felt better and if I knew I had a bacterial infection I wouldn’t wait so long to get the antibiotic. So I have once again learned the hard way. IMHO it is only through our own experience that we come to know what to do when. For example, I often increase my Armour in winter and decrease it a bit in summer. Just seems to be what I need.
I am just getting over the flu and bacterial infection, so at this point I am taking 2.5mg hydrocortisone 4 times a day which I will continue until I feel back to normal. I find 2.5 mg of Hydrocortisone works better for me than 5 mg , but it is individual. So I go by how I feel. If I feel better with the Cortisol, I take it. And if I feel better with Isocort, I take it. And if I feel better with nothing, I take nothing. I didn’t have any problem when I stopped taking any adrenal support because it was making me jittery, but now I know that when there is extra stress it may be necessary again. At all times I am trying to give my body what it needs and the amount produced if my adrenal glands were really healthy. This is a physiological dose not a drug dose and I don’t believe it causes any problems whatsoever, if you need it you need it.
I would much rather take Hydrocortisone for life, just like Armour or Insulin, than I would to need it and go without it. While large pharmaceutical doses do depress the immune system, there is a lot of evidence that having the “right amount” either through healthy adrenals or supplementation, is important to having good immunity. Just as important as having enough thyroid hormone or insulin. Adrenal hormone is necessary for life! The right amount means not only immunity from colds and flus, but heart disease, cancer etc. I have realized that my adrenals were weak long before my thyroid quit. What your body needs to be healthy and have enough energy to enjoy life you should give it. :o) :o)
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