I used to have severe adrenal fatigue. At one point I used Dr. Lam’s diagnostic info and determined I was close to the most severe stage of adrenal fatigue. I attempted to use rest, pantothenic acid, and liposomal vitamin C to get better. I did make some progress. However, my adrenals never really bounced back. For example, if I played more than 10 minutes of video games, the adrenaline and excitement would send me into a tailspin and I would collapse for a few days.
At its worst, my adrenal fatigue was bad enough that if I walked 200 feet, I became disabled with exhaustion. My adrenals themselves ached in my lower back. I could be triggered into a panic with the smallest of stimulus.
Even when I got better, I had to very carefully regulate my physical exertion. For example, bike rides of certain durations were fine, but if I pushed it too far, I “crashed.”
I’ve always considered myself to have not suffered from the CFS-version of “post exertional malaise” (PEM) because it was never my understanding that this condition was tied to acute adrenal fatigue. However, maybe it is, and maybe I had it.
When you have adrenal fatigue, sleep is a roller coaster ride. When the adrenal fatigue gets bad enough, you CAN’T sleep. That’s when you know you’re in a severe crash. When its a little better, you can finally sleep but still have to be very careful.
You’ll never hear me say that adrenal fatigue isn’t real. It is real.
You’ll never hear me say that Lyme disease isn’t real. It is real.
The problem is that both these conditions are DOWNSTREAM effects of mold toxicity. They take on a real life of their own, with real symptoms and experiences, but they are not primary health conditions.
If people never find out mold causes chronic Lyme and adrenal fatigue, they get deeper into the mindset of babying, managing, treating, dealing with, those two conditions independently. They may even have some success. The success is usually temporary: 5 steps forward, 6 back, if measured on long enough time frames (years, not weeks or months).
After pursuing adequate mold avoidance, I no longer have Lyme disease or adrenal fatigue. I mean, they are fully GONE. I only thought about adrenal fatigue again today (for the first time in many years) because someone posted on my FaceBook timeline that “coffee causes adrenal stress.” Which may be true, for people who are still mold-toxic. (I provide more details on what it means to be “adequately clear” of mold on my podcast)
However, I consume large quantities of coffee and energy drinks – I find that they help with my mold detox especially when I am spending time in less-than-ideal locations that have high mold levels.
I’m not saying coffee and energy drinks are “healthy” – who knows? What I am saying is that I no longer have any adrenal problems at all. Zero.
In fact, I can play video games for 10 hours now with no adrenal effects. And consume lots of caffeine, even close to bed time. And sleep like a baby, wake up feeling fine. I also ride my bike great distances and have not felt a single twinge of discomfort in my adrenal glands or energy levels in years.
Again, I’m not telling you which kind of lifestyle is “healthy.” What I am telling you is that I don’t have adrenal fatigue anymore. Or Lyme disease. And honestly, my health is SO much better now that some caffeine and video games are laughable compared to how sick I used to be. If I forego the caffeine and video games I feel no different.
“Projecting” health problems on healthy people when you have chronic illness is normal behavior; sad, but forgivable. So I can understand why people try to “project” on me that drinking coffee is bad for my adrenals. Because they themselves still have adrenal fatigue, so they assume everyone else does, too. But the truth is, much of society drinks coffee every single day and never has adrenal fatigue.
Not being adequately clear of mold was the cause of both my Lyme disease and adrenal fatigue. No matter how smart you are, that can be a very confusing situation, because the Lyme and adrenal fatigue DO in fact take on a life of their own, and ARE in fact very real conditions.
Just like blindness or foot infections are very real conditions in Diabetes (my aunt had diabetes). But the diabetes itself is the cause, not a problem with the eyes or feet. Imagine if you didn’t know you had diabetes, and you only tried to treat eye and foot problems independently without managing the diabetes. How well would you fare?
That’s how it is with adrenal fatigue and chronic Lyme disease. They are being caused by mold exposure. And when you get adequately clear of mold, for a long enough period of time, they go away on their own, and they leave no trace. You can even forget they even existed, unless you are reminded by a poor unfortunate soul on Facebook who still hasn’t made this connection yet.
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