Hi guys,

Finn - I tried betaine HCL for a little while but then had a gastrogram which showed my digestive secretions (stomach acid, digestive enzymes etc) to be normal. A gastrogram involves swallowing a capsule with a pH sensor that is tracked by a computer. By measuring pH as it passes through your stomach and intestines it can determine if you are producing enough stomach acid and other substances important for proper digestion. It does sound like you have sufficient stomach acid if you experienced a burning sensation and other symptoms when taking betaine HCL. In fact, this is used by many naturopaths and nutritionists as a cheap and quick indicator of stomach acid status. In those with hypochlorydia they often suggest increasing the dosage of betaine HCL until the person experiences these exact symptoms. When this point is reached they are advised to reduce this amount by one or two capsules and take that with each meal. You are absolutely right that efficient digestion is vital to the health of the rest of the body. It does sound like you have normal stomach acid levels but perhaps you may want to look into having a gastrogram carried out. In the mean time you might want to try a digestive enzyme supplement to see if that helps.

Luke - Thanks for posting your experiences with supplements and iherb.com for other readers. I'm not sure if you have seen but we actually sell supplements through iherb.com here at EIR! I have personally used them for many years but usually use DHL. When the Pound was strong it wasn't that much extra to pay over USPS and is much quicker (orders typically arriving in 3-4 days).

I also like to take the lowest amount of supplements that is beneficial. I think this is a wise position for anyone to take. I haven't taken ornithine in those amounts but know it to be safe so it may well be worth another go. I have taken 300mg 5-HTP with the cofactors you mention for an extended period and experienced no benefit. Everyone is different however and I'm glad to hear you are deriving benefit from this.

Just to explain Luke's recommendations further. 5-HTP is an amino acid derivative and the precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin. Serotonin is vital for stable moods and a deficiency is associated with depression and anxiety. At night serotonin is further converted into melatonin - the "sleep hormone". So taken at night 5-HTP supplements in theory are converted to melatonin and therefore help with sleep. Magnesium, zinc, various B vitamins, and vitamin C all play a role in the conversion of 5-HTP to serotonin and melatonin so may also help with sleep when taken with 5-HTP. Have a look at this page for a diagram representing the role of vitamins and minerals in the production of serotonin - [url]http://www.understand-andcure-anxietyattacks-panicattacks-depression.com/5-htp.html[/url]

Hi Luke,

Thanks for posting those links. They do a great job of explaining the hormonal disturbances that many people visiting this site will be experiencing.

It does seem to be a common pattern that people with low morning cortisol tend to have higher levels at night that then interfere with sleep quality. I'm glad you have had success with ornithine. I personally didn't get any benefit from it so am planning on trying phosphatidylserine as an alternative.

I also didn't get any benefit from 5-HTP so instead use melatonin itself. This is available as a nutritional supplement OTC in the US and can be bought online in the UK. Just search for melatonin and you should find online suppliers no problem.

I'm glad you're starting to uncover the problems underlying your health problems. Adrenal and thyroid hormone imbalances, as well as neurotransmitter imbalances, have turned out to be the major contributors to many of my symptoms. This knowledge opens the door to many powerful treatment options.

DHEA as I have highlighted before is a potent steroid hormone which should be treated with respect and used with caution. However, at sensible dosages it's unlikely that the majority of people will experience liver problems. I just want to make people aware that it is a possibility if they aren't careful. Of course it is advisable to work with a doctor when dealing with hormonal therapy.

Good luck with everything Luke. Come back and let us know how you get on.

No problem Finn

Yes I have tried DHEA and found it very helpful. It is the only thing capable of making me feel relaxed and able to cope with stress. It greatly improved my sleep, blood sugar balance, energy, and mood. I also attribute my recovery from MCS at least in part to DHEA. Unfortunately being a steroid hormone it has the potential for side-effects. In my case my liver was unable to handle a daily dose of DHEA and it caused symptoms of toxic hepatitis (pale stools, abdominal pain, general fatigue, aches and pains, and jaundice). I am currently trying to find ways to compensate for this. The herb Tribulus terrestris seems to be my best bet as it protects the liver while also having many of the stress-busting effects of DHEA, itself!

If you try DHEA I recommend you start with a low dose (say 5-10mg per day) and give it at least a week before increasing by 5mg until you notice any improvement. Keep your eye out for side-effects such as liver problems, changes in mood, and acne.

Phosphatidylserine seems to be the natural treatment of choice for high cortisol levels. I am planning on trying it in the near future to see if it helps my sleep quality if taken in the evening. I'll post my experiences on the site sdo we can compare. Good luck with it.

Hi Finn, no problem, I try to respond to comments quickly before I forget!

Thanks for providing more information. Your results make a lot of sense now. Since they are in ng/ml (correct, nanograms per millilitre!) the range given by the lab is correct and your cortisol is actually at the high end. The symptoms you describe are exactly what you would expect to see from slightly elevated levels. Cortisol is a hormone involved in the long term adaptation to stress and as such it has a stimulating effect, helping give us energy and motivation to overcome problems and deal with danger.

As you can see from my cortisol results above I have borderline low levels in the morning and as a result I can't get going until around 10-11am. I feel sleepy until then and can't muster the motivation to tackle anything particularly productive. I have tried various approaches to treatment and one of the things I tried was licorice which contains a chemical called glycyrrhizin which prevents the breakdown of cortisol in the body, increasing blood levels. When taking this I quickly became "wired" and was waking up at 5-6am and having very disturbed sleep. I have used it on and off in lower amounts since just to give me a boost.

In your case you need to lower your morning cortisol. I have tried to find a way to do this so that I could take it to lower my high night time levels and improve my sleep quality. Unfortunately the options don't seem to be as clear cut as for raising low levels. Here's a few links to have a look at though:

[url]http://www.ei-resource.org/articles/related-conditions-articles/how-to-age-rapidly-or-not!/[/url]
[url]http://www.ei-resource.org/treatment--herbal-remedies/herbs-mr/relora®--phellodendron-amurense-and-magnolia-officinalis/[/url]
[url]http://supplementspot.com/health/library/ps-lowers-cortisol-levels/[/url]

Hi Finn,

I had my saliva cortisol measured by Lab 21 in the UK who set the normal morning range at 12-33 nmol/L (nanomoles per litre). I know that this is roughly the range that most labs here use. Your result of 5.7 in the morning would therefore indicate markedly low cortisol levels and you would no doubt feel incapable of dealing with any level of stress and have great difficulty getting going until they came up significantly later in the day, if at all. If your lab is saying 5.7 is a high normal result all I can suggest is that the results are not in nmol/L. If you could check and also let me know the name of the lab I'll do some further investigation.

Hi Shah,

I'm really glad you found this post so useful. Adrenal issues have been pivotal to my health issues and blood sugar imbalances and disturbed sleep are cardinal symptoms so it is definitely something I'd recommend you look in to.

I don't know any possible medical professionals to recommend in Toronto, so apologies, but I wish you luck.

I like your 'Half Life' phrase. Here's hoping we all come through it stronger for the experience. Take care.

Hi Roderick,

Thanks for sharing that link. That site gives a good overview of the various stages of adrenal fatigue and the graphs really serve to illustrate what is going on. Of course they are generalizations and don't fit everyone exactly. My graph shows a lot more variation throughout the day for example.

If you'd like to share what you found out about mercury and adrenal function it would be great if you'd write a blog entry or perhaps email me a short article if you have the time/energy.

Take care.

Thanks Susan, all very valid points indeed. The article was simply meant to alert people to the fact that studies have shown plants can be helpful in removing some harmful cheicals from the air and thus may be useful for some EI sufferers. Making sure carbon monoxide leaks do not occur by following the recommendations you mention are another matter entirely, and a very important one. Thanks for your input. FYI none of the information on this site should be considered medical advice - as stated in the disclaimer at the bottom of each page.

Hi, although cortisol saliva tests are only slowly making their way into regular medical practice there are research studies from many years ago showing that salivary cortisol levels correlate well with blood levels of the unbound (active) hormone. Here's an example: Salivary cortisol in psychoneuroendocrine research: Recent developments and applications

If you have had low cortisol on saliva testing that is a good indication there may be a problem (adrenal fatigue/ ME/CFS etc). Cortisol levels rise fairly quickly in response to stress so your high blood cortisol test result could easily be simply the result of having blood taken being a fairly stressful event!

Using either method the most important thing is to see how your cortisol levels vary throughout the day. They should be highest in the morning to kickstart your day and slowly tail off, being lowest at night to allow for restful sleep (see first graph in the original blog post). If your cortisol doesn't follow this pattern (like mine!) then there is a problem.

Given your low cortisol salivary test results I'd advice you to investigate this area of your health further and discuss retests with your doctor to confirm the results. Good luck!

Hi Tricia,

Great to hear that my postings have been helpful and encouraging to you. In the end it is we who are responsible for our own health so knowledge is key. I hope you find information on this and other websites that will help you improve your own health.

As a follow up to this blog post I have found researched rebalancing of the circadian rhythms so am now working on measures to achieve this. Some important issues appear to be:

- Getting to bed early (by 10 pm)
- Waking and eating breakfast by 7-8am
- Eating regular meals throughout the day
- Eating protein foods throughout the day
- Using supplements including phosphatidyl serine and deglycerinized licorice (DGL) to lower raised nighttime cortisol
- Using stimulating supplements to raise low morning cortisol

A great article on the subject is - How to Age Rapidly - Or Not!