Lyme Disease Support Group

If anyone has any links or could just give me some info about the adrenal system or on what I need to know and/or ask my LLMD about it I would appreciate it.

I dont have all of my links - so I dont have any info handy...

But if you dont support your adrenals - getting better from any chronic illness will be a long battle...we need them to be as strong as possible...

And I know that a lot of times the tests wont show enough..

RIBS … PAIN UNDER RIBS suggestions by BEJOY 7.17.08

• In my experience there are three possibilities.

• If it is just on the left side, it may be your spleen. Lymph drainage therapy and spleen homeopathic treatments and herbal detox can help.

• If it is on both sides equally, it may be either adrenal or psoas muscles.

• The adrenals sit on top of your kidneys, and produce hormones. They get stressed from dealing with infection.

• You can feel them in front and in back. If it is adrenal, then a list of supplements to support the adrenals should help.

• It may be your psoas muscle. The psoas is a very long muscle that attaches in the groin, inside the hip bones, in the upper back, and under the ribs. The psoas muscle can spasm when the lymph system gets congested and toxic, especially in the groin area, and the spleen.

• Working the muscles inside the hip bones can help them release. Craniosacral therapy on these muscles can also help, as can lymph drainage therapy.

• lyme can settle in the connective tissue along the ribs.

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Adrenal Insufficiency & Hydrocortisone by Daise, 2-22-08

http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic; f=1;t=063563

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DIABETES & LYME DISEASE; links from keebler 1.13.10

This "Potbelly" book is specific to those who have had diabetes caused by lyme or other chronic stealth infections.

She may consider getting assessed for the full range. If infections are the cause, they need to be addressed in addition to food and supplements &/or pharmaceuticals.

Some infections may not be able to be identified but adding garlic &/or olive leaf extract can be a good move for anyone, just to cover some bases. This book is specific to lyme and other chronic stealth infections.

The author discusses the endocrine connection and effects of STRESS on a person with such infections. Again, tools are everything and adrenal support is key.

You can read customer reviews and look inside the book at this link to its page at Amazon.

http://tinyurl.com/6xse7l

THE POTBELLY SYNDROME: HOW COMMON GERMS CAUSE OBESITY, DIABETES, and HEART DISEASE - 2005

by Russell Farris and Per Marin, MD, PhD

Here are few things that can help: Gymnema Sylvestre tops the list. It is absolutely wonderful - and it helps stop cravings for sweets. Usually best in a formula.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez

PubMed Search:

Gymnema Sylvestre – 126 abstracts

From a fabulous book, "The One Earth Herbal Sourcebook" (Tillotson): http://tinyurl.com/5z2klz

GYMNEMA (Gymnema sylvestre)

WHAT IT DOES: Gymnema is bitter in taste, and cooling in action. It improves blood sugar control in diabetics, numbs the taste of sweet completely (for about 20 minutes), and decreases appetite (for about 90 minutes).

RATING: yellow

SAFETY ISSUES: None reported. Should not be used by people with low blood sugars (hypoglycemia).

STARTING DOSAGE:

• 1:1 extract: five to 10 ml per day

• Pill: 500-1000 mg three times per day

Gymnema actually means "sugar destroyer." It grows in the wild forests of central India, all the way to Western Ghats and up to the Himalayas.

Research indicates that gymnema stimulates insulin secretion or release of insulin from the pancreas. Japanese studies have shown that it improves glucose tolerance in animal models of diabetes, and other studies show that the effects can last for up to two months after discontinuation.

This herb is a good long-term tonic for Type I and II diabetics. Results are best seen after long-term administration, over six months to a year.

I prefer to use it in combination with several other herbs for blood sugar control, because it affects only a few aspects of the imbalance.

In case you’re curious, sugar tastes like sand for twenty minutes after you chew on a little gymnema.

- Full chapter at link above. And you can also search the book for “Diabetes” for a gold mine of more information.

http://www.vrp.com/ArticlesSearch.aspx?k=Gymnema

Search results for Gymnema: 6 articles

(Other beneficial supplements are also included in most of the articles).

http://www.itmonline.org

Search:

Diabetes – many articles relating help from Chinese medicine

Gymnema - 2 articles, one on interaction with drugs

http://www.itmonline.org/

Search: Diabetes

– Eight pages of links, the top three focus on “Treatment of Diabetes with Chinese Herbs . . . “

This is the formula my/keebler’s ND suggests:

http://tinyurl.com/3jjrpn

Ayush Herbs - Bio Gymnema

You can read the Ingredients here, too.

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Hope this helps

Adrenal Glands: Location and FunctionAnatomy of the adrenal glands:

Adrenal glands, which are also called suprarenal glands, are small, triangular glands located on top of both kidneys. An adrenal gland is made of two parts: the outer region is called the adrenal cortex and the inner region is called the adrenal medulla.

Function of the adrenal glands:

The adrenal glands work interactively with the hypothalamus and pituitary gland in the following process:

•The hypothalamus produces corticotropin-releasing hormones, which stimulate the pituitary gland.

•The pituitary gland, in turn, produces corticotropin hormones, which stimulates the adrenal glands to produce corticosteroid hormones.

Both parts of the adrenal glands - the adrenal cortex and the adrenal medulla - perform very separate functions.

What is the adrenal cortex?

The adrenal cortex, the outer portion of the adrenal gland, is essential to life by secreting hormones that have an effect on the body's metabolism, on chemicals in the blood, and on certain body characteristics. The adrenal cortex secretes corticosteroids and other hormones directly into the bloodstream. The hormones produced by the adrenal cortex include:

•corticosteroid hormones

◦hydrocortisone hormone

This hormone, also known as cortisol, controls the body's use of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.

◦corticosterone

This hormone, together with hydrocortisone hormones, suppresses inflammatory reactions in the body and also affects the immune system.

•aldosterone hormone

This hormone inhibits the level of sodium excreted into the urine, maintaining blood volume and blood pressure.

•androgenic steroids (androgen hormones)

These hormones have minimal effect on the development of male characteristics.

What is the adrenal medulla?

The adrenal medulla, the inner part of the adrenal gland, is not essential to life, but helps a person in coping with physical and emotional stress. The adrenal medulla secretes the following hormones:

•epinephrine (Also called adrenaline.)

This hormone increases the heart rate and force of heart contractions, facilitates blood flow to the muscles and brain, causes relaxation of smooth muscles, helps with conversion of glycogen to glucose in the liver, and other activities

•norepinephrine (Also called noradrenaline.)

This hormone has little effect on smooth muscle, metabolic processes, and cardiac output, but has strong vasoconstrictive effects, thus increasing blood pressure.