Question: Can you give us a basic description of what “Adrenal Fatigue” means?

Dr. Rob: In simple terms it means that the adrenal glands are really tired.  Every been really tired?  Imagine one of your main energy producing and stress fighting glands becoming too tired to function properly.  Essentially, the adrenals are so tired that they can’t make their hormones in the correct quantity or in the correct balance for optimal function of your body and brain.  (I explain what causes the adrenal glands to breakdown later in this interview)

Question: Where do you start with someone that has or might have adrenal fatigue?

Dr. Rob:  Well, the first place I start with everyone is I have them fill out my Free Online Weight Loss and Health Evaluation.  This evaluation helps me get a better understanding of the possible cause of their adrenal fatigue.

Question: What are the adrenal glands and where are they located?

Dr. Rob: They are two glands about the size of a walnut that sit right above the kidneys.  They help combat stress, regulate sleep, energy, mood, emotions and are directly connected to weight gain.
Question: What are the most common symptoms that would tip you off that a patient is dealing with adrenal issues?

Dr. Rob:  Here’s a list of the 9 Main Symptoms.  In my video I shortened it from 9 to The 7 Key Signs of Adrenal Fatigue because no one wants to watch an ultra-long video. 🙂

• Fatigue—specifically in the morning and after lunch.  Interestingly enough, the Adrenal Fatigue Case sometimes feels more awake in the evenings.  Kind of like a night owl.  
• Anxiety, depression, excessive worry, irritability or mood swings.
• Sleeping problems—either trouble falling asleep or the more common symptom of the person falling asleep ok but waking up in the middle of the night (around 2am or 3am) and have trouble falling back to sleep.
• Belly fat or midsection weight gain.
• Cravings for salty foods.  Sometimes the adrenal case can crave sugar because these glands help to maintain the blood sugar between meals.  When the glands are week the Adrenal Case and be a bit hypoglycemic.
• Swelling in the face, puffiness around the eyelids and eyes.  An interesting thing I’ve noticed about the Adrenal Case is if they looked at a picture of themselves from 5+ years ago they sometimes notice that their face is fuller or rounder.  Medically this is called a “moon face.” 
• Facial hair
• Brain Fog
• Unresolved pain or inflammation.  Because the adrenals are also the anti-inflammatory glands of the body, when they become fatigued their ability to produce the correct amount of anti-inflammatory hormone is reduced.  As a result of this, there is more inflammation in their body.  Old injures act back up and new ones can be more common.  As a results, sometimes these cases are diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.

Question: Are there any patient testimonials that you can share with me?

Dr. Rob: Sure, I’ll share one.  I really don’t want to take up a lot of time here on testimonials.  But if people would like to look at them we do have 100s on my website. 

“After I came to AlternaCare, within 7 months I have lost 93 pounds and I am down almost 7 pant sizes!  I am almost to my goal!  My fatigue is gone during the days and I am sleeping all night!  I have the energy to play with my kids and I have even started homeschooling my daughter!  I’m so thankful for the doctors and staff at AlternaCare.  They have helped me get my life back!”
Question: What are some uncommon symptoms that you see, that we’d not normally associate with adrenal issues?

Dr. Rob: There are a lot but one worthy of noting is Thyroid dysfunction.  In some cases, the adrenals will start to overproduce cortisol.  Excess cortisol interferes with thyroid function and can cause a false hypothyroidism.

Question: What are some of the most common causes of adrenal fatigue that you see?

Dr. Rob: First off, let me just say this, Adrenal Fatigue is almost never the primary problem.  It’s secondary.  It exists because of some other problem in the body.  To truly help the adrenals you have to find the thing that is stressing them.  Over the last 19+ years in practice I’ve found that the thing that is stressing the adrenals causing them to fatigue is usually some type of inflammatory substance present in a person’s body. 

This inflammatory substance could be a heavy metal (not the music, although some of it might be stressful 🙂 ) one of many different toxins, a food sensitivity, pathogen (parasite, bacteria, mold, virus, fungi and/or yeast) or a list additional things that I don’t want to bore you with right now.  The items I just listed cause inflammation in the body and the adrenals glands respond to this inflammation by producing one of these most powerful anti-inflammatory hormones in the body called cortisol. Maybe you have seen a commercial of a person with a big belly and the words “cortisol” appearing over and over….lol.   For example, a parasite will produce inflammation in the gut.  The adrenals respond to this by raising the anti-inflammatory hormone cortisol. If the parasite is not found and dealt with, then the inflammation becomes constant.  It is this constant inflammation that forces the adrenal glands to continually release cortisol.  Elevations in cortisol can cause belly fat, insomnia, food cravings, anxiety, irritability and a host of other symptoms.  The adrenals can’t maintain this level of cortisol production forever so they start to become tired, break down and the person starts to feel awful; here enters the term, “adrenal fatigue.”    People try to “treat” the adrenals by taking  adrenal support supplements, cortisol, B-vitamins and so on.  These can sometimes help, but in truth, they are more like a temporary bandage.    If you don’t identify the underlying cause of the adrenal fatigue you’ll be on those supplements for every with no long term improvement.  

Question: Is testing necessary for a person to “treat” at home?

Dr. Rob: Usually the answer to that question is, absolutely!  You have to find the thing that is wrong inside the person’s body that is stressing the adrenal glands.  There is something wrong causing excessive inflammation in the body that must be found.  Unless you have the best crystal ball in the world, you are probably going to have difficulty in finding what is causing the adrenal stress.  As a result, you will take adrenal supplements forever and always be looking for “the next best thing” to help you overcome your symptoms.  A person then must run the correct lab or holistic test to identify what it stressing the adrenal glands.  There are so many holistic labs and tests that can be done.  My Free Online Weight Loss and Health Evaluation combined with a very specific consultation helps us know what testing to start with, in other words, where to begin.  

Question: What type of testing do you recommend to get to the root cause for those who think that they might have adrenal fatigue?

Dr. Rob: Oh, there are hundreds of potential tests so again it really just depends on what I think is stressing the adrenal glands.  When we work with a patient at AlternaCare we do a very comprehensive history, which helps give us clues as to the root cause of the adrenal fatigue.  If we think it is a heavy metal, then we’ll do a special type of heavy metals test done through a 8-hour urine collection.  If we think it is a pathogen then perhaps a stool study, blood work or another more alternative testing procedure.  Everyone is different and in the last 19+ years I’ve never had two people on the exact same program because everyone is unique.  The good thing is most of the testing that we do is economical compared to many other tests. And we do work with each patient to make finances as affordable as possible.

Question: I’ve been reading a book in which the author downplays the role of the adrenals, and focuses a lot more on the role of the brain, the immune system, and diet rather than on the glands themselves. What is your take on this approach?

Dr. Rob: Yes, I agree with this.  The adrenal issue or adrenal fatigue is often a secondary problem.  Meaning the adrenal glands are just responding to something producing inflammation in the body.  When these adrenal stresses are not removed from the body the gland has no choice but to fatigue.  Imagine yourself having to exercise forever.  Like no break.  Continual exercise.  Unless you are related to Forest Gump you are going to pass out because of the fatigue.  If there is a stress in your body (like in the above examples) and that stress is never removed, you are asking your adrenals to work constantly.  Eventually they have no choice but to fatigue and breakdown.    

Question: What are the MOST important lifestyle changes that a person who suspects adrenal fatigue should move toward?

Dr. Rob: As long as there are no liver issues or significant gut issues then eating some protein and fat every 3 hours (about 4 to 5 small meals per day) would be important since the adrenal glands help to regulate your blood sugar between meals. 

Getting to sleep by 10pm, often easier said than done for the adrenal case.

Working on changing your attitude about stressful things.  Meaning two people can experience losing a dollar.  One person will say to himself, well that stinks, but luckily I can make another dollar and go about his day.  Another person will lose a dollar and become very upset with himself and life.  Did someone steal my dollar?!  I bet it was my coworker!  I’m going to talk to him!  Or maybe I lost it at the dry cleaners.  Stupid me!  I should know better than to go to that dry cleaners.  This type of thinking will definitely cause the adrenals to over produce cortisol, which of course is taxing to the gland. So just a shift in one’s attitude can help.

If they are exercising, ensure that the exercise is not too intense, as intense exercise can sometimes further stress and damage the adrenals.  Low intensity exercise is best such as, yoga, Pilates and walking. 

Question: Oftentimes, adrenal fatigue is associated with other issues, like Lyme disease, thyroid problems, hormone imbalance, fibromyalgia, etc. How would you prioritize and decide which aspects to work on first if you’ve got a cluster of symptoms like this?

Dr. Rob: Well that is a very in depth question and something that is really beyond a blog and more for a 100-hour certification course on how to repair the adrenal glands…..LOL.  I’ll say this, it is not just about knowing what numbers make up the combination to open the lock, but you also need to know the order in which to use the numbers.  This is really the key and has taken me years and years to develop. kA person must identify the things that are stressing the adrenal glands then they must also know the order in which to address those things.  Try baking a cake by adding the flour after you are done baking the other ingredients.  I think you’d get some type of weird omelet right……LOL.  

Question: Are you still taking patients, and can you work with patients over long distance cases?

Dr. Rob: Absolutely I’m still taking patients!  There are a lot of people out there that are suffering from various health issues and it is really a passion of mine to help.

If you really want to understand how to get your body to heal it’s adrenal glands then you have to find out what’s stressing them.  At AlternaCare we use a unique examination procedure called The Holistic Adrenal Exam plus affordable and effective holistic labs to determine the underlying cause of the adrenal fatigue.  We don’t treat any diseases, instead we get the body to treat itself. 

This approach is truly one of a kind and gets to the root cause of a person’s adrenal problems potentially handling them once and for all!  In addition, each program is completely customized and in the last 19+ years we have never had two people on the exact same Adrenal Fatigue Program. 

We have worked with over 10,000 patients, were voted Best Holistic Medicine Clinic by Kudzu in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 and have been in practice for over 19 years.

We have 3 options:

1. The New Patient Holistic Adrenal Fatigue Exam.  This exam helps us identify the main organs or glands in your body that are breaking down contributing to your adrenal fatigue.  The exam procedure consists first of a consultation followed by the actual exam this is done in office.  The exam is normally between $125-$175 but until May 31st it is only $49.  If you’d like to schedule an exam,Please Click On this “Contact Us” Link  and fill out the contact form.  One of our awesome staff will contact you ASAP.  Our call center is open until Midnight 7 days each week so if you want to go old school please feel free to call (770)304-1500. 
2. Free Consultation.  If you aren’t ready for an exam and would prefer a Free Consultation then please fill out the Free Online Weight Loss & Health Evaluation  and my Certified Nutritional Counselor will call you to review the results of your evaluation.  Our call center is open until Midnight 7 days each week so if you want to go old school please feel free to call (770)304-1500. 
3. More Information.  Not a problem.  Fill out the form on the “Contact Us”  page and ask us any questions that you’d like.  We’ll get back to you with a response ASAP. Our call center is open until Midnight 7 days each week so if you want to go old school please feel free to call (770)304-1500. 

If you live out of state then it is possible that we can help.  We have worked with people from 42 other states and 19 countries, in fact, about 25% of the people we work with are long distance cases.  I’ve developed a specialized system for getting great results with the people from far away.  The first step for most long distance patients is to fill out our Free Online Health Evaluation.  

A word from Dr. Rob: Hey Guys!  Thanks for visiting this page!  I just wanted to say that if you have a health or weight concern, no matter what it is, please reach out to me.  I’ve been doing this for over 19 years and I have a true passion to help you.  One thing i have found is health and weight problems, not fully addressed, tend to worsen over time.  So please either fill out the below contact form, Free Online Weight Loss & Health Evaluation  or call us directly at (770)304-1500 and one of my awesome staff will help you!  I look forward to meeting and helping you soon.  

PS:  Our answering service is available until midnight every day of the week.

Much Love,

Dr. Rob .