Plan for Wellness
Finding an Adrenal Fatigue Doctor
This website is not meant to replace your doctor, but is designed to familiarize you with adrenal fatigue syndrome, so that when you visit your doctor, you will have the background knowledge you need to discuss your condition and treatment options.
It can be difficult to find a doctor familiar with the treatment of Adrenal Fatigue. Doctors who identify themselves as "holistic practitioners", or offices that use phrases such as Alternative Medicine, are more likely to be educated about Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome and the interpretation of hormone saliva tests than conventional MD's or endocrinologists. (Most endocrinologists are of the mind that if you dont have Addison's Disease, then your adrenals are just fine). They are also more likely to be familiar with using bioidentical horomones and diet/lifestyle changes to treat their patients rather than prescribing synthetic (imitation) hormones and telling you that if you're taking what they've prescribed, then you must be fine.
In this day and age, doctors are getting so narrowly focused, that if you don't have the exact thing they specialize in, then they are really just as clueless as you are about what's wrong with you. Unfortunately, most will not admit it, and will just tell you that you are wrong. Now, I am not totally anti-doctor, I am just frustrated with how hard it is to find one that I feel KNOWS anything!
To me, nothing is scarier than going to the doctor and feeling like you know more than he does about your condition, UNLESS you are confident in your knowledge, and are there to utilize the doctor for the things that you can't do yourself, like request labs and write prescriptions. If you can go in there, lay out your case and present them with your plan, in a way that says "lets figure this puzzle out together", a good doctor will respect that and be willing to give you what you ask for. But you've GOT to know your stuff.
Your doctor is only thinking about your problem for the 15 minutes of the one day you've paid him to think about you. After that, he moves on to the next patient who is paying for a time slot, and you are left on your own again with whatever information you have been able to glean from your conversation. In order to make the best use of that time, it's important to know the basics of what you're talking about before you go in, so that your conversation will build on that, and fill in the blanks for you.
If your doctor blows you off and treats you like you're a hypochondriac who's just read about a new "fad disease" when you suggest Adrenal Fatigue as a cause of your symptoms, ask him to explain why it isn't that is he saying that adrenal glands never function at a less-than-optimal level? Is he saying that if adrenal glands *could* have diminished function, it would not result in those symptoms?
Remember, it hasn't been that long since PMS was a figment of our imaginations...
Tips for Finding an Adrenal Fatigue Doctor
- You are more likely to have success with a doctor that considers him/herself a "holistic practitioner" rather than a conventional MD or endocrinologist.
- Check the Adrenal Fatigue Doctor Review page to see if anyone has shared the name of a doctor in your area. If not, post an inquiry.
- Dr. Wilson's website has a short, but growing, list of physicians that are specifically familiar with adrenal fatigue and use Dr. Wilson's adrenal fatigue supplement program.
- The American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) has a member database that you can search. I don't think their menu specifically offered Adrenal Fatigue as a choice for doctors to include when listing their specialties, so you will have to call and ask about it. Good clues would be doctors who specifically mention Thyroid disease (ask if they prescribe Armour Thyroid) since hypoadrenia and hypothyroidism usually go hand-in-hand.
- You can also look on the bulletin board at your local health food store, or in a free local health magazine such as Natural Awakenings (usually available at health food stores). In the yellow pages, look under headings like Alternative Medicine, Integrative Medicine or Naturopathic Physicians. If there is a compounding pharmacy nearby, they may have a bulletin board as well, or the pharmacist may have a suggestion.
- Once you find some names, start calling and talking to the office staff. Tell them that you are looking for a doctor who is familiar with Adrenal Fatigue, and see how they respond. If Adrenal Fatigue is something they are familiar with, you will know by the way they talk to you about it.
- If you need help working through stressful situations or learning better techniques for dealing with stressful relationships, anxiety, or depression, and would like to have the convenience of working with a therapist without being limited by their schedule or yours, online therapy could be a useful tool. A combination of live chat, messaging, journaling, worksheets, and more, you can work on your therapy whenever it's convenient for you, and interact with your therapist as often as you need to throughout the week. Receive 20% off your first month at online-therapy.com when you click through this (affiliate) link.
About Product Recommendations
Please note that while I do receive
commissions from some of the things promoted on this site, I recommend
them wholeheartedly because I feel they would be of benefit to you.
Advertisers/Affiliates have been hand-picked so that only
quality products are recommended. I have used many of these products in my own life and
share them with you because that's what friends do.
Read my full
advertising policy
here.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome
Dr. Wilson's Adrenal Fatigue Quartet