The adrenal fatigue supplements developed by Dr. James Wilson, author of Adrenal Fatigue: the 21st Century Stress Syndrome, are the products that I consider to be the top-of-the-line when it comes to treating adrenal fatigue.
Starting on this program made a dramatic improvement in my own condition, and I wholeheartedly recommend it as a starting point for anyone searching for quality adrenal fatigue supplements.
Diet changes and other lifestyle changes are essential to a true "recovery", but don't make you feel better overnight. When you are in adrenal crisis, you need something that works
NOW, to get you stabilized so that you can think clearly.
Dr. Wilson's program did just that for me. The Adrenal Rebuilder stepped in and gave immediate support to my exhausted adrenals, allowing them to "catch their breath" and I was then better able to focus on learning what I should be doing to heal myself long-term, and felt better able to put those other things into practice.
I followed this program daily for about two years, then gradually started to reduce my dosages, occasionally dropping one component or another to try something else or test how I did without it. I found that I still needed the additional support when I was more stressed (traveling over the holidays, making another cross-country move, etc.) so I was on and off again for another two years.
I am no longer "on the program", but I do keep a bottle of Adrenal Rebuilder on hand for stress-dosing to give my adrenals support when I'm unusually stressed (holidays, traveling, etc).
I also keep a bottle of the vitamin C handy because I like having it available in a high-quality, buffered, time-release formulation. It's not just for adrenal fatigue, my whole family takes it!
I switch back and forth between the Super Adrenal Stress Formula and a general multi-vitamin, just to make sure I'm getting a well-rounded exposure, but always go back to Dr. Wilson's when I know I need the enhanced stress support.
It is my opinion that Dr. Wilson's Adrenal Supplement program is the "Gold Standard" in adrenal fatigue supplements, and the ones that all the others should try to measure up to.
In talking to people, I've found that what usually holds them back from trying Dr. Wilson's program is the cost.
Is it expensive? *I* thought so, but when I told my husband about them and lamented about it being too expensive to try, his response was
"Are you kidding? If all it takes is a hundred dollars a month to make you human again, It’s SO worth it!" Because the reality is, *I* wasn't the only one suffering with my adrenal fatigue!
ABOUT THE SUPPLEMENTSThis well-rounded program addresses all the major components of support for repairing your adrenal glands, and consists of 4 separate products:
- Adrenal Rebuilder (an adrenal glandular),
- Super Adrenal Stress Formula (a multivitamin),
- Adrenal-C ( a time-release vitamin C).
- There is also an optional Herbal Adrenal Support (which I have never personally used).
Doctor Wilson also recommends that you take 200mg of a
magnesium supplement 2x daily along with this program, though he does not have one available in his product line. I like to take mine at bedtime to help me sleep.
The
Adrenal Rebuilder, the foundation of the program, is an adrenal glandular, which is actual adrenal tissue (porcine) that has been processed to remove the hormones. I have tried other OTC adrenal glandulars that have not specified that the hormones were removed, and have always felt--funny--after taking them, kind of edgy or hopped up, is how I would describe it. I do not have that feeling when I take the Adrenal Rebuilder.
Dr. Wilson's Adrenal Rebuilder has other support glandulars as well (gonad, hypothalamus, pituitary) and
this support of the entire HPA Axis is what makes this supplement different from all the others. It makes sense that if your adrenals are exhausted, then the other glands that support your adrenals are probably happy to have a little boost as well. I have not found another product out there that includes this peripheral support.
While other multi-vitamins are just aiming at general support, Dr. Wilson's
Super Adrenal Stress Formula is specifically designed to supplement the vitamins and minerals that are low when you have adrenal fatigue. I like that customization.
The
Adrenal-C is designed to provide the sustained release of vitamin C throughout the day so your adrenal glands are getting a steady supply. It's buffered, so it shouldn't upset your stomach like some vitamin C's can. Vitamin C is critical to your adrenal glands' function, and when your adrenals are stressed, they use even more than usual.
The
Herbal Adrenal Support is designed to nourish all 3 glands of the HPA Axis (hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal) which work together to help your body manage stress. I have not taken this component of the program, so I cannot give you any personal comments about it.
These supplements are designed to work together to address all the needs of a typical adrenal fatigue profile, so it's best to try the whole program for best results. And no, that's not a ploy to get you to buy more, it's simply the
best way to start feeling better fast. If you only take one component, you will still be lacking something somewhere, and then you will have wasted the money that you *did* spend, because you didn't address EVERYTHING that needed attention, and the supplement erroneously gets the blame for "not working".
Here is what I always suggest to friends who are skeptical: Try this complete program FIRST, for one month, as designed, and see how you feel.
Then make the decision.
If you want to try to find some other products after that, you will have something to compare to. Keep good notes about dosages, dates, and how you are feeling in relation to any changes you make. I suggest only changing one component at a time to make it easy to discern the cause any of the changes you notice.
Please leave a comment and let everyone know how Dr. Wilson's Supplement Program worked for you!