Platt Wellness Blog — adrenaline

Dr. Platt explains that the catch-all health disturbance of adrenal fatigue is diagnosed by low salivary cortisol, which is actually indicative of adrenalin dominance.

"People who put out a lot of adrenaline at night are often in the unique position of gaining weight even while they are sleeping. This is in addition to the other characteristics of elevated night time adrenaline, such as tossing and turning, grinding teeth, restless leg syndrome, and getting up to urinate."  Dr. Platt

Adrenal fatigue is a diagnosis used mostly in alternative medicine, usually among naturopathic physicians. The diagnosis is based on the theory that the adrenal gland, if underfunctioning, can fail to produce sufficient quantities of cortisol. Treatment often involves prescribing cortisol in addition to addressing diet, timing of eating, and amount of rest. I have two concerns about this diagnosis and its treatment. First, adrenal fatigue may actually be adrenaline dominance, a condition of adrenal overfunctioning rather than underfunctioning. Second, prescribing cortisol for a condition possibly already associated with a high cortisol level may have unintended consequences. Cortisol, if given inappropriately,...

The Mis-Treatment of Addiction: Michael Jackson, RIP, June 25, 2009 Michael Jackson died of a propofol/benzodiazepam overdose at the age of 50. For most of his adult life he acknowledged his problem with addiction, and on multiple occasions he entered various rehab programs to help him deal with this illness. It can certainly be postulated that these programs dealing with drug abuse failed to help him for one simple reason: they did not approach his problem from the underlying cause of why he needed drugs. Of course, not treating the cause of illness is an inherent part of our medical system. It...