This mother of 3, professional business woman had developed severe fatigue, concentration problems, foggy thinking and depression over the course of the past 12 months. She had been to several doctors, had checked hormone levels and blood work, without getting a clear diagnosis. Her own research pointed her to adrenal fatigue, as that condition mirrored her symptoms most closely. A cortisol saliva test confirmed her cortisol levels were significantly below normal. This adrenal fatigue case study discusses how acupuncture was able to treat her and improve her physical and emotional health.
The Problem – Adrenal Fatigue
It seems like everyone has adrenal fatigue these days. Our stressful lifestyle is taxing our Adrenal function, resulting in a host of unpleasant symptoms, including the ones experienced by our patient. For more information about Adrenal fatigue, CLICK HERE.
Once your cortisol levels are reduced, it’s difficult to recover. That’s why this condition seems to linger. It’s not enough to “just relax” more. Recovery involves returning your overtaxed organs to balance, making lifestyle changes and most importantly, understanding how your body works and how it can recover. Acupuncture has an important role to play in this recovery.
Our Patient’s Situation
In this adrenal fatigue case study, our working mom had found herself in a state of total exhaustion. A perfectionist by nature, she had always taken on a lot of responsibility. Up until recently, she had been able to handle it. She had been managing a heavy work load, raising 3 children, and running a busy household. She had some help at home, but was still responsible for cooking and feeding her family, raising her children, being involved at church, and keeping her relationship with her husband as vibrant as possible.
In her words, “About 12 months ago it was like a switch flipped. I just couldn’t do it anymore.” She started having sleeping problems (difficulty falling and staying asleep), concentration issues (her mind wasn’t able to process like it always had in the past), and very low energy. These problems increases her stress level because she could not function properly at work. The condition spiraled until she found herself depressed and sidelined.
Treatment
A host of doctor visits determined that her blood work was normal (including normal thyroid levels) and that she had not developed any “disease” from a diagnostic point of view. Her doctors told her she was working too hard and needed to slow down.
While this was indeed true, she didn’t have a clue how to pull it off. She had a full-time job and a full house at home. She needed to get better! Since Western medicine was not able to help her understand what was going on, she turned to alternative medicine. She found Dr. Lam’s website (https://www.drlam.com/About_Us.asp) and sent in saliva for testing. This confirmed her low cortisol levels. Next, research led her to Raleigh Acupuncture.
Adrenal Fatigue and Acupuncture
We have been successfully treating Adrenal fatigue for years. Chinese medicine recognizes this condition as a combination of imbalances triggered from overwork, too much stress and the natural aging process. We focus treatment on boosting organ function, restoring balance between the organs, restoring good sleeping patterns and reducing stress.
In this case we identified that our patient had Kidney and Spleen deficiency as well as Liver Qi stagnation. We used a pool of acupuncture points that included: ST36, SP3, BL20, BL23, KD3, LV3, BL18, LI4, and GV20. An initial 4 treatments made clear that she was responding to the treatment and was beginning to feel better. More treatments were needed, and we continued treatment once a week for the next 8 weeks.
At this point her fatigue levels were greatly reduced. Where they had been a 10 out of 10, they were now 2 out of 10. She was able to get through her work day no problem and keep up with her life. Concentration levels were also greatly improved. She did not have mental fog any longer, and was able to remember and focus as well as in the past. In addition, her depression was gone. She no longer struggled with dark thoughts, lack of motivation and constant irritability.
While acupuncture played a pivotal role in her recovery, she also made important lifestyle change. These included reducing her hours at work, modifying her exercise regime to “less intense” workouts, and allowing for more “down time” with her family and for herself.
What To Expect
Each case of Adrenal fatigue is unique, and as such it requires an individual treatment plan. Your acupuncture treatment will focus on restoring the balance you require. No matter what the treatment looks like, all treatments use sterile, single-use, hair thin needles. You will hardly feel them. And treatments are relaxing. Many of our patients fall asleep during their sessions.
Next Steps
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Adrenal Fatigue Case Study
If you enjoyed reading this adrenal fatigue case study, check out our other case studies. A new one is added each week.
What our Clients are Saying
Raleigh Acupuncture cured my adrenal fatigue! I thought I was stuck with it for the rest of my life. I had to quit my job and was depressed. A friend took me to see Jade. She is amazing. I feel so much better. I’m back at work and happy again. Thank you Jade and Raleigh Acupuncture.
Two years ago all of a sudden I lost my energy, motivation and health. One day I was fine, the next I was sick. After a number of doctor visits and lots of research I learned that I had adrenal fatigue. My condition was not improving. I kept trying different things. Finally I literally stumbled into Raleigh Acupuncture. Jade is amazing. She totally understood what was happening to me and what needed to be done to restore my health. I’ve been going to her for the past six months and I am happy to say that my health has returned. I don’t know what I would have done without her. It felt like my life was over. Now I feel alive again!!
I am a long term patient of Raleigh Acupuncture. Prior to being under their care, I was disabled with terrible fatigue and pain all over my body. I was unable to drive, could only walk less than a block, and had numerous symptoms that mystified doctors. After countless lab work, x-rays, and MRI’s, several doctors including my primary physician told me that there was nothing that could be done. According to them, it was either an illness that was undiagnosable or it was all in my head. When I came to Raleigh Acupuncture, it was a breath of fresh air. They took me very seriously and were not mystified by my condition. They assured me that my condition was treatable and manageable. They treat me with respect, dignity and care; something that I didn’t receive at my primary care doctor. Thanks to their treatments I am now living a normal life. They have restored my health and taught me how to manage my condition. My family and friends can’t believe how much improvement I have made. My son is grateful to have his mommy back! And I am eternally grateful to Raleigh Acupuncture! They truly have the gift of healing!