Adrenal exhaustion symptoms worse after accupuncture

Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.

Fatigue after acupuncture is quite common and can be on the stronger side during the first 1-3 treatments. Afterwards these stronger responses tend to ease up and people then begin to consistently improve. This is somewhat less common with Japanese styles of acupuncture, but common nonetheless.

It&#39s hard to comment on your case specifically without knowing all of your symptoms and having your Chinese/Japanese diagnosis. But the majority of people who complain of "adrenal fatigue" have what we call Kidney Yin Deficiency in Chinese Medicine (there are other possible patterns though). With yin deficiency the body is essentially "tired and wired" so it is overstimulated internally leading to fatigue in other aspects. When treatments start usually the overstimulation part is eased first and often quickly leaving the weakness below. Over time the top end of the overstimulation drops and the weakness below builds up so the variability becomes much more balanced. This, however, takes some time usually 3 months as a minimum. Sometimes it can be strongly assisted with proper herbal formulas (require a clear diagnosis), sometimes it just takes time.

Comment by Archived User

I agree totally with what Chad said. Also, consider this: How long have you had adrenal exhaustion? For some people it is a life long condition, which may take many months to heal. If your body is finally able to heal itself it may ask for more sleep, more food, more darkness etc...

It can be so hard to feel worse before you feel better, but sometimes it takes a leap of faith to believe that your body does know what its doing. Maybe think of it as a "re-boot". Sometimes you have to shut the computer down completely before it will work again!

Comment by Archived User

In my practice, Kid26 among other points appropriate for diagnosis - has been good for adrenal exhaustion. As tough by Jani White, experienced acupuncturist from London.

I would from what has been shared in your case so far maybe have tried Gojiberries slowly and carefully as well.

One of my patients 30 y young woman, with an ME-like diagnosis from the doctor - says she got her life back using L- Arginine. I have not tried out this semi essential amino acid myself, but it might be interesting to check out?

I was in a position like yours ten years ago, but is now working 3 days a week after periods of sleeping 16 hours a day.

Comment by Archived User

Hope you have made much progress since your post. Having children and not sleeping through the night can spiral almost any woman into a cycle of adrenal overload and adrenal exhaustion. For some, taking 1,000 mg. high quality Vitamin C 2x per day along with magnesium/calcium 2:1 ratio at bedtime can help. But in most cases it is insufficient melatonin production that launches the person into this vicious cycle.

Avoid sugar and caffeine. Bladder points should also be used to insure sleeping through the night. Another factor is: after going to bed NEVER turn the lights back on, (unless its an emergency). Light immediately halts melatonin production which can lead to adrenal induced hypoglycemia. Even a night light or alarm clock can be enough to disturb the sleep cycle. Get plenty of sunshine in the day, and plenty of darkness at night;)

Comment by Archived User

I'd like to resurrect this post to see of the poster had any relief? I recently started accu and am also a week out after my third treatment and feel the exact same way. Sad thing is, I was actually feeling great before I started compared to how i used to feel and this seems to have wrecked it all quickly. Can the original poster respond to say if backing off the accu allowed you to at least recover from the fatigue and return to prevent functioning conditions? Your response is very much appreciated!

Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.

Since we've changed our forum and these are archived the likelihood of hearing back from the poster from 2 years ago is slim to none. Either way, if you'd like some advice generally you could start a new post on our new forums https://community.yinyanghouse... and we can look further into your case. Without a lot of specifics, there isn't much I can say, but I can say exacerbation of symptoms within the first few treatments is not common, but not unlikely either - it's maybe about 5% in my practice and then things work out. With these types of Kidney related imbalances, however, you have to be certain you are seeing someone who does not use very strong needling techniques as that may often make you much worse as your nervous system cannot handle the extra stimulation. Generally I would give a practitioner 3-5 treatments and if you are not seeing some improvement, however mild, particularly following after the treatment I would move on.