Does anyone know of an endocrinologist who is interested in ADD and other possible causes of the disorder? Please contact me.

Does anyone know of an endocrinologist who is interested in ADD and other possible causes of the disorder? Please contact me. I can't help you, but I'm wondering why you ask? I have had suspicions of hormonal imbalance being a cause for years, but I haven't gotten any closer to knowing if it is a worthwhile avenue to search.

I'm very curious about this, so please let me know whatever you can.

-Brian

Have you seen your internist about checking thyroid, adrenal, and sex hormone levels, as well as some key nutrient levels? I'd make sure to have your glucose checked, too.

I have been trying to post in the research area on a link between diabetes and adhd but it will not go let me start a thread. I to believe there may be a link.

What is your health concern?

-Emma

I'll post more information later today, but my hunch is that there might be a link between ADD without hyperactivity and persistently low levels of glucose in the brain. The measured range of levels of cortisol necessary in the brain to wake it up in the morning, and peaking again in the afternoon that is considered "normal" seems abnormally low at the low end of so-called "normal."

I have very low energy type ADD, the Inattentive type. My attention span feels as though there just isn't enough gas in the tank, no matter how I tweak my diet. I think there may be something wrong way before we start discussing neurotransmitter levels. It isn't just about me being over 50, either. I've been like this all my life. So I don't think sex hormones are necessarily it. I think it may be the hormonal process that produces and matabolizes glucose that could be a really basic problem.

I would like to get an endocrinologist in a research capacity to at least volunteer and considered opinion, even without benefit of double blind studies. There has got to be a way to elevate these levels, like anything else.

If and when you have time, please write more about your own observations of how your body reacts to carbs. This is an interesting line of reasoning you've brought up.

Would you think, from your observations, that aerobic activity would help or hinder this low glucose level?

How do you see stimulants playing into the equation?
Thanks for putting the spurs to my imagination this morning. - Ian

I've been wondering this myself and have started following a basic diabetic diet with more carbs and proteins since they break down to sugar at a slower level and have seen an improvement in my children and self.

The thing is I'm very fit. I've always been in good shape, except when I had this alcoholic period in the 90s over the failure of my business. I've never had a thing for sweets. Always naturally ate a pretty good diet. Don't smoke cigarettes. I don't think I could get any better with any kind of diet. I just think I have a serum level of glucose that is low and unpredictable, low enough to disorganize my thinking and create a kind of "avoidant" personality type, or push it in that direction. I have always had to work around my up and down mental "thereness." So I am thinking beyond stimulants, though they help a great deal. Trouble is, I have a new doctor and a review of my chart leads him to think I should stop all that and go on Effexor or Cymbalta. I'm not happy about that, but what can you do?

Find another doctor who will listen to you. If your uncomfortable with what your doctor is suggesting you do have the right to refuse that treatment and the right to find a doctor who will work with you and listen to you.

There is also the possibility that he may know what he is talking about and you will have better results. We never know till we try.

Good luck you have a lot of tough decisions to make I'll keep you in my thoughts,
Cherity

The thing is I'm very fit. I've always been in good shape, except when I had this alcoholic period in the 90s over the failure of my business. I've never had a thing for sweets. Always naturally ate a pretty good diet. Don't smoke cigarettes. I don't think I could get any better with any kind of diet. I just think I have a serum level of glucose that is low and unpredictable, low enough to disorganize my thinking and create a kind of "avoidant" personality type, or push it in that direction. I have always had to work around my up and down mental "thereness." So I am thinking beyond stimulants, though they help a great deal. Trouble is, I have a new doctor and a review of my chart leads him to think I should stop all that and go on Effexor or Cymbalta. I'm not happy about that, but what can you do? This sounds very much like my personal experience. Although, I smoke and don't have the best diet in the world, I have always been thin, toned, strong, and young-looking for my age. Problem is, I have a highly variable mood that tends toward the avoidant-irritable, panic realm. Motivation has always been a seriously disturbed trait for me, as well as arousal and energy levels. I've had serious problems with insomnia/hypersomnia (staying up til 5am, then crashing for 15 hours). In searching for a possible framework to conceptualize myself and make forward progress, I have come upon many hypotheses that incorporate elements that relate to me, but don't fit enough to cover the broad range of problems I've faced.

ADHD is one of those, but there is more to it than that. I've struggled with severe depressions, and a general temperament characterized by interpersonal sensitivity, lethargy, irritability/anger, reactive/labile moods, hypersomnia, etc. All traits that fall along the "atypical" spectrum of depression. But in reading about atypicals I became dissatisfied, and I have now settled on a spectrum-trait theory pioneered by H.S. Akiskal, who has worked in the field of temperaments, disorder nosology, etc. for decades.

The physical symptoms that have lead me to hypothesize on a physiological cause (or at least influence) include: delayed and slowly progressing puberty/young appearance, low energy/fast metabolism, frequent infections early in life, craving of sweets, low libido, impaired concentration, and many others. I have considered various deficiencies, such as iron or zinc, as well as hypoglycemia, hypothyroidism, mild hypogonadism, etc. But when you look at me, I appear pretty normal. I'm good looking, with a nice structure/figure, but I just look a little young for my age. If any of the many physiological causes are in fact things I suffer, they are definately mild or "subclinical" in nature.

This is complicated by the fact that the mind and body are tightly linked together. People with any number of mental disorders, from depression to ADHD to schizophrenia, all have abnormalities in physiological markers, including hormonal systems. Prolactin, glucocorticoids, gonadal steriods, DHEA/S levels, IGFs, GH, as well as cholesterol and triglyceride levels, fatty acid content, etc. Those are just the bigger markers, but abnormalities have been found in many of the thousands of protien synthesizers, metabolism of specific nutrients and pathways, and enzymatic reactions, all which control important functions that can impact the brain. It's enough to make your head spin!! :D

Practically speaking, what does this all mean? Not a whole lot, it turns out. The best you can do is have a comprehensive workup, and if you choose, investigate a particular phenomena that bugs you. It can be frustrating to think that perhaps you are just treating the symptoms of a more basic underlying abnormality, but that's the nature of medicine right now. Diagnosis of many of the more subtle problems can be very difficult, so you need to look at the big stuff and go from there.

As far as my theory on myself, here is some info on Akiskal's current formulation, in this case the borderline expression of soft bipolarity, and it's relation to other spectrum traits like atypical depression, ADHD, MDD, panic-agoraphonia, all falling the the realm of the cyclothymic-BPII spectrum. It's not definitive, but it is a much more realistic way of looking at things. In the future as these findings are more precisely quantified, they will enter the nosology, and treatment will be more precise.

Here's a link, you need a free Medscape membership to access (worth it), or you can just go to pubmed and search for Akiskal, who has published hundreds of studies.

http://www.medscape.com/viewprogram/2469_pnt
http://www.medscape.com/viewprogram/2469_pnt
http://www.medscape.com/viewprogram/555_pnt

ADD & Cortisol

Excerpts, Sources, Notes




Corticosteroid receptor mediated effects on mood in humans


by Plihal W, Krug R, Pietrowsky R, Fehm HL, Born J University of Bamberg, Germany.
werner.plihal@ppp.uni.bamberg.de Psychoneuroendocrinology 1996 Aug; 1(6):515-23

ABSTRACT

The present double-blind cross-over study aimed to discriminate effects of dexamethasone (DEX) and cortisol (CORT) on mood in ten healthy men. DEX is assumed to predominantly activate glucocorticoid receptors (GR) whereas CORT binds central nervous mineralocorticoid receptors (MR) as well as GR. Mood was assessed by an extensive adjective checklist (Eigenschaftswoerterliste) every morning during two 7-day experimental periods. During one of these periods, subjects were subchronically treated with placebo, during the other they received DEX (4 mg/day). On days 5 and 7 of these periods, (in a balanced manner) either placebo or CORT (10 mg/h) was infused during the night (9 h) before mood assessment. DEX, acutely, enhanced activation, concentration, and arousal (p < .05). During prolonged DEX administration, the energizing effect of the glucocorticoid decreased, but emotional arousability and negative feelings (anger, sadness) were significantly enhanced. CORT administered during prolonged DEX treatment, counteracted these negative feelings, and enhanced scores on a dimension of "high spirits". Sole administration of CORT also enhanced "high spirits" (p < .05) and, like DEX, activation and concentration (p < .05). Results suggest GR to mediate an energizing effect and, with prolonged activation, a dysphoric influence on mood. Predominant activation of MR appears to mediate changes towards euphoric mood.



Source: http://www.biopsychiatry.com/corticosteroid.htm (http://www.biopsychiatry.com/corticosteroid.htm)



Detrimental effects of chronic hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation. From obesity to memory deficits


by Raber J, Gladstone Institute of Neurological Diseases, University of California,
San Francisco, CA 94141-9100, USA. Mol Neurobiol 1998 Aug; 18(1): 1-22

ABSTRACT



Increasing evidence suggests that the detrimental effects of glucocorticoid (GC) hypersecretion occur by activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in several human pathologies, including obesity, Alzheimer's disease, AIDS dementia, and depression. [What about ADD, ADHD, Narcolepsy, etc.?] The different patterns of response by the HPA axis during chronic activation are an important consideration in selecting an animal model to assess HPA axis function in a particular disorder. This article will discuss how chronic HPA axis activation and GC hypersecretion affect hippocampal function and contribute to the development of obesity. In the brain, the hippocampus has the highest concentration of GC receptors. Chronic stress or corticosterone treatment induces neuropathological alterations, such as dendritic atrophy in hippocampal neurons, which are paralleled by cognitive deficits. Excitatory amino acid (EAA) neurotransmission has been implicated in chronic HPA axis activation. EAAs play a major role in neuroendocrine regulation. Hippocampal dendritic atrophy may involve alterations in EAA transporter function, and decreased EAA transporter function may also contribute to chronic HPA axis activation. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of HPA axis activation will likely advance the development of therapeutic interventions for conditions in which GC levels are chronically elevated.



Source: http://www.biopsychiatry.com/hpa.htm (http://www.biopsychiatry.com/hpa.htm)







In Plain English, More or Less



Each component of the HPA axis secretes its own hormone product. Some of these hormones are used to stimulate other glands downstream in the axis, and other are used to influence general physiology and behavior. The hypothalamus secretes a polypeptide called corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) to stimulate the pituitary gland. When the pituitary senses CRH, it responds by releasing some amount of adrenocorticotropin releasing hormone (ACTH). ACTH travels in the blood stream to eventually find one of the two adrenals, where it causes the production and release of cortisol. To restate and simplify, CRH (hypothalamus) causes the release of ACTH (pituitary) causes the release of cortisol (adrenals). In endocrine terms, this is known as a third order circuit.

As the title of this section suggests, some of these hormones are considered releasors, while others are considered effectors. Releasor hormones are ones that regulate and cause the release of other hormones. CRH and ACTH are both releasing hormones, as their secretion into the body results in the release of other hormones (ACTH and cortisol, repectively). Beside causing the release of other hormones, CRH and ACTH have little other effects around the rest of the body. Their primary purpose is to control the secretion of other hormones.

An effector hormone is one that has influences in several areas of the body other than endocrine glands. With the HPA axis, cortisol is the effector hormone. Cortisol has potent effects on metabolosim and is known to potently influence certain behaviors. Almost every cell in the body has the ability to sense cortisol. This makes cortisol a potent effector on how the body operates.”

Source: http://psych.colorado.edu/~spenlab/hormones.html (http://psych.colorado.edu/~spenlab/hormones.html)






Information like this is driving my curiosity in what research is currently going on that focuses on a more direct link between the symptoms of ADD w/o hyperactivity, and related or overlapping personality disorders, and the endocrine system, especially the HPA axis.

Again, the purpose of this thread is to find any endocrinologists who know of such research, or have an interest in this possible connection. Or Internists who might have similar information.

Lost me on corticosteroid....

Lost me on corticosteroid.... LOL! You bastad! :D

I'm the exact same way, though:faint:

Hi all,

I find certain references of psychoneuroendocrinology. Also I see that you are inclined to believe hormone+neurotransmitters->mental state relationship.

But if we separate psychoneuroendocrinology then it may appear as psycho->neuro->endocrine->ology. Meaning thereby, our psychological events like thoughts and emotions affect our neuronal and endocrinal prcesses. Do you find such a proposition acceptable?
regards

Here is a quote posted by kvrrd.

Quote:
</I></B>
Psychoneuroendocrinology publishes papers dealing with the interrelated disciplines of psychology, neurobiology, endocrinology, immunology, neurology, and psychiatry, with an emphasis on multidisciplinary studies aiming at integrating these disciplines in terms of either basic research or clinical implications. One of the main goals is to understand how a variety of psychobiological factors interact in the expression of the stress response as it relates to the development and/or maintenance of neuropsychiatric illnesses

But if we separate psychoneuroendocrinology then it may appear as psycho->neuro->endocrine->ology. Meaning thereby, our psychological events like thoughts and emotions affect our neuronal and endocrinal prcesses. Do you find such a proposition acceptable?

Was any of the material posted by douglasbrooker understood? Good! What exactly in this thoughts do you identify and how does this connect with your view on ADD? Please I am interested and don't worry I follow medical terminology very well. . . . .SB, Barbyma, and school taught me well! I read a good dyslexic too so spelling isn't a problem I can't spell most of the words either.




I'll post more information later today, but my hunch is that there might be a link between ADD without hyperactivity and persistently low levels of glucose in the brain.

See we have lots of people claiming lots of things but will at least dougasbrooker came back and explained and expounded upon his theory one of the few. As can easily be seen we are open to ideas just not too keen with ambiguity even less keen on anti-medication tactics or “med head” bashing!



One of the main goals is to understand how a variety of psychobiological factors interact in the expression of the stress response as it relates to the development and/or maintenance of neuropsychiatric illnesses

A rash can be due to an allergic reaction systemic, allergic reaction local, virus, bug bits, autoimmune disorders, and each one of these different rashes would be best handled by addressing the underlying cause of each. In other wards I would not want treat the rash caused by a virus in the same manner I would one cause by a bug bite or an autoimmune disorder. . . . . .or the one caused by wearing an itchy wool sweater

The rash caused by the itchy wool sweater has one cause easily eliminated by removing the sweater. . . . . .however the rash cause by an autoimmune disorder will be a bit more complicated!


Here is some stuff on glands. . . .

http://www.valleysportsphysicians.com/services/hormone/cortisol.asp

***Quote
Furthermore, adrenal hormone is necessary to maintain adequate blood sugar. People with low adrenal reserve experience rapid drops in blood sugar (hypoglycemia) during stress because there is not enough cortisol to maintain sugar levels. In response, the body starts producing and secreting adrenaline, which raises blood sugar but also causes anxiety. Therefore, people with low adrenal cortisol are more prone to flare-ups of temper, nervousness or shaking, palpitations, irritability, difficulty concentrating, salt cravings, sleep disturbances, fear of situations that are even moderately stressful, and can have panic attacks, fatigue, feel cold, and may have depression.***End Quote

Although this may explain some of my hypoglycemia it hasn't got squat to do with my ADD . . . . . . .yes they may be interrelated like duh? they are in the same body but when we go playing with the adrenal glands one must be vewy careful. . . . .or really bad things could happen!

I visited my doctor recently who has been prescribing birth control for PCOS, a condition caused by imbalance in hormones. Well I took the birth control, but then slowly stopped taking it. I visited her again recently and told her I had stopped the birth control. She advised me to start again and she took some blood tests that same day......

Well, she has come back to me advising me to see an endocronologist. Which leads me to think I might have a problem that is beyond what birth control can fix. I saw this post and was very intrigued.

If hormones have been causing my ADD I would be very interested in finding out how and what I can do about it.

[What about ADD, ADHD, Narcolepsy, etc.?] Not DEXamethasone - but DEXedrine is used in narcolepsy and ADD. The 'narcolepsy' key players are the orexins (hypocretins) - cell populations {for these guys} are found in the lateral *hypothalamus* .
However - I don't think that the connection between ADD and narcolepsy continues through examination of the HPA axis and its extension into the periphery ->->->- {pituitary->-adrenal{and other glands}} ... ... ...
... ... ... I believe {to continue the connection between ADD and narcolepsy} - that we need to go in the other direction - into the physiology of the 'sleep' and 'waking' states ... ... ... therein one will find that the waking state is actually associated with higher levels of activity {check out cortical waves [EEG] {gamma} - highest frequency of waves associated with the waking state} {easy to remember - 'gamma' is also the most energetic wave of the EM spectrum (with X-rays) (of course {though}, a different gamma wave)} ... ... ... and then through extension into ADD {details omitted :-)}- that ADD represents {in effect} an awakening from the waking state ... ... ...

... one of my favourite methods of describing this {all over ADDF is ...} through the quote ... ... ...
'... and the dreamers are awaking' Katherine Bush 'Nocturn' Aerial
...alternatively 'rrreality more rrReal' {works, also}

... :-) ... SB.

Apologies if any of the above appears a little 'spaced' - regardless ... I'm pretty sure it's ostensibly correct ... :-) ...

I visited my doctor recently who has been prescribing birth control for PCOS, a condition caused by imbalance in hormones. Well I took the birth control, but then slowly stopped taking it. I visited her again recently and told her I had stopped the birth control. She advised me to start again and she took some blood tests that same day......

Well, she has come back to me advising me to see an endocronologist. Which leads me to think I might have a problem that is beyond what birth control can fix. I saw this post and was very intrigued.

If hormones have been causing my ADD I would be very interested in finding out how and what I can do about it.
<CENTER>The Psycho-Neuro-Endocrine System

(Seven Endocrine Glands - After Ray Stanford)</CENTER>

The endocrine system stands at the heart of human opportunity and human dis-ease. This is the case because the major glands are the transmitting agents for social, emotional, mental and spiritual forces which underlie the whole of our physical worlds.

This idea may seem a bit farfetched to the uninitiated, simply skeptical, or strictly scientific. Many such folks believe that human beings are just peculiar masses of protoplasm which are somewhat controlled by brain impulses and nervous system patterns.

But, there is growing evidence that we are really this and much more. Research is appearing which will eventually validate that, "The mind is not so much in the body, as the body is in the mind."

This saying has roots both in the Eastern Hindu tradition and among Western mystics, such as Meister Eckhardt. The aphorism suggests firstly that mind is more than brain (an obvious part of the body) and secondly that the body is a dense projection of a deeper energy field called the mind.

Dr. Candace Pert, researcher at the National Institutes for Mental Health, says, "... it is possible now to conceive of mind and consciousness as an emanation of emotional information processing, and as such, mind and consciousness would appear to be independent of brain and body."

Social forces, emotions, thoughts, and spiritual energies stand hidden beyond, above, and within what we know to be the outer physical body and material world. These powers work through the physical and do not emanate from them. The reverse is actually the true case as the physical mechanism is an endpoint and not a beginning for anything.

Our health and our dis-ease are not simply due to physical allergens and microbes, accidents and mishaps, but to a host of forces which lie beyond yet within our material midst. There is rhyme and reason to the course of universal momentum and so to in our own lives on planet Earth.

The midway or meeting point for these invisible forces and the outer physical human form is the endocrine system, and, more specifically, the psycho-neuro-endocrine system. The concept of this system is really quite simple while the practical working out of it may be in the opposite direction.

Direct support for this view is now coming from the new medical discipline called psycho-neuro-immunology. Psycho-neuro-immunology springs from the earlier arena of psycho-somatic medicine and will eventually form the foundation of psycho-neuro-endocrinology.

The immune system backed by the nervous apparatus and the brain is receiving increasing emphasis in evaluation and treatment of disease. The following suggestions arise to help in the correlation of the components of a new psycho-physiological system:

1) The immune system is centered in the thymus gland located in the center of the chest cavity.
2) The thymus gland is one of seven major human endocrine glands.
3) All of the glands, through their hormones which are secreted directly into the bloodstream, have profound effects upon the physical body.
4) The glands are interconnected and interrelated through feedback mechanisms, the 'master' gland, and the nervous system.
5) The nervous apparatus and the endocrine glands actually make up one whole neuro-endocrine system.
6) The brain is the most important, but not the only nerve center, which influences the endocrine glands and the immune system and total health.
7) The brain and other nerve centers and the endocrine glands are dependent upon emotions, the mind and the soul through the whole of the psycho-neuro-endocrine system.

Reversing field, the psycho-neuro-endocrine system, composed of the Soul (psyche comes from the Greek word which means soul) and its agents - the chakras (Sanskrit for invisible vortices of consciousness) - works through the mental, emotional, and subtle bodies to manifest effects in brain and nerve centers, endocrine glands, organs and organ systems, body regions and parts towards illness or health. The following list approximates the relationships within the tracts which compose the chakra system:



This system, with the centers of consciousness as focal points, will be demonstrated to be the integrating, synthesizing, and animating force in the human body. The chakras will eventually be recognized for their vital functions in the reproductive process, in the creative capacity, and in the recreative and regenerative power within every human being. These centers as agents of the Soul potentially provide us with every quality, energy, attribute, and force which is active or latent in the universe. The psycho-physical energy centers are constantly and progressively working to draw the deeper, subtler, and more expressive energies of creation into the human organism and into the human community.

The psycho-neuro-endocrine system is the symbol par excellence of the sevenfold nature of the universe. It makes possible the whole of the creative process within the human organism and within human society. And it is the living agency for the movement of energy and consciousness in our world.

"While, according to Western conceptions, the brain is the exclusive seat of consciousness, yogic experience shows that our brain-consciousness is only one among a number of possible forms of consciousness, and that these, according to their function and nature, can be localized or centered in various organs in the body." Lama Govinda, Foundations of Tibetan Mysticism

The unity of the nervous and endocrine systems has been hypothesized and demonstrated for many years in the West as well as in the East. "Hence in the largest sense the autonomic nervous system and the various endocrine glands (merged through the hypothalamus) represent a single neuroendocrine system that has evolved to integrate and coordinate the metabolic activities of the organism." (Williams 'Textbook of Endocrinology) Yet, these systems remain separated in medical practice and specialization. This will assuredly be modified in the future.

The relatively new discipline of psycho-neuro-immunology has already begun to explore the connections between mind-emotions and neuro-endocrine functions, especially focusing on the thymus gland and white blood cell parameters. Dr. Pert's work (not discussed in this article) takes a further step in generalizing emotional energy throughout the body and theorizing mind-consciousness as an underlying foundation for the whole body. The next step will require a leap in courage and faith to include the psyche - the soul - in the quest for scientific and medical knowledge of the human organism.

Practically speaking, understanding of the psycho-neuro-endocrine system can help explain most any ailment. Paul Solomon has said that, "all disease processes and syndromes, not only are psychosomatic in their form . . . but also are symbolic of that process clinging to that which is obsolete for the nature and for the self."

Consideration of the body area of any condition, the systems and centers involved, the quality of energies focused in the illness, the relationships to past dis-ease and problems, and the symbolic nature of the challenge to health can create an opportunity for growth and healing and not just a struggle for recovery or survival.

<CENTER>(Seven Centers of Consciousness - After Arthur Avalon)</CENTER>



<HR align=left>

<CENTER>Return to Whole Works Page (http://www.theportableschool.com/WholeWorks/WholeWorks.html#anchor2754113)</CENTER>

http://www.crystalinks.com/pinealtothirdeye.jpg

http://www.crystalinks.com/thirdeyebrain.jpg







http://www.crystalinks.com/pinealbkwhlines.jpg



http://www.clairvision.org/ckb/ckbr/ckbi/fol_0000_0001/cat_0000_0003/iid_1999_0000_0003.gif



[source (http://www.crystalinks.com/thirdeyepineal.html)]

Finally ... ... ...

[source (http://www.niyam.com/writing/see++/photoshop/ps.php?1)]
Shiva formed the third eye to restore order and fire emerged from his third eye to re-create light. The fierce light from his third eye is so powerful and destructive that henceforth he only opens it to destroy all that is unconscious, dark, and dualistic, in this dancing universe. Shiva’s third eye opens to end all illusion.

SB.

And this from Nova ... ... ...
<title>Mozilla WYSIWYG</title> [* (http://www.addforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=311953&postcount=1)]
The answer to the puzzle of sleep lies in the fact that the mechanism of consciousness that we described in the last chapter cannot go on indefinitely without periods of restoration. Consciousness has to pause. Every time another synapse enters into the quantum mechanical consciousness mechanism that couples distant synapses, some 200,000 electrons begin their hopping conduction into the brain’s sea of soluble RNA. A few of these electrons will play a part in firing synapses immediately. The brief presence of these electrons on the soluble RNA disturbs nothing. They disappear from the original synapse and reappear in the synapse they fire. In between, they behave in that mysterious quantum mechanical way: Although they need the stepping stones to make the journey, they are never in the space between.

Practically speaking, understanding of the psycho-neuro-endocrine system can help explain most any ailment. Paul Solomon has said that, "all disease processes and syndromes, not only are psychosomatic in their form . . . but also are symbolic of that process clinging to that which is obsolete for the nature and for the self."

I'm going to keep this one simple, for once. If what you claim is correct, then please cite instances where this understanding leads to a particular explanation of a specific disease, how this explanation fits observed evidence better than widely accepted scientific explanations. Then please explain how one would design an experiment that would determine which theory better fits with reality.

Once you have done this, I would like to see an explanation of how this explanation for the specific disease then offers a possible treatment. I would be interested in hearing evidence showing that said treatment is safe and is effective in treating the specific disease or condition, and if so, whether it is more effective (either in percentage of patients who improve, or degree of improvement) than commonly accepted evidence-based scientific medical techniques.

Those are the rules of the game, at least the way the rest of us play it. Evidence-based medicine has a pretty good track record so far in terms of drastic increases in human life-expectancy, quality of life, lowered child mortality and the eradication of common childhood diseases, and in illuminating paths towards future discoveries. Lest you think that I am any less skeptical of pharmacological medicine, there is a thread in the medication forum where I questioned whether there was evidence to show that guanfacine would be useful for improving specific symptoms. Rather than whine or complain, someone promptly posted an evidence-based, peer-reviewed paper.

But, there is growing evidence that we are really this and much more. Research is appearing which will eventually validate that, "The mind is not so much in the body, as the body is in the mind."Sounds a bit like the claims intelligent design proponents like to make about the supposed functions of pseudogenes...

As far as I'm aware Pert, who is mentioned in the article, hasn't been a "researcher at the National Institutes for Mental Health" for about two decades now, so the evidence should have come in by now. Unless the article's trying to appeal to authority, that is...

Ok, this is my first post, and english is not my first language. Be gentle with me.

Anyway, this thread is the reason I joined (combinded with the effect of my meds) this forum, because I have just begun thinking of the possibillity that my "add" is caused by hormones.
Heres why:
I have taken Concerta (CS) for 4 month and was happy with the result regarding concentration and focus. I was able to force myself to do daily routines and I could plan ahead. It was a totally new experience for me and the side effects was tolerable. My initial hope was that it would give me more energy, since i'm always tired- but that didnt work.

Since it was good but not perfect I started taking more (126 mg) but the effect was just that I became more stressed and anguished, more tension. On the other hand the stress gave me "some kind of energy", and I could force myself to do what needed to be done.

That was until a small crises hit me. Nothing big, actually, but I was exhausted, and "the small crises" was the only thing I could think about. Cs stopped working and all I felt was tension.
Later (not so far ago:o )I experienced a more positiv feeling. I met a girl and fell in love (sort of), and suddenly it was the only thing I could think about. And once again the effect of Cs disappeared.

Now I'm "fine" again, but the episode made me start thinking. Cs had in some way made me more tensed and there by also made it more clear where my energy had gone. I burn all energy on stressed situation. In a way I am always in a stressed state of mind. So I checked the internet for information on stress hormones and if someone had similiar thoughts.

...And thats why I came here.

Did this story have a point?
Um, well... It's at least a life experience... And a support for the theory in the threadstart. Maybe I could have just said that instead.
It felt like a good idea when I started writing....:o

I just think I have a serum level of glucose that is low and unpredictable, low enough to disorganize my thinking and create a kind of "avoidant" personality type, or push it in that direction. I have always had to work around my up and down mental "thereness." So I am thinking beyond stimulants, though they help a great deal. Trouble is, I have a new doctor and a review of my chart leads him to think I should stop all that and go on Effexor or Cymbalta. I'm not happy about that, but what can you do?
douglasbrooker:

You sounds like me! In addition to all that, my ADD may have a slight bipolar component, but I don't think I am bipolar, although several doctors pushed me in that direction. Don't know about Cymbalta but I would highly recommend staying away (far away) from Effexor. This did induce a more "manic me" and getting off of it was HORRIBLE! Don't go there for any reason. If the stimulants are working, why on earth would he think you should stop? Seems very illogical to me. I take zoloft, helps the depression and helps me sleep, but increases anxiety. BTW, I hate the new generic, makes me nauseous and gives me headaches.

I have been trying to talk to my Dr. about ADD and she insists that it's not possible because her "other patient" with ADHD can't hold a job for more than 2 weeks and has been married 7 times. No, we are not all exactly the same!

So I am going through a psychologist to find a doctor with experience in ADHD, and also trying to make appt with psychiatrist. I am a "gifted" ADHD'er and I have struggled hard all my life to "appear" normal. I did well in school, the procrastination made me anxious, but I have an MS degree. I've been going downhill for the last 10 years. I've developed major anxiety and I also have thyroid problems, speeking of endocrinology (sp?).

No Doctor or therapist I have seen will treat my symptoms as a whole, just one at a time. I stumbled on this website because I work with boys who have ADHD. I had no idea it was tied to anxiety or that there was a primarily innatentive type of ADHD. So I've done some checklists, etc. on line and I fall into the severely innatentive type of ADHD. And it explains all my symptons, not just one or two.

Like most people here, I'm frustrated that I have been in therapy for 30 years, seen several psychiatrists, many physicians, tried every kind of antidepressant and anti-anxiety medication, and spent thousands and thousands of dollars in the process, only to have to diagnose myself and then find a physician who can think outside the box, or even knows they are in a box.

And my father was bipolar in an extreme way. My older brother was exactly like me, though and he died 14 years ago from complications due to alcholism. My Dad used to beat the hell out of him because he was so absent minded. Didn't help the absent mindedness at all(!) If only I knew then what I know now.

I think advances can be made in the ADHD field by people like us who compare symptoms, meds, and experiences. Hopefully we can initiate some medical research that Dr.'s who treat only a few patients haven't thought of or haven't made the connections that seem obvious to us.

You certainly got me thinking! :cool:

your experience with Concerta sounds typical. It's working, it's working, then your happiness, which you are not used to, brings forward other things that are few and far between, or never happen at all. You are launching into your work, and doing more besides. You are friendlier, and people seem to be coming around more often. Sex, which for most of us happens badly or not at all, suddenly is in the air. You have an affair, maybe for the first time in a long time. But you overreact, you have orgasm or erection problems, partly because a stimulant will sex you up and cause just enough tension so that you are equal parts turned on and equal parts anxious, the result is you leave your date and yourself possibly more aroused and frustrated than you ever have in your life. Now you're upping the dose a little, because you're noticing the dreaded on again, off again effect. It was working fine, now not at all. You get made, sort of. Take a double dose. Now you're spending all day distracted by anxiety and a sort of lost in space feeling, the mind full of thoughts, all of them dead ends and endlessly steering to the subject of "Do I feel okay? Should I call the doctor....no.....then he won't let me have them if I do, and I want to give it another month or two, then you end up........

I could go on, because it goes on and on and on like that. Did for me. And I bet the moon for you too. Here's some general advice I give to myself:

1. If something works well for awhile, then sort of stops, keep taking the same dose. Forget about it, quit monitor yourself so closely. Look at this way, it's working great when it works. Now the body is introducing some tolerance.

2. Double your intake of minerals, esp zinc, potassium, and magnesium. They help to regulate tolerance, which builds for a lot of reasons but the stuff does strip your vitamins and minerals at a faster rate, so this is just a good idea period.

3. Always think carefully about what you're going to say to your doctor. In general stimulants are thought of as more dangerous that they really are. They work well and they work almost instantly, but they do tail off and you have to work intuitively with them, taking time off from them and doing a number of other things to force structure on your brain, because that is what it's missing. It's like have good software with a really funky operating system. If you tell the doc it's not working and you feel this and that occasionally, he'll do what they all do, discontinue it forever, throwing the baby out with the bathwater as usual. Its because they all think you're about to turn into a speed freak or might even be "enjoying" how they make you feel. Doctors hate it when a drug makes you feel good. They like it better when for three months running you say you "don't know" if something is working. They keep renewing those prescriptions, oddly enough. Just keep saying they're working fine as long as the side effects are not of a panic attack variety. After I'd say six months, everything settles down.

4. Get away from ritalin, even in that pretty good version of it in Concerta. There is something about Ritalin that is going to have you wanting to get rid of it, I'm just telling you ahead of time. Adderall is the best of the stimulants, or Dexedrine. You will feel more normal. That's all I can tell you. You know what normal is? Its when you finally stop saying, "Wow I cant believe it, I feel normal."

5. Take the lowest possible dose, get something like modafinal as a weaker second cousin to take instead in order to give yourself a week or two off from it without a 3 day period of sleeping all the time, which is how you drop off of Ritalin, the worst of the bunch for withdrawal (amounting to sleeping a lot, no biggie). Do these week vactions from it every eight weeks.


Let me know how it goes.

doug