Remedies For Joint Pain And Adrenal Fatigue
Fatigue & Pain Of Unknown Origin (PUKO)
If you have fatigue and mysterious pain in your joints, muscles, and ligaments that seems to come out of nowhere, you are not alone: many people throughout the world face such issues, which are often disabling. Thousands of people per year visit their doctor in hopes of isolating the cause of such pain; most of them have tried traditional and over-the-counter remedies for joint pain to no avail.
Joint pain can be caused by a variety of accidents or existing conditions: it can be the consequence of a fall, structural issues, twisted ligaments, pulled muscles, or an underlying inflammatory condition, among other possibilities. These obvious causes are easily diagnosed by conventional methods. However, pain can also appear spontaneously, with no apparent cause and clean medical workup, making the etiology uncertain. Such pain can be associated with Adrenal Fatigue.
Migratory Pain
For those who suffer from Adrenal Fatigue, some of this pain might be migratory. Migratory pain is a type of pain that moves throughout the body with no discernible pattern. One day you may feel pain in the right side of your body, but the next day you may feel it in the left side. All too often, this type of mobile pain of unknown origin comes with underlying symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue and does not usually respond to typical remedies for joint pain, baffling doctors and many other medical practitioners.
After telling your doctor about the pain you are experiencing, he or she will likely perform a variety of tests, perhaps including an x-ray scan. More often than not, the results may seem perfectly normal, and yet the pain persists. Your doctor may decide that you have fibromyalgia, however, your pain may actually be due to Adrenal Fatigue. In those with Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS), the body is in a state of tiredness caused by advanced and chronic stress. This stress strains the adrenal glands and�disrupts the NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) stress response, which is the body�s main mechanism of dealing with stress.
NEM & Remedies For Joint Pain
The NEM stress response is a complex system in which organs and bodily systems work together to protect the body from excessive stress. The system includes six types of stress responses: inflammatory, neuro-active, cardiac, hormonal, metabolic, and detoxifying. Together, these responses work to restore the body�s normal function during times of heavy stress. It is important that remedies for joint pain do not disrupt this complex system.
The�adrenal glands are the main control�center for stress responses outside the nervous system. Your body has two adrenal glands, which are about the size of a walnut, located directly above the kidneys. They control your body�s responses by secreting cortisol, a hormone that helps your body cope with stress. Properly functioning adrenal glands are a keystone to overall health and wellbeing. Due to today�s high-stress society, however, this natural defense can easily become disrupted, allowing toxins to accumulate and do great damage to the body. Excessive and chronic stress can overburden the adrenal glands, inhibiting hormone output and causing the body�s natural coping mechanisms to fail.
As stress and fatigue advance, new symptoms and ailments associated with Adrenal Fatigue will emerge. Early stage symptoms include low blood pressure, insomnia, and lethargy; advanced stage symptoms include anxiety, panic disorders, heart palpitations, low libido, hypersensitivities to medication, and food sensitivities. All of these symptoms can negatively affect your daily life. Eventually, as the NEM stress response fails, even the smallest bodily stresses can seem unbearable because your body�s natural coping mechanisms have been slowed and overloaded.
The Detoxification & Inflammation Circuits
The liver is�the body�s primary detoxification organ, aided by the extracellular matrix. A buildup of toxins and metabolites will therefore occur when the liver slows down to conserve energy. This is the body�s way of conserving the nutritional reserves it has left. As your body slows down, your liver becomes more sluggish and levels of toxins and metabolites increase, often leading to inflammation. These toxins accumulate and are not eliminated efficiently. This accumulation causes many other problems because the blood circulates these metabolites throughout the body constantly and rapidly, with a one-minute cycle.
Some of these metabolites can be quite toxic to the body. These metabolites may trigger inflammation, which in turn can trigger pain. Upon reaching the joints, these metabolites may become �stuck,� meaning they are slow to move through the joints and muscles. If your joints or muscles are already inflamed, the toxins and metabolites will further irritate the muscles, causing additional inflammation.
The Inflammation Circuit consists of the gut, microbiome, and immune system.�The gastrointestinal tract and microbiome�play an important role in breaking down and absorbing metabolites. If you are constantly eating unhealthy foods that your body can�t handle, you may trigger inflammatory responses. If you are constipated, and food is rotting in your intestines for long periods of time, then you are at higher risk of inflammation. This inflammation causes pain in random places because of the buildup of metabolites in the bloodstream. This also slows the immune system, because it has to deal with the extra toxins, compounding the inflammation.
If you experience migrating pain, this is an important clue that the cause of the pain may be metabolic, rather than structural (such as the strain of a ligament or muscle, which is usually more confined to a certain area). If you experience a dull to slightly severe pain of unknown origin that seems to migrate throughout the body and no one can seem to give you a direct answer as to the cause, you may be suffering from Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome. Consider metabolites, examine your stress levels, and investigate your diet, including supplements. In rare cases, some medications and supplements�even those often used as a remedies for joint pain�can trigger inflammation that is fundamentally caused by Adrenal Fatigue.�Pain medications may help temporarily, but they tend to hide the underlying condition, and can cause collateral damage. Remember, pain is a sign of an underlying problem. Suppressing or ignoring pain can cause long-term damage if the cause is not addressed.
Remedies For Joint Pain: Conclusion
Joint pain of unknown origin can cause a myriad of debilitating problems, including the additional stress of trying to find effective remedies for joint pain. It can be a scary and confusing time, especially when test results show no abnormalities and your doctor can�t figure out what�s wrong. It�s important to find and address the cause of the inflammation. If you experience other concurring symptoms similar to those of Adrenal Fatigue, find a practitioner who can support your NEM stress response. Proper restorative strategies will help your body cope with both the stress and the pain.
By:�Dr. Michael Lam, MD, MPH;�Justin Lam, ABAAHP, FMNM
� Copyright 2016 Michael Lam, M.D. All Rights Reserved.
Rhetoric from the United States government since the early 1990s proclaims that GM foods are no different from their natural counterparts that have existed for centuries. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has labeled them �Generally Recognized as Safe,� or GRAS. This status allows a product to be commercialized without any additional testing. According to US law, to be considered GRAS the substance must be the subject of a substantial amount of peer-reviewed published studies (or equivalent) and there must be overwhelming consensus among the scientific community that the product is safe. GM foods had neither. Nonetheless, in a precedent-setting move in 1992 that some experts contend was illegal, the FDA declared that GM crops are GRAS as long as their producers say they are. Thus, the FDA does not require any safety evaluations or labeling of GMOs. A company can even introduce a GM food to the market without telling the agency.
Taylor�s GMO policy needed to create the impression that unintended effects from GM crops were not an issue. Otherwise their GRAS status would be undermined and they would need the extensive testing and labels that are normally required for food additives. But internal memos made public from a lawsuit showed that the overwhelming consensus among the agency scientists was that GM crops can have unpredictable, hard-to-detect side effects. Various departments and experts spelled these out in detail, listing allergies, toxins, nutritional effects, and new diseases as potential dangers. They urged superiors to require long-term safety studies.5 In spite of the warnings, according to public interest attorney Steven Druker who studied the FDA�s internal files, �References to the unintended negative effects of bioengineering were progressively deleted from drafts of the policy statement (over the protests of agency scientists).�6
There are several reasons why GM plants present unique dangers. The first is that the process of genetic engineering itself creates unpredicted alterations, irrespective of which gene is transferred. The gene insertion process, for example, is accomplished by either shooting genes from a �gene gun� into a plate of cells, or using bacteria to infect the cell with foreign DNA. Both create mutations in and around the insertion site and elsewhere.13 The �transformed� cell is then cloned into a plant through a process called tissue culture, which results in additional hundreds or thousands of mutations throughout the plants� genome. In the end, the GM plant�s DNA can be a staggering 2-4% different from its natural parent.14 Native genes can be mutated, deleted, or permanently turned on or off. In addition, the insertion process causes holistic and not-well-understood changes among large numbers of native genes. One study revealed that up to 5% of the natural genes altered their levels of protein expression as a result of a single insertion.
The very first crop submitted to the FDA�s voluntary consultation process, the FlavrSavr tomato, showed evidence of toxins. Out of 20 female rats fed the GM tomato, 7 developed stomach lesions.21 The director of FDA�s Office of Special Research Skills wrote that the tomatoes did not demonstrate a �reasonable certainty of no harm,�22 which is their normal standard of safety. The Additives Evaluation Branch agreed that �unresolved questions still remain.�23 The political appointees, however, did not require that the tomato be withdrawn.1
GM Diets Cause Liver Damage
GM Fed Animals Had Higher Death Rates & Organ Damage
About two dozen farmers reported that their pigs had reproductive problems when fed certain varieties of Bt corn. Pigs were sterile, had false pregnancies, or gave birth to bags of water. Cows and bulls also became sterile. Bt corn was also implicated by farmers in the deaths of cows, horses, water buffaloes, and chickens.55
Allergic reactions occur when the immune system interprets something as foreign, different, and offensive, and reacts accordingly. All GM foods, by definition, have something foreign and different. And several studies show that they provoke reactions. Rats fed Monsanto�s GM corn, for example, had a significant increase in blood cells related to the immune system.58 GM potatoes caused the immune system of rats to respond more slowly.59 And GM peas provoked an inflammatory response in mice, suggesting that it might cause deadly allergic reactions in people.60
For years, organic farmers and others have sprayed crops with solutions containing natural Bt bacteria as a method of insect control. The toxin creates holes in their stomach and kills them. Genetic engineers take the gene that produces the toxin in bacteria and insert it into the DNA of crops so that the plant does the work, not the farmer. The fact that we consume that toxic pesticide in every bite of Bt corn is hardly appetizing.
Although the number of safety studies on GM foods is quite small, it has validated the concerns expressed by FDA scientists and others. Unfortunately, government safety assessments worldwide are not competent to even identify most of the potential health problems described above, let alone protect its citizens from the effects.88
Submissions to the US Food and Drug Administraion (FDA) may be worse than in other countries, since the agency doesn�t actually require any data. Their policy says that biotech companies can determine if their own foods are safe. Anything submitted is voluntary and, according to former Environmental Protection Agency scientist Doug Gurian-Sherman, PhD, �often lack[s] sufficient detail, such as necessary statistical analyses needed for an adequate safety evaluation.� Using Freedom of Information Requests, Dr. Gurian-Sherman analyzed more than a fourth of the data summaries (14 of 53) of GM crops reviewed by the FDA. He says, �The FDA consultation process does not allow the agency to require submission of data, misses obvious errors in company- submitted data summaries, provides insufficient testing guidance, and does not require sufficiently detailed data to enable the FDA to assure that GE crops are safe to eat.�94 Similarly, a Friends of the Earth review of company and FDA documents concluded:
The unpublished industry studies submitted to regulators are typically kept secret based on the claim that it is �confidential business information.� The Royal Society of Canada is one of many organizations that condemn this practice. They wrote:
In addition, to relying on untested assumptions, industry-funded research is often designed specifically to force a conclusion of safety. In the high lysine corn described above, for example, the levels of certain nutritional components (i.e. protein content, total dietary fiber, acid detergent fiber, and neutral detergent fiber) were far outside the normal range for corn. Instead of comparing their corn to normal controls, which would reveal this disparity, Monsanto compared it to obscure corn varieties that were also substantially outside the normal range on precisely these values. Thus, their study found no statistical differences by design.
Monsanto�s 1996 Journal of Nutrition studies on Roundup Ready soybeans107,108 provide plenty of examples of scientific transgressions. Although the study has been used often by the industry as validation for safety claims, experts working in the field were not impressed. For example, Dr. Arpad Pusztai was commissioned at the time by the UK government to lead a 20 member consortium in three institutions to develop rigorous testing protocols on GM foods�protocols that were never implemented. Dr. Pusztai, who had published several studies in that same nutrition journal, said the Monsanto paper was not �up to the normal journal standards.� He said, �It was obvious that the study had been designed to avoid finding any problems. Everybody in our consortium knew this.� Some of the flaws include:
When governments fail in their duty to keep corporations in check, the �protector� role should shift to the media, which acts as a watchdog to expose public dangers and governmental shortcomings. But mainstream media around the world has largely overlooked the serious problems associated with GM crops and their regulation. The reason for this oversight is varied and includes contributions from an aggressive public relations and disinformation campaign by the biotech industry, legal threats by biotech companies, and in some cases, the fear of losing advertising accounts. This last reason is particularly prevalent among the farm press, which receives much of its income from the biotech industry.
One of the most troubling aspects of the biotech debate is the attack strategy used on GMO critics and independent scientists. Not only are adverse findings by independent scientists often suppressed, ignored, or denied, researchers that discover problems from GM foods have been fired, stripped of responsibilities, deprived of tenure, and even threatened. Consider Dr. Pusztai, the world�s leading scientist in his field, who inadvertently discovered in 1998 that unpredictable changes in GM crops caused massive damage in rats. He went public with his concerns, was a hero at his prestigious institute for two days, and then, after the director received two phone calls allegedly from the UK Prime Minister�s office, was fired after 35 years and silenced with threats of a lawsuit. False statements were circulated to trash his reputation, which are recited by GMO advocates today.
Since GM foods are not properly tested before they enter the market, consumers are the guinea pigs. But this doesn�t even qualify as an experiment. There are no controls and no monitoring. Given the mounting of evidence of harm, it is likely that GM foods are contributing to the deterioration of health in the United States, Canada, and other countries where it is consumed. But without post- marketing surveillance, the chances of tracing health problems to GM food are low. The incidence of a disease would have to increase dramatically before it was noticed, meaning that millions may have to get sick before a change is investigated. Tracking the impact of GM foods is even more difficult in North America, where the foods are not labeled.
We usually talk of energy in general terms, as in �I don�t have a lot of energy today� or �You can feel the energy in the room.� But what really is energy? Where do we get the energy to move? How do we use it? How do we get more of it? Ultimately, what controls our movements? The three metabolic energy pathways are the�phosphagen system, glycolysis�and the�aerobic system.�How do they work, and what is their effect?
The energy for all physical activity comes from the conversion of high-energy phosphates (adenosine�triphosphate�ATP) to lower-energy phosphates (adenosine�diphosphate�ADP; adenosine�monophosphate�AMP; and inorganic phosphate, Pi). During this breakdown (hydrolysis) of ATP, which is a water-requiring process, a proton, energy and heat are produced: ATP + H2O ���ADP + Pi�+ H+�+ energy + heat. Since our muscles don�t store much ATP, we must constantly resynthesize it. The hydrolysis and resynthesis of ATP is thus a circular process�ATP is hydrolyzed into ADP and Pi, and then ADP and Pi�combine to resynthesize ATP. Alternatively, two ADP molecules can combine to produce ATP and AMP: ADP + ADP ���ATP + AMP.
During short-term, intense activities, a large amount of power needs to be produced by the muscles, creating a high demand for ATP. The phosphagen system (also called the ATP-CP system) is the quickest way to resynthesize ATP (Robergs & Roberts 1997). Creatine phosphate (CP), which is stored in skeletal muscles, donates a phosphate to ADP to produce ATP: ADP + CP ���ATP + C. No carbohydrate or fat is used in this process; the regeneration of ATP comes solely from stored CP. Since this process does not need oxygen to resynthesize ATP, it is anaerobic, or oxygen-independent. As the fastest way to resynthesize ATP, the phosphagen system is the predominant energy system used for all-out exercise lasting up to about 10 seconds. However, since there is a limited amount of stored CP and ATP in skeletal muscles, fatigue occurs rapidly.
Glycolysis is the predominant energy system used for all-out 
Since humans evolved for aerobic activities (Hochachka, Gunga & Kirsch 1998; Hochachka & Monge 2000), it�s not surprising that the aerobic system, which is dependent on oxygen, is the most complex of the three energy systems. The metabolic reactions that take place in the presence of oxygen are responsible for most of the cellular energy produced by the body. However, aerobic metabolism is the slowest way to resynthesize ATP. Oxygen, as the patriarch of metabolism, knows that it is worth the wait, as it controls the fate of endurance and is the sustenance of life. �I�m oxygen,� it says to the muscle, with more than a hint of superiority. �I can give you a lot of ATP, but you will have to wait for it.�
Fat, which is stored as triglyceride in adipose tissue underneath the skin and within skeletal muscles (called�intramuscular triglyceride), is the other major fuel for the aerobic system, and is the largest store of energy in the body. When using fat, triglycerides are first broken down into free fatty acids and glycerol (a process called�lipolysis). The free fatty acids, which are composed of a long chain of carbon atoms, are transported to the muscle mitochondria, where the carbon atoms are used to produce acetyl-CoA (a process called�beta-oxidation).
It was during the period between 1910 and 1920 when it was suggested for the first time that a cluster of associated metabolic disturbances tended to coexist together [1]. Since then, different health organisms have suggested diverse definitions for metabolic syndrome (MetS) but there has not yet been a well-established consensus. The most common definitions are summarized in Table 1. What is clear for all of these is that the MetS is a clinical entity of substantial heterogeneity, commonly represented by the combination of obesity (especially abdominal obesity), hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia and/or hypertension [2�6].
Several dietary strategies and their potential positive effects on the prevention and treatment of the different metabolic complications associated to the MetS, are described below and summarized in Table 2.
2.1. Energy-Restricted Diet Strategies
The very long-chain eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are essential omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) for human physiology. Their main dietary sources are fish and algal oils and fatty fish, but they can also be synthesized by humans from ?-linolenic acid [40].
Over the last ten years, the concern about the quality of the carbohydrates (CHO) consumed has risen [46]. In this context, the glycemic index (GI) is used as a CHO quality measure. It consists in a ranking on a scale from 0 to 100 that classifies carbohydrate-containing foods according to the postprandial glucose response [47]. The higher the index, the more promptly the postprandial serum glucose rises and the more rapid the insulin response. A quick insulin response leads to rapid hypoglycemia, which is suggested to be associated with an increment of the feeling of hunger and to a subsequent higher caloric intake [47]. The glycemic load (GL) is equal to the GI multiplied by the number of grams of CHO in a serving [48].
Dietary total antioxidant capacity (TAC) is an indicator of diet quality defined as the sum of antioxidant activities of the pool of antioxidants present in a food [55]. These antioxidants have the capacity to act as scavengers of free radicals and other reactive species produced in the organisms [56]. Taking into account that oxidative stress is one of the remarkable unfortunate physiological states of MetS, dietary antioxidants are of main interest in the prevention and treatment of this multifactorial disorder [57]. Accordingly, it is well-accepted that diets with a high content of spices, herbs, fruits, vegetables, nuts and chocolate, are associated with a decreased risk of oxidative stress-related diseases development [58�60]. Moreover, several studies have analyzed the effects of dietary TAC in individuals suffering from MetS or related diseases [61,62]. In the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study it was demonstrated that a high TAC has beneficial effects on metabolic disorders and especially prevents weight and abdominal fat gain [61]. In the same line, research conducted in our institutions also evidenced that beneficial effects on body weight, oxidative stress biomarkers and other MetS features were positively related with higher TAC consumption in patients suffering from MetS [63�65].
The macronutrient distribution set in a weight loss dietary plan has commonly been 50%�55% total caloric value from CHO, 15% from proteins and 30% from lipids [57,68]. However, as most people have difficulty in maintaining weight loss achievements over time [69,70], research on increment of protein intake (>20%) at the expense of CHO was carried out [71�77].
The concept of the 
New studies focused on the molecular action of nutritional bioactive compounds with positive effects on MetS are currently an objective of scientific research worldwide with the aim of designing more personalized strategies in the framework of molecular nutrition. Among them, flavonoids and antioxidant vitamins are some of the most studied compounds with different potential benefits such as antioxidant, vasodilatory, anti-atherogenic, antithrombotic, and anti-inflammatory effects [119]. Table 3 summarizes different nutritional bioactive compounds with potential positive effects on MetS, including the possible molecular mechanism of action involved.
Vitamin C, ascorbic acid or ascorbate is an essential nutrient as human beings cannot synthesize it. It is a water-soluble antioxidant mainly found in fruits, especially citrus (lemon, orange), and vegetables (pepper, kale) [120]. Several beneficial effects have been associated to this vitamin such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and prevention or treatment of CVD and type 2 diabetes [121�123].
Hydroxytyrosol (3,4-dihydroxyphenylethanol) is a phenolic compound mainly found in olives [132].
Quercetin is a predominant flavanol naturally present in vegetables, fruits, green tea or red wine. It is commonly found as glycoside forms, where rutin is the most common and important structure found in nature [141].
Tocopherols, also known as vitamin E, are a family of eight fat-soluble phenolic compounds whose main dietary sources are vegetable oils, nuts and seeds [130,158].
Catechins are polyphenols that can be found in a variety of foods including fruits, vegetables, chocolate, wine, and tea [175]. The epigallocatechin 3-gallate present in tea leaves is the catechin class most studied [176].
