In this episode of the Progress Your Health Podcast, we continue talking about the main types of Adrenal Fatigue that we see. We are certainly not trying to minimize Adrenal Dysfunction but to make it more interesting and easy to understand, we call these main types:

Vampire (episode: 68)
Ghost (this episode 69)
Zombie (episode 70 – next episode)

Adrenal Fatigue or Adrenal Dysfunction (which is what we like to call it) is a real condition that affects millions of people in our country. And the effects can seriously impact a person's health and quality of life. We have seen different types of Adrenal Dysfunction. These three main types are important to know because a person with a Vampire type of Adrenal Fatigue will have a completely different treatment plan than someone that is a Zombie type.  
In this episode, we are to talk about the Ghost type of Adrenal Dysfunction. There are actually two subtypes of the Ghost. We call them, the Ghoul and the Poltergeist.  
But first, just to jog your memory. In the last episode, we talked about the Vampire. The Vampire has very low cortisol levels in the morning and elevated levels at night. This causes a lot of morning tiredness, to the point that Vampires are chronically late to anything in the morning. Vampire types also feel more awake at night and cannot fall asleep.  
On the other hand, the Ghost type has a different dysfunctional secretion of cortisol from the adrenal glands than the Vampire.
The Ghost will have very low levels of cortisol in the early afternoon that continues until the evening. So you will see the Ghost very tired in the afternoon and evening. These are the people that can fall asleep easily at 8-9 pm. But in the middle of the night, the cortisol levels will rise so they will wake up. It is common for Ghost types to fall asleep hard for four hours and then wake up like it is morning when it is only 2 am.    
There are two subtypes of the Ghost:   

Ghoul: They will fall asleep easily in the evening but will wake up after about 3-4 hours of sleep. The Ghouls will be awake easily for two hours straight. Ghouls might not be roaming halls, but they certainly are roaming their iPhones. Because they cannot fall back asleep. Then by the time they do fall back asleep, they need to wake up shortly thereafter.     
Poltergeist: Fall asleep very easy at night. After about 3-4 hours of deep sleep, they wake up. The difference here from the Ghoul is the Poltergeist can fall back asleep within minutes. But then less than an hour later they wake up again. Just lik

In our last episode, we talked about Adrenal Fatigue / Adrenal Dysfunction and how to test for it. In the next three episodes, we are going to focus on three main types of Adrenal Dysfunction that we see.
Three main types of Adrenal Fatigue:

The Vampire
The Ghost
The Zombie

Adrenal Fatigue is quite real and can seriously impact someone's life. We are not trying to make light of the effect that Adrenal Dysfunction can have. But we find by putting some easily remembered descriptions; this medical condition will resonate with people. And it will be more easily understood.  
Symptoms of the Vampire:

Cannot wake up in the morning: these are the people that press the snooze button a lot. Often Vampires will have several alarms to help them get up in the morning 
They might not be drinking your blood, but will drink a lot of caffeine to get going in the morning. Even with copious amounts of coffee but are still tired.  
Morning and daytime brain fog
Weight gain 
Sugar and carbohydrate cravings mainly in the late afternoon and evening. They will say their diet is perfect during the first half of the day. But come later in the day and evening time, they cannot control the sugar cravings. Even if they are full from dinner, Vampires still find themselves snacking in the evening.
Fatigue: mental and physical fatigue
Cannot sleep at night. These are the people that will lie in bed for hours, unable to fall asleep. They were so tired in the morning but come evening, wide awake. 
Feels more awake in the evening. This type of commonly seen Adrenal Fatigue will get all their chores done in the evening.   
More energy at night, especially mental energy. This is when they are getting projects, emails done.  

The adrenal glands secrete cortisol in a diurnal curve. In a perfect world, you will see the cortisol being highest in the morning and will slowly decline, being lowest at night.  
With the Vampires, you will see what is called a reverse diurnal curve.' With very low cortisol levels in the morning, it makes it very difficult to wake up in the morning. The cortisol can continue to stay reduced in the afternoon, also causing afternoon fatigue.
Come evening time, cortisol levels rise. This makes it difficult to fall asleep. The rise in cortisol in the evening can disrupt insulin and blood sugar. This can cause sugar and carb cravings, which are almost impossible to resist.  

In our last episode we talked about the differences between PCOS and Adrenal Dysfunction, which is often called Adrenal Fatigue.  Adrenal Fatigue or Adrenal Dysfunction is not a ICD10 diagnosis. There is an actual ICD10 billable code called: unspecified adrenocortical insufficiency (E27.40).  But there is controversy in using this code for patients. It is technically meant for conditions where the adrenal glands do not produce enough steroid hormones such as cortisol and aldosterone.  You might be saying, but this sounds exactly like Adrenal Fatigue/Dysfunction! Most people with Adrenal Dysfunction have normal labs, so their doctor cannot code for Adrenocortical Insufficiency (E27.4).  And because their labs and testing look normal people are told they are fine and dismissed.
In this episode, we are going to talk about the testing for Adrenal Dysfunction.  There are some testing that can show Adrenal Dysfunction such as saliva and urine testing.  But most conventional docs are mainly familiar with blood testing. Typical blood testing for adrenals usually will show that a person doesn't have adrenal dysfunction, when in reality, they do. 
We are going to talk about the different methods for testing Adrenal Dysfunction. 
 Let's start by talking about the most common testing method that most docs use, blood testing.
Adrenal Blood Testing:
Cortisol: Blood testing for cortisol is not accurate.  Most, if not all people with Adrenal Dysfunction will test normal for cortisol blood testing.  The reference ranges are vast and a blood test is only done once or twice in one day. And when you have a needle coming to stab you, automatically the body raises the stress hormones.  So cortisol can be falsely elevated in a blood test.
DHEA: DHEA is secreted mainly from the adrenal glands.  In adrenal dysfunction, you will see lower levels of DHEA.  DHEA reference ranges are vast and everyone falls in normal when doing a DHEA total blood test.  But a DHEA-sulfate blood test is fairly accurate for evaluating levels of DHEA in the body. But again, those lab reference ranges are still pretty broad.  But in general, terms, if the DHEA is low or low normal range then you can start to consider that a person has Adrenal Dysfunction.
Testosterone: DHEA is secreted mainly from the adrenal glands and will convert to testosterone for females.  In adrenal dysfunction, you will see lower levels of testosterone in women because of the reduced DHEA levels.  In men with adrenal dysfunction, you will also see lower levels of total testosterone. Testosterone reference ranges are very vast.  Quest has a reference of 2-45 for females and for males the reference range is 250-1100 ng/dL. These are pretty big reference ranges.  But if someone has a low normal testosterone level you can consider that person has Adrenal Dysfunction. 
Pregnenolone: Pregnenolone is secreted from the adrenal glands and there is a small amount made in the spinal cord and brain making it very neuroprotective.  Pregnenolone is accurate as a blood test. But like DHEA and Testosterone, the reference ranges for pregnenolone is huge. For Labcorp the reference range is anything less than 150 is norma

In our last series of episodes, we talked about polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
We have categorized PCOS into three types:

Classic
Common
Concealed

Classic has the majority of all the symptomatology that pertains to PCOS.
Common has some but not all of the symptoms of PCOS. 
Concealed PCOS is often missed. What we have found is that the Concealed type of PCOS has a lot of properties and similarities with adrenal fatigue.
In this episode, we are going to talk about the similarities between PCOS, and especially the Concealed type and Adrenal Fatigue. We are also going to explain the differences between PCOS and Adrenal Fatigue. 
Let’s differentiate between Concealed PCOS, Adrenal Fatigue:
Concealed PCOS:
As mentioned, the Concealed type of PCOS is not often picked up on. It is often mistaken for Adrenal Fatigue/Dysfunction. These are the women that have been to many doctors looking for answers. Their symptoms seem to develop or get worse when they hit their late 30's to early '40s. Because at this time, the female hormones can be changing due to perimenopause, and the body cannot maintain balance, so the PCOS and Adrenal Fatigue symptoms start manifesting. This is what you typically see in a
Concealed PCOS Symptoms: 

May have a child, so it looks like there are no fertility issues
Regular periods but might be more painful and cramping with terrible PMS
Anxiety and fatigue: feeling wired and tired at the same time
Irritability
Thin Hair
Slender until mid 30's to early '40s. Then it feels like they gain weight overnight. Especially in the belly area. No matter what they do, eating less/exercise more, the weight doesn't budge.

What is Adrenal Fatigue?
This name can be misleading. We actually like the terminology, Adrenal Dysfunction. Because it is the dysfunctional activity of the adrenal glands that creates all the symptoms associated with Adrenal Fatigue.   
Let's explain a little more about Adrenal Dysfunction. Like we mentioned earlier, the adrenal glands are not fatigued per se. They are healthy tissue and healthy glands. It is the hormonal secretion and function of the adrenals glands which are degraded or dysfunctional. We have all heard about cortisol. Cortisol is essential for life. But secreted inappropriately, can cause a lot of symptoms, specifically ones of Adrenal Dysfunction. Cortisol is supposed to be highest in the morning and then will slowly drop and will be very low at night. This allows us to be awake in the morning and daytime, but able to sleep at night. In Adrenal Dysfunction, you will see what is called a Reverse Diurnal Curve of cortisol. Meaning the cortisol is low in the morning and can be especially low in the afternoon. This causes morning tiredness and afternoon crashes in energy. Then the

In this episode, we are going to continue talking about the Types of PCOS that we have seen. As we have said, (repetitively) PCOS is not a one size fits all. There are some women that have most of the symptoms to just a few. We have three types that we have seen in treating patients since 2004. It is important to have this distinction when it comes to health goals and treatment plans. Doctors that routinely treat PCOS will tell you there are different types. They might have their types that they have seen. But in our experience, these are three types that we have seen most regularly.
The three types of PCOS 

Classic
Common
Concealed

Concealed: This type of PCOS is never picked up on. These are the women that have gone to many doctors looking for answers. This is because they have just a small few of the symptoms but not enough to point to PCOS. But they do have a hormone imbalance, and when you break it down, it is a type of PCOS. It seems to get worse when a Concealed Type hits perimenopause or late 30's to early 40’s. The female hormones are changing, and the body cannot maintain.   
This is typically what you will see in the Concealed-Type:

May have a child, so it looks like there are no fertility issues
Really irritable–all the time, and way worse before their period
Yes, they have regular periods but the worst PMS
Anxiety –it seems that they have a lot of low-grade anxiety all the time.
Hair is thin
Slender until they hit mid to late 30's to early 40’s. This is when they gain weight, especially in the stomach. No matter what they do, they cannot lose weight. Even with severe caloric restriction and lots of crazy exercise, there is no real budge to the weight.
Carbohydrate cravings especially for sugar
All these symptoms of the Concealed are blown off as genetics or lifestyle. I have had so many patients with Concealed PCOS say that their previous doctors did not believe that they had a healthy lifestyle.

This is what their blood work typically looks like:

LH : FSH ratio : the LH is higher than the FSH just a little. There is no 2:1 ratio like you see in the Classic-Types. 
High normal testosterone or just over the edge of normal testosterone. Let me explain again those ridiculous reference ranges for testosterone blood labs. Most labs have the reference range for testosterone to be 2-45, which is a very wide range. Those with Concealed PCOS will have a testosterone at 35-55. The average levels of testosterone for women regardless of age or menstrual status is about 25, so the Concealed are higher than the average. 
Low progesterone
High normal DHEA-sulfate
Lower thyroid function but not hypothyroid 

Low normal FreeT3
Normal FreeT4
Normal TSH 

If you would like more information, visit our website: pro

In this episode, we continue talking about PCOS. As mentioned in the previous episode, we have seen three main types of PCOS. PCOS is more of a spectrum of symptoms. Some women have most of the symptoms of PCOS and others just a few. The varying degree of hormonal imbalances will help mold the three types of PCOS that we have seen. Many doctors that treat PCOS all can agree that there are different types of PCOS. 
The three types that we have found with PCOS are:

Classic
Common 
Concealed

In this episode, we are going to talk about the Common-Type of PCOS. In the previous episode, we spoke about the Classic type. And in the next episode, we will go over the Concealed Type.  
The reason that we want to differentiate the Types of PCOS is because, in each type, there are different health goals, health consequences, and multiple treatment plans.
 Common PCOS: This is the most common type of PCOS seen. The Common-types should be diagnosed fairly easily. But because they do not fall into the Classic presentation, they may get missed in diagnosis.  
Symptoms that a PCOS Common-type will present with:

Easy weight gain in the middle, the stomach, and the hips and thighs
Thinning hair
Irritable easily
Some cystic acne on the chin and jaw area
Trouble getting pregnant but is usually successful with fertility options or IVF
May get random cysts on or in the ovaries. But there is no string of pearls or multiple ovarian cysts.  
May miss a period occasionally. Common-types are not regular in their periods. But they may get a period every month for five months then miss two. Or have very long cycles up to 45 days. Or they may have a period every other month. Common-types again, are not regular, but they do not miss multiple months like the Classic Types PCOS.

Typical lab work for a PCOS Common Type:

LH is double the FSH
There is high normal to just slightly over the normal level of testosterone
High normal DHEA-sulfate
Insulin is in the normal range but may show up in the teens or anywhere above 9. 
Normal glucose
Estradiol can be high, showing Estrogen-dominance or be normal ranges

There are three main types of PCOS that we have seen treating patients since 2004. As you have heard from the past podcasts, PCOS is a spectrum of symptoms. It is a spectrum of symptoms coming from a set of hormonal imbalances. Every woman with PCOS might have some to all to a few of the symptoms of PCOS. That is because there might be varying degrees of hormonal imbalances. 
While there might be some disagreement, there are three types that we have encountered the most. And each of these three have different goals and treatment plans.  
These are the main types we have seen in treating patients with PCOS. As I mentioned before, PCOS is a spectrum. There can be some women that have all the symptoms to others that have just a few. This is a key concept for treatment. Someone with many symptoms is going to have a completely different treatment plan than someone that has some of the symptoms. 
The three types that we commonly see, we have named: CLASSIC, COMMON, and CONCEALED.   
Classic PCOS: Honestly, this is not seen that often. A Classic-PCOS, you will see all of the symptoms.  

Dark facial hair
Chronic cystic acne.  
Thin hair, especially the top of the head and temples
Weight gain–being it is super easy to gain weight and what feels like, impossible to lose
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
High blood sugar
High insulin: leading to insulin resistance and possibly diabetes, if not already diabetic.  
Irritability
Terrible carb cravings, especially for sugar. 
Miss multiple periods for consecutive months in a row. They might get maybe two periods a year.  
These are the women that have many cysts in and on their ovaries. They have the Classic' string of pearls visualized on a transvaginal ultrasound.  
Infertility 

You will see the full gamete of the blood work readings:

LH to FSH ratio is 2:1 or even more
High levels of testosterone: well above the normal levels. You can see the testosterone anywhere up to 90 or more
No progesterone levels
Normal levels of estradiol and sometimes there can be higher levels such as Estrogen-Dominance from the conversion of testosterone to estradiol.
High DHEA-sulfate
High insulin, high teens to well over 20
High blood sugar and Hemoglobin A1c
Hyp

PCOS Testing and Diagnosis: In this episode, we talk about the testing and labs for a diagnosis for PCOS. These testing and labs are also a good way to monitor PCOS.
Ultrasound: Checking for multiple cysts on or in the ovaries. It is still very common to have PCOS but have not cysts ( string of pearls ).
LH: FSH ratio:

2:1 or more

DHEA-S:

DHEA-sulfate is the best way to test for DHEA levels in the blood.  
DHEA-sulfate is a metabolite of DHEA and is much more accurate to determine DHEA levels than a total DHEA level.  
DHEA levels are highest when we are young, around 25 years old. And will slowly decline with age. It is considered an androgen.
The reference ranges for DHEA-Sulfate are very vast and are based on age. For example, a woman that is 35 years old gets her blood drawn for DHEA-sulfate. The reference ranges for a typical lab is 23-266 mcg/dL.  
For a female that has PCOS around 35 years of age, you will see the DHEA-sulfate at 200 or above. 
Commonly PCOS, the DHEA-s will show over 200 mcg/dL.  

Testosterone:

The reference ranges for testosterone labs are huge.  
Quest has a reference range of 2-45 ng/dL.  
LabCorp has a reference range of 8-48 ng/dL.  
Testosterone levels at 35 or higher

Estrogen

Three circulating estrogens: Estrone, Estradiol, Estriol

Vast reference typical reference ranges for most labs:

Follicular Phase 19-144pg/mL
Mid-Cycle 64-357
Luteal Phase 56-214
Postmenopausal

In this episode of the Progress Your Health Podcast, we are going to talk about PCOS. I know our last podcast was, PCOS, Questions to Ask your Doctor. We are still going strong on our PCOS information. But we are going to do things a little different than we have. We are going to do a five-part podcast series about PCOS.  

What PCOS Looks Like: What is it? (this podcast)
How PCOS Can Be Detected: Testing and Diagnosis for PCOS
Which Type of PCOS Am I?: Classic
Which Type of PCOS Am I?: Common
Which Type of PCOS Am I?: Concealed

PCOS stands for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. It is not a disease but considered a syndrome. From the name, polycystic ovarian syndrome, it is easy to assume there are multiple cysts on the ovaries. But in fact, many women with PCOS do not have multiple cysts or any ovarian cysts. As a general statement, in PCOS, there are hormonal imbalances that can cause unwanted symptoms and conditions. That is why we consider it more of a spectrum as some women can have nearly most of the criteria of PCOS and other just a few symptoms.  
What are the Hormonal Imbalances present in PCOS?

In PCOS, one of the hallmarks are elevated levels of androgens: testosterone and DHEA. A lot of time these can range from high normal to over the reference lab values. 
DHEA: comes from the adrenal glands
Testosterone is from conversion from DHEA, ovaries and other peripheral tissues
Progesterone levels from the ovaries are low to none
Thyroid function can be low
Elevated insulin
Cortisol diurnal release is degraded. 

Common PCOS Symptoms:
Multiple Ovarian Cysts:

Just like the name states: Polycystic ovarian syndrome, there can be multiple cysts on the ovaries.  
It is normal and common to get small follicular cysts during our cycle.  
But in PCOS there can be actual cysts that stay on the ovaries almost indefinitely.
While as the name states, polycystic. Many women with PCOS do not have cysts on their ovaries.

Period issues:

Irregular or lack of a period.
In PCOS, there can be missed periods. Some women might miss a period or two in a year. And others can miss their period for up to six months or more. But of course, the goal is to balance the hormones, so the cycle is regulated and not painful or heavy.

Infertility:

Some women that have PCOS can have reduced ovula