Pros: understandable to a non-medical person, weight loss advice works, good methods for sleeping better
Cons: sometimes need to take it with a grain of salt, some advice is too broad-spectrum.
The Bottom Line: Excellent reference for universal guidelines for healthful living. Identifies adrenal burn-out and offers a way to reverse it. Worth reading, especially if you are the go-getter hyper-productive type.
irbykb's Full Review: Tired of Being Tired: Rescue Repair Rejuvenate Boo...
I recently finished reading Tired of Being Tired by Jesse Lynn Hanley, MD and Nancy Deville. This book proposes that the cause of fatigue in many Americans is “adrenal burn-out”. It seeks to remedy adrenal burnout with “ten simple solutions”.
Part One of Tired of Being Tired shows the reader what exactly is meant by the term “adrenal burn-out”. Profiles of different people outline how intelligent hard-working people become addicted to stimulants (sugar, caffeine, etc.) to improve or maintain their productivity. The authors outlines behaviors that contribute to adrenal burn-out, such as skipping meals or dieting, eating junk food, over- or under-exercising, neglecting relaxation, not sleeping enough, tense or shallow breathing, environmental toxins, worrying, mental stress, and putting one’s own needs last.
These behaviors negatively affect the body, causing the adrenal cortex to release DHEA and cortisol to help the body deal with stresses. Once these hormones are released, if the adrenals are not given the opportunity to rest and rejuvenate, DHEA production will decrease. Then there is an imbalance of hormones: too much cortisol and not enough DHEA. This situation has harmful effects such as weight gain, depression, and decreased immunity.
The author goes on to describe the five stages of adrenal burnout:
1. Driven: demanding lifestyle results in putting too much demand on the body.
2. Dragging: less energy but trying to replace with stimulants like caffeine, nicotine, and sugar.
3. Losing It: seems to be wasting away, health and attitude have changed, considering taking anti-depressants or other drugs.
4. Hitting the Wall: No energy, negative attitude, family and friends are worried, tense and frightened, nothing is helping.
5. Burned Out: Crisis mode, can’t get out of bed, can barely remember what once made life worth living.
Part Two of Tired of Being Tired details the above-mentioned ten simple solutions. These solutions are great advice in a general sense, and also work as a prescription for adrenal burnout as the author describes it. There are some methods to achieve the solutions that are questionable as to whether or not they would be appropriate for all readers. However, the solutions themselves are clearly defined and should be easily understood by a person with a non-medical background.
The first and most important solution is to eat regular balanced meals of real whole foods. Dieting is cautioned against, as is eating processed, junk and fake foods. Lists of foods that fall under these categories are given. The book illustrates how processed, junk and fake foods keep the body in an acidic state of sympathetic dominance, causing adrenal glands to work overtime, ultimately depleting adrenal reserves.
The author goes on to explain the importance of balanced blood sugar and the definition of real whole foods. Popular diets, such as low-carb and low-fat, are shown to work in the short term, but in the long term can injure a person’s body. A great deal of attention is paid to fats, their pros and cons, and how to use and prepare them. Dietary plans are given for each stage of adrenal burnout.
The second solution to overcoming adrenal burnout is to exercise moderately to protect adrenal reserves and keep the metabolism fired up. Dr. Hanley cautions against over-exercising, how it can become an unhealthy addiction that can ultimately lead to weight gain and overall poor health.
Solution number three is centered on calming the central nervous system. Dr. Hanley lists many options to help raise serotonin production and reduce the risk of panic attacks. It is in this chapter that many herbal and nutritional supplements are introduced. Although it is good to know what’s available and how these supplements work internally, using a prescription that is not individually prescribed by a physician or other licensed health practitioner is not a good idea. In addition to suggesting supplements, the author goes over many meditation techniques and yoga postures for relaxation. I found these explanations to be some of the most helpful parts of the book.
The fourth solution is all about sleep, hence the chapter’s subtitle, ‘Pay Off Your Sleep Debt’. The author advises placing getting a good night’s sleep at the top of your priority list. Cultivating healthful sleep habits make it easier for the body to shift from its daytime, sympathetic-dominant state to a restful, parasympathetic state. A list of activities to avoid after dinner is given, as well as a list of after dinner activities that will promote sleep.
The fifth solution is to “let go of your favorite poison”. This solution must be the most difficult of the ten. This chapter outlines many common ‘poisons’ such as sugar, caffeine, herbal stimulants, nicotine, tranquilizers, anti-depressants, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Dr. Hanley’s advice on how to quit addictions and get off of anti-depressants is sincere but misses the mark by not suggesting the reader take on such difficult tasks without proper personalized guidance. She cautions the reader as to which plan is best for sugar addicts and which plans are not appropriate for people taking SSRIs or MAO inhibitors. However, she fails to suggest that working one-on-one with a doctor or holistic health practitioner is an option, albeit a safer one.
Solution six focuses on nutritional supplementation. The author states that our food sources are depleted of their once rich vitamins and minerals, and we need extra supplementation in the forms of daily vitamin/minerals, herbs, antioxidants, amino acids, hormones such as DHEA, and the like. Most of the major supplements are discussed, and specific plans are laid out for each level of adrenal burnout. Again there is no mention of employing a professional to help determine nutritional and supplemental needs on an individual level.
The seventh solution is focused on breathing. Dr. Hanley urges readers to use cues as reminders to take deep breaths. She suggests practicing deep breathing whenever you have a break in order to influence your brain to tell the adrenal glands not to constantly secrete cortisol and DHEA, a.k.a. stress hormones.
The eighth solution involves learning about hidden toxins and avoiding them as much as possible. The author shows how environmental toxins might be undermining efforts to be healthy. She advises avoiding processed, junk, and fake foods and products that contain chemicals such as household cleaning products. She further cautions against electro-pollution and silver fillings. In this chapter, Dr. Hanley suggests simple methods of detoxification and a plan for a ‘detox day’.
Solution nine is to put more joy into your life by having fun every day. By doing so, healthy neurotransmitters are created which in turn produce feelings of happiness and joy. Becoming more spontaneous, stopping to smell the proverbial roses, and scheduling activities that are relaxing and uplifting are a few of the methods mentioned. Being positive and associating with positive people are also major steps toward making life more enjoyable.
The tenth and final solution is to cultivate self-fulfillment. Many people are so devoted to pleasing others that they end up neglecting their own needs. The solution to this is learning to say no, and practicing “doing unto yourself as you would do unto others”. This basically consists of incorporating the previous nine solutions into your life. Dr. Hanley suggests increasing the sense of meaning in one’s life by taking better care of oneself.
The third and final part of Tired of Being Tired is devoted to healthful nutrition. The author states that eating whole balanced meals of real food will nourish the adrenal glands, therefore rejuvenating health. A fourteen-day meal plan for adrenal support is given in detail on p. 308 – 317. Each day of the plan includes a breakfast, lunch, dinner, mid-morning snack, mid-afternoon snack, and a midnight snack called ‘Grandmother’s snack for insomniacs’.
Most of the recipes printed in this section are from The Schwarzbein Principle Cookbook, The Schwarzbein Principle Vegetarian Cookbook, and Nourishing Traditions. Although I haven't checked out either of the Schwarbein cookbooks, I do own Nourishing Traditions, and it is a wonderful cookbook (but it isn't vegetarian). The following chapter covers recipes for power drinks, specifically ones made from green foods.
An extremely helpful chapter in part three is called “Healthy Fats, Oils, and Essential Fatty Acids.” This chapter makes easily referenced lists of types of fats such as healthy saturated fats, healthy mono-saturated fats, and poly-unsaturated fats. Which fats should be eaten at what temperature is also mentioned. Sources of Omega-3 and Omega-6, such as salmon and flax seed oil, are listed, as well as lists of recommended EFAs (essential fatty acids), types of oils of fats to never eat, and which to avoid.
Another helpful chapter in part three basically just lists acid and alkaline forming foods, such as processed, fake, and junk foods that keep that body in a state of sympathetic dominance, and also alkaline forming foods that promote a parasympathetic state.
The final chapter contains information about music for calming the central nervous system. In the back of the book, the appendices provide references for ordering products, organizations that provide practitioner referrals, information on adrenal, blood, urine, and saliva testing, and references for further reading.
Overall, I enjoyed reading Tired of Being Tired and I think it is a good resource for general lifestyle guidelines. Aside from Dr. Hanley’s detailed prescriptions that in could no way cater to the general public, I found the book to be very useful.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.