In so many areas of life, things fall in the gray area, and health is no exception. The “gray area” is defined on Dictionary.com as “an undefined situation or subject that does not seem to conform to known categories or rules; an intermediate area or topic that is not clearly defined.” It is neither the extremes of black or white, but a melding of the two, creating many shades of gray.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) the “Yin Yang” symbol illustrates this. White gradually mixes into black, black into white. It is an eternal round. The dot of black within the white, and the dot of white within the black symbolizes there is always one within the other.

When it comes to medicine and health, we are more than not, in the gray. How often does one manifest all the symptoms of a particular disease or disorder, but their blood work, scans, X-rays, etc. says they are “fine. Nothing is wrong.” Yet they suffer. In medicine today, if a symptom cannot be clearly defined by modern tests, it doesn’t exist.

In the area of adrenal and thyroid health, this is especially true. You may have many of the symptoms of a thyroid condition such as fatigue, weight gain, hair falling out, increased sensitivity to cold, constipation, dry skin, impaired memory, etc., and be told your thyroid is “normal”. You don’t have to have all the symptoms to have impaired thyroid function. But in our world of medicine, if your blood work doesn’t support it, you don’t have it. It’s black and white: you could have a TSH, for instance, of 4.0 (normal is 0.4-4.0) and told your thyroid is within norms. But tomorrow, it could be 4.1 and “suddenly” you are hypothyroid! Do we jump from normal to abnormal within a day, a week, or a month? No! We slowly, insidiously, move that direction, ebbing and flowing according to stress, nutrition and other factors.

Basically, if you are symptomatic, but the labs don’t support the diagnosis, you just have to get a little sicker before anything can be done! “Come back when you are sicker” is the message we get. Something is wrong with that. It makes more sense to work towards healing the thyroid while it is in the “gray area” where resolution is much easier.

The adrenals are small glands that sit on top of the kidneys, and is the hormonal part of the renal system. While there are several diseases associated with the adrenals, the black and white is Cushing Syndrome (excess Cortisol) and Addison’s (too little). The adrenals control inflammation, keep the immune system in check, help with blood sugar metabolism, blood pressure control, convert fats, carbs and protein into energy and is responsible for the regulation of many hormones. Most notably, the adrenals are our stress-control mechanism. We use a term “adrenal fatigue” to refer to the condition that lies in the gray area. Because it is in the gray area, it is not a medically recognizable term. But here too, the “gray area” of adrenal health is the easiest to improve.

Learn more in our upcoming health class, Adrenals & Thyroid: Answers to Fatigue & Weight Gain,” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28 at Vital Health in Coeur d’Alene. Fee: $10. RSVP: (208) 765-1994.

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Holly Carling is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Licensed Acupuncturist, Doctor of Naturopathy, Clinical Nutritionist and Master Herbologist with nearly four decades of experience. She is currently accepting new patients and offers natural health care services and whole food nutritional supplements in her Coeur d’Alene clinic. Visit www.vitalhealthcda.com to learn more about her, view a list of upcoming health classes and read other informative articles. Carling can be reached at (208) 765-1994 and would be happy to answer any questions regarding this topic.