Clancy Lane Publishing
72-785 Frank Sinatra Drive, Suite 100Rancho Mirage, California, 92270
© 2014 by Michael E. Platt, M.D. All rights reserved under International and Pan American copyright conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form, by electronic, 
mechanical, or other means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, 
except for brief quotations embodied in literary articles or reviews. Glycemic index reproduced with the permission of Al Sears, M.D., from his website: 
www.alsearsmd.com. Edited by Carolyn Bond, Editorial Arts
Designed by Jessica Stevens, www.design-savvy.com
Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Platt, Michael E.
[CIP BLOCK TO BE DROPPED IN HERE]
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
  
I dedicate this book to my wife,Victoria, 
who has never doubted me,  
especially during those times  
when I doubted myself. The doctor of the future will give no medicine
but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, 
in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease. – Thomas A. EdisonCONTENTS
 Introduction  ix
CHAPTER 1  What Is Adrenaline Dominance? 1
CHAPTER 2 How Adrenaline Works 7
CHAPTER 3  Treating Adrenaline Dominance  13
  Nutritional Approach to  
   Reduce Excess Adrenaline    14
  Hormonal Approach to  
   Reduce Excess Adrenaline  16
  Supplements for the Brain  19
CHAPTER 4  Excess Adrenaline: The Good 21
  Typical Type ADHD 24
  Creative Type ADHD 27
  Mixed Type ADHD 31
  Thoughts on ADHD and Adrenaline 31
CHAPTER 5  Excess Adrenaline: The Bad 33
  Depression  35
  Anxiety  36
  Irritable Bowel Syndrome 39
  Hypertension  40
  Diabetes  42
  Weight Problems  47
  Telomeres and Aging 50  
  Insomnia  51
  Restless Leg Syndrome 53
  Headaches  53
  Addictions  55
  Urinary Urgency and Bed-Wetting 58  
  How Adrenaline Dominance Presents:  
       Patient Observations  61CHAPTER 6  Excess Adrenaline: The Ugly 67
  Fibromyalgia  67
  Chronic Interstitial Cystitis  76
  Road Rage 77
  Bipolar Disorder  79
  Hyperemesis Gravidarum  87
  Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome 89
  Autism  93  
  Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder 96
  Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder  96
CHAPTER 7  Fen-Phen: Another Side to the Story 105
CHAPTER 8  Adrenal Fatigue—Or Is It? 113
CHAPTER 9  Managing Excess Adrenaline  117
  Dietary Treatment: A Meal Plan 118
  Hormonal Treatment: Progesterone  121
  Supplements for Brain Health 127
  Diet and Supplements for Children  
   with ADHD or Autism 135
 Afterword: Thoughts on the Standard of Care 137
 Appendix A: Meal Plan to Lower Adrenaline 145
 Appendix B: Glycemic Index 159
  ix 
INTRODUCTION
This book introduces a revolutionary approach to treating 
many illnesses traditionally considered incurable simply by 
addressing their underlying cause. I have used this approach to 
help patients get well for two decades. However, this was not 
always the case. As is true for the majority of doctors, most 
of what I learned during my medical training was based on 
research provided by drug companies. By the time I finished 
my residency in internal medicine, I was convinced that no 
matter what the problem, a drug was needed to treat it. All 
this changed when I discovered the world of bio-identical 
hormones. Bio-identical hormones have a molecular structure 
identical to those of the hormones the human body produces. Manufactured by drug companies such as Pfizer and Upjohn, 
with implicit FDA approval, they are then formulated by 
compounding pharmacies into creams, pills, troches, or 
suppositories. Since they are natural, they cannot be patented, 
which is why we don’t see drug companies enthusiastically 
endorsing them. Because hormones control every system of the body, they 
significantly affect how the body functions. Hormones out 
of balance can be responsible for many illnesses. Utilizing 
bio-identical hormones as a form of treatment thus offers an 
effective alternative approach to wellness. This is not “alternative 
medicine.” It is traditional medicine using bio-identical 
hormones that have been in existence for over 70 years. Over time, as I helped patients get better using this 
approach, I came to recognize certain similar symptoms as ADRENALINE DOMINANCE x  | 
associated with a variety of disorders. These symptoms were 
all related to the excess of one particular hormone, namely, 
adrenaline—which led to my recognition of a condition I 
call “adrenaline dominance.” At the same time, I discovered 
that bio-identical progesterone offers a natural, healthy, and 
effective way to help reduce excess adrenaline and also to help 
block its effects. By addressing the cause (i.e., high levels of 
adrenaline), rather than the symptoms, many conditions can 
often be eliminated, along with the medications used to treat 
them. Getting hormones into balance, changing the way people 
eat, and utilizing certain supplements can accomplish this. The purpose of this book is twofold. First, I want to let 
patients who are struggling with health issues that never seem 
to improve know there is a different, healthier approach to 
getting them well. Second, I want to share what I have learned 
with other healthcare practitioners who are looking for a more 
effective way to treat patients and thereby possibly change, 
one by one, how individual physicians practice medicine. Hopefully, this book can restore the original goals many of 
us physicians had when we entered medical school, which 
were to help sick people get well and to help well people stay 
well. Hopefully, it will also reinstall the faith in medicine that 
patients used to have when doctors were highly respected. Today, both physicians and patients have lost faith in the 
U.S. healthcare system, which has become a national disgrace. Even though the United States spends more money per capita 
on health care than any other developed country, we still have 
the highest incidence of diabetes, obesity, heart attacks, cancer, 
and infant mortality among all industrialized nations. The 
U.S. medical system is a multi-trillion-dollar-a-year industry 
thriving mostly on illness, not wellness. Drug companies |   xi 
benefit, as do hospitals and the providers of medical equipment. All the ancillary businesses involved with medical care provide 
millions of jobs and are the source of billions of dollars in tax 
revenues to state and federal governments from the sale of 
medical supplies. Is there any wonder that the incentive to 
change this system is in short supply? Not well publicized is 
the fact that health care is the number one budgetary item in 
most states. We can add to that the cost of Medicare, which is 
becoming an insurmountable financial burden for the federal 
government. Drug companies greatly influence how physicians practice. Research conducted by these companies provides the basis 
for much of what is taught in medical schools, and many 
doctors are not comfortable making medical choices unless 
a drug company gives them direction. A simple example is 
the fact that many doctors never recommend supplemental 
CoQ10 when their patients are taking statin drugs because 
drug companies do not recommend it, perhaps to avoid liability 
issues. However, statin drugs prevent the production of CoQ10, 
which is essential for the function of muscles, including the 
muscles of the heart. With little or no CoQ10 in the body, 
muscle pain and even sudden death can occur. Primary care physicians have traditionally formed the 
backbone of the medical field. Yet a recent poll of primary 
care providers indicated that, given the chance to do it again, 
80 percent of them would not choose to go to medical school. Every year fewer medical students elect to go into primary care. The reasons are multiple: the long hours, the heavy patient 
load, and dissatisfaction with reimbursement of primary care 
compared to other specialties. At the time of this writing, INTRODUCTIONADRENALINE DOMINANCE xii   | 
implementation of the Affordable Care Act is unlikely to 
improve these figures. Another factor contributing to the decline of primary 
care medicine may be the absence of the right tools to get 
patients truly well. If primary care practitioners were actually 
able to eliminate their patients’ problems, they would receive 
plenty of positive reinforcement from a multitude of grateful patients. Instead, they are taught to prescribe drugs to lower 
blood pressure, drugs to lower blood sugar, antidepressants, 
sleeping pills, pain medications, plus others. As you will see in this book, excess adrenaline can be a significant factor in 
many of the problems for which drugs are prescribed. In fact, 
antibiotics are the only drugs that actually cure anything—all 
other drugs simply help patients to cope with their ailments. This book calls into question many time-honored 
approaches to medicine. It proposes an approach that looks at 
causes rather than symptoms. It suggests that many conditions 
regarded as incurable can be eliminated without the use of 
medications, which often can be toxic. And it recommends 
bio-identical hormones and diet, rather than drugs, as treatment. That said, this is not an anti-drug-company book. In fact, it 
is not anti anything. It is only promoting a different approach to 
practicing medicine that stands to provide greater satisfaction 
to both patient and doctor. Doctors who are comfortable 
relying primarily on guidance from drug companies must 
accept the fact that their patients will rarely, if ever, get cured. On the other hand, one of the rewards of the approach this 
book offers is the frequency with which patients will say, “Doc, 
in my entire life I’ve never felt so good.” 
Many of the ideas put forth here are likely to evoke resistance 
because they have not been subjected to the double-blind |   xiii  
studies that have become the standard of present-day medical 
research. While double-blind studies can be great research 
tools, they are not perfect. It is widely recognized that their 
results can be skewed by the expectations of the researchers 
or to meet the needs of the funding drug company. The ideas in this book are derived from a combination of 
observation-based and evidenced-based medicine. This is how 
most advances in medicine have been achieved throughout 
medical history: through observation followed by evidence to 
support that observation. Alexander Fleming’s initial discovery 
of penicillin, for example, was purely observational. It took 
years before research revealed how and why penicillin works. Getting patients well should be the bottom line, whether or not 
there are journal articles to support the protocol. Progress in 
medicine has probably been delayed 50 years because “experts” 
have denigrated observation-based medicine to the category 
of anecdotal, that is, having no credibility. The book begins with an explanation of adrenaline 
dominance, a discussion of the role and function of adrenaline 
in the body, and an overview of the basics of treating adrenaline 
dominance. The chapters that follow cover—with a nod to 
the title of Clint Eastwood’s movie—the “good,” the “bad,” 
and the “ugly” effects of hyperadrenalism. I consider ADHD  
the “good” aspect of excess adrenaline, since it is associated 
with high intelligence, creativity, and success. Many famous and high-achieving people have 
ADHD . The “bad” forms of 
excess adrenaline include medical conditions that are more or 
less manageable. In the “ugly” category I have put conditions 
that significantly impact quality of life. These divisions are not 
meant to suggest that excess adrenaline is all good, all bad, 
or all ugly. Rather, a person with excess adrenaline will often INTRODUCTIONADRENALINE DOMINANCE  xiv   | 
have symptoms and conditions that fall into more than one 
of these categories. By lowering excess adrenaline a person can 
experience primarily the “good” aspect of adrenaline, that is, 
heightened intelligence and energy. There is an extensive chapter discussing the specifics of 
treatment, including the use and dosing of progesterone, a 
diet for managing adrenaline, and nutritional supplements 
for the brain. Interspersed throughout the book are letters 
I have received from patients, testifying in their own words 
how these relatively simple changes brought about life-altering 
improvements in their health. I have included a chapter on Fen-Phen as a point of interest 
because, unbeknownst to most doctors, this combination of 
medications had a significant effect on lowering adrenaline 
levels. I include also some thoughts on the “standard of 
care” demanded of doctors by medical review boards. Many 
review board experts represent the worst that medicine has 
to offer—if it were left to these doctors, there would be no 
progress in medicine, since they do not make allowances for non-traditional approaches. If you are a patient or a healthcare practitioner who is 
dissatisfied with our present medical system, this book is 
written for you. 1 
CHAPTER 1WHAT IS  
ADRENALINE
DOMINANCE? Consider for a moment the following three cases:
Case I: A 58-year-old man who is the  CEO of a software 
company comes to see his doctor, complaining of trouble 
falling asleep. He tosses and turns through the night. When 
he does finally fall asleep, he grinds his teeth. He is on high 
blood pressure medication and an antidepressant. He has a 
tendency to drink more alcohol than he should. When sitting, 
one knee often twitches up and down involuntarily. His wife 
tells him that during the night his legs move constantly. At 
work he has trouble focusing and is often forgetful. When he was in school he never opened a book until the night before an exam. Later on he developed a type A personality. Case II:  A 42-year-old woman hopes her doctor can help 
with the severe mood swings and anger issues she experiences 
10 days out of the month. She often awakens around 2:30 or 
3:00 a.m. and lies awake the rest of the night. She reports a problem with bladder pain and burning when she urinates. She gets shaky and irritable if she goes too long without 
eating. A stay-at-home mom, she is homeschooling her two 
children, who have both been diagnosed with ADHD  and, at ADRENALINE DOMINANCE 2   | 
the ages  of 8 and 10, are  still bed wetters. During her second 
pregnancy, she vomited the entire nine months. Case III: A 50-year-old woman who is currently on disability 
complains of persistent fatigue. She awakens in the mornings 
with pain in her lower back and along the sides of her hips. She has occasional episodes of road rage. She is unable to lose 
the excess 42 pounds of weight she carries. She has persistent 
constipation, chronic headaches, and has been diagnosed 
with an anxiety/depression disorder. Her 30-year-old son has 
been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She is on nine different 
medications, including one for diabetes. These patients’ complaints and concerns are problems 
doctors deal with on a daily basis. Between them, the three 
patients are presenting symptoms of the following conditions, 
some of which are considered incurable. These include:
• ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)
• fibromyalgia
• depression/anxiety
• severe anger
• PMDD  (premenstrual dysphoric disorder)
• IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)
• chronic interstitial cystitis
• alcoholism
• RLS (restless leg syndrome)
• insomnia
• hyperemesis gravidarum
Interestingly, every one of these conditions is related to an 
excess of a single hormone, adrenaline.|   3 
 WHAT IS ADRENALINE DOMINANCE? I refer to excess adrenaline, or hyperadrenalism, as 
“adrenaline dominance.” It is in some ways comparable to 
“estrogen dominance,” a term coined by John Lee, M.D. In 
estrogen dominance, signs and symptoms of excess estrogen, caused by an imbalance between estrogen and progesterone, 
lead to a variety of medical conditions, such as PMS, fibroids, 
and even cancer. (I write about estrogen dominance in my two 
other books: The Miracle of Bio-Identical Hormones and The 
Platt Protocol for Hormone Balancing .) Adrenaline dominance is 
similar, in that it also results in a variety of medical conditions. And progesterone seems to be the hormone that can help 
balance both excess adrenaline and excess estrogen. Notably, most of the conditions that result from adrenaline 
dominance are ones for which modern medicine cannot 
identify the cause. Yet in my many years of experience working 
with patients, I have found that by viewing these conditions 
as caused by excess adrenaline and then choosing a treatment 
designed to target adrenaline and reduce it, a high percentage 
of my patients have been relieved of their symptoms and 
regained normal health. Most of the conditions resulting from adrenaline 
dominance are ones for which modern medicine 
cannot identify the cause. Adrenaline, also called epinephrine, is considered a 
“survival hormone.” Large amounts of it are released when 
the body faces a threat of some kind. Adrenaline triggers the fight-or-flight response, which mobilizes the body’s resources 
for immediate physical action. Adrenaline increases the sugar ADRENALINE DOMINANCE 4   | 
level in the blood and directs this energy-rich blood to the 
muscles, so they can fight harder or flee faster, and to the brain, 
which needs to be highly alert. At the same time, adrenaline 
constricts blood vessels that supply organs not needed in times 
of danger, such as the intestines. It also causes the pupils to 
dilate and speeds up the heart rate. In nature, the fight-or-flight response is designed to last 
for only a certain period of time and then abruptly come to 
an end once the threat has passed. Consider, for instance, 
a cat threatened by a dog. The cat’s body instantly releases 
adrenaline, directing the cat’s blood supply, loaded with energy-
providing sugar, to the cat’s muscles and brain. After the cat 
has run to safety and calmed down, the high level of adrenaline 
drops to normal. The cat is once again relaxed, perhaps eating 
or taking a nap. The human body is designed to operate similarly in its 
natural environment, which is how people lived for most of the 
millennia of human existence. Increased adrenaline prepared 
early humans to deal with the natural dangers that confronted 
them. After the danger passed, their adrenaline level, like that 
of the cat, presumably returned to normal. Through the centuries, humans have drawn upon 
adrenaline to fight wars and deal with other dangers—real 
or imaginary. But now that we are in the twenty-first century, 
fewer people face life-threatening danger on a regular basis. A 
high level of adrenaline is obviously needed in some activities, 
such as the military, law enforcement, and sports. However, many people are putting out high levels of adrenaline all day 
long, even though they’re not in situations that genuinely call 
for physical fight or flight. |   5 
 WHAT IS ADRENALINE DOMINANCE? Modern day life produces continuous low-level stressors in a 
way that is unique in human history. We are barraged by noise, 
too long a commute, family issues, getting burned out at work, 
getting too little sleep, financial concerns, no time to relax, 
worries about elderly parents who may be ill, problems with the 
kids, moving, a job transition, loss of a loved one, and other 
issues. Even though none of these stressors is life threatening, 
the body often responds to them by producing adrenaline. And 
because these stressors are often continuous, the adrenaline 
level stays high, resulting in adrenaline dominance and the 
health conditions it causes. Excess adrenaline tends to create anger. It’s easy to 
understand how this fundamental emotion goes hand in 
hand with facing danger—for example, when confronting 
a wild animal or an enemy combatant. Nowadays, however, 
this adrenaline-caused anger shows up frequently in non-life-
threatening situations. Acting on this anger can precipitate 
a variety of problems such as road rage or the expressions of 
violence reported in newspapers almost as a daily occurrence. It is not unusual for people to internalize their anger, which 
leads to a number of the health conditions that are discussed later in this book.7 
CHAPTER 2HOW
ADRENALINE 
WORKS
To understand the effects of adrenaline dominance, we need 
a basic understanding of adrenaline’s roles and functions 
in the body. Adrenaline is produced by the adrenal medulla, 
the interior part of the adrenal gland. It functions both as a 
hormone, controlling the activity of various tissues in the body, 
and as a neurotransmitter in the brain. The body produces large amounts of adrenaline in two 
situations where survival may be an issue. One of these is 
when the body is under stress. This stress can be extreme 
and involving real danger—being mugged or running from 
a bear. Or the stress can be more emotional than physical—
competitive sports, going on stage, giving a speech, being 
late for work, gambling, a first date, or undergoing a physical exam in a doctor’s office. Both kinds of stress precipitate the release of adrenaline. As we have seen, the release of adrenaline triggers the 
fight-or-flight response, which prepares the body for action. In 
particular, the heart rate and blood pressure rise, as does the 
sugar level in the blood. Blood flow to the brain and to the 
muscles increases, while blood flow to organs not essential to 
the fight-or-flight response, such as the gastrointestinal tract 
and the kidneys, is reduced. ADRENALINE DOMINANCE 8   | 
The second situation that causes the release of adrenaline 
is when the brain is not getting enough fuel—that is, not 
enough sugar in the form of glucose, which is the primary 
source of energy used by the brain. In this situation, the body 
will produce sugar from protein through gluconeogenesis, a 
process mediated by adrenaline. Glycogen, stored in the liver, 
may also be converted into sugar through another process 
called glycogenolysis, which might also involve adrenaline. I suspect that the most crucial reason for increased 
adrenaline is to provide needed fuel for the brain. The brain 
uses more sugar (glucose) than any other tissue in the body. When sugar is taken away from the brain, the brain falls asleep, 
a condition commonly known as hypoglycemia or, in extreme 
cases, narcolepsy. From a survival standpoint, the body will 
always ensure that the brain has enough fuel to be awake and 
alert, and it will raise the adrenaline level to accomplish this. The most crucial reason for increased  
adrenaline is to provide needed fuel for the brain. A perfect modern-day example of this survival connection 
is people who fall asleep while driving due to hypoglycemia—
they can go right off the road, hit a tree, and kill themselves. Many times in the past I have slapped my face while driving, trying to keep awake. It usually took seven to ten minutes to 
wake up, which is a long time to wait while trying to avoid 
going off the road. I realize now that it was not the slapping 
that woke me up; rather, gluconeogenesis via adrenaline 
eventually raised my sugar level, and so I became more alert. Besides initiating the body’s own production of sugar, |   9 
 HOW A DRENALINE W ORkS
hypoglycemia also stimulates a craving for foods high in sugar. High-sugar foods (such as candy, soda, cake, and cookies) 
are human made, not natural, so the body is not designed 
to handle them well. Consumption of foods high in sugar 
stimulates an outpouring of insulin, the hormone whose 
primary function is to regulate the sugar level in the blood. One of the ways insulin reduces blood sugar is by forcing sugar 
into muscle cells and fat cells. The higher the sugar level in the blood, the more insulin is 
released. As the excess insulin pushes the excess sugar into the 
cells, it can precipitate another drop in the sugar level, which 
prompts another release of adrenaline—a sequence that can 
continue cyclically. This close relationship between adrenaline 
and insulin is a key factor in a number of health conditions, 
including hypertension, diabetes, unexplained weight gain, 
and the metabolic syndrome, or syndrome X. Under the conditions for which adrenaline was originally 
designed, all or most of the elevated blood sugar would have 
been burned up during the fight-or-flight response. Insulin 
was only needed to take care of small levels of sugar that 
were left over. However, nowadays, because of continuous 
low-level stress, ongoing excess adrenaline, and not enough 
activity to use up the sugar, much of the sugar is not burned 
up. So insulin moves this extra sugar into fat cells, where it 
is turned into fat. As an example, because people in law enforcement tend 
to have higher levels of adrenaline, they may be especially 
prone to getting caught in the adrenaline–sugar–insulin 
cycle. They famously have cravings for sugar (doughnuts? ), the 
consumption of which produces a lot of insulin, with resultant 
hypoglycemia and possible weight gain. A 2011 study published ADRENALINE DOMINANCE 10   | 
in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at 
sleep disorders affecting 5,000 police officers. The study found 
that 50 percent admitted to nodding off at frequent intervals 
while driving. These same officers were also more prone to 
uncontrollable anger and to committing safety violations. I 
suspect there may be similar issues among truck drivers who 
continuously fight sleepiness by eating Hostess Twinkies and 
taking NoDoz. Bus drivers, train engineers, and airline pilots 
may also be at risk for hypoglycemia—another public safety issue to consider. Insulin is a hormone we cannot live without. However, I 
would not describe insulin as a “happy” hormone. Insulin is: 
• the number one hormone that creates fat  
around the middle
• a major cause of elevated blood pressure
• the hormone that speeds up the aging process  through a process called glycation
• very likely the primary cause of type II diabetes  and most of the complications of diabetes 
Stress can certainly stimulate the release of adrenaline. At 
the same time, increased adrenaline can make a person feel 
“stressed.” Consequently, whether it is from adrenaline directly 
stimulating the release of cortisol from the adrenal cortex, or 
whether it is from increased stress stimulating the release of 
cortisol, either way, the end result is an increase in cortisol. One of cortisol’s first functions is to increase the blood sugar 
level so the body has more fuel to deal with whatever is causing 
the stress. So now there are two hormones raising blood sugar. Again, any time the sugar level rises, there is a concomitant 
increase in insulin to drive the sugar into cells, which can lead |   11 HOW A DRENALINE W ORkS  
to hypoglycemia, which prompts the body to release adrenaline 
and cortisol to raise the sugar level again, in a cascade of 
hormones ad infinitum. Cortisol, like adrenaline, is associated with increased fat 
around the waist because of its role in the cycle of sugar and 
insulin. It can also speed up osteoporosis—the same way the drug prednisone does. It also appears to have an adverse effect on the heart. High levels mean higher risk of coronary artery 
calcification as well as a higher number of plaques in the carotid 
arteries. Over-production of cortisol also has an adverse effect on 
the thyroid. It causes T4 to convert into reverse T3, a form of 
thyroid the body cannot use. The hypothyroid state that results 
is not detectable if only the T4 level, and not the T3 level, is tested. Excess cortisol can also promote thyroid resistance at thyroid receptor sites. This adverse effect on thyroid function 
can also contribute to weight gain. Too much cortisol also 
impacts the pituitary gland, where it suppresses the production 
of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) as well as growth 
hormone (GH) . One of the benefits of the treatment program presented 
in this book is that it helps normalize the levels of not just 
adrenaline but also insulin and cortisol—the three major 
hormones associated with stress. 13 
CHAPTER 3TREATING 
ADRENALINE DOMINANCE
The information on treating adrenaline dominance may be 
the most important material in this book. I am unaware 
of any other source in the medical literature that explains how 
to lower adrenaline. This chapter provides an overview of the 
adrenaline-reducing protocol. A later chapter, “Managing Excess 
Adrenaline,” discusses the specifics of treatment in more detail. Since stress can cause excess adrenaline, anything that 
reduces stress is obviously useful in lowering adrenaline. Well-known stress reducers include meditation, strenuous 
exercise, and deep breathing. Certain herbs can also reduce 
stress, such as theanine, ashwagandha, and rhodiola (all 
available in health food stores). These practices and herbs can 
help to block the effects of excess adrenaline, as can certain 
drugs, such as beta-blockers. These approaches, although 
beneficial, are actually no more than Band-Aids; they do not 
directly address the reason why the body is producing excess adrenaline. To my way of thinking, successfully managing excess 
adrenaline requires treating the most common reason it  
occurs—a brain hungry for fuel. This is best achieved by 
following an appropriate meal plan, using a bio-identical hormone 
treatment, and possibly with nutritional supplementation that ADRENALINE DOMINANCE 14  | 
may be needed to support brain function. This combined 
approach usually brings about a significant drop in adrenaline 
within 24 hours, along with the elimination of many, if not all, 
of the patient’s symptoms. The persistence of some or all of the symptoms may mean 
that other factors are at work. Though adrenaline is a frequent 
cause of the medical conditions discussed in this book, it is not 
the only cause. For example, with fibromyalgia, which I feel 
is largely caused by internalized anger, the anger may or may 
not be related to adrenaline. People suffering from insomnia or 
depression may be reacting to specific situations in their lives. In this way, sometimes not seeing significant improvement 
from diet and hormones may help with identifying the specific 
life stressors that are  the cause. And the treatment with diet, 
hormones, and supplements is still beneficial, optimizing the 
person’s physical health while he or she takes the additional 
necessary steps for complete healing. NUTRITIONAL APPROACH TO  
REDUCE EXCESS ADRENALINE   
The nutritional aspect of my protocol for managing adrenaline 
focuses on the fact that hypoglycemia, or low sugar level in the 
brain, stimulates the production of adrenaline. The brain requires 
more sugar than any other body tissue. To supply the brain with 
fuel, the body will, if needed, synthesize sugar from protein 
through metabolic pathways that involve adrenaline. The brain can be low in sugar for two reasons. One is the 
overproduction of insulin, which causes the blood sugar level to drop. The body produces the most insulin after eating and 
also in the midafternoon. People who get sleepy after eating or 
between 3 and 4 p.m. more than likely will release adrenaline |   15 
 TREATIN g ADRENALINE  DOMINANCE
at these times to counteract this drop in sugar. The second reason is that the person is not eating correctly. A key principle in eating to control adrenaline is to eat 
low-glycemic rather than high-glycemic carbohydrates. The 
glycemic index rates foods (mostly carbohydrates) according 
to how quickly or slowly they are digested. High-glycemic 
foods are digested more quickly, so sugar is released into the 
blood stream quickly. Low-glycemic foods are digested more 
slowly and release sugar more steadily. The bottom line is that 
high-glycemic foods stimulate the production of more insulin. High-glycemic carbohydrates are primarily refined 
carbohydrates, such as white rice, white bread, sugar of all 
kinds, corn, bananas, and so on. They cause a quick rise 
in blood glucose (sugar) that stimulates the release of large 
amounts of insulin, which then leads to hypoglycemia and, 
subsequently, production of adrenaline. Green vegetables are the perfect fuel for the brain. Low-glycemic carbohydrates cause a smaller, slower rise 
in glucose in the blood and do not stimulate as much insulin 
release. Types of low-glycemic foods include green vegetables, 
certain starchy vegetables, unprocessed grains, and legumes. Among these types, green vegetables are the perfect fuel for 
the brain. They can be consumed in a vegetable omelet or in 
scrambled eggs, added to a green smoothie or a salad, or eaten 
as a side dish. Examples of low-glycemic foods include sweet 
potatoes; brown rice, brown rice pasta, brown rice tortillas, 
oatmeal; and pinto or black beans. The importance of eating correctly to manage adrenaline 
should not be underestimated. Without the proper nutrition ADRENALINE DOMINANCE 16  | 
to keep the blood sugar level steady, people may find 
themselves “living on adrenaline” as the body continuously 
releases adrenaline in order to manufacture its own sugar so 
the body and brain can have sufficient fuel. People who skip breakfast or only eat once a day are probably in this category. Adrenaline also takes away the appetite. Those who put out 
adrenaline during the night may find they have no appetite 
in the morning. The meal plan provided later in the book includes a 
discussion of low-glycemic carbohydrates, sample meal 
plans, and smoothie recipes, as well as general dietary advice. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to how people with 
excess adrenaline should be eating. The meal plan should be considered only as a set of guidelines, to be fine-tuned to suit each person. HORMONAL APPROACH TO  
REDUCE EXCESS ADRENALINE 
Only one hormone is needed to help control adrena line: 
progesterone. Progesterone is applied in the form of a 
bio-identical transdermal cream, available by prescription from 
a compounding pharmacy, or it can be obtained in lower 
strengths without a prescription. Progesterone provides a two-pronged approach for 
managing excess adrenaline: it reduces the secretion of 
adrenaline by preventing insulin-induced hypoglycemia, and it appears to directly block the effects of adrenaline. I am not aware of the physiological pathways by which 
progesterone affects insulin, since there are no studies 
delineating this. I suspect it could prevent the action of insulin 
at insulin receptor sites, or it might possibly affect the release |   17 TREATIN g ADRENALINE  DOMINANCE
of insulin by the beta cells of the pancreas. However, I am 
convinced of its significant effect on insulin based on feedback 
from thousands of patients as well as my own experience 
using it. Patients who use progesterone correctly no longer 
experience hypoglycemic sleepiness caused by high insulin, 
most commonly noted after eating, or between 3 and 4 in the 
afternoon, or while traveling in a car, whether as the driver or 
as a passenger. In addition, they often experience weight loss. Progesterone provides a two-pronged approach 
for managing excess adrenaline: it reduces the 
secretion of adrenaline by preventing insulin-
induced hypoglycemia, and it directly blocks the 
effects of adrenaline. As the episodes of hypoglycemia become fewer, the 
production of adrenaline to counteract hypoglycemia also 
drops. Less adrenaline means less sugar is produced, and thus 
also less insulin. Progesterone seems to directly counteract adrenaline’s 
effects most dramatically in patients whose level of adrenaline 
is especially high. Sitting in my office, they often remarked 
on how much better they felt less than three minutes after 
applying progesterone cream for the first time. Their leg 
tapping disappeared, they sat back in their chair, they felt 
more relaxed, and they were able to focus better. Besides helping to control insulin and blocking adrenaline, 
progesterone has other positive effects on the body, including 
blocking the effects of estrogen dominance, or excess estrogen, 
in women. Excess estrogen can have harmful side effects—
cramps, PMS, breast tenderness, and migraine headaches. Over ADRENALINE DOMINANCE 18  | 
time, estrogen dominance can lead to fibroids, endometriosis, 
PCOS, asthma, and gallbladder disease, and can be the cause 
of six different cancers in women, especially breast cancer. All 
women on birth control pills are estrogen dominant because the 
pill prevents ovulation, so they no longer produce progesterone. Morning sickness during a woman’s first trimester is another 
effect of estrogen dominance. A number of factors should be taken into consideration 
with regard to prescribing transdermal bio-identical 
progesterone cream:
1. There is no one-size-fits-all dosage for progesterone. Rather, the patient begins with a generally recommended dosage and then adapts the amount, frequency of application, and even application site as needed. 2. When it comes to dosing progesterone, it is better to treat the patient rather than a lab test—that is, adjust the dosage according to the patient’s response rather than blood test results. 3. It is best applied to areas with a good blood supply where the skin is thin—for example, the inner forearm, the upper chest, the back of the neck, or the face. 4. It appears to be extremely safe with few potential side effects. 5. Progesterone has a short half-life in the blood stream (about five to six minutes) because of its propensity to attach readily to receptor sites.|   19 TREATIN g ADRENALINE  DOMINANCE
6. Bio-identical progesterone is not the same as a 
progestin such as Provera, which is not bio-identical and has the same side effects as estrogen, including cancer. In contrast, bio-identical progesterone appears to prevent every cancer that estrogen causes. 7. Saliva tests do not give an accurate picture of progesterone levels, except perhaps in people not using the transdermal cream. 8. Oral progesterone, which comes in capsules or troches, should be avoided. It goes straight to the liver, where it converts primarily into a different hormone called allopregnanolone. This hormone causes drowsiness, which is why oral progesterone is given at night. SUPPLEMENTS FOR THE BRAIN 
Most people with excess adrenaline complain of having 
difficulty focusing their attention. This may be caused by excess 
adrenaline in the brain speeding up thought processes. When 
the brain is working faster, some of the biochemical nutrients it 
needs in order to function may get depleted—just as increased 
muscle function, caused by adrenaline, will consume various nutrients utilized by the muscles. In addition, adrenaline as a neurotransmitter in the brain 
interacts with other neurotransmitters. When adrenaline levels 
are elevated, the other neurotransmitters must be affected too, 
influencing how we think and feel. People who have had a lifetime of excess adrenaline may 
sustain damage to certain brain cells. In this regard, excess 
adrenaline can produce stress, which can lead to an increase ADRENALINE DOMINANCE 20  | 
in the production of cortisol. Prolonged stress associated with 
this increase in cortisol leads to damage of the hippocampus, 
a part of the brain that has many receptors for cortisol. The 
hippocampus is involved in cognition, mood, and memory. Over time, the damage can cause memory problems, dementia, 
and depression. Fortunately, the body has an amazing capacity to heal 
itself. In the old days, eating a healthy diet was enough to 
provide all the necessary elements needed for healthy brain 
function. Unfortunately, it is a different world today. Because 
of pollution, depletion of the soil, and the use of chemical 
fertilizers and now GMO seeds, the nutritional quality of our 
food is less than it was one hundred years ago. As a result, 
for optimal health we require the support of nutritional 
supplements, including for the brain. While the topic of proper metabolic support for brain 
cells is too complex to discuss in detail in this book, the most 
important supplements for the brain are listed and discussed in the chapter “Managing Excess Adrenaline.”21 
CHAPTER 4EXCESS 
ADRENALINE:  
THE GOOD
To my way of thinking, ADHD  (attention deficit hyperactivity 
disorder) is all about excess adrenaline. I regard it as the 
“good” aspect of adrenaline dominance because, when managed 
properly, the tendency toward elevated adrenaline leads to 
heightened cognition, creativity, and capacity to get things 
done. Many of the world’s most intelligent, successful, creative 
people have been diagnosed as having ADHD or have exhibited 
many of ADHD ’s symptoms. ADHD  represents a classic example of the tendency to 
judge a condition by its symptoms rather than by its cause. As a result, children with ADHD  are described as having a 
learning disorder, or having trouble focusing, or being prone 
to disruptive behaviors or temper tantrums, and so on. All of these symptoms are related to adrenaline. As 
a hormone, excess adrenaline increases energy to muscles, 
leading to hyperactivity. As a neurotransmitter, it can heighten 
awareness and intelligence. However, it also increases the 
speed of thought transmission, making it difficult to focus, 
except on subjects that are of interest. If the subject on the 
blackboard is not interesting, a child with ADHD  can get 
easily distracted—looking out the window, talking to the child 
at the next desk, and so on. However, put the same child in ADRENALINE DOMINANCE 22  | 
front of a computer with games, and he or she might be able 
to focus on it for the better part of a day. In other words, ADHD  is not actually a learning disorder; 
it’s an interest disorder. A classic example of ADHD  is the 
student with excellent grades in all subjects except, say, algebra. This is clearly an intelligent student who finds it difficult to 
focus on a certain subject. In my view, there are three basic forms of ADHD , which 
I call “typical type,” “creative type,” and “mixed type,” the 
last being a combination of the first two types. In typical type 
ADHD , adrenaline functions primarily as a hormone, acting 
on the muscles to cause physical hyperactivity and possibly 
impulsive or even disruptive behavior. In creative type ADHD , 
adrenaline functions mainly as a neurotransmitter in the brain, 
making the brain hyperactive. This form of ADHD  is more 
common in people who are “right brained,” that is, creative. The adrenaline enhances their creativity. In typical type ADHD, adrenaline functions primarily 
as a hormone. In creative type ADHD, adrenaline 
functions mainly as a neurotransmitter in the brain. I suspect that most people diagnosed as having ADD 
(attention deficit disorder) actually have what I call creative 
type ADHD . The difference in the name is crucial, since 
retaining the “H” in “ ADHD ” identifies this condition as a 
form of hyperactivity, though in this case the hyperactivity 
is in the brain. These people have trouble focusing, similar to those with what is generally called 
ADHD , but they lack the 
physical hyperactivity and impulsiveness. Understanding that |   23 ExCESS  ADRENALINE: THE  gOOD  
this condition is another form of adrenaline hyperactivity is 
vital to treating it properly. The latest estimate of ADHD  in children (2013) is 10 
percent, though I believe that the true incidence is much higher. If the negative connotations of this disorder were 
removed, I suspect that a lot more children might be diagnosed 
and correctly treated. In addition, if one parent has ADHD , there is a good 
chance of the children having ADHD . If both parents have 
ADHD , then all of their children will have ADHD . Conversely, 
if a child has ADHD , it is a good bet that one or both parents 
have it as well. It is important to keep in mind that all children with 
ADHD  grow up to be adults with ADHD . The condition does 
not magically disappear at the age of 18. It should not be surprising that ADHD  in most adults 
goes unrecognized by the medical community. It should 
also not be surprising that the medical community considers 
many conditions associated with adult ADHD —the “bad” 
and “ugly” aspects of excess adrenaline—incurable. We are 
dealing here with hormones out of balance, a concept that is not recognized by many physicians. As a neurotransmitter in the brain, adrenaline helps to 
increase intelligence; as a hormone, it enhances physical energy. This combination of energy and mental acumen produces the 
most successful people in the world. Many successful people 
today will admit that they never opened a book in school 
until the night before an exam. They may have been branded 
as procrastinators, but they did well scholastically anyway 
because of their brain’s hyperactivity. In my own case, I never 
studied until the night before an exam. However, when I got ADRENALINE DOMINANCE 24  | 
into medical school I studied at least three or four hours every 
night because I was interested in medicine. Most people whose work requires thinking skills, such as 
lawyers, doctors, and scientists, as well as the heads of almost 
every corporation, by my definition probably have ADHD. For 
example, Bill Gates, as most people are aware, left college after 
his second year, obviously not because of lack of intelligence. People have observed that he paces a lot, rocks back and 
forth in his chair, and taps his foot all the time. These are all 
symptoms of too much adrenaline. TYPICAL TYPE ADHD 
People with what I call typical type ADHD  are inclined to 
be physically active. They are intelligent but may have trouble 
focusing. As adults, they might smoke too much or drink too 
much. Sometimes they have anxiety issues. They often have a 
history of being easily irritated and quick to anger, even road rage, and may have high expectations of other people. As children they may be thin, since their hyperactivity 
allows them to burn up sugar before it can be stored as fat. As 
they approach middle age, they are less active and may start 
putting on weight around the middle, caused by excess insulin. The excess insulin can also cause symptoms of hypoglycemia: 
sleepiness in the late afternoon or after eating or while traveling 
in a car. People with typical type ADHD  commonly display other 
symptoms of high adrenaline. These include restlessness—
tapping their hands or feet during the day, restless leg syndrome, 
tossing and turning or grinding their teeth at night—and they 
may have trouble falling asleep. Stated another way, adrenaline 
can be considered a form of natural speed.|   25 ExCESS  ADRENALINE: THE  gOOD  
 
People with typical type ADHD are inclined to be  
physically active and display other symptoms of  
high adrenaline, such as restlessness and having 
trouble falling asleep. There is frequently a strong family history of associated 
hormonal problems—a brother who is bipolar, children or 
nephews and nieces who are hyperactive, relatives who have 
type II diabetes or fibromyalgia. Since ADHD  is associated 
with low progesterone levels among the women in the family, 
there may be a history of breast cancer, endometriosis, or other 
conditions associated with estrogen dominance. Characteristically, when hyperactive children get into 
high school and college, they often get involved in sports, 
and later on in life they often become type A personalities or 
workaholics. Adrenaline drives high activity. It is the hormone 
that allows people in certain professions to perform their jobs. Men and women involved in the military, law enforcement, 
or professional sports can attribute many of their abilities to 
adrenaline. I suspect that many of these people had the classic 
symptoms of typical type ADHD  when they were younger. Children with typical type ADHD  are often treated with 
drugs such as Ritalin, Adderall, or Strattera, which actually 
increase the level of adrenaline in the brain. Because they 
increase adrenaline, these drugs can have the effect of numbing 
the brain. They can also cause serious side effects, including 
sudden death or suicide. On the other hand, treating this 
condition with progesterone, diet, and nutritional supplements 
can, in most cases, eliminate many of the unwanted symptoms 
of ADHD  without the need for medications. ADRENALINE DOMINANCE 26   | 
Although I generally have not seen children as patients in 
my practice, I have occasionally treated them in the course of 
treating their parents. One nine-year-old boy, Jose, who had a 
classic case of typical type ADHD,  had been thrown out of every 
public school in his hometown for aggressive behavior, including 
fighting with other children and shoving teachers. His mother, 
who was my patient, was desperate because the boy sincerely 
wanted to go back to school. So I agreed to meet with him. In the course of the appointment, I learned that Jose was 
addicted to sugar; everything he ate and drank was sugar-
based. I sat down with him and explained that in order to get 
better and be able to go back to school, his diet had to change. I told him he would be putting a cream on his lower forearm. He agreed and was given a meal plan to follow. Twenty-four hours later, his mother called me and told me 
she could not stop crying; she had never seen her son behave so 
well. He had just completed ten pages of homework—quite an 
accomplishment for someone who had never done homework 
before. His symptoms of excess adrenaline were gone. In spite of his recovery, the school board refused to readmit 
him. I wrote a two-page letter of explanation, but the public educational system was blind to his condition. Eventually he 
enrolled in a parochial school, where he became first in his 
class after six months. This is not surprising, since most ADHD  
children are extremely intelligent. The psychiatrist who had been following Jose for his 
ADHD  noticed right away that the signs of this disorder were 
gone. When he asked Jose’s mother what her son was using 
and she said progesterone cream, he told her to stop the cream 
immediately, that it was a female hormone. He said she should 
put him back on the drugs previously prescribed. She explained |   27 ExCESS  ADRENALINE: THE  gOOD  
that Jose wouldn’t take them because they made him feel sick. He told her to do it anyway. Needless to say, the mother let 
Jose continue with the cream. I subsequently spoke with the psychiatrist, who refused 
to accept what I was saying because it was unverifiable by 
drug company studies. His statement that progesterone is 
a female hormone typifies many doctors’ lack of education 
about hormones. Progesterone is present in men just as it is 
present in women. This physician refused to rely on his own 
powers of observation and acknowledge that progesterone was 
beneficial. He would rather place this nine-year-old boy on 
potentially lethal drugs, with multiple side effects, than use a natural bio-identical hormone with no side effects. CREATIVE TYPE ADHD 
While people with typical type ADHD  are highly intelligent 
and highly active, those with what I call creative type ADHD  
have high intelligence along with heightened creativity. Research has shown that the left hemisphere of the brain 
is responsible mainly for logical, rational thinking, while the 
right hemisphere is primarily responsible for creative, intuitive, 
and feelings-based thinking. A right-brained person who has a lot of adrenaline in the brain as a neurotransmitter can be a creative genius. My personal opinion is that highly creative 
thinkers like Albert Einstein, Beethoven, Shakespeare, and 
Leonardo da Vinci all had creative type ADHD . Because mental hyperactivity is generally not as noticeable 
as physical hyperactivity, the fact that it is a form of ADHD  can 
go unnoticed. However, it is especially important to recognize 
the creative type ADHD  person. The creative brain requires a 
lot more sugar than a normal brain because it is more active. ADRENALINE DOMINANCE 28   | 
If these people are not treated correctly, they will continuously 
be pouring out adrenaline to raise the brain’s sugar level—a 
situation resulting in some of the dire conditions discussed in 
the chapters that follow. Because mental hyperactivity is not as noticeable as 
physical hyperactivity, the fact that it is a form of  
 ADHD can go unnoticed. However, it is especially 
important to recognize the creative type ADHD person. Those with creative type ADHD  are likely to also 
have symptoms caused by adrenaline acting as a hormone. Characteristically, if they go too long without eating, they get 
shaky or irritable, which is caused by the release of adrenaline 
to raise the sugar level. They may experience cold hands and 
feet due to constriction of blood vessels. An extremely common 
problem is weight gain. At night, they usually have trouble 
staying asleep. This is because the brain, which continues to 
work even during sleep, can run out of fuel around 2:30 or 
3:00 a.m., which is the classic time that adrenaline is released 
to raise sugar levels. This in turn causes them to awaken. Increased adrenaline during the night often results in the mind 
racing, generalized restlessness, grinding of the teeth or TMJ, 
low back or hip pain due to muscle tension, or waking up to 
urinate during the night. Through the years I have noted certain reliable 
characteristics of people who have creative type ADHD . For 
example, they are often intuitive about others, that is, they 
can pick up good or bad “vibes.” It is not unusual for them to 
have premonitions or experiences of déjà vu. They may know who’s on the phone before they answer it, or they answer by |   29 ExCESS  ADRENALINE: THE  gOOD  
saying, “I was just thinking of you,” or “I was getting ready 
to call you.” Animals are attracted to them, as are babies and 
small children. Clairvoyants and psychics are often people with 
creative type ADHD , as are horse whisperers, dog whisperers, 
and baby whisperers (the nurses who can quiet crying babies just by holding them). Creative type 
ADHD  patients of mine 
who live in rural areas have reported birds landing next to 
them or on their arm, or deer coming up to them and eating out of their hand. My own conjecture about these phenomena is that 
somehow the energy created by adrenaline in a right-side-
dominant brain is able to tap into the energies in the air, such 
as those caused by cell phone, WiFi, and satellite transmissions. Small children who are themselves creative, as well as animals, 
can sense this energy in creative people and are attracted to it. A classic symptom of people with creative type ADHD  is 
the tendency to fall asleep while traveling in a car, especially 
as a passenger. This may be due to the large amount of sensory 
input coming into the brain, which is registering all the passing 
scenery as well as other cars on the road, while also listening to the radio, talking to the driver, and so on. As a result, the brain runs out of fuel and the person falls asleep. I suspect that people who make their living in creative 
careers—artists, dancers, musicians, graphic designers, creative 
chefs, interior designers, writers, beauticians, people with an 
uncanny ability to fix motors, architects, and innovators in 
all fields—are likely to have creative type ADHD . In this 
regard, movie stars deserve special mention. It is not unusual for events involving them to make the newswires—the rages 
of Mel Gibson, Alec Baldwin, Michael Richards; the drug 
problems of Lindsay Lohan, Heath Ledger, Charlie Sheen, ADRENALINE DOMINANCE 30   | 
Robert Downey Jr., and Whitney Houston. I believe all these 
situations are related to excess adrenaline. A tragedy that occurred in Los Angeles exemplifies how 
powerful adrenaline can be. A man was making his way across 
the street in a marked crosswalk. An approaching car pulled to 
a stop somewhat over the line, with its front protruding into 
the crosswalk space. The pedestrian went into what I would call “crosswalk rage” and pounded the hood of the car as he walked by. The driver of the car had “road rage”—he got out of the car, pushed the other fellow down to the ground, and kicked him repeatedly in the head, killing him. Just to make sure, he got back in his car and drove over the body. It turned out that both men were musicians, that is, 
creative people, very likely with creative type ADHD . Based 
on how easily each of them went into a rage, I would guess 
that both men were living on adrenaline (relying primarily on 
adrenaline to provide fuel for the brain). If just one of them had been diagnosed and treated correctly, this tragedy could have been avoided. Perhaps the classic example of the power of adrenaline 
in a creative person is Michael Jackson. The following is my 
evaluation of what caused his death, based on information 
generally available. At his death, this extremely creative 
man was emaciated. His highly creative brain required large amounts of sugar for fuel, but high adrenaline took away his appetite, which would explain his extreme weight loss. It also 
explains why he couldn’t sleep at night and required huge 
amounts of ineffectual, toxic sleeping aids. He maintained this poor state of health until he signed 
a contract to perform 50 concerts in London beginning the 
summer of 2009. In preparation, he started rehearsing at the |   31 ExCESS  ADRENALINE: THE  gOOD  
Staples Center in Los Angeles. For the first time in about ten 
years he was up on stage going through his dance routines. This meant that his muscles needed extra fuel to burn. Since he 
still wasn’t getting an adequate amount of nutrition, his body 
now had to produce even more adrenaline to raise his sugar 
level, which created even more sleeping problems. Eventually, 
the excess adrenaline may have stopped his heart—just three 
weeks before the concerts were to begin. The medications he was receiving might have contributed, as well. MIXED TYPE ADHD
Some people manifest characteristics of both types of ADHD , 
a condition I call mixed type ADHD . They seem to have excess 
adrenaline in the brain plus increased adrenaline as a systemic 
hormone. In my experience, people with mixed ADHD  have 
more severe symptoms than people with either the typical 
or the creative type. They have more problems with anxiety, 
obsessive-compulsive behaviors, or depression, and sometimes 
have the most difficulty focusing. Women with this condition 
may have increased nausea throughout an entire pregnancy. These are the people who may have been diagnosed as 
having dyslexia—the tendency to read letters or numbers backwards. They are both right-brained and left-brained. Often enough, they may also be the most successful people 
in the world. THOUGHTS ON ADHD AND ADRENALINE
To summarize, I feel that ADHD  represents the good side of 
excess adrenaline. People whose work requires brainpower can 
often thank their high level of adrenaline for their intelligence. Professional athletes can attribute much of their skill and ADRENALINE DOMINANCE 32  | 
strength to adrenaline. People in law enforcement and in 
the military rely on adrenaline to do their work. However, 
unless properly treated, people with ADHD  are likely to also 
experience the down sides of adrenaline, which are discussed 
in the following chapters. From my experience with thousands of patients, I can say 
that treating ADHD  associated with excess adrenaline with 
the proper meal plan and progesterone therapy addresses the 
problem directly and surprisingly quickly. Yet the link between 
ADHD  and adrenaline is not yet generally recognized. In the 
last year alone, more than a thousand articles on ADHD were 
published in medical journals. Not one of them mentioned 
adrenaline. This is certain to change, eventually. I predict that about 
20 years from now someone will receive the Nobel Prize in 
Medicine for figuring out the cause of ADHD  and ADD. It 
may take that long for the medical establishment to appreciate 
the fact that a hormone imbalance involving excess adrenaline 
is the root cause.33 
CHAPTER 5EXCESS 
ADRENALINE:  
THE BAD
All of the conditions included in the three excess adrenaline    
categories—the “good,” the “bad,” and the “ugly”—affect 
the quality of life of the people who have them. The ones I have 
placed in the “bad” category, in my view, may not impact the 
patient as severely as those in the “ugly” category. However, the 
distinction between “bad” and “ugly” is somewhat arbitrary. In fact, the same person can have symptoms relevant to all 
three categories. The majority of the conditions caused by excessive amounts 
of adrenaline, an extremely powerful hormone, are considered 
incurable. Standard medical practice for these conditions is to 
prescribe medications that often have adverse effects on the 
body while failing to provide much relief; this is because the 
medications primarily alleviate the conditions’ symptoms, not 
their cause. I have seen this repeatedly in patients who have come to my office in desperation, their bodies burdened with 
the effects of both excess adrenaline and their medications. The speed and magnitude of their relief when they begin a 
treatment that targets excess adrenaline, along with weaning 
themselves off the drugs, is rewarding to both patient and 
practitioner.ADRENALINE DOMINANCE 34  | 
It is my feeling that doctors are at a crossroads. They 
can continue their present course of practice, which means 
accepting the fact that their patients will rarely get better, or 
they can challenge the status quo, remember the Hippocratic 
Oath they took when getting their degree, and practice a kind 
of medicine their patients will appreciate. The Oath says, in 
part: “I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures that 
are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.” This and other excerpts from the Oath are included in the chapter “Standard of Care.” “Therapeutic nihilism” refers to ignoring moral principles when practicing 
medicine. For current examples we need look no further than 
the 100,000 people who die from prescription drugs and the 
400,000 people who wind up hospitalized because of drug 
reactions every year. In my experience, patients, if given the 
choice, have almost always elected to eliminate the underlying 
cause of a problem rather than take a medication that can 
cause unpleasant or even disastrous side effects. It is my feeling that doctors are at a crossroads. They can continue their present course of practice, 
or they can challenge the status quo. In this and the next chapter my intention is not to explore all 
the characteristics and ramifications of the diseases discussed. Rather, I explain the basics of each condition and how it is an 
effect of excess adrenaline. All of these discussions, assessments, 
and recommendations are based on my experience working 
with and gathering feedback from thousands of patients over several decades. |   35 ExCESS  ADRENALINE: THE  BAD 
DEPRESSION
Depression is a fairly common mood disorder that affects 
most people at one time or another. Characterized by loss of 
interest or feeling sad or helpless, it may have other associated 
symptoms, such as trouble sleeping, aches and pains, and loss 
of appetite. Clinically significant depression affects 5 to 10 percent of 
the population. To make this diagnosis, five of the following 
nine major criteria, listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical 
Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) must be present nearly 
every day:  
1. Depressed mood or irritability
2. Loss of interest or pleasure 
3. Significant weight loss or gain
4. Insomnia or hypersomnia
5. Psychomotor agitation or retardation
6. Fatigue or loss of energy
7. Feelings of worthlessness, or excessive or 
  inappropriate guilt
8. Diminished ability to think or concentrate  
  or make decisions
9. Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
There are basically two types of depression: reactive and 
endogenous. Reactive depression is related to some negative 
event in the person’s life, such as loss of a job, financial 
problems, or loss of a loved one (including a pet). Endogenous 
depression comes from within—the person is depressed but 
doesn’t know why. A third type of depression can manifest as 
a combination of reactive and endogenous.ADRENALINE DOMINANCE 36  | 
I believe that excess adrenaline is the number one cause 
of endogenous depression. How is this so? I have observed 
that a high adrenaline level is the most common cause of 
anger problems. Anger is a very powerful emotion. While 
some people let it out in various ways—hitting a wall, yelling, 
fighting, etc.—others hold it inside. A tremendous amount of 
negative energy can build up within them, even if they don’t 
realize it. When anger is unconsciously suppressed, it can 
show up as depression. Except in rare cases, I have been able to help hundreds 
of patients successfully get rid of their depression as well as 
wean themselves off their antidepressant medications just by 
lowering their adrenaline levels.
AdrenalineDominance_eBook.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        Clancy Lane Publishing
72-785 Frank Sinatra Drive, Suite 100Rancho Mirage, California, 92270
© 2014 by Michael E. Platt, M. D. All rights reserved under International and Pan American copyright conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form, by electronic, 
mechanical, or other means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, 
except for brief quotations embodied in literary articles or reviews. Glycemic index reproduced with the permission of Al Sears, M.
His wife, Victoria.
Who does the author dedicate this book to?
To provide a different approach to treating patients and to share his knowledge with healthcare practitioners.
What is the author's goal with this book?
He believes it is a "national disgrace" and that it prioritizes profit over wellness.
What is the author's opinion about the US healthcare system?
He is critical of the fact that doctors often rely on research funded by pharmaceutical companies, which may not be objective.
What is the author's stance on the medical community's reliance on pharmaceutical companies?
He believes that excess adrenaline is the primary cause of endogenous depression, as it can lead to the buildup of negative energy that can manifest as depression when suppressed.
What is the author's perspective on the connection between depression and adrenaline?