The “Anti-Burnout” Protocol: 12 Weeks

A program for people in high-stress professions whose fatigue, sleep problems, and falling productivity have lasted for months, once serious conditions (adrenal insufficiency, hypothyroidism, anemia, sleep apnea, depression) have been ruled out. It runs for 12 weeks of an intensive phase and 3 more months of maintenance.

This is a description of the program, not a prescription. The doses below are the benchmarks a doctor works with at the consultation; what suits you, and in what amount, is decided from the baseline assessment and contraindications. Adaptogens, licorice, and DHEA are not started until adrenal insufficiency has been ruled out.

Assessment: baseline and checkpoints

The same measures are taken before the start, at 4–6 weeks, and at 3 and 6 months — that is how the program’s effect becomes visible.

• Anxiety and mood scales (on this site — the GAD-7 + PHQ-9 questionnaire) and a burnout inventory.
• Sleep: hours per night and minutes to fall asleep.
• Energy, stress, and mood on a 0–10 scale.
• Morning heart rate variability (HRV): RMSSD in ms and the stress index — always with the same device.
• Blood cortisol at 8:00; daily salivary cortisol profile (pattern and the 23:00 point); DHEA-S.
• Blood pressure, pulse, weight.

Block 1 · Nutraceuticals

The doctor picks from this list what you actually need; the whole list is never prescribed at once.

• B-complex in active forms — in the morning.
• Vitamin C 1000 mg · vitamin E 100–200 IU.
• Alpha-lipoic acid 300 mg · N-acetylcysteine (NAC) 600 mg.
• Magnesium 200–400 mg, main dose in the evening · L-theanine 100–200 mg in the evening.
• Omega-3 1000–2000 mg · vitamin D3 — according to the 25(OH)D level.
• Melatonin 1–3 mg 30–60 minutes before bed.
• Phosphatidylserine 200–400 mg in the evening — with high evening cortisol.
• CDP-choline 250 mg · L-carnitine 1000 mg.

Block 2 · Herbal

• Morning: rhodiola 200–400 mg, eleuthero or ginseng — stimulating remedies only before noon.
• Evening: ashwagandha.
• A 6–8-week course, then in cycles: 5 days on, 2 days off.
• Selection by stress type and a contraindication check happen at the consultation; you can get a preliminary idea of your type from the “Stress type” questionnaire below.

Block 3 · Lifestyle

• Sleep 7–8 hours, lights out by 23:00. Screens off no later than 60–90 minutes before bed.
• Morning light within 30 minutes of getting up: 20–30 minutes of daylight or 10–20 minutes of a 10,000-lux lamp.
• Coffee before noon. A protein breakfast, a Mediterranean diet, little sugar.
• Moderate exercise; yoga 1–2 times a week. For the anxious type — walking, yoga, swimming instead of intense cardio.
• An hour without gadgets every day: a walk or family. One day a week fully offline.
• Psychotherapy, coaching, or meditation.

Block 4 · Innovative

• HRV biofeedback training (Inner Balance, HeartMath); a sleep and HRV tracker.
• Breathing 4-4-4-4 or 4-7-8. Blue-light-filtering glasses in the evening.
• Infrared sauna 1–2 times a week; cryosauna 3 minutes — as tolerated.
• EEG biofeedback (Muse, Mendi). Massage, body therapy.

Cold procedures for the anxious type and for women with a reduced stress-response reserve — do not start with cold.

Daily schedule: a sample

The times are a guide: shift the whole schedule to fit your day, keeping the order.

Checkpoints

• 4–6 weeks — clinical assessment: symptom diary, sleep, HRV and stress index, questionnaires repeated; evening salivary cortisol as an interim point.
• 3 months — end of the intensive phase: saliva profile and DHEA-S (within 3–4 months); on DHEA — DHEA-S, estradiol, testosterone.
• 6 months — follow-up visit, full check-up; if things slip back — repeat the program.

After 12 weeks: what to keep

• High doses of nutraceuticals are stopped.
• Adaptogens — in cycles: 5 days on, 2 days off.
• Stress-management practices — keep the ones that gave the greatest effect.

Hormones — only when indicated and prescribed by a doctor

• Micronized progesterone 100–200 mg at night in the 2nd phase of the cycle — for stress-induced cycle disorders.
• DHEA: women 5–10 mg/day, men 10–25 mg in the morning — with low DHEA-S and symptoms. In women with an insufficient response — up to 10–25 mg under androgen monitoring; the target is the middle to upper part of the age reference range without exceeding it. In a trial with 50 mg in women with intact adrenal function, no effect was found (PMID 25279571). DHEA-S, estradiol, and testosterone are checked after 3 months.
• Pregnenolone 10–30 mg in the morning — little data, prescribed empirically.

DHEA is not prescribed with hormone-dependent tumors or PCOS with androgen excess; licorice — with hypertension, edema, or low potassium.

Assess yourself before starting

Anxiety and mood (GAD-7 + PHQ-9)“Stress axis” questionnaire“Stress type” questionnaireCortisol profile calculator

This page is educational and does not replace a medical consultation. The program is tailored individually after assessment; the doses listed are course benchmarks, not a prescription.

Dr. Vladimir Pereligyn

Founder, Integrative Medicine Physician

€100

• Consultation on the program

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Dr. Igor Pereligyn

Obstetrician-gynecologist, andrologist, reproductive medicine

€100

• Consultation on the program

Book on WhatsAppBook on Telegram