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ADRENAL FATIGUE: ARE YOU TIRED OF BEING TIRED?
The number one complaint of my patients is certainly fatigue, exhaustion and just the feeling of being worn out. These complaints are never taken lightly when I meet a new patient, because they are very often due to Adrenal Fatigue. What is Adrenal Fatigue and why is it so common now days? What causes the Adrenal Glands to run out of these so precious hormones that make you feel good, rested and ready to conquer the world?
What Are The Adrenals?
The Adrenal Glands are two small Endocrine Glands, about the size of a walnut, and they sit on top of each Kidney like a hat. In Chinese Medicine Kidneys and Adrenals are referred to the “Chi” or energy that runs in our body. You could compare your adrenals to the battery of your car. Without a good battery, your car will not start and will not run properly.
What Do The Adrenal Glands Do?
They are the “stress handling glands”, which means that they help our bodies to respond to any type of stress we may encounter. It can be a physical stress such as an acute bacterial or viral infection. It can be an emotional stress such as the loss of a loved one, or a fear during a car accident. It can also be a mental stress such as the fact that someone has a mean boss but has to keep working in the same place. The Adrenals seek to keep the body functioning in a dynamic balance amidst whatever external or internal changes or challenges that you meet. They help you to control the “fight or flight” mechanism, where you need to take an action in a specific situation. For example, you are in the jungle and you encounter a lion. Your Adrenals quickly secrete enough hormones to increase your blood pressure, which accelerates your pulse and your circulation. Now you
can take immediate evasive action such as to start running. The Adrenals also control fluids in the body, they help balance blood sugar levels in between meals, and they control inflammatory responses to injury or a bacterial invasion in the body. They also control the immune system response and strength.
The Adrenal Glands produce different hormones that are related to our vitality, our overall strength, energy and stamina. They provide a sense of well being and maintain a healthy mood and emotions. They are the back-up system for sex hormones, which means that they are extremely important during pregnancy, for a healthy menopause, and for potency and fertility. When functioning in healthy levels and proportions, they provide protection against all forms of disease. Basically, how well you live depend to a large extend upon how well your Adrenal Glands function.
Stress and Adrenal Function
Stress is a part of life; we all know this for a certainty, as every human being or even animal is under stress at one point or another in his / its life. The problem with our modern society, in comparison with the animal world or with our ancestors, is that we basically live in a state of constant stress. Instead of acute, occasional demands followed by rest, we are constantly over-worked, under-nourished or mal-nourished, exposed to environmental toxins, or worrying about one thing or another. My favorite example given to patients to explain Adrenal fatigue is to compare a modern woman with a cave-woman. The modern woman has two or three children, belongs to the PTA, drives the children to their activities, works full or part time, goes to the gym three times a week, is on a diet to lose some extra weight, belongs to a church she attains on the week-end with her family, and of course,
she takes care of the household; maybe she also has an elderly person in her family that she needs to support, visit or care for. Suffice to say, she doesn’t have a minute in her busy schedule to rest and recuperate. The fact is, she is probable not “Super Woman”. Hence, she is probably exhausted! If she gets sick, most of the time there is no one else that can replace her and take care of all of her daily chores. Her Adrenals have no time to repair, recuperate and heal. So after years of this insane rhythm, she may develop a state of depression or sickness that finally demands serious attention because her Adrenals are to say the least, burned out!
The cave-woman has probably many more children, but her chores are to gather and harvest berries and fruits, to prepare and store food, to nourish her children and build shelter for her family. If she gets injured by a wild animal or if she falls sick, the tribe which she lives with, or the rest of her family immediately takes care of her chores. So she has the ability to rest for as long time as needed, even if it takes a year, and not to worry about feeding her children. Thus, her Adrenal Glands can have all the time necessary to repair, recuperate and heal.
Every challenge that the mind or the body encounters, creates a demand on the Adrenal Glands. And the list is endless: lack of sleep, a demanding boss, personal conflicts, family owned business, dieting, caffeine and sugar intake, digestive issues, threat of losing a job, illness, financial pressure, death or illness of a loved one, chronic infection of exposure to toxins, unresolved emotional issues, too many activities and not enough time to rest…ALL OF THIS CAN AND WILL LEAD TO ADRENAL FATIGUE. The Adrenals are on constant demand and constant alert. And our modern society, even if it brings many interesting and diversified forms of pleasure and leisure, is a very stressful society, that is hard on our health and hard on our Adrenals.
Cortisol Levels
When we are under constant stress, the Adrenals produce too much Cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that is released to counteract infection, inflammation, raise blood pressure, and increase circulation. Cortisol gives us the ability to either “fight or flight”. This is a normal mechanism but it is made to last only for a short period of time. When Cortisol is released for too long periods of time, then the body suffers from its devastating effects, and we basically age faster. We then burn the candle at both ends! High Cortisol increases weight gain in the mid-waist, increases blood sugar levels, reduces muscle mass and bone density, slows down healing process, impairs digestion, reduce mental sharpness, disturbs endocrine function, and weakens the immune system.
After years of high Cortisol production, then the Adrenals reduce their Cortisol production, and we end up having too low Cortisol levels. This is called Adrenal Exhaustion, which basically means a lack of energy and stamina in general, with chronic inflammation, low blood sugar, and chronic fatigue.
DHEA Levels
After years of constant stress and Adrenal Exhaustion, then another hormone secreted by the Adrenals, the DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) starts to be reduced. DHEA is a precursor of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone, and is necessary to modulate the balance between these three hormones. Insufficient levels of DHEA contributes to hormonal imbalances, fatigue, bone loss, loss of muscle mass, depression, achy joints, decreased libido, and impaired immune function. It is extremely rare, to see too high levels of DHEA, as this condition is mostly because of exogenous exposure.
Adrenal Fatigue: A REAL Epidemic
I believe that Adrenal Fatigue is an epidemic, which is mostly ignored by western medicine. Only extreme cases of Adrenal Diseases such as Addison’s Disease (Adrenal failure) or Cushing Syndrome (Hyperadrenalism) are recognized by western medicine. I believe that probably 90% of the population suffers from Adrenal fatigue to a certain extent, because every single day this is what I see in my practice. A very informative book on this subject is called: Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome, by J. Wilson, ND, PhD
. I invite every one of my readers interested on the subject to purchase this book as it will enlighten you greatly to better understand the symptoms that you may have been suffering from years and years. Adrenal fatigue is linked to many related conditions including fibromyalgia, hypothyroidism, chronic fatigue syndrome, arthritis, premature menopause, diabetes, degenerative diseases, immune weakness, and I believe auto-immune diseases.
How to Test Your Adrenals?
I recommend testing the Adrenals through a simple Saliva Test. The samples are collected throughout the day at home while abstaining from caffeine consumption. A normal Cortisol pattern is to have high Cortisol levels in the morning so we can sustain good energy, and lower Cortisol levels as the day progresses so we can get restful sleep. Unfortunately, what I see most of the time is either too high levels of Cortisol all day long, so the person is tired and agitated, or too low levels of Cortisol all day long, and the person is just exhausted. I also see reverse Cortisol levels, which means low Cortisol in the morning and day, and high Cortisol at night. In this case, the person cannot get restful sleep.
The Saliva Test also reveals an average level of DHEA throughout the day. Most of the time, the common finding is to see low levels of DHEA. The Saliva Test also yields a comparison between Cortisol levels and DHEA levels, which in ideal situations, NEEDS TO BE IN BALANCE. It is of course very rare to observe balanced Cortisol / DHEA ratios because so many people have some type of Adrenal fatigue.
The lab also gives us a reading on Saliva IgA, which measures how your body defense mechanism works, as well as an assessment on Gliadin intolerance. The reason to include Gliadin intolerance into an Adrenal test is to be sure that Gluten intolerance is not a factor that stresses the Adrenals, which is very common. Gluten is a protein found in grains such as wheat, rye, barley and oat.
The other very important test I choose to assess Adrenal function at the cellular level is Hair Test Analysis. Taking a hair sample, close to the root, without any color, perm or conditioners, allows me to determine what minerals involved into the Adrenal function are either lacking or bio-unavailable. Minerals related to Adrenal function are Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium, and Calcium. If any of these minerals are lacking or are in an improper ratio to each other, then it means that the Adrenal Glands are not functioning properly.
An old fashion test to assess Adrenals is called the Ragland’s Test. It consists of taking the blood pressure in a reclining position, then immediately thereafter in a standing position. If the Adrenals function normally, the blood pressure should rise when the person stands up. If the blood pressure doesn’t rise or if it falls, it indicates Adrenal fatigue.
How To Restore The Adrenals
First of all, as it is always the case in Naturopathy, to restore your Adrenals you need to eat properly, which means avoiding sugars, artificial sweeteners, hydrogenated oils, caffeine, soda, pasteurized milk, bleached flour, processed cereals and processed foods, all of which have lost their enzymes and vitamin content, and become the prime causes of Adrenal exhaustion. On the other hand, you need to eat REAL and FRESH food; eat every two to three hours to avoid blood sugar drops; ingest protein three times a day, breakfast being the most important time; you need to eat 5 to 9 servings of vegetables a day, and if you cannot do that, take a supplement such as SP Green Food from Standard Process
, 3 to 6 capsules a day. Finally do not forget to use SEA SALT, which brings very important minerals levels up.
Second, learn how to manage your stress with techniques such as deep breathing, yoga, Tai Chi, and exercise. Or you can also take the time to do something that relaxes you and gives you joy, such as painting, singing, dancing or exercising in moderation.
Third, train yourself to go to bed before 10:00 p.m. even if you are a night owl. It is known that the sleep you get before midnight is the most restoring sleep. The adrenals will recuperate better if you sleep from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. than if you sleep from Midnight to 8:00 a.m.
Fourth, exercise regularly to increase circulation, blood flow and nutrition to every tissue of your body, including your Adrenals. A one-half hour a day brisk walk will work wonders!
Fifth, supplement your body with high quality vitamins and minerals known to increase Adrenal function: Vitamin B’s are essential, especially B6, B5 and B12. I use B-Complex from Designs For Health with added B6 Sublingual formula from Designs For Health as well. The combination of these two very special products can make a huge difference in the recovery of your Adrenals. I also recommend Vitamin C from First Organics,
Magnesium Glycinate from Designs For Health, Choline from Standard Process, and the Amino Acids Tyrosine from Designs For Health. Then we can add Herbs such as Licorice, Rhodiola, Siberian Ginseng and Ashwaganda. Herbal remedies work very well but only if they are potent enough and from an excellent source and quality. For my herbal supplements, I use Mediherb, a very reputable company from Australia.
Summary
With the proper changes of lifestyle and the appropriate supplementation, guided by a Professional Health Care Practitioner, it may take from several months to several years to restore someone’s Adrenal function. It is indeed a long journey, but I can easily say that if you suffer from basically any type of health issue, I can guarantee you that your Adrenals have been involved to some degree or another. These two little Adrenal Glands are so important for so many functions that they cannot / must not be neglected. You need to do everything in your power and knowledge to support them, restore them, and keep them healthy. Your Adrenal Glands are your best friends if you want to live a long, healthy, and happy life.
So, do not wait if you feel that you may have Adrenal Dysfunction, and seek the appropriate Professional Assistance to be a part of YOUR TEAM FOR BETTER HEALTH.
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TELEPHONE CONSULTATIONS
In addition to my daily practice of seeing patients in my office in Monterey, California, I also have a full schedule of patients from all over the United States, Canada and Europe with whom I meet regularly by way of Telephone Consultations. Please feel free to contact my office at 1-831-642-0202 to find out more information about Telephone Consultations or to set up a Telephone Consultation, especially if you reside in another area, city or country. Telephone Consultation are very effective and just as thorough as a face to face Consultations.
Happy New Year to you ALL and Happy New Health!
The entire contents of HEALTH AWARENESS are based upon the opinions of Beatrice Levinson, Naturopath, unless otherwise indicated. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as an offering and sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Beatrice Levinson, Naturopath within the U.S. and Europe. Beatrice Levinson, Naturopath encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.
©Copyright 2007 Beatrice F. Levinson, Naturopath. All Rights Reserved. This content may be copied in full, with copyright, contact, creation and information intact, without specific permission, when used only in a not-for-profit format. If any other use is desired, permission in writing from Beatrice Levinson is required.
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