Let’s talk about adrenal fatigue. Have you heard of this? What exactly is adrenal fatigue?  Is it real or a hyped up buzz term? Can you test for it? These are some of the questions that come up with this topic. So let’s review.

First, what are the adrenals?

The adrenals are glands that sit on top of the kidneys. The adrenal glands secrete several hormones that are vital for life. The most important and well-known hormone that is associated with the adrenals is cortisol. Cortisol is a steroid. Cortisol is used to respond to urgent situations, which you may know as “fight or flight“ response. If you need to be ready to fight, your heart rate goes up, your pupils dilate, your brain and body are on high alert and all of that takes up a lot of cortisol. But usually this is a quick burst, your end the high alert and all is well because your body will replenish what you used up.

What happens when your body is always under stress and on high alert?  Well, the adrenals have to continuously put out cortisol to respond to that stress and has little time to replenish.

The body is very good at adapting and figuring out how to get more cortisol when you need it so that you can continue to protect yourself and stay in balance. One of the first places cortisol is stolen from is the cortisol used to make hormones like testosterone, estrogen and progesterone. With less of those hormones being produced, you start to notice that you’re more tired, you may be starting to gain some weight, become a little bit more moody or irritable, have appetite changes and difficulty with sleeping. Maybe even some night sweats or hot flashes.

Once you start becoming symptomatic, you start looking for answers. Unfortunately, you may hear all your tests are normal. That seems so frustrating when you’ve hit the wall and all you want is to feel better.

There is no one test that can diagnose adrenal fatigue. Why?

Adrenal fatigue because it’s more of an end result than a “diagnosis” and requires a look at the whole story. Looking at when the symptoms began, things that are happening in your life, and actually looking at the lab and hormone levels all together instead of individually.

You may have been hanging on and coping with stress for so long that you don’t even realize that’s the cause of all of your symptoms. Stress can be in many forms and become a way of modern life. You can have stress over a situation. Stress can be not sleeping enough, or not eating enough. Stress can be never allowing your body to relax and replenish.

So, if you suspect you have adrenal fatigue, how do you fix it?

Well, you don’t hit the wall and your adrenals don’t give out overnight, so you’re not going to fix it overnight. Treating adrenal fatigue requires actually doing some self-care. Taking care of yourself means resting, relaxing, getting the sleep that you need, making sure that you get the right vitamins, specifically, the B vitamins. There are herbs called adaptogens, that assist in making cortisol and responding to stress. The two most popular for adrenal fatigue are Ashwaghanda and Rhodiola.

Exhaustion is not normal. Chronic fatigue is real. If you are just wore out and can’t get answers or any relief, consider adrenal fatigue. Start doing some self-care. See if that helps your symptoms. Be careful not to chase down or fall into gimmicks. Find a medical professional you can trust, that will look at the big picture and help you find the imbalances that may be re-balanced. Adrenal fatigue effects the whole person, not just the adrenals.

Health Interventions has resources for you! healthinterventions.net.

Prestige Family Health Care in Maryland & Spring Valley Family Care in WV offer consultations or NPClinicOnline.