Signs of adrenal fatigue include: Decreased libido. Anxiety. Compulsive eating. Slower recovery from illness.
Meditate and Relax
Can't stress it enough that stress is the biggest culprit of adrenal fatigue, so it's important to relax above anything else. Use some essential oils, take slow and deep belly breaths, and meditate to cause your stress levels to drop off and your adrenals to heal themselves.
The adrenal fatigue theory suggests that prolonged exposure to stress could drain the adrenals leading to a low cortisol state. The adrenal depletion would cause brain fog, low energy, depressive mood, salt and sweet cravings, lightheadedness, and other vague symptoms.
Pheochromocytoma: Caused by rare, non-cancerous tumors in the adrenal glands, this condition can cause panic attacks and anxiety, high blood pressure, heart palpitations and shortness of breath.
Anxiety, panic attacks or even depression (where there wasn't a history) can be a symptom of the patient's "bucket reserves" being too low. The adrenal glands are two small glands located on the top of kidneys (ad means "next to" and renal refers to the kidneys).
Recovery from adrenal fatigue can take anywhere from 3 months to 3 years. Each individual has a unique set of symptoms and an individual response to treatment.
Healing the adrenals is a critical piece to weight loss, energy, immune health and a well-functioning brain. Top tips include: eat a protein-rich breakfast, swap coffee for matcha, avoid intense workouts, upgrade the quality of your salt and experiment with adaptogens.
“the adrenals react strongly to unhealthy mental and emotional conditions, such as jealousy, hate, fear, as well as struggles of success, power, or position. Strong emotions cause the adrenals to release extra reserves of stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol).
Adrenal fatigue isn't an accepted medical diagnosis. It is a lay term applied to a collection of nonspecific symptoms, such as body aches, fatigue, nervousness, sleep disturbances and digestive problems. Your adrenal glands produce a variety of hormones that are essential to life.
Stage 4 (Burnout/Crash)
Our adrenal glands have ceased to function, and little can be done to restore our bodies homeostasis. During the final stage of burnout and individual can suffer from lack of sex drive, depression, restlessness, anxiety and little to no interest in surroundings.
If left untreated, adrenal crisis can cause death. Adrenal crisis occurs mainly in people with primary AI. People in adrenal crisis need an injection (shot) of glucocorticoids (medicines that replace cortisol) right away. Then they need to go to the hospital immediately for more treatment.
The suggested treatments for healthy adrenal function are a diet low in sugar, caffeine, and junk food, and “targeted nutritional supplementation” that includes vitamins and minerals: Vitamins B5, B6, and B12. Vitamin C. Magnesium.
Hormone replacement
Less often, doctors prescribe prednisone link or dexamethasone link. If your adrenal glands aren't making aldosterone, you will take a medicine called fludrocortisone link, which helps balance the amount of sodium and fluids in your body.
The ACTH stimulation test is the test used most often to diagnose adrenal insufficiency. In this test, a health care professional will give you an intravenous (IV) injection of man-made ACTH, which is just like the ACTH your body makes.
ACTH Stimulation Test This is the most specific test for diagnosing adrenal insufficiency. Blood cortisol levels are measured before and after a synthetic form of adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), a hormone secreted from the anterior pituitary, is given by injection.
The hypothalamus produces corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) that stimulates the pituitary gland to secrete adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH). ACTH then stimulates the adrenal glands to make and release cortisol hormones into the blood.
In their prospective study of PAI patients, Hahner et al. found that emotional stress was identified as a triggering factor in 30% of adrenal crisis, as frequently as gastrointestinal symptoms or infections (35% and 32%, respectively).
Endocrine Connection
Our adrenal glands—small organs located above the kidneys—usually deal with stress by producing hormones like cortisol. According to the theory of adrenal fatigue, when people are faced with long-term stress, their adrenal glands cannot keep up with the body's need for these hormones.
Adrenal fatigue is thought to occur when the adrenals have been overworked to a degree that they can no longer secrete levels of cortisol that are adequate for optimal function. Potential stressors include environmental and dietary influences, as well as anxiety and emotional stresses.
So as adrenal fatigue progresses, your body's production of aldosterone drops, triggering dehydration and low electrolyte levels, he says. While increasing fluid intake can help in the short term, mediating your stressors is the only real long-term solution.
To naturally fight adrenal fatigue, remove inflammatory foods from your diet such as sugar and excess carbohydrates, and eat plenty of colorful, plant-based foods, free-range lean meats such as chicken or turkey, and lots of healthy fats.