Adrenal Fatigue: How Does it Develop

Although adrenal fatigue represents a physical energy breakdown, it can be brought on by any kind of stress – physical or emotional. Many types of stress, if severe enough or of long enough duration, can result in adrenal fatigue.

Essentially, stress depletes vital nutrients faster than they can be replaced by your normal dietary intake. You will need two to three times the amounts of nutrients. As the body’s nutrient reserves become depleted, the energy producing glands, the thyroid and adrenal glands, are unable to function normally (maintain homeostasis) and symptoms begin to appear, or present symptoms are magnified.

An inadequate diet and excess processed foods, can hasten the process. However, adrenal fatigue can occur in the presence of an adequate whole food diet. This is what happened in my case which proves stress trumps a healthy diet. I had been eating clean, organic and non-GMO for about ten years when I was diagnosed. Consuming a whole, clean food diet was key to my quick recovery. However, it doesn’t mean if you aren’t eating this way that you can’t recover quickly. 

How to determine if you have adrenal fatigue? Salivary Hormone & Neurotransmitter testing are two ways. Contact a Naturopath, DO, or an Integrative Physician to start the testing as they can guide you through a protocol.

Adrenal insufficiency is commonly associated with the following symptoms, which can vary from mild to extreme. I see it much more in women and sadly in teens. Think about parents who keep their kids going 24/7 in sports, school pressures, social activities, etc. We really need to examine the message we are sending, priorities, keeping balance and protecting their health and preventing adrenal stress.

• need for excessive amounts of sleep and waking up feeling exhausted after you have slept. This is not to be confused with the person who lives on 4-6 hours of sleep. They truly just need sleep!
• fatigue, low stamina
• decreased tolerance to cold – poor circulation
• low blood sugar level (hypoglycemia)
• low blood pressure
• apathy or depression
• low self-esteem due to low energy output
• joint aches and pains
• low levels of gastric hydrochloric acid (gas, bloating, AR)
• constipation
• muscle weakness
• fears, due to low energy and secondary copper toxicity
• lowered resistance to infection
• subnormal body temperature

Causes of Adrenal Insufficiency

• Genetics can affect the adrenal glands. Also, genetic defects can be a cause of physical and emotional stress that can weaken the adrenal glands.
• Congenital Weakness- Congenital means present at birth. However, it is not related to the genes. It is caused by nutritional deficiencies of the mother that are passed on to the child. It may also be caused by toxic metals or other toxins passed on from the mother’s body that interfere with the functioning of the adrenal glands. This is a common cause of adrenal insufficiency today.
• Nutritional Imbalances- These can begin early in childhood with inadequate diets, diet inappropriate for one’s oxidation type, poor food quality, or digestive problems that prevent proper nutrition. Even natural foods today often are low in vital minerals and do not provide adequate nutrition. Pesticides, heavy metals, bacteria, solvents and other organic chemicals can all act as stressors that weaken the adrenal glands.
• Other possible stressors include pressures from family, school, work, social pressure, financial stress and others. People who force their bodies to “run or fight” all the time by any means will tend to exhaust their adrenal glands. The ‘fight-or-flight’ tendency must be balanced by adequate rest and sleep.
• Most stimulants whip the adrenal glands. This may cause one to feel better for a while, but the long-term effect is to weaken the adrenal glands. Stimulants include sugar, alcohol, caffeine, theobromine in chocolate, amphetamines and other medical drugs. Chocolate was my drug of choice! Anger, fear and worry can act as stimulants as well.
• Infections, Energetic and Structural Imbalances. These are all internal stressors that, if left uncorrected, can eventually weaken the adrenal glands by forcing the body to mount a chronic stress response to these irritants.
• Toxic Substances. These may include chlorine in water (chlorinated swimming pools), polluted air, mercury from dental fillings or seafood, household chemicals, food additives, pesticide exposure, dusts, molds and pollen’s.
• Mental Attitude. One’s attitude makes a great difference in determining the stress response. Worry, fear, anger and resentment tend to increase the stress response. An attitude of gratitude, and compassion for oneself and others tends to diminish the stress response. Understanding the impermanence of the body and the world we live in, emotional detachment and detachment from all form, and a single-minded desire to extend love can greatly diminish the stress response. 
• Doing vs Being.  You can still have healthy ambition, challenging goals and enjoy life without going into overdrive. There are two type of people that when stressed either go into overdrive (that’s me) or those that shut down. Neither is good, just recognize your mode and find someone to help you work through it.  I have a heart centered coach that helps me.

The adrenal glands are often referred to as the stress glands or the fight-or-flight glands. The fight-or-flight response is the way our bodies respond to stress and is mediated by the adrenal medulla.

The stress response prepares the body to run or fight. Blood pressure, pulse rate and blood sugar levels increase. Blood is directed away from the digestive organs and toward the muscles and brain. The pupils dilate and the speed of reflexes increases.

The stress response is caused by the action of the adrenal hormones. Symptoms of adrenal insufficiency can be directly traced to a reduced secretion of these hormones when under stress. Adrenal hormones are divided into two groups, those produced in the adrenal medulla and those produced in the adrenal cortex.

Hormones produced in the medulla are epinephrine and norepinephrine. These are powerful, fast-acting neurotransmitters which initiate the fight-flight response. They are also sometimes called adrenaline and noradrenalin. The hormones produced by the adrenal cortex are aldosterone, cortisol and cortisone. The cortical hormones have a slower, more prolonged action.

Tomorrow I will share….how I healed.