Article - Adrenal Fatigue

Stresses like a demanding job, raising a family, relationship issues,
lack of sleep, financial pressures, improper nutrition, dieting, and unresolved emotional
distress cause the adrenal glands to produce cortisol. However, when we ask our
adrenal glands to chronically sustain high cortisol levels, they eventually become
fatigued. The resulting adrenal dysfunction not only affects cortisol production, but also impairs the adrenals’ ability to produce and balance hormones like DHEA, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

Symptoms of adrenal fatigue
The following symptoms are your body’s way of telling you that it is not receiving the support it needs to maintain healthy adrenal function.

* Fatigue
* Feeling tired despite sufficient hours of sleep
* Insomnia
* Weight gain
* Depression
* Hair loss
* Acne
* Reliance on stimulants like caffeine
* Cravings for carbohydrates or sugars
* Poor immune function
* Intolerance to cold

Related conditions
Adrenal fatigue is a likely factor in several medical conditions such as the following:

* Weight gain
* Hypothyroidism
* Chronic fatigue syndrome
* Arthritis
* Premature menopause

Testing for adrenal fatigue
In general, if you feel happy and well, have steady energy and emotions, sleep soundly seven to nine hours a night, wake up feeling rested, recover well from stress, and maintain a healthy weight without dieting, then your adrenals are probably doing well. On the other hand, if your energy lags during the day, you feel emotionally unbalanced much of the time, you sleep poorly or less than seven hours a night, can’t lose excess weight even while dieting, use caffeine or carbohydrates as “pick-me-ups” — these are all red flags indicating adrenal insufficiency.
We offer a comprehensive Adrenal Stress Index saliva test that can detect adrenal insufficiency. By knowing exactly where your cortisol and DHEA levels are, we can indiviualize a treatment plan that will help you feel better within weeks. Remember, it has taken a lifetime for adrenal glands to get so “tired” so it will take some time for them to be “refueled”!

Call the office to set up an Adrenal Assessment appointment.

In health,
Dr. Whittington