Health

There is an extremely prevalent health ailment on the rise called Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome that has been suffered by almost everyone that lives in today’s stressful society. Although it is not yet recognized by conventional doctors, it is real, and it is dangerous. It slowly and insidiously shuts down all 6 of the body’s neuroendo metabolic systems, stemming from the adrenals, and leaving sufferers fatigued with an abundance of other burdening symptoms. Thankfully, with proper recognition, and guidance, an adrenal fatigue treatment can be initiated. It has been shown that through a healthy, stress-free lifestyle that includes a proper diet, sleep schedule and exercise regiment, adrenal fatigue can begin to subside anywhere from a couple of months to 2 years, depending on the severity of the case. The key to success is in obtaining a knowledgeable clinician who takes the time to understand your body’s signals and cries for help and can offer a proper and successful treatment for adrenal fatigue.

Thankfully, unlike many debilitating chronic illnesses, adrenal fatigue is usually reversible. With professional guidance, steps can be taken to ensure the healing of the adrenals and the entire neuroendo metabolic system. Although laboratory tests can be helpful for the treatment of adrenal fatigue, they are not critical in most cases. Adrenal fatigue treatment includes a healthy adrenal diet, supplementation of a recommended amount of nutrients, proper sleep, a sustainable exercise regiment, and of the utmost importance, maintaining low-stress levels in everyday life. Since stress is one of the most prevalent causes of adrenal fatigue, it’s removal is pertinent to recovery. Pinpointing and addressing the stressors can be vital to treatment for adrenal fatigue and should not be taken lightly. Learning how to cope and manage stress is also a great tool for sufferers to include in their treatment plans.

The Science Behind Stress and the Adrenals

First, you must understand what is going on in the body during stress. When physical or mental stressors manifest, the body reacts with the neuroendo metabolic stress response system or NEM. It is a circuit of 6 individual systems all regulated by a different set of organs that help manage stress and include: hormonal, metabolic, detoxification, inflammatory, neuroaffective, and cardionomic systems. If the stress levels are high and chronic, the circuits become unbalanced, stimulate the sympathetic nervous system and symptoms arise. The body goes into a “fight or flight” response in attempts to protect and arm itself from harm. In addition, the medulla secretes epinephrine, and the HPA axis releases ACTH causing the adrenal cortex to overproduce the hormone cortisol, or also known as the hormone of death.

Why Medical Treatment for Adrenal Fatigue May Falter

Sadly, most conventional doctors are not familiar with adrenal fatigue symptoms and treatment. Although adrenal fatigue has been recognized as a clinical syndrome for some time, it is difficult to diagnose by traditional testing. Yes, blood work is beneficial to detect changes in hormones. But it often only detects adrenal function deficiencies when they are very low when the illness has often strongly progressed. The adrenal glands could be functioning at the 15-48%, and still not be detected by conventional testing. Patients can be given a “normal” diagnosis after test results come in, yet their adrenal glands are not performing anywhere near optimal.

There are also many lab tests that can be done for fatigue. However, they too, are not a proficient diagnostic tool in adrenal fatigue treatment. Normal results often hide illnesses, and abnormal results do not mean one is sick. The accuracy often falters can often be misleading.

It’s important to remember that stress directly relates to the level of adrenal hormones. If cortisol levels will vary according to the type of day the patient has had and may fluctuate greatly, altering the test results along with it.

Adrenal Fatigue Symptoms and Treatment

If you or a loved one have experienced severe fatigue along with the following symptoms, it is imperative that you consider looking into adrenal fatigue treatment and what it consists of:

● Weight gain with an emphasis in the waist area
● Low immune system
● Trembling with stress
● Low libido
● Lightheaded
● Brain fog
● Using stimulants to start or get through the day
● Cravings for salty, fatty, and high protein foods
● Increased PMS
● Upper back and neck pain
● Fatigue and other symptoms minimize when relaxed or on vacation
● Depression
● Food and various allergies
● Inability to handle stress
● Dry and thin skin
● Hypoglycemia
● Low body temperature
● Nervousness
● Heart palpitations
● Unexplained hair loss
● Bowel irregularities
● Belly pain or discomfort, bloating or feeling uncomfortably full after a meal

Although none of the signs or symptoms above can point to the diagnosis of adrenal fatigue, collectively, they paint a picture of a person under an excessive amount of stress in which the body is unable to handle and has begun a cry for help.

Living with the signs listed above can be severely debilitating and lessen one’s quality of life. If left untreated, adrenal fatigue can result in death. At its final stage, the adrenals become totally exhausted and patients are at a high risk of cardiovascular collapse or death. Adrenal fatigue treatment is non-invasive and benefits overall wellness, not only the adrenals. The sooner adrenal fatigue treatment is initiated, the sooner the adrenals can heal, and the body can rebalance and begin operating normally once again.

Adrenal Fatigue Treatment

 

Treatment for adrenal fatigue should be started immediately upon diagnosis. If in the beginning stages, it may not require any medical intervention, merely a change in lifestyle.

● Reduce all stress to the best of your ability. This is the most important step and includes any stressful relationships, work arrangements, or any stressful financial situations. Make the necessary changes to ensure a better quality of life for yourself and your family. Reducing stress can include meditation, practicing the art of yoga, taking long walks, or deep breathing methods.

● The second most important aspect of adrenal fatigue treatment establishing good sleeping patterns so the body can regenerate properly. It is recommended to sleep from 10 pm to 8:30 am. Avoid anything that can disrupt this sleep cycle including stimulants like coffee or tea. If needed, begin a regime of melatonin before bedtime.

● Treatment for adrenal fatigue must include an organic and clean adrenal fatigue diet along with proper nutritional supplementation that can strengthen the adrenals and bring the body back to a normal and healthy state. Supplements should include: Vitamin C, Glutathione, Vitamins B5, D and E, herbals including ashwagandha root, licorice root, Korean Ginseng, Siberian Ginseng, ginger root, and ginkgo leaf, steroids, under proper supervision, beta-carotene, selenium, magnesium, lysine, proline, glutamine, DHEA, pregnenolone, Ribose, CoQ and Type 1 and Type 3 collagens. It is important to remember that one person’s nutrient panel may be a toxic overload to another. All alternative and medical treatments for adrenal fatigue syndrome must be individualized, based on each person’s history, background, and body metabolic and clearance system. It is highly recommended receiving guidance from someone who specializes in an AFS diet.

● The final important step of adrenal fatigue treatment is exercise. Exercise normalizes cortisol levels and generally makes you feel much better. AFS sufferers should never over-exercise as it could be the cause of an adrenal crash. Anyone with advanced adrenal fatigue should exercise under professional supervision.

Use Caution

Always exert caution when seeking alternative or conventional medical treatment for adrenal fatigue. Find informed counsel or a healthcare practitioner that specializes in adrenal fatigue treatment to ensure proper diagnosis and quality care.

It’s important to remember a diagnosis of adrenal fatigue symptoms and treatment is often very difficult to receive and can go undetected. However, if you are experiencing extreme fatigue along with the majority of other signs and symptoms, stress may have caused your body dangerous harm.