The stressors of daily life affect our adrenal glands. Much like putting pressure on a gas pedal stimulates forward motion, our adrenal glands will secrete cortisol and induce forward motion of our body until it runs out of cortisol.
A healthy balance of stress and relaxation is one way to keep the adrenal glands happy and well functioning and avoiding adrenal fatigue. Thus, it’s important to recognize stressors and find a healthy way to work through them.
Some examples of external stressors that weaken the adrenal glands and weaken the body’s balance are:
1. An impossibly full workload or schedule
2. A sequence of financial, relationship, employment and health difficulties.
3. A constant exposure to negative words, actions, music, and entertainment
4. Addictions that involve an unhealthy relationship to an object or substance. (e.g. Facebook, gambling, alcohol, caffeine, or tobacco)
Some examples of internal stressors are:
1. Rapid sugar surges and fluctuations,
2. Environmental toxins (e.g. Perfluorooctanoic acid PFOA found in Teflon cookware),
3. Food intolerance or allergies (e.g. gluten, lactose, and peanut allergies),
4. Chronic infections (such as bronchitis, pneumonia, and intestinal colitis).
The adrenal glands impact nearly every organ and tissue, as was mentioned in the previous article. Therefore, symptoms of adrenal fatigue are a combination of multiple organ or tissue imbalances. Some examples are:
1) Memory problems and brain fog
2) Daytime fatigue
3) Burst of energy at night
4) Dizziness
5) Thyroid dysfunction
6) Heart palpitations (rapid beating or fluttering)
7) Low stamina
8) Irritability, anxiety, depression
9) Low immunity and frequent infections
10) Low blood pressure
11) Infertility due to hormonal imbalance
12) Sugar cravings and slow digestion
These symptoms do not have to be present all at once or in any particular order. The symptoms of adrenal fatigue can develop over a period of months or even years. However, if most of these symptoms are present all at once, one must attempt to find every external and internal stressor that could be weakening the adrenal glands.
Before venturing to self-diagnosis, however, a thorough medical evaluation is recommended. Since adrenal fatigue is not diagnosed by one single blood test, a range of tests conducted multiple times may be required. These may include a saliva hormone level test to check your salivary cortisol levels. Saliva hormone testing is generally considered the most accurate way of testing the content of any hormone in the body.
Other blood tests can point to thyroid disease, or rule out diabetes, liver or kidney disorder. Blood and skin allergy tests can check for gluten, nut or soy allergies. Other internal imbalance can be accessed through a stool study, which evaluates for dysbiosis (gut flora imbalance between good and bad bacteria and an overload of Candida).
Next week we will discuss natural treatments that can be done alongside medical attention in order to treat adrenal fatigue.
If you are blessed and have none of these symptoms, remember to keep your stress and relaxation times in balance through the 8 laws of health: maintaining a nutritious diet, adequate physical activity, adequate hydration, sunlight and fresh air, rest, temperance in all things, and trust in God. This way, our adrenal glands and immune system will be strengthened and capable of bearing the external stressors without fatigue.
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30