Adrenal Fatigue Basics

by Glen Depke, Traditional Naturopath Adrenal function plays a significant role in your body’s overall function. The two tiny little triangular glands that sit above each kidney will play a direct role in the function of these areas below. The comments in ( ) will represent the common symptoms felt with the underlying bodily imbalance.

Thyroid function (most typically hypothyroid conditions)
Pancreas function (often type II diabetes or insulin resistance)
Ovary function (PMS, menopause symptoms or infertility)
Metabolism of fat and protein (poor nutrient absorption along with poor energy output)
Regulation of body weight and fat (inability to lose weight even when addressing diet and exercise)
Mucosal surface integrity (most often tied into food sensitivity)
Detoxification (headaches, fatigue, muscle aches and chemical sensitivities)
Immune regulation (autoimmunity, cancer, longevity of illness)
Pro and anti-inflammatory responses (pain, muscle aches, autoimmunity, cancer, chronic illness)
Cellular energy (who doesn’t want more energy these days?)
Blood sugar balance (high glucose, hypoglycemic, insulin resistance, precursor to diabetes)
Bone and connective tissue turnover (osteopenia, osteoporosis, frequent sprains)
Muscular integrity (chronic muscle soreness, inability to recover from exercise)
Neuronal connectivity (brain fog, lack of proper brain function, brain degeneration, dementia, etc.)
Quality of sleep and mood (poor sleep habits, not refreshed upon waking, moody, loss of mental/emotional coping mechanism)
Ability to memorize and learn (poor memory, poor concentration, poor comprehension)

So the question to ask yourself is, how many of these symptoms are you currently dealing with or honestly, not dealing with? If you are like most people in our culture, there are at least a few of these areas that are challenging to you but hopefully these have not developed into deeper chronic disease states as of yet. The point that is important to go home with on this today is that all of these bodily functions are dependent on proper adrenal function. You may or may not have heard me mention this in the past but at Depke Wellness we have reviewed almost 4,700 adrenal saliva test kits and we have only seen 5 return healthy and balanced. No, that was not a typo, I did say ONLY 5! Now in fairness, here at Depke Wellness we do work with individuals that have health issues. So this basically tells us that if you have a health issue, there is only approximately 1/10^th of one percent that you would have healthy adrenals. An as you can see by the bullet points above, if you have an adrenal issue, you have a holistic issue in your body because of the impact your adrenal have on so many areas of function, or lack of function, in your body. If this is a concern for you, which it most likely is, what are the basics for you to address right now? Here are some of the basic areas in life that I would recommend addressing ASAP for you.

Take vitamin B5 – this is the precursor to all adrenal hormone production
Address your response to mental/emotional stress – notice I did not say eliminate this but rather it is essential to learn new tools to perceive stress differently and react to this in a healthier response
Food sensitivity – either test for food sensitivity or I would recommend a fantastic book on this subject called “The Plan” by Lyn-Genet Recitas
Reduce or eliminate inflammation – this is a typical chronic trigger for most with adrenal fatigue
Assess and address pathogens – many people are living with unknown pathogens such as parasites, protozoa, detrimental bacteria, H-pylori infections, etc.
Toxicity – if your body is toxic this will be a strain on your adrenal function

Addressing these areas above is a good start, but the key word here is start. Notice that I did not say that you have completed your adrenal balance by addressing the areas above. This is basically addressing the key triggers for why you are suffering with adrenal insufficiency and bodily imbalances in the first place. Another basic underlying issue tied into poor adrenal function is tied into what is referred to as your HPA axis or more technically speaking, your hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal axis. Simply put, the job of this HPA axis is to drop your body into a deeper state of relaxation after a stressful event, situation or time frame in your life. When this is functioning properly your body has natural functional response to reestablish balance after any form of stress. When this HPA axis is not functioning properly people will often find themselves feeling frustrated and hopeless. This is most often because you are putting a concerted effort into positive health practices with very little or even zero progress. This occurs with regularity for those that have poor HPA axis function and adrenal insufficiency. One more note, when the HPA axis is not in balance, you will likely also lose your coping mechanism and understand this is when you notice that the stress you used to handle with ease in the past, is now pushing you over the edge. Balancing this along with your overall adrenal function will be an essential component to any healing program. The other key is addressing the adrenal function itself with proper testing and protocols to assist your body in balancing your adrenal function. To learn more about stages of adrenal function, the overall adrenal impact on your body, adrenal hormone production and most importantly, what you can do to address this and feel good again, follow this link to receive your complimentary 20 minute phone consultation with a Depke Wellness adrenal expert. During this session, you may just find the answers you are looking for. If you have any comments or questions regarding this article, please leave a post below and we will address this personally for you.

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