Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome: Find Out Why it Drains Your Energy
Leading a life that’s full of joy and happiness requires an abundance of vigor and energy. For many people there is not enough gas in their tanks and each day drags on and tiredness is the daily battle.
Every physical action and both emotional and mental actions expend energy. When energy is used, it must be replenished. The stress of living drains our energy resources.
As we experience daily stresses, our hormonal system plays a large role and the adrenal gland is the orchestra leader in instructing the body’s parts what to do. The primary stress handling system is called the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. This system turns-on to deal with all the stress we experience. But, after it starts to rev up, it must go back to its resting position.
An Activated Stress Response is Supposed to Do Its Job and Then Turn-Off
This system is supposed to eliminate the stressing stimulus and return the body to balance. But, for many people, they do not have the energetic resources to allow this system to get the job done so it continues to fight to complete its task. The adrenal gland secretes two hormones: adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline is the fight or flee hormone and it’s very fast acting.
The adrenal cortex secretes cortisol which acts more slowly and is the primary hormone involved in dealing with chronic stress, such as war. Medical studies of the chronic and extreme fatigue syndromes have implicated the HPA axis as being involved.
Cortisol deficiency and adrenal gland involvement were first presented as the possible causes of fatigue states in the late 1800’s. Medicine is very confused about the underlying causes of fatigue and since there are so many possible causes it cannot reach a conclusion or consensus about cortisol.
The primary reason for the lack of a definitive answer about adrenal fatigue syndrome is due to the wide range of variations in measuring adrenal output. People with adrenal insufficiency are at risk for adrenal crisis, usually caused by a major stress, such as severe infection or surgery.
Sub-Clinical (No Diagnosis) is What Most People Suffer From
Only a small percent of people receive a medical diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). A large percent have undiagnosable fatigue. In this case, the medical work-ups do not find any specific causes for the fatigue state. Unfortunately, the person does suffer despite the lack of a diagnosis.
Current investigations have shown that the HPA axis is involved and that the primary defect is a reduced output of cortisol from the adrenal gland. Studies have shown that adrenal gland size is reduced by about half in those diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome showing a functional reason for less cortisol output.
This evidence supports the idea that adrenal fatigue syndrome arises from a reduced cortisol output because of the reduced size of the adrenal gland. Adrenal gland reduced capacity is likely involved in all cases of chronic and extreme fatigue. From a medical point of view, this understanding has not led to the development of any effective therapies.
Although the medical community doesn’t have any effective therapies, there are many proposals from those in alternative medicine. These include nutritional supplementation plans, such as the use of DHEA, and more comprehensive programs involving exercise, diet, vitamin/mineral complexes, and the use of specific herbal formulations. The results from using these types of therapies indicate that adrenal fatigue syndrome can be addressed.
Using alternative medicine modalities is outside the boundaries of mainstream medicine and is looked upon as a mistake. The patient receives no support from his doctor and might even be released from his care if he takes his health into his own hands. Many people, today, are doing just that and looking for other ways to maintain their health that does not rely on the use of the regular medical community.