More and more alternative health practitioners are beginning
to recognize how widespread adrenal fatigue (hypoadrenia) is in the general
population. In mainstream medicine, doctors refuse to recognize there is a
problem with the adrenal glands unless you meet the diagnostic criteria for
Addison's disease (extremely little adrenal function) or Cushing's disease
(hyper adrenal). These diseases together affect less than 2% of the population,
but some experts believe that upwards of 80% of the population suffers from
some level of adrenal insufficiency. Besides the usual symptoms of overwhelming
fatigue and inability to handle stress, the symptoms listed below provide a
more complete picture of adrenal fatigue and
are often overlooked even by alternative practitioners.
•ASTHMA, BRONCHITIS or CHRONIC COUGH: Any person with lung problems,
especially asthma and bronchitis
should be checked for poor adrenal function. The lungs cannot respond
appropriately to stress, allergens etc because of lack of cortisol. Asthma is often considered
an emotional disease
because stress can trigger an attack. Fix the adrenals so the body can
respond normally to stress and the asthma will disappear.
•ALLERGIES: Most allergies
involve an inflammatory process. As the adrenal function decreases, allergies
worsen. Generally, if the adrenal glands were
functioning properly, the body would not respond to the allergen. This same
anti-inflammatory effect is important in asthma also. As the adrenal glands
heal, allergies are markedly reduced.
•RECURRENT INFECTIONS: Severe and/or recurrent infections (especially
respiratory) often indicate adrenal problems. The more severe, the more
frequently it occurs or the longer it lasts, the more likely adrenal fatigue is
involved in the infection.
•MUSCLE WEAKNESS AND BACK PAIN: Dr. Goodheart identified five skeletal
muscles which can indicate adrenal function. These are 1) sartorius, 2)
gracilis, 3) posterior tibialis, 4) gastrocnemius, and 5) soleus. When the
adrenal glands are malfunctioning, there will be weakness in one or more of
these muscles. The sartorius and gracilis attach on the pelvis. Weakness in
these muscles can cause the sacro-iliac joint to subluxate posteriorally
(toward the back) leading to low back pain. In persons with
adrenal fatigue, low back pain is frequently caused by instability of the
pelvis rather than an actual back problem. These same two muscles also attach
to the knee and help provide support. Weakness will cause knee pain, weakness
and instability of the joint. Any person with knee problems should be checked
for adrenal fatigue. The other 3 muscles mentioned stabilize the feet and ankles.
Weakness of any of these muscles leads to complaints of tired, aching feet,
weak ankles or aching calves. The symptoms related to the muscle weakness will
improve when the adrenal glands are treated.
•SLEEP DISTURBANCES: Cortisol production follows a curve from highest
levels around 8am, dropping throughout the day until the lowest levels are
reached about 11pm. In early stages of adrenal fatigue the body compensates
with high night time cortisol. In this case the person finds it difficult to
relax from the stress of the day and has trouble going to sleep. High
night-time cortisol results in reduced REM sleep which is neither restful nor
restorative. This can lead to depression and reduced energy levels the next
day. In later stages of adrenal fatigue, the body may produce adrenaline
("fight or flight" hormone) in an attempt to compensate for low
cortisol. This too will result in insomnia.
•DIZZINESS (POSTURAL HYPOTENSION): When a person stands from a sitting
or lying position, the systolic blood pressure
usually rises about 10 points as blood vessels in the
lower body constrict to force blood to the heart, lungs and brain. This is a
result of the action of epinephrine on the blood vessels. In people with
adrenal fatigue, the blood vessels are unable to respond to the release of
epinephrine because of lack of cortisol, so blood pools in the abdomen and
pelvis and blood pressure drops. This systolic drop ranges from 10 to 40 points
and is present in over 90% of those with hypoadrenia. Dizziness is usually
present on standing; however, in some people it is present intermittently or
constantly throughout the day as even resting blood pressure is low.
Paradoxically, in order to prevent pooling of blood in the abdomen and lower
extremities, the body may keep blood pressure extremely elevated. Pressure will
still drop when the person stands but only to around 150. Remember, it may have
been 180 or higher before standing. Treating the adrenals will lower blood
pressure whereas anti-hypertensives and diuretics will make the adrenal
problems worse in many cases.
•INFLAMMATION: Cortisol and other glucocorticoids produced by the
adrenal glands are the body's own anti-inflammatory hormones. People who have
responded to injections of corticosteroids into joints or to taking them orally
are usually those whose adrenal glands produce insufficient amounts of these
hormones. Any person who responds to corticosteroids should be checked for
adrenal fatigue.
•HYPOGLYCEMIA: As adrenal fatigue progresses, blood glucose levels
will tend to fall too low. The body responds to hypoglycemia by causing the
person to crave anything that will rapidly raise blood sugar levels, such as a
soda, candy bar, a cup of coffee or even cigarettes. Often adrenal fatigue
leads to the abuse of alcohol, marijuana, and hard drugs because of the need to
"fix" recurrent hypoglycemia. Unfortunately, the rapid rise in blood glucose provided by the
"fix" only serves to start the whole cycle over.
•HEADACHES: This is caused again by blood pooling in the abdomen and
pelvis leading to inadequate blood supply to the head.
•BEHAVIOR AND MEMORY PROBLEMS: Cortisol even regulates the electrical
activity of neurons in the brain and thus influences behavior, mood and memory.
Behavior changes frequently occur in both excess and deficient cortisol levels.
Sleep disorders for example, are common with both high and low cortisol.
Symptoms more closely related to adrenal fatigue involve decreased tolerance
(quick to anger), decreased clarity of thought, poor memory and memory
retrieval.
•SALT CRAVING: The adrenal glands produce many more hormones than just
glucocorticoids. One very important hormone is aldosterone, a
mineralocorticoid. Aldosterone regulates fluid and electrolytes (sodium,
chloride, potassium and
magnesium) in the blood, between and in the cells of the body. As adrenal
fatigue progresses, the production of aldosterone lessens. This causes
"salt-wasting". As the salt
is excreted by the kidneys, water
follows leading to electrolyte imbalance and dehydration. Those with
adrenal fatigue should always add salt (preferably sea salt with its trace
minerals) to their water. Soft drinks and electrolyte drinks like Gatorade are
high in potassium and low in sodium,
the opposite of what someone with low cortisol needs. Commercial electrolyte
drinks are designed for those who produce high cortisol when exercising, not
for someone who produces little or no extra cortisol during exercise. You need
to add ¼ to 1 teaspoon of salt to a glass of water or eat something salty to
maintain fluid/electrolyte balance.
•EXCESSIVE THIRST AND URINATION: A person with low aldosterone may also
urinate 15 to 20 times a day and drink excessive quantities of water. Unless
salt is added to the water, the fluid/electrolyte balance in the body is
further disrupted.
•SWELLING: As the body tries to keep the ratio of electrolytes and fluid
balanced, fluid may pour into the tissues and cause swelling. Most doctors will only see the
symptom and not the cause and prescribe a diuretic which further compounds the
dehydration and electrolyte imbalance and making the patient worse.
•HEMORRHOIDS: Hemorrhoids are basically varicose veins of the rectum and
are caused by blood pooling in the abdomen and pelvis. When a person presents
with hemorrhoids, it is usually do to adrenal fatigue, but can be caused by
liver congestion. Once again, listening to the heart can help determine the
cause. If the loud second sound is over the pulmonic valve, it is indicative of
adrenal problems, while a loud 2nd sound over the tricuspid valve is indicative
of liver congestion.
•VARICOSE VEINS: Varicose veins of the lower extremities result from the
same pooling of blood in the abdomen and pelvis that causes hemorrhoids.
•INDIGESTION: The same sluggish circulation in the abdomen can cause
symptoms of indigestion and poor absorption of nutrients.
•HYPERPIGMENTATION: Although more often seen in actual Addison's
disease, hyperpigmentation is occasionally seen in adrenal fatigue. This
increased pigmentation of the skin may show up as "bronzing"
somewhere on the body or as unusual brown patches.
•HEART SOUNDS: The heart normally makes a "lub-dub sound, with the
second sound being much quieter than the first sound. In a person with
hypoadrenia, the second sound will be equal or louder than the first sound over
the pulmonic valve. When the body is stressed, it produces epinephrine which
will cause vasoconstriction throughout most of the body, including the lungs.
This vasoconstriction decreases the production of mucous in the airways. At the
same time, epinephrine will relax the bronchi (bronchodilation) allowing more
air to reach the lungs. In those with adrenal fatigue, the body cannot respond
to the epinephrine because of lack of cortisol so they experience
bronchoconstriction instead, leading to symptoms of asthma. The
bronchoconstriction, along with vasodilation and swelling of the mucous
membranes create a back pressure in pulmonary circulation (pulmonary
hypertension) that causes the pulmonary valve to slam shut, hence the
accentuated second sound over the pulmonic valve. Lung diseases such as tuberculosis
or tumors can also cause this loud 2nd sound.
The adrenal glands are very complex parts of the endocrine system producing
glucocorticoids (cortisol is the most important), mineralocorticoids
(aldosterone), epinephrine, norepinephrine and even sex hormones. Adrenal
fatigue affects every part of the body and every aspect of life. If you are
experiencing the symptoms described above it is imperative you find a
practitioner and get tested and treated. It may be helpful to print this out
and take it to your practitioner. Saliva cortisol testing usually includes the
sex hormones too and can be ordered from several on-line sites without a
doctor's order. If you do it this way though, testing will not be covered by
insurance. Saliva testing is the most accurate test because it shows the rhythm
of cortisol production and because it shows how much cortisol is present that
the body can actually use. Blood tests only show bound cortisol which gives no indication
if that cortisol is actually available to enter the tissues. Many people test
"normal" on blood cortisol yet very low on saliva.
Sources:
http://tuberose.com/Adrenal_Glands.html
Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome by Dr. James Wilson
http://www.drlam.com/A3R_brief_in_doc_f...
