The Myth of Adrenal Fatigue
People are often seeking answers for why they do not feel well. In today’s busy age, work, stress, poor sleep, medical conditions and a whole host of factors can lead to decreased quality of life. I often have patients complaining of fatigue, brain fog, poor sleep, weight gain, restlessness. It is only normal to hope to find a diagnosis, a simple cause that can be corrected and help us feel better.
So, what are your adrenal glands, and why are they important? The adrenal glands are 2 small, triangular-shaped glands that sit above your kidneys. They are responsible for producing several hormones related to stress response. The adrenal glands play a large role in regulating energy, blood pressure, blood sugar, stress response and more. Of the hormones your adrenal glands produce, cortisol is the most vital. Cortisol has many effects on the body. It is a crucial tool in our body’s stress response, to give you energy, maintain blood pressure, recruit muscle strength and more. However, excess cortisol can have negative impacts. It effects sleep cycles, increases appetite (decreased leptin the fullness hormone). It can increase fat deposition, decrease insulin (leading to high blood sugar) and increase blood pressure. It decreased immune system, increased vasoactive response (easy bruising) and even weaken your bones. Chronic cortisol elevations can lead to increased sugar and fat cravings, weight gain, abdominal obesity (belly fat), sluggish metabolism and more.
What about Adrenal Fatigue? In 2001, James L Wilson, a chiropractor, naturopath, proposed the concept of Adrenal Fatigue. He claimed that adrenal fatigue develops when adrenal grands are worn out from chronic stress and cannot produce adequate adrenal hormones to deal with daily events. Adrenal Fatigue is characterized by any of the symptoms we often experience, including fatigue, brain fog, feeling run down, craving salty and sugary foods, being more prone to illness and loss of libido. At first sight, it sounds like an elegant explanation for what we are feeling, unfortunately, there is no scientific evidence to support it. Simply put, our adrenal glands are good at what they do, and they do not burn out from our daily stress.
It's worth noting that a healthy lifestyle (diet, good sleep, exercise, stress reduction, etc) can help everybody! I do not recommend taking any adrenal supplements or steroid treatments, these can hurt more than they help! Any time you are taking a synthetic hormone, it can suppress your natural hormone production and regulation. As mentioned above, too much steroid causes harm. The take home message is that your symptoms are real, and you deserve a real investigation and treatment.