Core Adrenals
Oh, those adrenals. The two little glands that sit atop of the kidneys (ad/over top of the renal organ/kidney). A novel could easily be written about them here! But we will try to be concise.
There are four phases to adrenal fatigue. This is very important to know, as it is commonly touted as one thing, one diagnosis. It's the adrenals, take this product and all will be well.
If only it were so easy...
Stage one is an immediate alarm stage, characterized by increased epinepherine, norepinepherine, cortisol, DHEA, and insulin. It can be caused by ANY type of stress, whether that be lifestyle stress (work, home, money, kids, parents, being busy, etc.), mental/emotional stress, spiritual stress, or physical stress (excessive activity/lack of recovery time, pain, dietary stress, caffeine induced, etc.) While we think of adrenal fatigue as negative, funny enough, this stage actually feels AWESOME to most people, and many many people (most of us) actually mistake the success of a new endeavor with the reality that they are actually starting to slowly and steadily deplete their adrenals. It is called the catecholamine honeymoon. People experience amazing energy, effortless fat loss with a naturally lower appetite, mental acuity, cognition, and alertness. You need less sleep but feel more awake and energized than ever, allergies and asthma can decrease or vanish, and aches and pains are a thing of the past. This is because the hormones mentioned above (epi, norepi, cortisol, DHEA, and insulin) are stimulated to be released in higher than normal amounts, leading to increased body temperature and mitochondrial activity. This seems great, right?
Yeah, not so much. Because this extra production and utilization of the hormones cannot continue on forever. Which brings us to stage two adrenal fatigue. In stage two, the alarm phase continues with the same higher than normal production of cortisol, epinepherine, and norepinepherine. However, to maintain that level, the body has to start making some sacrifices and DHEA as well as the levels of the sex hormones start to drop. You may feel "wired but tired", with sufficient energy levels during the day, and then an utter crash in the evening. You may need coffee to function.
Stage three overlaps somewhat with stage two, in that the cortisol is still being produced at a substantial level, however, major drops in DHEA and sex hormones are seen as all of the hormone building blocks are being diverted to cortisol production. This is called the "Resistance Phase". Symptoms such as fatigue, depression, anxiety, hypersensitivity to noise, loss of libido, dry eyes/skin/hair, loss of hair (head, axial, pubic), low muscle mass, erectile dysfunction, increase in body fat, low bone density, vaginal dryness, UTIs, irregular periods, hot flashes, headaches/migraines, irritability, mood swings, insomnia, endometriosis, PMS, dysmenorrhea, fibrocystic breasts, and infertility can occur.
Stage four is the actual "Burnout Phase". Physiologically, levels of DHEA, sex hormones, and stress hormones (cortisol, epinepherine, norepinephrine) are all low. The body just cannot produce any more. It is DONE. This occurs after a long period of coping with stress (any stress, as noted above, and often it is a combination of many stresses). In addition to many of the symptoms mentioned in stage three, an individual may also experience extreme tiredness, weight loss, apathy, and a disinterest in the world around him or her. Recovery from this stage (which is surprisingly, or maybe unsurprisingly depending on the way you look at it more common than you would think) takes significant time, patience, and major lifestyle changes to be successful.
The reason I am going into so much depth here is to illustrate just how complex and overreaching in their effects the adrenal glands actually are. You may try to self-diagnose based on symptoms, and sometimes it is clear in which stage you are. However, often it is not, and objective laboratory testing with an ND can be crucially important in properly diagnosing your condition and current state. The proper diagnosis is important, as then we increase our likelihood of being able to properly treat the condition.
For example, say you seem like you are in burnout, but you are actually somewhere hovering between stages two and three. If we work on boosting up cortisol and increasing its longevity and function in the body, we may actually make you worse! You want to decrease/balance cortisol while supporting the body's adaptation to stress and promoting stress management. Therefore, it is important to work with an ND when treating this condition. You will likely save time and money by having a truly targeted, objective, and evidence-based approach.
To work with one of our NDs for any symptoms you think may be related to adrenal fatigue, please go here.
There are four phases to adrenal fatigue. This is very important to know, as it is commonly touted as one thing, one diagnosis. It's the adrenals, take this product and all will be well.
If only it were so easy...
Stage one is an immediate alarm stage, characterized by increased epinepherine, norepinepherine, cortisol, DHEA, and insulin. It can be caused by ANY type of stress, whether that be lifestyle stress (work, home, money, kids, parents, being busy, etc.), mental/emotional stress, spiritual stress, or physical stress (excessive activity/lack of recovery time, pain, dietary stress, caffeine induced, etc.) While we think of adrenal fatigue as negative, funny enough, this stage actually feels AWESOME to most people, and many many people (most of us) actually mistake the success of a new endeavor with the reality that they are actually starting to slowly and steadily deplete their adrenals. It is called the catecholamine honeymoon. People experience amazing energy, effortless fat loss with a naturally lower appetite, mental acuity, cognition, and alertness. You need less sleep but feel more awake and energized than ever, allergies and asthma can decrease or vanish, and aches and pains are a thing of the past. This is because the hormones mentioned above (epi, norepi, cortisol, DHEA, and insulin) are stimulated to be released in higher than normal amounts, leading to increased body temperature and mitochondrial activity. This seems great, right?
Yeah, not so much. Because this extra production and utilization of the hormones cannot continue on forever. Which brings us to stage two adrenal fatigue. In stage two, the alarm phase continues with the same higher than normal production of cortisol, epinepherine, and norepinepherine. However, to maintain that level, the body has to start making some sacrifices and DHEA as well as the levels of the sex hormones start to drop. You may feel "wired but tired", with sufficient energy levels during the day, and then an utter crash in the evening. You may need coffee to function.
Stage three overlaps somewhat with stage two, in that the cortisol is still being produced at a substantial level, however, major drops in DHEA and sex hormones are seen as all of the hormone building blocks are being diverted to cortisol production. This is called the "Resistance Phase". Symptoms such as fatigue, depression, anxiety, hypersensitivity to noise, loss of libido, dry eyes/skin/hair, loss of hair (head, axial, pubic), low muscle mass, erectile dysfunction, increase in body fat, low bone density, vaginal dryness, UTIs, irregular periods, hot flashes, headaches/migraines, irritability, mood swings, insomnia, endometriosis, PMS, dysmenorrhea, fibrocystic breasts, and infertility can occur.
Stage four is the actual "Burnout Phase". Physiologically, levels of DHEA, sex hormones, and stress hormones (cortisol, epinepherine, norepinephrine) are all low. The body just cannot produce any more. It is DONE. This occurs after a long period of coping with stress (any stress, as noted above, and often it is a combination of many stresses). In addition to many of the symptoms mentioned in stage three, an individual may also experience extreme tiredness, weight loss, apathy, and a disinterest in the world around him or her. Recovery from this stage (which is surprisingly, or maybe unsurprisingly depending on the way you look at it more common than you would think) takes significant time, patience, and major lifestyle changes to be successful.
The reason I am going into so much depth here is to illustrate just how complex and overreaching in their effects the adrenal glands actually are. You may try to self-diagnose based on symptoms, and sometimes it is clear in which stage you are. However, often it is not, and objective laboratory testing with an ND can be crucially important in properly diagnosing your condition and current state. The proper diagnosis is important, as then we increase our likelihood of being able to properly treat the condition.
For example, say you seem like you are in burnout, but you are actually somewhere hovering between stages two and three. If we work on boosting up cortisol and increasing its longevity and function in the body, we may actually make you worse! You want to decrease/balance cortisol while supporting the body's adaptation to stress and promoting stress management. Therefore, it is important to work with an ND when treating this condition. You will likely save time and money by having a truly targeted, objective, and evidence-based approach.
To work with one of our NDs for any symptoms you think may be related to adrenal fatigue, please go here.
