Adrenal Fatigue Treatment In San Diego

The adrenal glands help the body manage stress by regulating blood sugar, blood pressure, and fluid balance. Additionally, these glands produce reproductive hormones and cortisol – a hormone associated with stress.
Woman who is feeling physically and mentally exhausted and is rubbing her face with her tired hand.

What Are The Adrenals?

The brain recognizes physical, mental, and emotional stressors as a threat, signaling the adrenal glands to produce cortisol and adrenaline. This is known as a sympathetic or “fight or flight” response that gives the body the capability to confront or flee from danger. Although this is a beneficial response in critical moments, prolonged activation of these stress hormones can lead to adrenal fatigue.

What Is Adrenal Fatigue?

Adrenal fatigue is not classified as a disease, but rather as a functional illness or disharmony.

Despite this, it is not an imaginary issue; it just isn’t acknowledged by most conventional physicians.

This condition is typically accompanied by unbalanced cortisol levels and hormones like DHEA, testosterone, progesterone, and estrogen.

It can be challenging to identify adrenal fatigue due to its likeness to many other conditions.

Nonetheless, people with this condition tend to display a range of symptoms that can be evaluated through proper testing, which can help to differentiate it from other conditions.

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Symptoms Of Adrenal Fatigue

Individuals suffering from adrenal fatigue may experience a variety of symptoms, such as fatigue, mental and emotional issues, food cravings, brain fog, and lightheadedness.

Woman who is feeling mentally and physically drained, due to overworking or staring at a computer screen for too long

Symptoms of adrenal fatigue may include:

  • Tiredness in the morning despite adequate sleep
  • Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep through the night
  • An afternoon energy dip around 2-3pm
  • Relying on coffee or other stimulants in the morning to get up and get going
  • Fluctuations in energy levels during the day
  • Mood fluctuations
  • Depressed mood
  • Decreased motivation
  • Brain fog
  • Insulin resistance or other blood sugar problems
  • Craving for salty or sweet foods
  • Bone loss or muscle loss
  • Lightheadedness upon standing
  • Chronic fatigue
  • Decreased sex drive

Naturopathic Approach For Adrenal Fatigue

Naturopathic support of the adrenal glands may include key lifestyle modifications, such as improving sleep and reducing stress, as well as specific nutraceuticals that can help promote balance. Several factors to consider when addressing adrenal fatigue are outlined below:

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  • Stress-relief practices like yoga, tai chi, nature walks, and meditation can be immensely beneficial for those suffering from adrenal fatigue. These techniques can help to reduce the body’s stress response and shift it away from the ‘fight or flight’ mode. This ‘fight or flight’ reaction may feel natural and automatic, so some time may be needed to retrain both body and mind into a state of restful relaxation.
  • A regular sleep routine and time to relax each evening is especially important to those suffering from adrenal fatigue. Turning off electronics at least an hour before bedtime and sleeping in a dark room can be key components of this regimen. Depending on the stage of adrenal fatigue, herbs or nutritional supplements may be used to further optimize sleep.
  • Herbs such as ashwagandha, rhodiola and ginseng are renowned adaptogens commonly used to normalize adrenal function. Used for thousands of years, these powerful herbs can make a tremendous difference in the lives of those struggling with adrenal fatigue. Additionally, they help the body react to stress and return to balance more quickly.
  • B vitamins play an essential role in hormone and neurotransmitter production, as well as energy production. With chronic stress, these nutrients can become quickly depleted. Of them, B5 (pantothenic acid) is especially vital for healthy adrenal function.
  • Cutting back on, or completely eliminating caffeine (for a given period of time) can benefit the body and help reduce stress. By reducing consumption of this stimulant, you are allowing your adrenals and nervous system to take a much-needed break and recover.
  • With diaphragmatic breathing, we can tap into our parasympathetic “rest and digest” nervous system and provide a counterbalance to the “fight or flight” response. By consciously employing this breathing technique, we can train our body to remain in a relaxed state more often, minimizing our stress levels and relieving the burden on our adrenal glands.

Adrenal Fatigue And Sexual Dysfunction

An unbalanced production of stress hormones can lead to an imbalance of sex hormones, which is known as the “cortisol or pregnenolone steal”.

This is because pregnenolone (which comes from cholesterol) has two possible pathways it can follow.

The first involves turning into DHEA, which in turn produces testosterone and estrogen. The second converts pregnenolone into cortisol (our stress hormone).

When stress levels are high over a long period of time, there is an increased production of cortisol and a reduced production of sex hormones — leading to potential sexual dysfunction.

Man who is feeling exhausted and is sitting on the bedside next to a woman who is asleep

Stages Of Adrenal Fatigue

There are three stages of adrenal fatigue depending on the severity of stressors incurred and the length of time under stress. People usually start in stage one and progress over time to stage two, and eventually to stage three. The three stages are outlined below:

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Stage 1: Alarm or Arousal Phase

  • The first phase of adrenal fatigue
  • A normal response to stressors
  • DHEA and cortisol generally elevate in this stage
  • Anxiety, insomnia, or IBS can be seen

Stage 2: Adaptation, Resistance, or Early Decompensation Phase

  • The second phase of adrenal fatigue
  • Can be present for several months up to several years
  • Cortisol usually increases and may stay increased throughout the day
  • DHEA may be normal but can start to decline during stage 2

Stage 3: Exhaustion or Late Decompensation Phase

  • The last stage of adrenal fatigue
  • Typically the result of years of prolonged stress
  • May occur sooner as a result of significant stressors i.e. loss of a loved one or other major traumatic event
  • DHEA and cortisol are generally flatlined
  • Exhaustion and depressed mood are usually seen in this phase

Testing for adrenal fatigue:

  • Serum cortisol
  • 4 point cortisol (saliva)
  • 6 point cortisol (saliva – including cortisol awakening response)
  • ACTH
  • Sex steroids i.e. estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA-s
  • Pregnenolone
  • Melatonin
  • Cortisol/DHEA ratio
  • Urinary free cortisol