Adrenal Fatigue is a state of sub-optimal health applied to a collection of non-specific symptoms such as weakness and low energy that is hard to explain. Most forms of Adrenal Fatigue are mild, with full recovery after rest, and therefore they will go undetected. A small number of people fail to recover and get worse to more advanced states. Advanced Adrenal Fatigue can be incapacitating. Physical or emotional stress (such as toxic relationships) plays a big role in this condition. Many myths and misinformation exist about Adrenal Fatigue. If the condition is left to natural progression and the stressors continue to persist, Adrenal Fatigue may worsen. Fortunately, the body has a built-in healing mechanism and can recover on its own most of the time, if given the right natural tools.
They include tiredness, insomnia, anxiety, low blood pressure, muscle pain, multiple chemical sensitivity, food allergies, loss of libido, low body temperature, low energy, menstrual irregularities, insomnia, PMS, sluggishness, heart palpitations, salt craving and hypoglycemia. You can have any combination and intensity of the above. Generally speaking, the milder the form, the fewer the symptoms. Symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue may appear to be confusing and convoluted because many systems of the body become concurrently dysfunctional. However, there is a logical explanation for each symptom that surfaces. Symptoms reflect the body's only way of alerting you to the disarray within. For example, salt craving and low blood pressure can be attributable to hormone aldosterone dysregulation. Heart palpitations can be due to sympathetic nervous system overtone. Muscle and joint pain are often due to the catabolic state of the body. Insomnia may be due to metabolic imbalances, and PMS is likely to be due to excessive estrogen. These symptoms reflect the body's strategy of returning to a lower physiological state of function. Its the body's way of returning to simplicity in a complex world. Just because your symptoms are hard to explain does not mean that they are not real. Knowing what your symptoms are telling you is the key to understanding the underlying root cause of your health problems and is the first step to recovery. In addition to the symptoms, many recognized conditions are related to Adrenal Fatigue, including IBS, Depression, Metabolic Syndrome, PCOS, POTS, Diabetes, Hypotension, Estrogen Dominance, Obesity, Hypothyroidism, and Auto-Immune Diseases. In advance stages, Adrenal Fatigue has a large component of mind-body dysfunction as well. Do not be surprised or afraid if the vast majority of health care practitioners are not familiar with these associations and their implications. The best strategy for recovery starts with taking control of your own health. The more you know, the better you are able to find the right practitioner to help you. Knowing more about how the Adrenal Fatigue related health conditions affect you and what they mean is the key to your recovery process.
Current understanding points to four stages of Adrenal Fatigue. Stage 1 is called Alarm Reaction. Stage 2 is called Resistance Response. In these two stages, symptoms are quite mild and therefore often escape detection. In fact, most in Stage 1 are asymptomatic. In these two stages, rest, dietary and lifestyle changes can be of great help towards full recovery. Stage 3 is called Adrenal Exhaustion. Stage 3 is the wake-up call for most people as the symptoms become severe and the condition becomes debilitating. There are four phases within Stage 3, each with different characteristics and hallmarks. Phase A is called Chronic Single System Dysfunction. In this phase, one or more internal system has weaken to such a point that symptoms become pathological and clinically evident. Phase B is called Multiple Endocrine Axis Imbalance. In this phase, multiple hormonal regulating organs are concurrently involved. Phase C is called Disequilibrium. This is where the most functional decline occurs. Internal emergency repair systems of the body are activated in order to maintain homeostasis. Symptoms of this phase are serious and can include heart palpitations, chest pain, postural hypotension, severe anxiety, severe insomnia, feeling (wired and tired), hypothyroid despite medication, and frequent adrenal crashes followed by slow recovery. The risk of adrenal failure increases as the Adrenal Fatigue condition advances. Phase D is called Near Failure. Most are typically bed-ridden. The body is at the lowest physiological state in order to conserve energy and survive. Knowing what is adrenal fatigue and knowing which stage you are in is important because recovery options differ for each stage and phase. What works for one stage may actually backfire if used blindly in another stage.
In particular, the Ovarian, Adrenal and Thyroid (OAT) hormonal axis is usually involved. Imbalance of the OAT axis is a hallmark of Stage 3B Adrenal Fatigue. It can lead to symptoms such as PMS, low body temperature, endometriosis, PCOS, cystic breast, menstrual irregularities, fibroids suggestive of ovarian dysfunction and estrogen dominance; dry skin, weight gain, fatigue, low energy, blunted response to thyroid medications suggestive of secondary hypothyroidism; salt craving, frequent infection, hypoglycemia, insomnia, anxiety and adrenaline rushes suggestive of sympathetic overtone common in late-stage Adrenal Exhaustion. The common approach by conventional medicine is to suppress these symptoms and to increase energy flow with drugs. This may give temporary relief, but is often a failed strategy in the long run, if the body is sensitive. An alternative and more gentle approach is to consider focus on adrenal health first. As adrenal health is restored, many of these symptoms improve.
The body's biological constitution or body type is an important determinant when it comes to the expression of Adrenal Fatigue. Each person's biological constitution is unique. Knowing the type of biological constitution you are born with is therefore important because it is a good qualitative predictor of crash intensity and recovery potential.
Crashes will occur when the body's ability to overcome perceived stress is overwhelmed. The body has reached its maximum level of ability to handle the complexity of life - physically or emotionally. Adrenal crash is the body's way to conserve energy by down-regulation of its internal function. The body is demanding a return to low energy state, a state of basic survival. Many are bedridden if crash is severe. This is the lowest physiological state. Fatigue can become severe quite suddenly. All sufferers should be well educated on how to manage an adrenal crash and how to facilitate recovery. Crash and recovery management is part of the adrenal crash and recovery cycle, which follows the laws of nature. It is important that sufferers of Adrenal Fatigue learn about this to avoid crashes, which weaken the adrenal glands.
However, improper use of nutritionals and over-aggressive use of prescription medications, including hormones, are common adrenal recovery mistakes. Herbs and glandulars are commonly used to support Adrenal Fatigue and may be beneficial in early stages of the disorder, but they often backfire as the condition worsens or if used without professional supervision long term. The use of hormones such as thyroid and steroidal medications must be monitored closely as their aggressive use is another danger that can lead to devastating results to many who suffer from advanced Adrenal Exhaustion. Fortunately, there are a number of gentle alternative natural compounds to help the recovery process. Knowing when to use what compound along with the proper delivery system is a key to the recovery process. Blindly taking a large cocktail of nutritional supplements can worsen Adrenal Fatigue over time.
Overly aggressive exercise can trigger adrenal crashes. Improper exercise can delay adrenal recovery by draining the body of energy needed for healing. Exercise intensity, frequency, and focus should match the energy state of the body at all times. Diet is an important component of adrenal recovery. Providing the proper dietary carbohydrate, protein and fat ratio fitting for the metabolic and body type is crucial. Electrolyte balance needs to be monitored closely for those with advanced Adrenal Fatigue due to sodium and blood pressure imbalances. Improper diet can delay and may worsen Adrenal Fatigue. A personalized Adrenal Fatigue exercise program and a dietary plan is key to a complete recovery program.
A single snapshot of one's hormonal function at one particular point in time seldom tells the whole story and in fact may be misleading. Widespread misinterpretation of saliva cortisol test results is common due to inconsistent clinical correlation. Saliva tests, if necessary, are most effective when administered serially for proper interpretation. Fortunately, there are simple and insightful qualitative challenges one can do at home to assess adrenal function with great insight.
Recovery requires a professional with a thorough knowledge of internal medicine, endocrinology, psychiatry and cardiology. A total mind-body recovery approach is best, incorporating a customized program of diet, lifestyle adjustments, and nutritional supplementation to match the body's needs during the entire recovery process. Medications can be administered as needed as last resort. Recovery time varies depending on severity. A three to twelve month recovery period is normal under expert guidance.
You may want to take some magnesium and see if it helps reduce the spasm.
