Due to the ongoing stress so many people deal with daily, adrenal fatigue is becoming an increasingly common condition. This stress can come from the emotional challenge of trying to cope with work, home life, or relationships. But physical factors also cause stress, including illnesses, household cleaning products, and even the food you eat. All these factors add up and could result in hypoadrenia, a synonym for adrenal fatigue.
Unfortunately, the mainstream medical community does not recognize hypoadrenia as a health issue. As a result, many people end up with a series of seemingly unrelated symptoms that doctors struggle to identify and help them manage. However, the root cause, stress and overtaxed adrenal glands, never gets addressed.
Practitioners of alternative medicine use the term adrenal fatigue or hypoadrenia to explain the various symptoms experienced by those exposed to stress for extended periods. The mainstream medical establishment does not recognise it as a diagnosis. This is why alternative medicine practitioners refer to it as Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS).
The only form of hypoadrenia currently recognized by conventional medicine is Addison’s disease. This condition is associated with adrenal dysfunction. AFS, however, is regarded as a sub-clinical, non-Addison’s form of adrenal dysfunction due to a state of stress. The term ‘syndrome’ in AFS implies that the condition has no one definite cause.
Adrenal fatigue can have many causes. Stress is not only a psychological issue. The herbicides used on the foods we eat or the pollution in the air we breathe also adds stress to the body. As does something seemingly innocuous like electromagnetic frequencies. Even an operation can cause the body a great deal of stress.
Any time your body undergoes stress, it results in an increased production of stress hormones, like cortisol. The mechanisms involved are your Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis and the NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) stress response.
Your HPA perceives stress and sends chemical messengers to the NEM stress response which, in turn, results in a cascade of chemical changes throughout your body. This is your body’s way of dealing with the stressor. These changes affect entire organs and systems throughout your body.
One of the key features of this process is the increased output of cortisol by the adrenal glands. The situation usually returns to normal once the stressor goes away. But in many cases, it does not. This means your adrenals constantly have to work hard at producing these additional stress hormones.
This increased cortisol production, while initially helping your body to deal with stress, itself becomes a stressor as it inhibits proper bodily functions and hormone production. Many ailments are actually symptoms of adrenals in stress. Eventually, the adrenals become depleted, and you may see a sharp decline in cortisol production. This usually occurs in the latter stages of AFS. Symptoms often become worse, and new symptoms may even arise.
Many adults will experience adrenal fatigue at least once. And that’s because of the chronic stress that's part of the modern lifestyle. Some of the most common stressors that contribute to hypoadrenia include:
Any of the above on its own can lead to adrenal fatigue if it persists long enough. But most people suffer from several of these stressors consistently. And that will not only trigger the adrenal glands into overworking but your entire NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) stress response.
While the extra cortisol production at first helps your body fight against the stressor experienced, it may eventually interfere with proper hormone production.
Cortisol works by helping to increase your blood sugar levels, heart rate, and energy levels. This allows for the quicker flow of oxygen and glucose to the muscles. It helps your body gear up to either fight or run from a situation.
Other functions it’s responsible for include suppressing your immune system once it has done its job, neutralizing inflammation, regulating your sleep/wake cycles, and increasing your appetite to replenish your depleted nutrient stores.
And, as a hormone, cortisol interacts with many other hormone systems in the body, including the thyroid and reproductive hormones, which are also part of the NEM’s Hormone Circuit.
The increase in cortisol results in a decrease in the manufacture of other essential hormones. These include your reproductive hormones, for example, because your body does not see them as essential in preserving your immediate life. But when this situation persists, the result is hormone imbalancess and a large set of seemingly unrelated symptoms.
Hormone imbalance and AFS symptoms include:
There are five main steps to recovering from hypoadrenia. But before you take any of them, you need to first find a health professional experienced in this condition that will not only guide you through these steps but also individualize them to your specific situation and needs.
Recovery can’t happen if your stress response is constantly switched on. So you need to identify what your stressors are, and then take steps to either eliminate or reduce them. For example, if you realize that you’re sensitive to gluten, you need to go gluten-free. If work pressure is becoming too much, either reduce your workload or take time off. If you’re exposed to toxins or biotoxins, such as mold, it’s time to do something about it or move houses. It takes a lot of questions and finding out your health timeline to figure out what stress is causing your body harm.
In most cases of hypoadrenia, the patient’s diet is part of the mix of stressors. The standard Western diet is NOT what the human body thrives on. So shifting to a healthy diet plan, such as the adrenal fatigue diet, is a cornerstone of recovery. The adrenal fatigue diet consists of anti-inflammatory, nutrient-dense, and blood-sugar-stabilizing foods. Secondly, it’s free of the most common allergens. And, lastly, you eat at specific intervals that allow your body to replenish its nutrient stores and stay fueled.
Adrenal fatigue recovery is a long process. While recovering, you need to get a lot of rest and sleep to recharge. This means reducing your to-dos as much as possible and applying good sleep hygiene practices. Those include keeping your room cool and dark, not looking at a screen at least two hours before bed, and eating a small snack before sleeping so you don’t wake up from a hypoglycemic episode at night.
Supplementation is a tricky step in this protocol, and it needs expert guidance. But it’s also one of the most beneficial. The supplements you will use here will either fill in any nutritional gaps or give you a therapeutic boost. Different types of supplements can help with hypoadrenia, including vitamins, minerals, adaptogens, herbs, hormones, and glandulars.
The reason you need expert guidance here is that you can get paradoxical reactions, especially if your adrenal fatigue is more advanced. You can even get adrenal crashes with these steps that are supposed to make you feel better but instead put your body at more harm. This is because the body can become very sensitive with adrenal fatigue.
Vitamin C and Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) play crucial roles in the recovery and support of adrenal function, which is particularly beneficial for individuals experiencing adrenal fatigue or hypoadrenia. Together, these vitamins support the adrenal glands' ability to respond to stress, potentially alleviating symptoms such as tiredness, mood swings, and a weakened immune response.
Vitamin C is essential for the adrenal glands' health as it is used at a higher rate during times of stress; it helps in the production of cortisol, a hormone vital for stress response and immune function.
On the other hand, Vitamin B5 is fundamental for the synthesis of coenzyme A, which is involved in cellular respiration and the production of various hormones, including those produced by the adrenal glands.
Some herbs, like adaptogens, have a beneficial effect in both the earlier and latter stages of hypoadrenia. They provide non-specific resistance to stress while decreasing your body’s sensitivity to stressors.
Rhodiola and Ashwagandha are adaptogenic herbs that suppot the body's ability to handle stress, which indirectly benefits adrenal health.
Rhodiola aids in enhancing mental function, stamina, and athletic performance, and its energy-boosting properties can also support the adrenals by helping to regulate cortisol levels. This regulation can aid in maintaining adrenal health.
Ashwagandha contributes to the body's stress response by exerting a calming effect on the brain and supporting the adrenals in managing the production of stress hormones. It may also help in maintaining healthy blood pressure levels and reducing inflammation.
By promoting a balanced response to stress, these adaptogens can play a crucial role in maintaining the health and function of the adrenal glands.
Exercise is something you have to be very careful with, because strenuous exercise increases cortisol levels, the last thing you need when you have hypoadrenia. That’s why choosing very gentle forms of adrenal breathing exercises are safest. If your body is stronger, walking or yoga for 15 to 20 minutes could be a good starting place. But if you find that you are drained after you exercise, then the intensity of your exercise should be reduced. Once you’ve recovered more, you can try more intense forms of exercise.
To effectively navigate the journey of hypoadrenia recovery, one supportive avenue is Dr. Lam's Nutritional Adrenal Fatigue Recovery Program. This program offers a holistic approach to overcoming adrenal fatigue, encompassing diet modifications, meditation techniques, regular exercise, and tailored supplementation, all without the need for doctor visits, costly medical tests, or prescriptions.
With a focus on empowering individuals to naturally recover from adrenal fatigue, this comprehensive course provides a definitive step-by-step guide curated by Dr. Lam himself, drawing from his personal experience and expertise in helping thousands of sufferers reclaim their vitality. The program includes a detailed meal plan, specialized supplements for adrenal support, and educational resources such as eBooks, video tutorials, and guides on stress reduction and exercise, tailored to different stages of adrenal restoration.
By addressing key aspects like sleep quality and energy enhancement, participants are equipped with the tools and knowledge necessary for a successful recuperation, marking a critical milestone towards achieving optimal health and well-being.
Hypoadrenia occurs when your adrenal glands are not producing enough cortisol to continue operating at the best level. And because cortisol is involved in so many important physiological functions, its deficiency can create a lot of problems. Thankfully, recovery is possible by following these important steps.