Q: If I have Adrenal Fatigue, why is my blood pressure high? I thought those with Adrenal Fatigue typically have low blood pressure.
A: During early stages of Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome, blood pressure can be high due to excessive aldosterone along with adrenaline output. As the adrenal overload becomes prominent in advanced stages of Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome, aldosterone output is reduced, leading to a state of chronic low blood pressure if all else is equal.
Q: I have always been a heavy caffeine drinker. I hear that you should not drink caffeine when you have Adrenal Fatigue. If I don’t have caffeine, I get really bad migraines. How important is it to avoid caffeine? When I get migraines, I can’t function, so I’m not really sure how to go about this. Can my body overcome having to drink caffeine to avoid migraines?
A: If your body is used to being bathed with caffeine, you should not cut out the coffee immediately, otherwise you will experience withdrawal symptoms like migraines and headaches. Under proper supervision, adrenal glands should slowly improve, and then you can take time to slowly reduce your caffeine intake.
Q: I have hypoglycemia and I think it’s from my adrenal fatigue. If, for some reason I can't get a snack in on time and start feeling the regular symptoms, is this worsening my adrenals or putting more stress on them?
A: Reactive hypoglycemia is one of the hallmark symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue. The body's ability to regulate sugar balance depends on cortisol and insulin. When the adrenals are weak, cortisol output can become dysfunctional, and symptoms of low blood sugar can become an issue, even though blood glucose remains within the normal range. Anytime the body has reactions, it may cause more stress and put a greater burden on the adrenals.
Q: My muscles in my back and neck tend to be very tense, which causes pain throughout the rest of my body. Is there anything natural I can take to help with this?
A: Pain or stiffness is a signal from the body that something is wrong. It is one of the few ways the body knows how to communicate with us. Taking pain medication can dull this communication channel, and as a result, you may not hear the body's signal, thus you’re likely to overdo things, causing more damage, and not even know it. I’d rather you pay more attention to your body and see a doctor as needed for your ultimate benefit.
Applying heat, doing massage would be beneficial for temporary relief. But you need to take care of the underlying issue first. Most MDs are trained to stimulate you and if your body does not do well, you have to change course.
Q: What does it mean when my thyroid has peripheral resistance?
A: In practice, patients with RTH are identified by their persistent elevation of circulating free TH levels association with non-suppressed serum TSH, and in the absence of intercurrent illness, drugs, or alterations of TH transport serum proteins. More importantly, higher doses of exogenous TH are required to produce the expected suppressive effect on the secretion of pituitary TSH and the expected metabolic responses in peripheral tissues.
