Our minds are obviously more powerful than we know; but could it be that symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue have a specific correlation with our minds and/or thought processes? Is it possible that someone is so focused on "something being wrong", that they are just feeding their brains more negativity and, in turn, creating their own monster? Could Adrenal Fatigue, in fact, be all in our heads?
There is definitely a connection between the mind and the body. At what point it becomes Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome depends on the constitution of the person and how much stress and negativity he/she puts in the body until the Adrenals can’t deal with it any more. Our mind and body is intimately connected in ways we do not understand, with many pathways still undiscovered. The physical symptoms of AFS cannot be denied, and the ultimate source starts with the brain as the main control center and part of what causes fatigue. AFS, therefore, in its root represents a psycho-neuro-endocrine condition.
How can I tell if my liver is decompensating? When it is in a decompensated stage, what happens to the toxins waiting to be broken down?
There are many subtle signs. Perhaps the most common ones are brain fog, anxiety, and fatigue. You may find a complete list and more information from the following article Liver Congestion and Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome.
It’s also important to understand that the decompensation of liver function doesn’t happen in a vacuum. In order for the liver to reach this state of dysfunction, other components of the neuroendometabolic (NEM) stress response will also be overworked, worn down and malfunctioning, leading to other symptoms throughout the body. Identifying which specific components, such as the liver, are experiencing dysregulation is easier and also more useful once the symptoms have been used to corroborate their origin in the dysfunction of the NEM stress response system.
Is my body always detoxing even without me knowing it? How much detox is too much?
Detoxing is part of the body’s daily routine function. When you are in good health, you won’t have any over detox symptoms. Your body can handle it with the ample nutritional reserves built up. For example, you may be able to go through a 3-7 days fast without problem. The weaker you are, the less you can tolerate before you will weaken and run out of steam when embarking on any cleanses, sauna, flushes, etc. You will have reactions only if your body is tired or if your detox centers are congested. Read my article on Detoxification and Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome.
Furthermore, since the body’s detoxification pathways are an important part of the NEM stress response, the disruption of the body’s stress handling capabilities will necessarily have an impact on the body’s detoxification capacity. When attempting to stimulate more detoxification through cleanses or flushes, it is important to first ensure the body has enough detoxification capacity. Slowly test whether your body is able to comfortably handle detoxification modalities rather than jumping right into a full blown detox program, otherwise you may overwhelm the body’s capacity, generate more stress and the the detox will fail, with negative consequences to health.
What are your thoughts on Red Bull, 5 hour energy, etc?
It is a drink stronger than coffee. They contain anywhere from 2-4 times the amount of caffeine in a regular cup of coffee. Its purpose is to stimulate the body to get out of the fatigue level, whether it is from lack of sleep, stress, or fatigue from over exercise, etc. In cases like this, you should first take care of the underlying issues that cause you to start drinking the energy drinks, rather than depending on the energy drinks. Determining what causes fatigue is the first and most important step.
Am I in danger if I have a fatty liver, as well as Adrenal Fatigue?
If you have fatty liver and Adrenal Fatigue, your body’s ability to detoxify or handle stress would be reduced. Research has shown a close tie between cortisol and liver. We know there is a strong connection, especially with regards to metabolism. What we don’t know is whether a fatty liver causes Adrenal Fatigue. It is more likely the other way around, because a fatty liver often takes a long time to be present and is rather clinically innocuous, and not much attention has been paid to do more research in this important area.
