SYMPTOMS, DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT FOR ADRENAL FATIGUE
In my last blog post, I spoke about what Hashimoto’s is, what the symptoms are, and how to get diagnosed with it. Also, ways to help you feel better while living with it.
As a busy mom of 8 it’s important to feel your best. You must have energy to chase after babies, toddlers, younger kids, and older ones. While I was dealing with these health issues, it was everything I could do to pull it off.
I struggled to keep up with my responsibilities of taking care of my family, home and teaching my kids.
Today I am well, and I can do what I need to do. Since those early days, I have added pastor’s wife, Mimi and a business to my list of responsibilities.
I am loving it, and I can do these things with God’s help and finding answers to my health questions.
In finding answers, it brought hope and good health.
In this post, I want to talk about a controversial topic, and that is the subject of adrenal fatigue.
Now while a lot of the medical world today will tell you that adrenal fatigue is not real. However, if you have experienced this condition, you will know it is very much real. Before we get started on this blogpost. I have a disclaimer.
Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor. I can’t diagnose or treat anyone. Refer to a doctor in your area that specializes in this condition.
Today we’re going to look at the symptom’s, diagnosis,
and treatment of how to heal from this medical condition called adrenal fatigue.
What is adrenal fatigue
www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/adrenal-disorders/adrenal-fatigue
According to the website above, adrenal fatigue is a common sometimes controversial diagnosis showing depletion of the adrenal glands or insufficiency of the gland.
Functional medicine provider Dr Alexandra MacKillop DC., explains adrenal fatigue like this.
See the above website for more information.
Going through long periods of emotion, physical or mental stress, that gives way to a vast array of physical issues within the body.
Your body is designed, if you will, to protect us from stressful or scary situations. When we are faced with stressful things in our life, our adrenals release cortisol to get the body prepared for what ever stressor or fear that we are faced with.
The adrenals help us when something fearful such as a snake slides out in front of us. Our body will pump up with adrenaline and it tells us to jump back or prepares us in some way to be safe. The trouble is when our bodies get into a fight or flight response yet stays there. That is when the body thinks there is a danger when there isn’t. This can create adrenal fatigue symptoms.,
What is Addison’s disease
Addison disease, sharing many of the same symptoms as adrenal fatigue is an uncommon disorder that happens when your body does not produce enough of certain hormones needed. While Addison’s disease is adrenal insufficiency much like adrenal fatigue, but on a more life-threatening level. People with Addison’s disease are required to take hormone replacement.
Some doctors only recognize Addison’s disease and not adrenal fatigue.
Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment of Adrenal Fatigue
What are Causes of Adrenal Fatigue?
They say that to much stress is bad for us.
Yet, stress can come from many sources. Here is some examples of stress that can effect you and your health:
- Losing a job,
- losing a loved one
- financial issues
- health issues
- stress on the job, not eating right
- working long hours,
- not getting enough sleep
- infections
- food allergies, etc.
As you can see, stress comes from many different areas.
You might be thinking, well we all go through stress and fearful situations. That is true, but it is when a person goes through these things for extended periods of time, that is when it starts to affect your health.
The Effects of Stress on the Adrenal
Some of the big stressors on the adrenals are emotional and mental stress.
Things going on in your life mentally and emotionally can affect your body in a negative way.
Hormone changes are another big stressor for your poor adrenals. If you are dealing with inflammation somewhere in the body. That is one of the biggest causes of all kinds of health issues.
Dealing with stress and crazy things in your life, in which ever way it comes, for to long, can cause your poor adrenals to not function the way they should. Therefore, causing your adrenal gland to be very tired and worn out.
When you get that burnt out if you will, you will know it in some way or the other. Your body will give you clues that something just isn’t right.
What are Signs of Adrenal Fatigue
Tiredness
Weight gain
Exhaustion upon waking, sleep that doesn’t make you feel like you got adequate rest
Decreased energy
Depression
Brain fog
Need sugar for energy
Cravings for sugar and salty food
Low sex drive
Internal tremors
Insomnia
Inflammation
Anxiety
Dizziness or Lightheadedness
Low blood sugar
Low cortisol
As you can see from the list, there are a lot of things you can experience with adrenal fatigue.
For me, I didn’t know what it was. I knew I felt bad, and I had been diagnosed with hypothyroidism.
Even though, I was being treated for a low thyroid, I still felt off and at times just feeling run down and crummy.
I would feel tired upon waking. I would drag through out the day. However, around 10 o’clock I would start to wake up. When I went to bed at night. I would be so tired but be wide awake and my body just wouldn’t let me sleep. I would just lay there feeling exhausted.
Many nights I would have heart palpitations or what felt like my heart was beating fast. Sometimes my pulse might be faster and sometimes it was just a feeling I had.
I would feel like I was shaking inside or internal tremors. Of course, that would cause anxiety and make me feel worse because I didn’t know what it was.
I can remember noise making me feel jittery. I could hear noise that was far away, and it would aggravate my ears.
I know it sounds crazy, but this stuff really did affect me.
If you are going through some of these symptoms. I totally understand how you feel.
www.sklarcenteer.com/blog/feeling-tired/
How Do you Get Diagnosed with Adrenal Fatigue?
Do you feel run down all the time? Do you have some of the symptoms mentioned in this blogpost.
To get diagnosed, finding the right doctor is the first step. In my experience finding a functional medicine practitioner was key to my symptoms being recognized and getting treated.
Since many conventional doctors and even endocrinologist don’t believe adrenal fatigue exist. It is hard to find help and answers from them.
I had an endocrinologist to tell me adrenal fatigue wasn’t real. I had all the symptoms, but it isn’t accepted by traditional doctors.
When I went to a functional doctor. They not only were able to diagnose me with Hashimoto’s but also treated me for adrenal fatigue. It was so nice to have a doctor to listen to how I felt and cared about what was going on with my health.
After feeling bad for so many years, today, I feel well and so much better.
In order, to test your adrenals. These are some of the tests that are used.
Saliva
Blood test
Urine collected for 24 hours
Tests can show what cortisol levels are doing.
Cortisol levels should be higher in the morning when you wake up and start winding down for you to go to sleep. When I was tested, mine was just the opposite.
Also, testing for food allergies, parasites, yeast and hormones can show a diagnoses of adrenal fatigue.
What is a Functional Medicine Doctor?
Functional doctors are practitioners who specialize and have training to find root causes of an illness. Many doctors treat with a more natural approach as well as conventional prescriptions.
While also considering diet, allergies, hormonal imbalances, and other things for each person.
Functional doctors treat the whole person not just a symptom.
How Do you Fix Adrenal Fatigue?
- Get enough sleep if you can.
- Eat healthy- I know, know one wants to hear this. Ha-ha
- However, it really is key. My practitioner told me to follow a Paleo diet. Especially if you have Hashimoto’s along with adrenal fatigue.
- Skip the processed food. Sugar is no one’s friend and when I start eating it. I can tell how it feels in my body. It effects my joints, energy, bloating etc.
- Eat your veggies. It has all the good stuff like vitamins and minerals to help repair your adrenals.
- Drink lots of water. Dehydration can affect your endocrine system.
- Don’t skip meals- this puts stress on your adrenals.
- Make sure to eat within an hour of waking so you don’t have your blood sugar to drop.
- Make sure to exercise, however, don’t over do it until your adrenals are feeling up to it.
You will no if they are, by how you are feeling. If your joints hurt a lot you will need to do low impact aerobics.
Maybe walk or some other low impact aerobics instead of running may be better for your body.
Take the appropriate vitamins and supplements recommended to you by your provider.
What are Supplements or Herbs Used for Adrenal Fatigue
Speaking of taking vitamins and supplements. Now as I said already earlier in the post.
I am not a doctor, just a mom telling you of my experience back to good health.
So always ask your doctor before taking something to see if it is right for you.
I can tell you what my provider recommended for me to take. Some of these suggestions may help you.
Magnesium- I like to use a brand called Calm. The one I like is a powder, and you can add it to your water. I drink it just before I go to sleep.
Click image above to find item on Amazon.
Vitamin D3
Click image above to find item on Amazon.
A good multivitamin – my provider recommended this one.
Click image above to get it on Amazon
A drenal- This is a supplement that he recommended for me to take for adrenal fatigue. I have tried another brand.
I really prefer this brand. I can tell the difference. It has ashwagandha in it and it works well.
Click image above to find item on Amazon.
What is the Best Sleeping Schedule for Adrenal Fatigue?
Try to get to bed around the same time around 10 or so if you can.
Getting enough rest helps your adrenals to recover and heal.
When I was first diagnosed, I had trouble falling to sleep or I would wake up around 3:00 a.m.
After, I started treating adrenal fatigue. I tried to get to bed earlier. Eventually, that along with other treatments did help me to start feeling better and therefore sleeping better.
Now I can go to sleep and stay asleep.
While conventional doctors and functional doctors, differ in diagnosis of this medical condition.
Many patients are suffering from multiple unexplained symptoms that have the potential to affect their everyday life.
Let us know in the comments if you have any of the symptoms or if you have been diagnosed with adrenal fatigue.
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