With a vague definition and unclear means of diagnosing this entity, it is not surprising that there are a wide variety of recommendations for treating adrenal fatigue. A huge selection of supplements is pedaled for its use, including everything from standard vitamins to heavy metals and glandular preparations (again, concoctions made from ground-up animal glands). Some include DHEA. Some do not. The real medical data suggest something different. If you are in a constant state of stress, your adrenals actually gear up and overproduce stress hormones such as cortisol. Your glands make too much of these hormones and you get all of the unfortunate side effects of too much steroid—thin hair, weight gain, trouble sleeping, feeling exhausted (because the “rush of energy” can go only so far, you do ultimately crash). Therefore, why would one try to treat this overstressed condition with even more stress hormones? Even worse, the long-term use of steroids includes the side effect of shutting down your own body’s normal production of cortisol, which can be dangerous. When this happens, the body cannot naturally raise its cortisol response during illness or emergencies, and disaster can ensue.
The concept of adrenal fatigue is so appealing. It seems to be something we could all say we have. We are tired; we are stressed; we have moments of feeling poorly. So many of us have various symptoms that are not easily explained, and it is somehow reassuring to think that there is a quick fix for this. Certainly, there are solutions to symptoms caused by stress and fatigue. There is no doubt that “burning the candle at both ends” takes its toll on our bodies, and this must be addressed.
However, the bottom line is that we are tired of adrenal fatigue. When there is no objective way to diagnose or treat a condition, it’s hard to accept it as valid. This was nicely stated by Mayo Clinic endocrinologist Dr. Todd B. Nippoldt: “It’s frustrating to have persistent symptoms your doctor can’t readily explain. But accepting a medically unrecognized diagnosis from an unqualified practitioner could be worse.” We are highly skeptical of this diagnosis. Rather, we believe the symptoms that may lead one to consider it are very real and certainly should be explored. Of the many patients over the years who have come to us on various regimens for adrenal fatigue, most have been on a host of glandular preparations. A few have been on actual prednisone or other prescription steroids, rarely with any legitimate testing to justify their use. Many have had side effects from the “treatment” they were taking, which they attributed to their underlying condition— weight gain, hair loss, anxiety, a rush of energy followed by profound fatigue, high blood sugars, and more. Sometimes it is hard to even know with what problem they actually started.
After ruling out other medical conditions it has been our experience that many of these people suffer from classic vitamin deficiencies, typically those that cause fatigue and lack of energy. It can take months to see the effects of the other treatments wearing off and to adequately replete iron, vitamin D, various B vitamins, and magnesium. Eventually most people end up feeling much better once they have simplified their vitamin regimen and gotten back to a healthy routine—adequate sleep, a good diet, and a regular exercise regimen. It is true that stress causes cortisol levels to rise. This is not good for you for many, many reasons: It contributes to obesity, poor sleep, etc. However, 99 percent of us have fully functional adrenal glands despite major stressors. Those of us whose adrenals fail do not have this problem because of stress and do need a legitimate endocrine evaluation by a certified endocrinologist. The rest of us need to take a step back and first of all try to troubleshoot the sources of our anxiety. We cannot always change external circumstances, but we can do our part to change how we process them. We can teach ourselves techniques such as mindfulness and meditation, and even consider individual therapy to work through some of our issues and decompress by sharing our perspective with an objective outsider (rather than a friend or family member). We can take care of ourselves in addition to others by allowing ourselves the time to sleep, exercise, and eat properly. These are the backbone of a healthy and lower-stress existence. We can also replenish our nutritional needs with proper vitamin supplementation based on our individual requirements.
Taking ground-up adrenal glands from an animal is no way to address your own symptoms associated with stress and exhaustion. Your symptoms should be examined carefully and treated with thought and care by an experienced practitioner in combination with the above-mentioned lifestyle changes as well as a safe and thoughtful, personalized vitamin regimen.
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