Doctors Who Treat Adrenal Fatigue

What Are Adrenal Glands

Our bodies are complex creations of interwoven systems that must work together in order for life to continue. When just one function fails or is compromised, our life and livelihood can be thrown into a tailspin.

A lesser-known piece of the much larger puzzle is the adrenal glands. While we are relatively unaware of their existence throughout our daily lives they act as regulatory entities of an entire system. Its common to experience stomach aches, a sore throat, or stiff joints, but we dont usually suffer from an aching adrenal gland. The two quiet, undercover glands do their job without causing much fuss usually.

The small, triangular-shaped adrenal glands sit atop each kidney and are composed of two parts the cortex and the medulla. The adrenal cortex makes up the largest part of each adrenal gland and breaks out into three specific zones that produce specific, vital hormones. The cortex also plays an important role in the adrenal glands function by creating stress hormones. The entire gland is wrapped in a protective adipose capsule. The glands wrap around the top of each kidney like a glove.

In addition to these crucial duties, the main mineralocorticoid hormone aldosterone balances salt and water within the bloodstream, regulating the bodys blood pressure. Without aldosterone, kidneys lose too much sodium and water, which can then generate a drop in blood pressure or life-threatening dehydration.

What Should I Expect From My Adrenal Test

Adrenal tests begin by drawing a sample of blood from a patient in order for it to be analyzed by a medical laboratory. Patients are commonly asked to avoid strenuous physical activity prior to taking the test, and may even be asked to lie down 30 minutes before their blood is taken. There are also a number of medications which could affect the results of the test, such as steroids, so its important to speak with your physician about what medications you are currently taking preceding your test. Though there is a reference range for results common among Adrenal tests, some labs may have different ranges for you and your physician. Speak to your doctor regarding your results to get more information on how your results concern to you and your health specifically.

Questions about online blood testing or how to order a lab test?

Also Check: How Long Can Post Stroke Fatigue Last

Fast Facts On Adrenal Fatigue

• There is no scientific evidence that adrenal fatigue exists.
• Adrenal fatigue proponents claim that the condition is due to overworked adrenal glands producing too little hormones.
• There are a number of disorders that do affect the adrenal glands.
• Some supplements prescribed for adrenal fatigue might be dangerous.
• Alleged symptoms of adrenal fatigue are tiredness, craving salt, and loss of body hair.

In 1998, the chiropractor and naturopath James Wilson first coined the term adrenal fatigue in his book of the same name.

According to people who propose adrenal fatigue as a real condition, it strikes people who endure long stretches of mental, physical, or emotional stress.

People who are allegedly more likely to contract adrenal fatigue are shift workers, single parents, people with alcohol or drug dependence, and those with stressful jobs.

However, as mentioned above, there is no scientific evidence that this condition exists.

The Endocrine Society, which represents the opinions of 1,400 of endocrinologists, released an official statement regarding adrenal fatigue:

No scientific proof exists to support adrenal fatigue as a true medical condition. Doctors are concerned that if you are told you have this condition, the real cause of your symptoms may not be found and treated correctly. Also, treatment for adrenal fatigue may be expensive, since insurance companies are unlikely to cover the costs.

The symptoms of adrenal fatigue are said to include:

Recommended Reading: Can Depression And Anxiety Cause Fatigue

So Whats A Person To Do

Navigating this ocean of uncertainty is not an easy task. Symptoms associated with adrenal fatigue probably have multiple causes. Frequent follow-up visits and a strong patient-clinician partnership are critical elements for success. Alternative and complementary clinicians often have better results, because the appointments tend to last longer and they view patients through a more holistic lens. An important word of caution: some medical professionals prescribe cortisol analogs to treat adrenal fatigue. Cortisol replacement can be dangerous even in small doses. Unintended consequences can include osteoporosis, diabetes, weight gain, and heart disease.

Regardless of what we call it, there are millions of people suffering from similar symptoms, and a personalized plan that involves counseling, medications, supplements, lifestyle change, among others could work for many. Improvement following these programs is slow, and the evidence is weak, but I hope advances in big data, genomics, and its relationship with the environment and the microbiome, may shine a light on how to better help people who suffer from these ailments.

The adrenal fatigue theory may fit like a glove to explain your symptoms, which are very real. But before buying expensive protocols over the Internet to treat something were not even sure exists, take a deep dive and reexamine your lifestyle. The path to feeling better may be closer than you think.

About the Author

What Doctors Want You To Know About Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

The vague symptoms associated with adrenal fatigue can mean lots of things or nothing at all. Adrenal fatigue testing, usually saliva or blood, is unreliable. Real and treatable adrenal problems or diseases like sleep apnea, fibromyalgia and depression can be missed.

Supplements and herbs used to treat adrenal fatigue can actually screw up your adrenal glands, according to The Hormone Health Network, the public education affiliate of the Endocrine Society, a world-wide endocrinology association.

Theres even a meta-analysis of the malady published in the journal BMC Endocrine Disorders. The studys name: Adrenal fatigue does not exist: a systematic review.

The Mayo Clinic calls adrenal fatigue . . .an unacceptable medical diagnosis.

But thats not stopping people from wondering if they are victims.

Patients ask me about adrenal fatigue just about every week and people who arent patients call the office to ask if we treat it, Dr. Gregg Faiman, an endocrinologist with University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center told TODAY.

The answer is always the same: theres no such thing as adrenal fatigue,” Faiman said. “Because it isnt real, we dont treat it.”

RELATED: ‘I couldn’t get out of bed”: Signs of a thyroid disorder

Also Check: Clarinsmen Anti-fatigue Eye Serum

What Does Adrenal Fatigue Feel Like

Many AFS sufferers complain about a general feeling of weakness, a reduced ability to function well or to enjoy their lives, and the sensation that they just cant reach true wellbeing no matter what they do. The symptoms can be many, some may be severe, and because they can be so varied, many sufferers are confused and feel hopelessly unable to control their own bodies.

This is why getting the right kind of support from someone who has had professional and even personal experience with the condition can make the difference between prolonged suffering and really thriving again. It will take time, but a natural and holistic approach can empower you to take your health back into your own hands and better equip you to handle the lows as you look forward to overall improvement.

Why Is It That Glandular Are Not Recommended But The Doctors Or The Naturopaths Are Always Leading With Them

Most doctors are trained to improve symptoms the fastest way. They are not trained to build the body up from the foundation. Using glandular and adaptogen herbs, in my opinion, is not helping to improve the foundation of your body but patchwork. They do have their function at the proper time and place, but priority should always be to allow the body to self-heal first. Herbs and glandulars can help short term, but can potentially have long term issues.

Also Check: Lab Tests For Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Other Conditions That Affect The Adrenal Glands

Certain conditions, such adrenal insufficiency , can prevent your adrenal glands from making enough hormones. Addisons disease is a rare but serious disease.

The symptoms of Addisons disease include fatigue, body aches, unexplained weight loss, low blood pressure, lightheadedness, loss of body hair and skin discolouration.

Addisons disease is recognised by doctors and can be detected through blood tests that show insufficient hormone levels. On the other hand, these tests are often normal in people who are told they have adrenal fatigue.

Why Conventional Medicine Rejects Adrenal Fatigue

Adrenal Fatigue is a term applied to a collection of nonspecific symptoms such as fatigue, anxiety, joint pain, insomnia, hypoglycemia, depression, nervousness, sleep disturbances and digestive problems presenting in an otherwise healthy person with normal laboratory test results. Over 50 percent of adults suffer from Adrenal Fatigue at one point or another in their adult life. Most recover without knowing they had Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome, but a minority fail to recover, and a smaller number continue to only get worse. In its worst form, a person can be bedridden and incapacitated. The term often shows up in popular health books and on alternative medicine websites. An Internet search of the words “Adrenal Fatigue” yield over 2.4 million results, with search threads ranging from the Mayo Clinic to the Hormone Foundation and alternative health forums. What is clear is that to the vast majority of conventional medicine physicians, other than the forward-thinking ones, this condition does not exist and is not real. Yet to the vast majority of sufferers, this condition is very real and indeed, can be quite debilitating.

Recommended Reading: Best Anti Fatigue Mats For Kitchen

How Is Adrenal Insufficiency Treated

Your healthcare provider will figure out the best treatment for you based on:

• Your age, overall health, and past health

• How sick you are

• How well you can handle certain medicines, procedures, or therapies

• How long the condition is expected to last

• Your opinion or preference

You will need to take hormones to replace those that your adrenal glands are not making. That mainly means cortisol. But if you have Addison’s disease, you may need to take aldosterone as well.

Addison’s disease can be deadly. Treatment often starts with IV fluids and medicines called corticosteroids. You may take these medicines by mouth or by IV. You may have to take them for the rest of your life. You may also need to take other medicines . These can help keep your body’s sodium and potassium levels normal.

What Are The Symptoms Of Adrenal Disorders

Adrenal disorders can present themselves in a number of ways. Symptoms may vary depending on the individual and preexisting conditions but often include the following:

While symptoms vary, there are specific dominant signs that something may be wrong with your adrenal glands. Those include:

• Abdominal pain and weight loss. Hormones produced in the adrenal glands control our appetites and the processing of food. When they are overactive or underproduced, this can lead to digestive issues and can hinder your body from gleaning the nutrients it needs from food sources.
• High blood pressure. While this symptom can be a signal of a wide variety of ailments, it is particular to adrenal disorders when paired with low sodium levels, headaches, and facial flushing. Overproduction of hormones can throw off the particular balance of water and salt in the bloodstream, sending blood pressure levels sky-high.
• Fatigue and weakness. These symptoms of Addisons disease in particular may signal an underlying issue that needs immediate attention. A lack of hormones can cause blood pressure to drop, muscles to weaken, and general fatigue to set in. Many who are eventually diagnosed with Addisons disease often experience an Addisonian crisis first, which alerts Doctors to the adrenal insufficiency.

Risk factors for adrenal disorders can vary but the majority of cases are caused by underlying autoimmune disorders. Other predetermining factors may include:

Also Check: How To Combat Lupus Fatigue

The Road To Acceptance

The core difference between how conventional medicine and naturally oriented physicians see adrenal weakness comes down to how the same two separate camps of professionals interpret the data. Naturally oriented physicians tend to place more weight on clinical presentation. Hard clinical observation together with soft laboratory test results is sufficient to make the case as far as they are concerned.

Conventional medicine, on the other hand relies more on testing than on clinical presentation. Because test results do not technically meet man-made standards, Adrenal Fatigue as a diagnosis is rejected.

Both camps have the best intention at heart to do what is right. The difference lies in the lens they wear when looking at the same clinical presentation and laboratory data. Both are correct in their perspective.

All scientific endeavors evolve through a systematic process. It all starts with unanswered questions that lead to discoveries of alternative answers. From this a new theory is developed and a thesis advanced. Through research and clinical studies, such a thesis is scrutinized over time as the evidence is examined. Debate within the medical community is therefore a healthy process and a constructive one. Through this process, a faulty thesis is rejected, and a sound thesis advances. Accepted theories eventually become medical facts, which set the standard. As medical science progresses, new facts will ultimately emerge that may displace previous facts.

But What If I Have Symptoms Of Adrenal Fatigue

If you have tiredness, brain fog, lack of motivation, among other symptoms, you should first have a thorough evaluation with a medical doctor. Anemia, sleep apnea, autoimmune diseases, infections, other hormonal impairments, mental illnesses, heart and lung problems, and kidney and liver diseases are just some among many medical conditions that could cause similar symptoms. If the workup from your medical professional turns out normal and you believe you might have adrenal fatigue, I would recommend you consider a fundamental question: Why would your adrenals be drained? Take a better look at what types of stress might be affecting you. For many, the hectic pace of modern life is to blame.

The lack of a biological explanation can be disappointing. To make things worse, its not unusual for doctors to say “there is nothing wrong with you” or “this is all in your head.” The overwhelming amount of information on the Internet that recommends many types of treatment causes even more stress. Mental health conditions, such as depression or anxiety, may have symptoms similar to adrenal fatigue and may not respond well to antidepressants and counseling. And some patients do not believe that a mental health concern is the primary cause of their symptoms and many refuse medications due to concerns about their side effects.

You May Like: Bright Eyes Illuminating Anti-fatigue Eye Cream

The Myth Of Adrenal Fatigue

When patients present claiming that stress has worn out their adrenal glands, it can be easy to discount their belief in adrenal fatigue but they often have real symptoms that require treatment.

If more proof is needed that the Internet provides a wealth of information and misinformation, endocrinologists need to look no further than the increasing number of patients who claim a diagnosis of adrenal fatigue.

Although current medical science recognizes no such condition, physicians need to take the complaints and symptoms of these patients seriously, according to Endocrine Society President Lynnette Nieman, MD, who is a senior investigator at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: Our role is to be good active listeners to determine if there is a true medical disorder lurking among the complaints. It is very important to take the person seriously, not to brush them off and say there is no adrenal fatigue. These people are suffering from something, so we need to take the suffering seriously.

The patient may have already been to see a naturopath who promotes the condition, so may be taking supplements of unknown formulations to treat it.

What Causes Adrenal Insufficiency

Primary adrenal insufficiency is most often caused when your immune system attacks your healthy adrenal glands by mistake. Other causes may include:

• Tuberculosis infection of the adrenal glands

• Inherited disorders of the endocrine glands

A lack of the hormone ACTH leads to secondary adrenal insufficiency. That can happen if you must take certain steroids for a long time due to a health problem. For example, people with asthma or rheumatoid arthritis may need to take prednisone. Other causes include:

• Pituitary gland tumors

• Loss of blood flow to the pituitary

• Pituitary gland is removed or you have radiation treatment of the pituitary gland

• Parts of the hypothalamus are removed

Read Also: Difference Between Chronic Fatigue And Depression

Use These Following Tips To Find A Suitable Healthcare Provider Who Meets Those Standards

Maybe you were also looking for an adrenal fatigue doctor near me. Well we have some adresses of course, but more important are those tips:

• Consider all your possible treatment options before you make a commitment of time and money. There are several different types of healthcare providers who offer a diverse range of choices in treatments and remedies. Medical doctors, osteopaths, chiropractors, naturopaths, homeopaths, acupuncturists, psychologists and nutritionists are just a few. If you are not sure which option is best for you or you wish to know more about your options, you can use Google to find out more information about the types of healthcare that interest you.

Integrative Medicine In Winston

Integrative medicine is an approach to pain and other medical issues like adrenal fatigue that incorporates the whole body and treats the symptoms.

Our doctors at Robinhood Integrative Health in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, feel it is imperative to treat the entire body and the mind. When one part of the more extensive system is out of whack, it can throw off the balance of the whole rest of the body.

Because of this overall connection, it is integral for your bodys well-being to take a holistic approach to healthcare.

We use treatments such as bio-identical hormones, desiccated thyroid, IV nutrition, chelation, pulsed electromagnetic field therapy , far infrared sauna, and natural remedies like herbs, essential oils, and supplements to help alleviate your adrenal fatigue and associated symptoms.

At Robinhood Integrative Health, we are not your typical doctors office, and we dont treat adrenal fatigue like regular doctors do.

Rather than prescribing more medications, we will work to restore your sense of well-being with a personalized plan that incorporates elements of our holistic treatment.

If you are suffering from adrenal fatigue and need an alternative medicine that works, contact our experienced medical staff at Robinhood Integrative Health in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

• 3288 Robinhood Rd. Suite 202 Winston-Salem, NC 27106

Read Also: Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Treatable