Adrenal Fatigue
Vital to your endocrine system, your two adrenal glands are located on top of your kidneys and are primarily responsible for releasing hormones in response to stress. The main adrenal hormone, cortisol, plays a major role in your energy level. Your body produces more cortisol in the morning to wake you and get you going for the day. Levels taper throughout the day and should be lowest at bedtime to allow you to fall asleep.
Modern lifestyles and adrenal overload.
Modern lifestyles have had greater impact on the adrenal glands than any other system in the body. With exposure to stressors (emotional, physical, environmental, or perceived stimuli), our adrenals go to work. And with chronic stressors, our adrenals can go into overdrive until they eventually decline in function. Historically, human stressors came in shorter bursts. Nowadays, we can be under stress from morning until night, and sometimes even during sleep.
Adrenal fatigue can lead to chronic disease.
When the adrenal glands become fatigued from constant stress, you feel fatigued as well. Adrenal fatigue also plays a role in many other health concerns such as allergies, hypoglycemia, lightheadedness, food cravings, PMS and menopausal disorders, fibromyalgia, poor immunity, insomnia, autoimmune conditions, accelerated aging, environmental sensitivities, and of course, chronic fatigue syndrome. In a self-perpetuating cycle, chronic disease conversely contributes to adrenal fatigue.
Most adrenal disorders go untreated.
Adrenal dysfunction can occur anywhere along a spectrum, from mild adrenal insufficiency to full-blown adrenal failure. Unfortunately, conventional medicine only recognizes an autoimmune condition that causes complete adrenal failure called Addison’s Disease and essentially doesn’t treat a range of adrenal dysfunction.
Improve your energy with proper treatment.
The physicians of Marin Natural Medicine Clinic are experts in adrenal disorders. We understand the appropriate testing methods and treatment options for adrenal dysfunction – and know the important role properly functioning adrenal glands play in improving one’s health.
