Adrenal fatigue is defined as low functioning adrenal glands, but there are actually three different scenarios that can present as adrenal fatigue:
SCENARIO #1 Adrenal gland is functioning at a low level and cannot produce enough adrenal hormones to keep up with the demand leading to signs and symptoms of adrenal fatigue. This is the classic scenario that most people associate with adrenal fatigue.
SCENARIO #2 Adrenals are functioning adequately and producing enough adrenal hormones but the adrenal hormones are not being transported into the cells, therefore it is not being utilized by the cells, similar to insulin resistance. The adrenal hormones are building up in the extracellular space but not able to get into the cells. If the hormone is unable to get into the cells then it cannot manage the body’s stress.
SCENARIO #3 The adrenals are functioning adequately but the demand for adrenal hormones is so high that the adrenals are unable to keep up with the production. This is when there is an overload of inflammation in the body, similar to a wild fire burning out of control, and the body cannot produce enough adrenal hormones to handle the demand and effectively manage the stress. These three scenarios may look symptomatically similar, but the way we would approach and treat them would be different. The first scenario, we need to work on improving the adrenal function, we can do this with adrenal support such as vitamin C and B-vitamins and botanicals such as Rhodiola or Ashwaganda. In the second scenario, we need to change the terrain of the extracellular space, and we can do that with alkalinizing powder or trace mineral supplements, as well as by balancing the microbiome of the digestive tract. In the third scenario, we need to identify and remove the causes of the inflammation which can include food intolerances, infections, heavy metal toxicity or environmental toxic overload. Adrenal fatigue can be challenging to treat and recover from. Many people are not getting the positive results simply because their approach is wrong, but if we have the right approach, then we can help people regain control of their health and start living fully engaged lives again.