SELF HELP
28 MOMENTUM
DR. SERGE GREGOIRE, PH.D, CCH
Functional Medicine Doctor
281-616-3816
[email protected]
www.nutrition-houston.com
ADRENAL FATIGUE and How to Beat It
Your adrenal glands are two tiny pyramidshaped
pieces of tissue situated right above
each kidney. Their job is to produce and
release, when appropriate, certain regulatory
hormones, and chemical messengers.
Adrenaline is manufactured in the interior of the
adrenal gland, called the adrenal medulla. Cortisol, the
other chemical from the adrenal gland, is made in the
exterior portion of the gland, called the adrenal cortex.
The cortex also secretes androgens, estrogens, and
progestins Cortisol helps you handle longer-term stress
situations.
In addition to helping you handle stress, these two
primary adrenal hormones, adrenaline, and cortisol,
along with others similarly produced, help control body
fluid balance, blood pressure, blood sugar, and other
central metabolic functions.
In the heightened nervous state of adrenal burnout,
the body overproduces adrenaline, cortisol and other
stress hormones. Constant stress and poor nutrition
can weaken the adrenal glands. Eventually, this causes
the adrenal glands, the front line in the stress reaction,
to show wear and tear and become depleted. This
frequently leads to impairment in the thyroid gland,
which can cause a further decline in energy level and
mood and is one of the reasons why many people have
thyroid glands that don’t work well.
When stress continues over prolonged periods,
the adrenal glands can deplete the body’s hormonal
and energy reserves. The overproduction of adrenal
hormones caused by prolonged stress can weaken
the immune system and inhibit the production of
white blood cells that protect the body against foreign
invaders.
Adrenal dysfunction can disrupt the body’s blood
sugar metabolism, causing weakness, fatigue, and a
feeling of being run down. It can also interfere with
normal sleep rhythms and produce a wakeful, unrelaxing
sleep state, making a person feel worn out even after a
full night’s sleep.
Common Causes of Adrenal Stress
• Anger
• Fear / Worry /Anxiety
• Depression
• Guilt
• Overwork/ physical or mental strain
• Excessive exercise
• Sleep deprivation
• Light-cycle disruption
• Chronic pain
• Temperature extremes
• Toxic exposure
• Malabsorption
• Maldigestion
• Chronic illness
• Chronic-severe allergies
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Going to sleep late
• Surgery
• Trauma/injury
• Chronic inflammation
• Chronic infection
Associated Symptoms and Consequences of Impaired
Adrenal Functioning
• Low body temperature
• Weakness
• Unexplained hair loss
• Nervousness/Panic Attacks
• Difficulty building muscle
• Irritability
• Mental depression
• Difficulty gaining weight
• Apprehension
• Hypoglycemia
• Inability to concentrate
• Excessive hunger
• Tendency towards
inflammation
• Moments of confusion
• Indigestion
• Poor memory
• Feelings of frustration
• Osteoporosis
• Auto-immune diseases/
hepatitis
• Lightheadedness
• Palpitations [heart fluttering]
• Dizziness that occurs upon
standing
• Poor resistance to infections
• Low blood pressure
• Insomnia
• Food and/or inhalant
allergies
• PMS
• Craving for sweets
• Dry and thin skin
• Headaches
• Scanty perspiration
• Alcohol intolerance
• Alternating diarrhea and constipation
Eat protein with every meal. Eat Complex
carbohydrates such as brown rice. Avoid sugar, junk
food, white pasta, white rice, white bread.
Absolutely NO Caffeine. Coffee/Sodas over stimulates
your adrenals, and they deplete essential B vitamins.
Coffee does not give you energy; coffee gives you the
illusion of energy. Coffee actually drains the body of
energy and makes you more tired because of vitamin
and adrenal depletion.
Exercise to relax. Walking, Yoga, deep breathing,
meditation, praying or stretching. No vigorous or aerobic
exercise, which depletes the adrenals.
Avoid alcohol, processed foods, and tobacco.
Nicotine in tobacco initially raises cortisol levels, but
chronic use results in low DHEA, testosterone, and
progesterone levels.
Reduce stress; learn relaxation techniques such
as deep breathing, visualization, progressive muscle
relaxation.