How To Know If You Are Suffering From Adrenal Exhaustion and What To Do About It

With the amount of stress we are under every day nowadays, it is highly likely you are suffering from adrenal exhaustion and do not even realize it. Conventional doctors fail to recognize this condition as anything more than secondary, but without healthy adrenal glands, your entire endocrine system will malfunction, resulting in a host of side effects that lead to longterm illness if left untreated or reversed.

Your body produces chemicals, also known as hormones,that are used to control certain functions, and the main system that controls these chemicals is the endocrine system. The foundations of the endocrine system are the hormones and glands. The major glands that make up the endocrine system are:

hypothalamus
pituitary gland
thyroid
parathyroids
adrenal glands
pineal body
reproductive glands (ovaries and testes)

The endocrine system influences almost every cell, organ, and function of our bodies. It is instrumental in regulating mood, growth and development, tissue function, weight and metabolism, libido, and reproductive processes. Each gland works synergistically with the others, and when one is out of balance, it affects each of the other organs.

Your mind is unable to differentiate between real and perceived threats and if you experience stress ona regular basis, as most Americans do, it interprets an irate boss or traffic jam the same as needing to outrun a saber toothed tiger. Our adrenal glands, which are tiny walnut-shaped organs that sit on top of our kidneys and produce adrenaline and cortisol, are too small to keep up with the excess cortisol production our bodies produce in response to the stress we are experiencing in today’s society. This ultimately exhausts them and results in the condition known as adrenal exhaustion.

Our bodies react to adrenal exhaustion, or adrenal fatigue, in the form of allergies, lowered immune systems, acne, excess weight around our midriffs, psoriasis, anxiety, depression, irritability, dizziness, dry skin, insomnia, excess fatigue, salt or sweet cravings, poor digestion, difficulty concentrating, extreme sensitivity to cold, amongst others.

There are 7 stages to adrenal exhaustion.

0 Healthy Adrenal Function
1 Atypical Adrenal Response
2 HPA Axis Dysfunction
3 Acute Fight or Flight
4 Early Adrenal Fatigue
5 Evolving Adrenal Fatigue
6 Established Adrenal Fatigue

If a woman experiences a stressful pregnancy and exhausts her adrenal glands, she will then feed off the baby’s. Therefore, it is possible you were born with adrenal exhaustion. If you find it hard to get out of bed in the morning but have energy until late night, your circadian rhythm is working opposite of how it is supposed to which is a clear sign of this condition. And, as you move through life, you may transition into the various stages of adrenal exhaustion, and ultimately wind up in the last stage.

In order to heal them, it is imperative to first eliminate the source of stress, then work to balance your hormones, optimize your digestion, and support your adrenal glands through supplementation. This process could take anywhere from 6 months to a year. It requires patience, consistency, and tenacity.

To learn more about how to heal your adrenal glands, consider working with a qualified holistic practitioner.

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