(Disclaimer: I just read this on a message board and the contributor did not make a reference to the original author)
I found this interesting, as I’m in “adrenal care-giving” mode right now, so thought I’d share it in case someone else may be questioning how they are feeling.
Quote:
Estrogen Dominance. Today, women often have exhausted adrenal glands by the time they reach their mid-thirties or early forties due to a stressful lifestyle. Stress is regulated by our adrenal glands primarily. In early stages of adrenal fatigue, cortisol output is high as the body attempts to neutralize the stress by producing more of it. However, when too much cortisol is produced, it will have multiple undesirable effects. For example, cortisol blocks progesterone receptors, making them less responsive to progesterone. Progesterone normally produced by the adrenals comes to a halt in favor of cortisol. Insufficient progesterone production leads to an imbalance of estrogen to progesterone.
Adrenal normalization should precede hormone modulation. The adrenal glands deal with the daily stresses of life. A woman must normalize her adrenal glands in order to have a total body hormonal balance. In fact, replacement of deficient hormones alone without addressing the overall health of the adrenal gland is a band-aid approach and often ineffective in the long run. The normalization process can begin with investigating and eliminating stressors. Stressors are often chronic in nature, and can be related to lifestyle, dietary, mental, and inflammatory causes.
Common Causes Of Adrenal Stress:
Anger
Fear
Worry/anxiety
Depression
Guilt
Overwork/physical or mental strain
Excessive exercise
Sleep deprivation
Light-cycle disruption
Going to sleep late)
Surgery
Trauma/injury
Chronic inflammation
Chronic infection
Chronic pain
Temperature extremes
Toxic exposure
Malabsorption
Maldigestion
Chronic illness
Chronic-severe allergies
Hypogycemia
Nutritional deficiencies
Associated Symptoms And Consequences Of Impaired Adrenals:
Low body temperature
Weakness
Unexplained hair loss
Nervousness
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
Alternating diarrhea and constipation
Osteoporosis
auto-immune hepatitis
auto-immune diseases
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”
I can say from experience folks, that you want to avoid Adrenal Stress/Burnout at all costs. This is not fun, nor easy to bounce back from. Pay attention to what’s really going on in your life – do you have unexplained symptoms? Are you tired all the time with no obvious reason why? Do you tend to run mock-2 without balance? Do you apply on-going pressure on yourself? Are you under continuous stress?
Just a few questions I asked myself, and low-and-behold, my low energy and crappy outlook was in-part due to Adrenal Stress. (you can get this tested by the way).
Wishing you health and wellness as we head down the road of closing out 2010.
