Unbalanced hormones and low cortisol levels are the result of overwhelming the adrenal glands, typically referred to as adrenal burnout. Should your doctor suspect an adrenal fatigue, they will insist you getting a test for Addison’s or Cushing’s diseases.
Adrenal Fatigue, a hoax?
Conventional medicine does not recognize Adrenal fatigue as a disease because there are no drugs prescribed to treat it. This condition is a result of the loop between the adrenals and the brain being fried. Thus it is referred to as hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction.
The adrenals are tiny glands located on top of the kidneys that produce cortisol and s*x hormones. Having a normal s*x drive, being rested after a night sleep, and having energy throughout the day means that everything is under control and functions normally.
On the flip side, being chronically stressed, the cortisol levels stay high and your body depletes the hormones necessary to combat the stress. The symptoms that may indicate of adrenal fatigue are insomnia, brain fog, anxiety, and fatigue, which disrupt your day-to-day life.
Should your adrenals start to falter, the things you should be looking out for are:
Depression
Fatigue
Anxiety
Brain fog
Low s*x drive
Inability to focus
Salt / sugar cravings
Weight gain
Decreased ability to handle stress and others
Usual causes of adrenal fatigue
Emotional stress
Lack of sleep
Chronic inflammation, pain in general
Digestive infections and microbiome imbalance
Diet (too much refined sugars, caffeine, processed foods)
Reversing adrenal burnout
Combat stress, reduce as much as possible
Restore circadian rhytmn
B vitamins
Minerals and vitamin C
Determine cortisol levels through saliva testing
Reduce caffeine intake
Sleep, around 8 hours a night
Food intake at regular intervals
Increase hormone-building, nutrients dense foods, good fats
Probiotic foods
Adrenal burnout can be reversed in 4 steps
Step #1
Getting your saliva tested can bring to light the cortisol levels. Being tired in the morning, results in your cortisol levels being too low. Not sleeping at night means that the levels are low in the evening as well. Our bodies have sync with the natural rhythm of day and night, or light and dark, hence, the better you stick to that rhythm, the more your body will heal.
Step #2
This step is a combination of a nutrient-packed diet followed by sticking to a healing protocol. Start consuming a plethora of vegetables, sea salt, and proteins such as eggs, grass fed beef. Butter, olive oil, as well as other good fats is a good idea, though bone broth, probiotic foods and organ meats give the best results.
Step #3
Minerals, vitamin C, vitamins B, adaptogenic herbs, nettles, and nutrients like phosphatidylserine are great choices for your daily supplements regime.
Step #4
This step is all about restoring your natural circadian rhythm of starting your day at the same time, going to bed by 10 pm and eating every four hours.