Adrenal Fatigue (AF)

What is Adrenal Stress/Fatigue? 

Adrenal fatigue has been applied to individuals who suffer from a group of symptoms. These symptoms include body aches, restless sleep, digestive problems, nervousness, lightheadedness, and overall fatigue. Individuals with these symptoms are recommended to do a diagnostic test to determine their level of adrenal hormones. A test we use is a Stress & Adrenal Hormone Panel from ZRT Laboratories. A sample report is shown below: 

 

Natural Ways to Combat Adrenal Stress

Over time, adrenal stress impacts the body by raising cortisol levels and causing fatigue. There are many areas to be considered when dealing with adrenal stress. The first step is to identify the sources of stress. Stress can be caused by exogenous and endogenous factors. An example of exogenous stress could be from grains if one has an intolerance. This causes an inflammatory response on the adrenal axis. Other examples include family, financial, or work. Endogenous stress is typically a side effect of a medication or oxidative stress. Once the main source of stress has been discovered, remove as much as possible. 

The second crucial factor for proper adrenal function is adequate sleep. Sleep hygiene is often overlooked when in reality, it should be a priority. Below is a page of suggestions on how to improve sleep quality. *include living matrix sleep hygiene sheet*. The human body utilizes the hours we sleep to physically repair. Without a restful full night’s sleep, the body is not able to regenerate itself. 

Thirdly, reduce the amount of coffee and tea as they interrupt the sleep pattern. Anything with caffeine should be limited and avoided before bed. 

Maintaining glycemic control is another important factor for adrenal health. By improving cortisol balance, the insulin level will not spike rapidly and drop drastically after meals. To maintain glycemic control, individuals need to eat complex carbohydrates like sweet potatoes. Excess carbohydrates have an adverse effect on blood sugar levels by excessively raising the levels of insulin. This puts a significant amount of stress on the adrenal glands. 

Exercise is a great component in relieving adrenal fatigue as it oxygenates the body. Regular exercise reduces depression, increases blood flow, normalizes levels of cortisol, insulin, growth hormone, and thyroid. Interval training and resistance training are highly recommended. 

Finally, eating a well-balanced diet, especially breakfast, will reduce blood sugar spikes. If the body is low on glucose and breakfast is skipped, the body will react by secreting cortisol. Cortisol activates gluconeogenesis to increase sugar levels. 

Phase Angle 

The phase angle is how health care professionals can monitor the integrity of cellular membranes. If the phase angle begins to decline, it has been linked directly to a decline in overall health. Similar to if phase angle increases, overall health is increasing. The integrity of cellular membranes is essential as cell survival depends on solid membranes. When the cellular wall is weak, it can collapse. From here, it is difficult for the body to take up the proper nutrients it needs. Additionally, with a weak cellular membrane, the cell is left with little to no protection from outside invaders. Stress impacts phase angle by causing individuals to release cortisol, be under adrenal stress, gain weight and decrease their overall health.

We monitor a patient’s phase angle with the use of the InBody 770. This advanced machine allows us to not only track the phase angle of our patients but many other areas of their health as well, including but not limited to intracellular and extracellular water. 

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“IT IS IMPORTANT NOT ONLY FOR PHASE ANGLE BUT FOR THE OVERALL REDUCTION OF INFLAMMATION TO REDUCE STRESS. THOSE WHO ARE CONSTANTLY STRESSED AND UNDER ADRENAL FATIGUE ARE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO GETTING SICK, AMONGST OTHER DISEASES. IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHERE TO START, IDENTIFYING STRESS AND STARTING TO EXERCISE IS A GREAT STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. -KENNA VAUGHN, ACSM-EP, SENIOR HEALTH COACH” 

References: 

 Yancey JR, Thomas SM. Chronic fatigue syndrome: diagnosis and treatment. Am Fam Physician. 2012 Oct 15;86(8):741-6. PMID: 23062157. 

https://inbodyusa.com/products/inbody770/ 

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Disclaimer

 

The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, licensed physician, and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified health care professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from a wide array of disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the musculoskeletal system’s injuries or disorders. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate and support, directly or indirectly, our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request. We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.  Read More…

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, CTG*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

phone: 915-850-0900

Licensed in Texas & New Mexico