Do you feel like you have a cold or the flu – all the time? Unrelenting symptoms of fatigue, digestive issues, body aches, and irritability can make life miserable. And the inability to get a diagnosis and a treatment plan can lead to a feeling of hopelessness that exacerbates the symptoms. Luckily, doctors and researchers have noticed a trend in people with matching symptoms, and they’ve created a term for the condition, adrenal fatigue.
Although adrenal fatigue is not yet a recognized medical condition, it’s very real to the people who experience it. And adrenal fatigue treatment is gaining focus and many people want to know how to reverse adrenal fatigue.
The good news is that if you’re suffering from adrenal fatigue, you now have options for treatment explicitly designed to address the symptoms you’re experiencing.
However, before we jump to adrenal fatigue treatment options, let’s examine one of its possible underlying causes.
What is Adrenal Fatigue?
Many doctors believe that adrenal fatigue is caused when your adrenal glands can’t keep up with your stress levels. This is because your adrenal glands are responsible for producing the hormones cortisol and aldosterone.
For example, cortisol is a hormone that helps
- regulate blood pressure,
- regulate your immune system,
- balance the effect of insulin in regulating your blood sugar level, and
- your body to respond to stress.
And aldosterone is a hormone that helps regulate salts in your blood and control blood pressure.
Because of this, your adrenal glands are essential to your body’s responses to physical, emotional, or psychological stress.
However, stress can come from anywhere. The types of stress that can cause adrenal fatigue include
- any severe or recurrent infection or illness
- having an operation
- poor diet or a severe injury
- relationship problems
- family issues
- work difficulties
So if you’re constantly battered by stress and can’t manage it effectively, your adrenal glands will work overtime and eventually run out of steam. They may keep responding, but not well enough. This means the symptoms we mentioned can start affecting you.
Adrenal Fatigue Symptoms
The term adrenal fatigue is used to describe a collection of symptoms, such as:
- fatigue
- low stamina
- body aches
- low energy
- nervousness
- low blood pressure
- sleep disturbances
- digestive issues
- craving salt and sugar
However, you may notice that these symptoms are pretty common! That’s why diagnosing adrenal fatigue is tricky. Many of these symptoms can also be caused by
- too much work
- lack of sleep
- too little or too much physical activity
- poor diet
- alcohol use or misuse
- anxiety or depression
Moreover, many physical illnesses can cause unexplained fatigue. These include
- diabetes,
- thyroid problems,
- chronic fatigue syndrome,
- fibromyalgia,
- anemia,
- cancer,
- kidney or liver disease,
- infections,
- heart disease, or
- multiple sclerosis.
So how do you know if you have adrenal fatigue?
Adrenal fatigue can’t be diagnosed with standard blood tests. That means you must work with a provider who understands and knows how to treat adrenal fatigue.
Now let’s get to solutions!
How to Fix Adrenal Fatigue?
Your provider will decide what to include in your treatment plan based on where you fall in the progression of adrenal fatigue.
Stage 1: A spike in cortisol levels in the bloodstream. Critical hormones such as testosterone, progesterone, and estrogen are impaired. This throws your immune system and metabolic rate out of balance.
Stage 2: A decrease in cortisol and DHEA levels. Symptoms like depression, insomnia, anxiety, weight loss, recurrent infections, and impaired memory may arise.
Stage 3: Adrenal glands become entirely incapable of producing cortisol. You will start suffering from chronic fatigue. You’ll be unable to execute day-to-day activities and work-related tasks.
How to Cure Adrenal Fatigue?
When putting together an adrenal fatigue treatment plan, your provider will likely draw from the following components.
1.IV Micronutrient Therapy
Micronutrient therapy via IV delivers much-needed nutrients straight into your bloodstream. This reverses any nutrient deficiencies your body is experiencing on account of adrenal fatigue. IV micronutrient therapy can also fast-track your healing process, providing your body with the building blocks required to repair damaged cells.
2. Changes in Eating Habits
Skipping meals and waiting too long to break your morning fast puts stress on your adrenal system. There fore you should support your adrenal health by
- keeping your blood sugar stabilized by eating a meal within one hour of waking,
- eating meals regularly, and
- including plenty of protein to support your adrenal health.
Skipping the caffeine and processed foods and boosting your intake of organic veggies will keep your system clean and healthy and your cortisol levels more manageable. We can help with a functional nutrition plan.
3. Adrenal Fatigue and Exercise
You may be surprised to learn that the answer to every health problem isn’t always: exercise more and harder! When faced with adrenal fatigue, say no to high-impact exercise. That’s because high-impact exercise stresses out your body. This makes it difficult for your adrenals to repair themselves. Try a low-impact exercise like yoga or Pilates instead.
4. Application of Stress Management Techniques
Stress happens. Sometimes you can take it off your plate. Other times you have to deal. A toolkit of stress management tools goes a long way in preventing and combating adrenal fatigue. Try taking a walk in nature. Take some deep breaths. Enjoy an Epsom salt bath. Learn some meditation and relaxation techniques.
5. Adrenal Fatigue Supplements
Eating magnesium-rich foods like fatty fish, legumes, and leafy greens can support adrenal health. But sometimes, your body needs more nutrients than those it’s getting through food. Supplementing with magnesium and B-Vitamins can help reverse adrenal fatigue symptoms.
6. Your Sleep Routine
Getting lots of sleep is easier said than done. But try to create a sleep routine that includes
- limiting late-night time on devices,
- setting up a nightly routine, and
- creating a comfortable environment conducive to sleep.
Getting enough quality sleep will reduce cortisol levels and stabilize your adrenal levels.
Adrenal Fatigue Treatment – Find the Best Solutions with Nava
At NAVA, we know how profound adrenal fatigue is. So we’ve created a focused adrenal fatigue treatment plan that supports adrenal function, including nutraceuticals, acupuncture, and IV micronutrient therapy. In addition, our Adrenal Support supplement supports the adrenal gland, helping it adapt to daily stressors and balance adrenal function.
Contact us to learn more today!