I am by no means a medical expert. This page has been compiled based on my own personal experience, for your information. It is not to be construed as medical advice.

What is Adrenal Fatigue (Hypoadrenia)?

Adrenal fatigue is, essentially, “stress syndrome.” When the body encounters a stressor, the adrenal glands kick in, preparing the body for a “fight or flight” response. When the body is required to prepare too many times for this “fight or flight” response, and not permitted to resolve the issue and rest sufficiently afterward, the adrenals get worn out.

Any type of stressor can contribute to this problem — minor daily sresses (missing keys, traffic jams, etc.), major life changes (deaths, births, marriages, moves, etc.), physical stresses (illnesses, injuries, etc.), etc. These are all cumulative, and each person’s stress threshold is different.

In our hurried modern society, we experience more day-to-day stressors than many other cultures. (And with our typically lousy Western diets, we not only experience more illness, but our bodies are also ill-equipped to deal with anything.)

One of the biggest problems with adrenal fatigue is that it’s a sub-clinical syndrome.  Basically, that means that there is almost no such thing as a doctor who will diagnose it.  Hypoadrenia (or hypoadrenalism) is “low adrenal function.”  There are official diagnoses of adrenal insufficiency, like Addison’s disease.  But by the time your adrenal function is that low, it’s usually a very serious problem.  Unfortunately, there’s a very broad range of adrenal function that is considered “normal” in the medical realm.

The “healthy” range of adrenal function falls well inside the bounds of this supposed “normal” range. Probably most Americans suffer from lowered adrenal function to some degree, and could benefit from some of the tips below, even if their adrenal function is not sufficiently lowered to cause an apparent problem.

For More Information

For more information about adrenal fatigue, the best overall resource I know of is a book called simply, Adrenal Fatigue, by James L. Wilson, N.D., D.C., Ph.D.

This single book addresses what adrenal fatigue is, what causes it, how to recognize it, how it progresses, why modern allopathic (standard medical) medicine doesn’t recognize it, how to test for it (on your own and with lab help), how the adrenals function and what they do, and the stages of adrenal fatigue, as well as how to treat it by lifestyle, diet, and supplements. It also contains a section about food sensitivities, which commonly aggravate adrenal fatigue (especially when undiagnosed).  [UPDATE 7/15/2012: A newer book, Overcoming Adrenal Fatigue is even better at addressing the “how-to, ” and doing so in easy-to-understand language.  Highly recommended!]

You can also find information online, although it does not always agree, especially when it comes to which treatments are helpful. To search online, look for “adrenal fatigue” or “hypoadrenia,” but be aware that many sites which talk about hypoadrenia are speaking only of Addison’s disease, which is a near-failure of the adrenal glands and, therefore, much more extreme and immediately serious than what I have in mind here in this post.

Miscellaneous Tips and Resources I’ve Found on My Journey

Exercise

Exercise is a serious conundrum for a person with adrenal fatigue. On the one hand, exercise is extremely important, to help the body combat stress. On the other hand, the adrenal fatigue itself makes it nearly impossible to exercise because we very readily “run out of breath.”  The solution is a gentle, stretching form of exercise which does not require much exertion. Kickboxing and aerobic dance are out!

Yoga works nicely. I was hesitant to try yoga at all, because I was afraid I would not be able to find a yoga tape/video/book that did not include a lot of religious mumbo-jumbo. I have, however, been very pleased with the Sara Ivanhoe videos I’ve seen. Basic Yoga Workout for Dummies (video) was a good introduction. (It is not good for regular use, though, because there’s so much explanation that it holds up your workout considerably.)

I’ve since been using a 20-minute DVD of hers called Power Beauty Sweat.   [Please note that this link is to a newer edition than what I have, and I don’t know if anything substantial has been changed.  The older edition is still available used, but not new.  It is also available in a set, which is a pretty good value, and what I have.] Despite the title, it is not really a “power” workout, but concentrates on postures good for digestion and detoxification — both especially helpful for those of us with adrenal fatigue.

There’s nothing in this video that I’m uncomfortable with except possibly the very last posture (because of the terminology used here, not because of weird meditation or anything). If you’re too uncomfortable with this, you could easily turn off the video right before it.   (It’s just the cool-down, relaxation posture. You can just sit for a moment and breathe deeply, which is basically what she does on the video.)

There’s no weird music, either. I like it because Sara is pleasant, encouraging, down-to-earth, and not at all condescending. She gives very good cueing, so you know exactly what you’re supposed to be doing, even when you’re not facing the television. In addition, this video (like the other four in the series) is only 20 minutes long. I can find 20 minutes to exercise; I can’t always find an hour!

If you’re uncomfortable with yoga altogether you might check out PraiseMoves. I haven’t tried it, so I don’t know how much exertion it requires, but it was specifically designed as a Christian “alternative” to yoga.

Play

Those of us with adrenal fatigue need plenty of fun and laughter to help “heal” the adrenals. (Those without adrenal fatigue need plenty of fun and laughter to avoid burning them out in the first place!) Unfortunately, many of us have forgotten (!) how to accomplish this.

I found some extremely helpful information about “play” in a most unexpected place – a book called Time Management for Unmanageable People. While I’m not endorsing the book in general, chapters 12 and 13, in particular (and, to a much smaller degree, earlier parts of the book), greatly aid in clarifying this concept of “play” and provide concrete ideas for recovering this skill.

For More, see this Related post –  Adrenal Fatigue: Solutions