Most people have depleted energy reserves and describe their day as running on empty. Having enough energy to lead a happy and productive life is missing for most people.
We only have so much energy and the demands of physical exertion, mental work, and emotional demands all deplete the limited supply of energy we have available to us. Life for most people is a stressful experience. Our energy supplies are drained and they must be replenished.
Our hormonal system is highly involved in coping with the stress of life. The HPA axis (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal) is a coordinated messaging service that activates and dictates all the actions all the parts of the body must take when they are exposed to stressful situations. This system cannot stay turned-on because if it does then harm can actually arise from its actions.
The Stress Response System Must Turn-On, Then Turn-Off
Unfortunately, for many people, it rarely turns off so it has no chance to recover and heal. The adrenal gland has two parts: the medulla which secretes adrenaline. This is the well-known fight-or-flight hormone. Quick acting, it prepares us to fight or flee from imminent danger.
The adrenal cortex secretes cortisol and this hormone is slower acting than adrenaline as each serves a different role. Adrenaline activates the body for immediate action and cortisol is used to deal with on-going stressful situations such as illness and emotional trauma. Scientific studies that have tried to define the causes of chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and other chronic fatigue states indicate that the HPA axis is involved and may be too weak to get the job done.
The idea that deficient cortisol output led to fatigue developed in the late 1800′s. There is, however, little consensus among the medical people about the level of involvement of adrenal fatigue syndrome as a causative factor in chronic fatigue.
The ability to define the overall functional capacity of the adrenal gland is not well understood. An adrenal crisis might occur if one experienced a too high stress that overwhelmed the functional capacity of the adrenal output of cortisol. A divorce, surgery, shock, or infection are examples of what could overwhelm the adrenal.
Most People Suffer From Sub-Clinical (No Diagnosis) Fatigue
For most chronically fatigued persons, the medical investigation does not turn-up any specific dysfunction or cause. Only about 1-2% of chronically fatigued persons are diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). The lack of a diagnosis and the lack of support of the physician don’t make the condition any less real to the individual.
Current investigations have shown that the HPA axis is involved and that the primary defect is a reduced output of cortisol from the adrenal gland. Studies have shown that adrenal gland size is reduced by about half in those diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome showing a functional reason for less cortisol output.
This evidence supports the idea that adrenal fatigue syndrome arises from a reduced cortisol output because of the reduced size of the adrenal gland. Adrenal gland reduced capacity is likely involved in all cases of chronic and extreme fatigue. From a medical point of view, this understanding has not led to the development of any effective therapies.
Since medical therapies don’t exist, some have suggested to explore the treatments offered by alternative medicine. These include exercise, diet, vitamin/mineral complexes, and the use of specific herbal formulations and nutritional supplementation plans, such as the use of DHEA. The results suggest that adrenal fatigue syndrome can be dealt with effectively through alternatives to modern medicine.
Using alternative medicine modalities is outside the boundaries of mainstream medicine and is looked upon as a mistake. The patient receives no support from his doctor and might even be released from his care if he takes his health into his own hands. Many people, today, are doing just that and looking for other ways to maintain their health that does not rely on the use of the regular medical community.
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