Adrenal Fatigue Guide, Part 1: Understanding This Difficult Illness

Disclaimer: Results are not guaranteed*** and may vary from person to person***.

Tips to Combat Adrenal FatigueThere’s a health condition anomaly you may not know about, and it can be described as the “black sheep” of illnesses.

I’m talking about adrenal fatigue.

Many doctors do not even recognize adrenal fatigue as a concern. Why is that? Let me illustrate it for you.

A Common Case of Adrenal Fatigue…

My friend Bob is an executive at a top insurance company in America. He is very committed to his job and works long hours—often throughout the night. As a result, he is over-stressed and always tired. Even though his body wants to sleep, he continues to drink his coffee and work. Sometimes, he does sleep, but he never feels rested in the morning. Every simple task seems to require a lot of energy, and he puts in more time at the office.

Life had become a vicious cycle for Bob until, one day, he’d had enough. He went to see his doctor and explained his symptoms in detail: “Doc, my adrenals are shot,” Bob said, his typical description of his problem.

After Bob mentioned an issue with his adrenal glands, the doctor decided to run a test for Addison’s disease—a chronic condition caused by adrenal gland failure. It is an extremely rare disease that only affects four out of 100,000 people. Bob passed the test, meaning he does not have Addison’s disease. The doctor said Bob was fine and completely healthy; he just needed some more rest.

But Bob was not fine. He has adrenal fatigue syndrome, which is also known as hypoadrenia, non-Addison’s hypoadrenia, adrenal apathy, or adrenal neurasthenia.

What Exactly Is Adrenal Fatigue?

It’s a collection of symptoms including low blood pressure, fatigue, unusual weight loss, unexplained aches and pains, feelings of lightheadedness, sleep problems, anxiety/nervousness, and digestive issues. It’s referred to as the black sheep of illnesses because it’s not commonly accepted amongst the mainstream medical community yet.

Bob eventually sought effective help within the alternative medical community. But if his adrenal fatigue hadn’t been treated, it could have led to several other health conditions, such as adult onset diabetes, autoimmune disorders, hypoglycemia, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, allergies, frequent colds, asthma, and other respiratory infections.

Bob is not alone; millions of people suffer from the condition and are left untreated every day. Adrenal fatigue is a very complex condition, and your doctor’s advice may seem like a dead-end. But let me assure you that adrenal fatigue is far too real. To prevent further health issues, it’s best to treat adrenal fatigue as soon as possible, so tomorrow we’ll look at 11 simple guidelines to follow when you suspect adrenal fatigue may be an issue with your health.

Sources for Today’s Article:
“What is Adrenal Fatigue?” AdrenalFatigue.org web site; http://www.adrenalfatigue.org/what-is-adrenal-fatigue, last accessed February 17, 2015.
Wilson, J., Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome (Petaluma: Smart Publications, 2001), 5–18, 121, 155, 175, 193–207.