Is “Adrenal Fatigue” Linked to Your Health Problems… Even if it Doesn’t Exist?

Perhaps you’ve been struggling with low energy?

Maybe, it was revealed to you by your integrative doctor that the cause could be “adrenal fatigue,” or “adrenal dysfunction.”

Regardless of the name, if you looked up “adrenal fatigue,” you likely noticed it has sparked a reactive divide in healthcare. Whereas some experts seemed completely fine with the terminology and even discussed treatment of it, other researchers and physicians were offended by the term and dismissed it.

Why?

The personification of “adrenal fatigue” is likely what makes it so bothersome to many scientists. It is true, the verbiage is nonspecific. Furthermore, there is no biological evidence that any gland can get “fatigued.” Yet, why is that this lay reference, one that likely makes it easier for consumers to understand, makes the whole concept downright controversial in medicine?

It wasn’t so long ago when “leaky gut” was ridiculed, only later to be replaced with the term “intestinal permeability” in the literature. The later phrase more precisely explained plausible mechanisms and could be scientifically documented. Hence, “intestinal permeability” is the proper, less woo, reference to a breakdown in the intestinal lining.

Perhaps this should give us a pause to try to understand the underlying physiology of what “adrenal fatigue” is referring to before degrading it?

In my latest article and video, I began my exploration on what is meant by “adrenal fatigue.”

Topics include:

• The controversy surrounding the wording of a dysfunction in the adrenal glands
• The link between the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and adrenal dysregulation
• The impact of cortisol and corticosteroids, arising from the adrenal glands, on body processes and psychology
• What “adrenal fatigue” is actually referring to physiologically

Click here to gain a greater appreciation of how your endocrine system and adrenal glands can impact your mind and body, regardless of how it is spoken of.

In the next post, I’ll review the symptoms of adrenal fatigue, or more appropriately “dysfunctional HPA axis regulation”, testing, and supportive interventions.