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Adrenal Fatigue Treatment

If you are looking for how to treat adrenal fatigue, you’ll find several articles/blog posts online, including do-it-yourself methods and recommendations for herbs and adrenal support supplements. However, some people who try these methods will not be successful. Why? I will answer that in the article and give you an outline of my adrenal fatigue treatment.

In over 20 years as a healthcare practitioner, I find that adrenal fatigue is far more common nowadays. In 1998, Dr James Wilson coined the phrase adrenal fatigue. This term identifies a set of signs and symptoms that results from sub-optimal adrenal function. A lot of people who suffer from this remain undiagnosed or are misdiagnosed. Many who suffer from this condition have been to various doctors in their pursuit of diagnosis and/or treatment. Some settle with living with the condition. Only a few end up properly diagnosed and treated. From those who get properly diagnosed, some do not get the appropriate treatment, or are only given treatment for adrenal fatigue symptoms. In other words, they never heal from adrenal fatigue.

Since one of the chief complaints is chronic fatigue, many of my patients in the San Francisco Bay Area have shared with me that other doctors have prescribed remedies to increase energy levels and promote rest and relaxation. Others have tried remedies based on their own research. While those are all good and helpful, identifying the underlying process that caused the dysfunction is very often neglected. Many are simply addressing the adrenal fatigue symptoms. These strategies are common in do-it-yourself treatments, and unfortunately, in professional treatments from doctors, too. Based on my experience, the proper treatment should identify the underlying unhealthy processes that cause the problem and influence the body towards healthy processes.

Although adrenal fatigue is a common manifestation of adrenal insufficiency, it is less serious than primary adrenal insufficiency. Adrenal insufficiency is an adrenal gland disorder where the adrenal glands are not producing enough of certain hormones. Adrenal insufficiency could either be primary or secondary. Addisons disease is referred to as primary adrenal insufficiency. With this adrenal disorder, the adrenal glands are damaged and do not produce the hormone cortisol sufficiently. With secondary adrenal insufficiency, the pituitary gland is unable to produce sufficient the hormone adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), which stimulates the production of cortisol.

During the diagnosis process, one of the most important things to determine is the current stage of adrenal dysfunction and severity of the condition. If you are unfamiliar with the adrenal dysfunction stages, read my article titled, Got Stress? It May Be Adrenal Fatigue. In some cases, giving a one-size-fits-all treatment may do more harm than good.

In summary, many self-help solutions, and some from doctors, do not effectively treat adrenal fatigue because of any of the following reasons:

  • the treatment only addresses the symptoms of adrenal fatigue
  • the treatment does not correct the adrenal dysfunction
  • the treatment does not match the stage of adrenal dysfunction of the patient
  • there is no one-cure-all solution, the treatment must address the stage of adrenal dysfunction and the severity

Watch this short video where I summarize adrenal fatigue treatment and diagnosis.

So, what is the adrenal fatigue treatment that works? Here are my solutions, one for each dysfunctional stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome, adrenal gland resistance and adrenal fatigue, stages 2 and 3 respectively.

Adrenal Gland Resistance Treatment

The treatment objective is to reset your adrenal gland function, including the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA), to lower the output of cortisol and to bring DHEA to normal levels. A multi-faceted strategy is the best method to return your adrenal system to normal function. For most people, this could take 6 to 18 months, based on the condition of your adrenal system.

  • Manage Blood Sugar Levels
  • Restore Cortisol and HPA Axis to Normal Function
  • Restore DHEA to normal levels
  • Manage the Body’s Stress Response
  • Lower Adrenal Hormones to Estrogen Conversion
  • Lower or Eliminate Food Allergies/Sensitivities and Environmental Allergies
  • Increase Energy from the Cellular Level
  • Reduce Inflammation
  • Balance Structural and Neurological Influences on Cortisol Production

Adrenal Fatigue Treatment

  • Manage Blood Sugar Levels
  • Restore DHEA to normal levels
  • Manage the Body’s Stress Response using relaxation, controlling emotional response, and practicing healthy sleep, work and eating patterns
  • Lower Adrenal Hormones to Estrogen Conversion
  • Lower or Eliminate Food Allergies/Sensitivities and Environmental Allergies
  • Increase Energy from the Cellular Level
  • Reduce Inflammation
  • Balance Structural and Neurological Influences on Cortisol Production
  • Influence healthy cortisol production using diet and exercise, vitamins and minerals, herbs, adrenal glandular extracts, cortisol, pregnenolone and DHEA

In my experiece, I have seen these adrenal fatigue treatments work very well and they are excellent in correcting the unhealthy processes.