Symptoms of Adrenal Gland Malfunction

The adrenal glands are little powerhouses when it comes to affecting body functions and symptoms of adrenal gland malfunction can make up a pretty long list.

1. Constant fatigue

2. Exhaustion

3. Non-refreshing sleep (you get 7-8 hours of sleep, but wake still tired)

4. Irregular sleep pattern (waking between 2-4 am, perhaps going back to sleep and waking feeling very tired.

5. Headaches caused by food sensitivities, usually some protein and/or starch category foods. These food sensitivities can also cause tired feelings due to blood sugar fluctuations and/or improper digestion.

6. Overwhelmed by stressful situations

7. Chronically feeling rundown

8. Craving salty and/or sweet foods

9. You feel more energetic in the evening

10. Low stamina

11. Slow to recover from injury, illness

12. Difficulty concentrating

13. Poor digestion

14. Low immunity

15. Allergies

16. Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)

17. Consistent low blood pressure

18. Sensitivity to cold, especially hands and feet

19. Mood swings and low energy (especially in midafternoon)

20. A don't care, indifferent attitude toward situations even when you know you should care.

21. Chronic sore back muscles that are close to the adrenal/kidney area.

Symptoms of adrenal gland malfunction are commonly called adrenal fatigue or adrenal exhaustion and the best therapy is to reduce stress and avoid the constant stimulation that exhausts these glands. This constant stimulation can be due to mental, emotional and physical stimulation, including food sensitivites. Reduce or eliminate foods that you are super-sensitive to.

Adrenal Exhaustion

Adrenal exhaustion usually means that there are long standing issues (diet and/or stress) in a person's life that need to be dealt with.*****

Overstimulation of the adrenals can be due to physical stimulation such as caffeine and poor dietary choices that are constantly raising blood sugar levels, which exhausts these glands. The adrenals produce hormones to help regulate blood sugar levels and get tired from too much stimulation. This is a direct physical stress on the adrenal glands.

Also, these glands help us to react to emotional triggers such as anxiety, fear, excitement, etc. and the constant daily stress from juggling schedules, family, finances, personal situations, etc. also drains these glands from the constant overstimulation.

Our modern lifestyle carries a lot more constant, daily stress than the cave man era did, when the only times they were terribly stressed was if a wild animal was chasing them or the lightning gods were angry with them.

Conventional medical testing cannot diagnose adrenal fatigue because they are only able to recognize extreme symptoms of adrenal gland malfunction, such as Addison's disease, which is a potentially fatal condition in which the adrenals are shutting down completely.

A holistic practitioner can help you to do a saliva cortisol test to evaluate your adrenal function and diagnose the subtle signs of dysfunction in your adrenal glands.

Some people with adrenal fatigue can get relief with hydrocortisone which can help to alleviate symptoms of adrenal fatigue. You will need an open minded doctor to obtain this sort of treatment. Contact the Broda Barnes Foundation for information. You can purchase their referral list of doctors with expertise in adrenal fatigue and administering hydrocortisone.

You can also contact natural practitioners thru the yellow pages and by doing an online search, then phoning and asking questions.

Also, be aware that other conditions can be a major cause of symptoms of adrenal gland malfunction. For example, candida yeast infection can cause so much physical stress on the digestive system that nutrients aren't absorbed properly and this can also cause cravings for the wrong foods which will make digestion even worse.

The digestion problems cause a lot of extra stress on the adrenal glands and no matter what supplements you take, you will not regain complete adrenal function until you get rid of the candida yeast problem.

The important thing is to find a natural practitioner who is open-minded enough to realize that there may be more than one cause behind symptoms of adrenal gland malfunction and this may take some additional experimenting and/or testing on his/her part.

Some symptoms of adrenal malfunction are also similar to symptoms of thyroid problems and it is possible for both to be causing problems simultaneously. This is another reason to search for an open-minded natural practitioner.

Herbs for Adrenals

1. Licorice root extract: Licorice contains plant hormones that mimic the effects of cortisol, one of the adenal hormones. Start with a small amount and gradually work up to 1/4 teaspoon of licorice root extract three times per day. Be sure to monitor blood pressure, as licorice may increase blood pressure in some people.

2. Adrenal gland extract from a health food store

3. Pantothenic acid (vitamin B-5) The best is to take some concentrated natural food containing the complete B vitamin complex such as spirulina and add extra B-5 of at least 500 mg twice a day.*** A Natural form of concentrated B vitamins such as spirulina is absorbed and used much more efficiently by the body than multi-vitamins processed and isolated by man-made processes. However, to get enough vitamin B-5, it may be necessary to take a capsule or tablet form of B-5 in addition to spirulina.

4. Siberian ginseng: One of the components of Siberian ginseng is related to a precursor for DHEA and cortisol. Try one 100 mg capsule two times a day. It can have a stimulating effect, so if it interferes with sleep, take it before three p.m.

5. Make sure you get enough hours of sleep as this is paramount to restoring tired adrenals.

6. Learn to Meditate. This is a actually an extremely effective method for dealing with daily stress. Focus on happy invigorating thoughts and look at your daily frustrations as though you are an impartial observer watching from a hundred miles away trying to see the best solution for everyone involved.

Try to see problems as a learning challenge that can be solved by creative, postive thinking instead of a frustration that causes you continual stress. Stop and think about it - positive, creative thinking is the only way to solve mentally and emotionally charged stressful situations.

There are good books on the subject out there - Find one that appeals to you. 15-20 minutes, relaxed, sitting quietly by yourself will change your perceptions and give you insight into your personal situations.

A good herbal solution for men is our herbal testosterone formula which has herbs to energize the adrenal glands as well as increase free circulating testosterone.

Our testosterone enhancing formula also has herbs to enhance adrenal function, because low testosterone levels usually also result in symptoms of adrenal gland malfunction in men and women. A combination of low testosterone and tired adrenals can make you feel completely dragged out.

It is actually not low testosterone that is the problem, but testosterone that becomes bound to other substances which is usually due to health and dietary factors. Our formula releases testosterone when it becomes bound and because it is herbal, there are no side effects to worry about.

We also have an herbal formula for women to help relieve symptoms of adrenal gland malfunction and it will also help to increase free circulating testosterone if it is low. As stated earlier, many times, in men and women, low testosterone levels happen simultaneously with low adrenal function, which is why some symptoms of adrenal gland malfunction closely mimic symptoms of low testosterone.

Because our Mens and Womens formulas are herbal, you don't need to worry about excess testosterone, since the body will only produce and use the amount of testosterone it needs for optimal performance.

Remember that symptoms of adrenal gland malfunction can have more than one cause behind them and do not be afraid to mention this to any practitioner you visit just to help keep them open to other possibilities if a certain approach does not seem to be helping you.

Also, keep in mind that symptoms of adrenal gland malfunction can vary widely from one person to another and can also show symptoms common to problems with other organs and/or glands.

Men's Formula for Adrenal Gland Malfunction