More medical doctors from all areas of practice are recognizing the syndrome known as “Adrenal Fatigue” than at any time in the past. Years of reluctance for many of them, in accepting this common stress syndrome as a real illness, came from the fact that the condition is less-than full blown adrenal insufficiency. The diagnostic testing used to diagnose Adrenal fatigue, is often not as black and white or definitive as that used to diagnose true adrenal insufficiency. If however, it can be diagnosed, treatments are available.
Adrenal Function Testing
The test most often used to diagnose adrenal insufficient states, which are often placed in the Addison’s disease category (acute adrenocortical failure) is the “ACTH Stimulation” test, also referred to as the “Cortrosyn Stimulation Test”. The test is administered by injecting the testee/patient with ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone) which, is the hormone normally sent from the pituitary gland in the brain, to stimulate the adrenal glands to produce cortisol. This hormone also called “cortical”, is the body’s stress-coping hormone that gives the body recuperative abilities to handle daily stressors and to recover from traumatic or severe stress-inducing events. Once injected, the testee’s cortisol level is monitored to see if it rises adequately, in response to being stimulated by ACTH. If the response by the adrenals is non-existent or weak, a diagnosis of adrenal insufficiency may be given as a result.
Adrenal Rhythm
With Adrenal Fatigue, the ACTH Stimulation test will usually result in a normal reading because the issue with the syndrome is not whether the adrenals can be stimulated to produce cortisol but whether they can maintain the level of cortisol in a steady rhythm as needed by the body. Adrenal Fatigue is also referred to as a condition of “low adrenal reserve”, meaning the adrenals can at times function at normal or sub-normal levels but cannot complete full daily cycles of supplying cortisol to the body as it is needed. This leaves the person’s body in a stressed-out state at the end of a day of coping with stressors. At some stages of Adrenal Fatigue, cortisol can peak at times the body needs it less, such as at times of rest or sleep when less stress-coping is needed. Adversely, the cortisol reserve may become low at active times during the day when stress-coping is needed the most.
The Role of Stress in Adrenal Fatigue
One term used in describing Adrenal Fatigue, is to refer to it as a syndrome of “stressed adrenals”. The symptoms of diminished stress-coping include fatigue, nervousness, depression, irritability, the need for stimulants and a low tolerance for stressors of any kind. The syndrome often manifests in people who have experienced traumatic events (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) or chronic stress, meaning unrelenting, prolonged and severe. It often also manifests in people with chronic diseases, including thyroid conditions, diabetes, cancer and autoimmune diseases of all types. Adrenal Fatigue has been cited in many medical research studies, as playing a major role in conditions such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia and Post traumatic Stress Disorder. While the condition is not referred to as Adrenal Fatigue in these research studies, it is fully described as a condition of “mild adrenal insufficiency” and as “hypocortisolemia”, among other terms.
Research Articles-Links Published by the National Institutes of Health
Stress-Induced Hypocortisolemia
Blunted Adrenocorticotropin in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
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