Adrenal Fatigue and Natural Hormone Balancing

Adrenal Fatigue and Natural Hormone Balancing: Part 1

Hormones affect women at many different stages in life from puberty to menopause. If you suspect that the cause of your symptoms could be coming from an imbalance of your hormones, you can do the same thing you’re currently doing and get the same results or you can try something different, the choice is yours! Whether you are suffering from PMS, menopause, perimenopause, infertility, or some other issue, you need to find out the true cause of the problem to find the most effective treatment.

The cause may be a deficiency or excess of estrogen and progesterone, adrenal fatigue from excess cortisol, low blood sugar, lack of certain essential vitamins and minerals or a malfunctioning nervous system. Through a series of blogs, we are going to go through these possible causes and their solutions to help you determine which solution may be right for you.

First, I want to cover the effects of adrenal gland fatigue. This common condition often goes misdiagnosed due to lack of clinical testing. The adrenal glands, which I like to call your stress glands, sit on top of your kidneys, and are responsible for cortisol and hormone production. They produce hormones that regulate your immune system, blood pressure, metabolism, and your stress response.

The production of estrogen and testosterone is dependent upon the steroidal hormones (pregnenolone, progesterone, and DHEA) which are produced by the adrenal glands. This is why it is necessary to detect and balance your adrenal hormone levels in order to effectively treat and balance your sex hormones.

When the adrenal glands are in overdrive, due to some type of stressor, the body will divert progesterone to the adrenals to support cortisol production. With reduced progesterone, the body may experience signs of estrogen dominance which would include PMS, hot flashes, night sweats, migraines, fibroids, heavy bleeding, breast tenderness, weight gain, etc.

One of the most accurate ways to detect hormone levels and the output of cortisol is through saliva testing. I’ve been using saliva testing with my patients for years and have gotten great results. The hormone molecules in saliva reflect the free or unbound portion available to target cells. In other words, the number of hormones in the body that are usable by our cells.

As cortisol levels fluctuate throughout the day, it is recommended that you take a test to analyze your saliva at the following times: morning, noon, afternoon, and evening. That’s 4X throughout the day! The salivary hormones that I recommend being tested are Cortisol, DHEA, Estradiol, Progesterone and Testosterone. This will give an accurate assessment of your hormonal activity so that a more specific plan of care can be provided for your health needs.

Serum (blood) tests are best for testing the thyroid. While blood tests give you a pretty accurate picture of what’s happening with your hormones, these tests can’t differentiate between free and bound hormone levels, which is important because free hormones tell you how much is available to be used by the body. Basically, blood tests are like a single snapshot of a person’s hormones, taken once because it’s not really feasible to do multiple blood collections like you would if you were collecting saliva and urine. This single snapshot is a limitation because hormones peak at different times of the day and night, so the test you take might not accurately represent the actual level of the hormone but rather a peak value when it’s just released or a lower value when there is a lull in its release.

The dried urine test or DUTCH TEST is a newer test in the market. It allows for individual collection of urine samples. The DUTCH test collects the basics of the sex and adrenal hormones, as well as other hormone metabolites. The metabolites show how your body is breaking down or metabolizing hormones.

There is no wrong age to have your hormones tested and it is just as important for men to have their levels tested and treated as it is for women. It is just as important in your 20s and 30s as it is when approaching menopause or andropause. Balancing your hormones helps with the regularity of your cycles as well as helping to ease your symptoms. And it also helps women with a smoother transition into menopause with less night sweats and hot flashes. Along with decreasing your chances of developing a heart attack, stroke, breast, and uterine cancer decrease.

So how to know that you may have adrenal fatigue…

You may have had a long period of stress or a traumatic event in your life, a stressful job or not sleeping well at night. You may be suffering from a chronic illness or get sick regularly causing fatigue and a weakened immune system. Even a history of drug abuse or binge drinking can lead to adrenal fatigue.

What are the symptoms to look out for with adrenal fatigue…

Irritable, moody, low energy, low sex drive, fatigue and lack of focus. With adrenal fatigue it is very difficult to get moving in the morning or you may need extra caffeine to function. You could be extra tired between meals, especially when you skip a meal, since cortisol production is directly related to insulin production. So, is there hope with adrenal fatigue and hormone imbalances? Absolutely, I have seen countless patients through the years heal and repair their adrenal glands and hormones by testing to get to the root of the problem. By doing this, we can be more specific with your treatment plan to help you get your desired results. If you are interested in testing for yourself, please call the office to schedule a consultation. I can meet with you in my office or online at your convenience.

Call us today or book an appointment to see how our services can benefit you!