Friday, September 13th
Another beautiful morning! Sitting out on the porch drinking coffee.
I woke up at 3am this morning and ended up on the couch...I was able to go back to sleep after taking some medicine. I usually sleep all night but not last night... :-) I'm up again at 6am to watch the sun rise over the lake. :-)
I've been feeling fatigued when I wake up and throughout the day...not sure why...I usually sleep 8 hours at night.
Ever since my last Dr appointment and my meds had been changed I've had this fatigue...Dr Danning added cymbalta and decreased the prednisone from 15 to 13.5. The goal is to get the prednisone down to 10 eventually.
I was told we have to slowly tapper due to the Adrenal Gland catching up...???
I was reading a post on the inspire support site about Adrenal failure or fatigue and was wondering if it may be part of my problem???? Or of the combination of medication is causing it.???? I'll continue to watch and report it to the Dr if it continues.
After doing alittle research this is what I've found on Adrenal fatigue.
By Dr. Mercola
Your adrenal glands are each no bigger than a walnut and weigh less than a grape, yet are responsible for one of the most important functions in your body: managing stress.
“The adrenals are known as ‘the glands of stress,’” writes James Wilson in his book Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome. “It is their job to enable your body to deal with stress from every possible source, ranging from injury and disease to work and relationship problems. Your resiliency, energy, endurance and your very life all depend on their proper functioning.”[1]
When your adrenal glands are fatigued, a condition known as adrenal fatigue or adrenal exhaustion, your entire body feels it and suffers from extreme exhaustion as well.
It’s estimated that up to 80 percent of adults experience adrenal fatigue during their lifetimes, yet it remains one of the most under-diagnosed illnesses in the United States.[2]
The Optimal Function of Your Adrenal Glands
Your body has two adrenal glands, located just above each of your kidneys. As part of your endocrine system, your adrenal glands secrete more than 50 hormones, many of which are essential for life and include:
Glucocorticoids. These hormones, which include cortisol, help your body convert food into energy, normalize blood sugar, respond to stress and maintain your immune system’s inflammatory response.
Mineralocorticoids. These hormones, which include aldosterone, help keep your blood pressure and blood volume normal by maintaining a proper balance of sodium, potassium and water in your body.[3]
Adrenaline. This hormone increases your heart rate and controls blood flow to your muscles and brain, along with helping with the conversion of glycogen to glucose in your liver.
Together, these hormones and others produced by your adrenal glands control such body functions as:[4]
Maintaining metabolic processes, such as managing blood sugar levels and regulating inflammation
Regulating your body’s balance of salt and water
Controlling your "fight or flight" response to stress
Maintaining pregnancy
Initiating and controlling sexual maturation during childhood and puberty
Producing sex steroids such as estrogen and testosterone
Ironically, although your adrenal glands are there, in large part, to help you cope with stress, too much of it is actually what causes their function to break down.
In other words, one of your adrenal glands most important tasks is to get your body ready for the “fight or flight” stress response, which means increasing adrenaline and other hormones.
As part of this response, your heart rate and blood pressure increase, your digestion slows, and your body becomes ready to face a potential threat or challenge.
While this response is necessary and good when it's needed, many of us are constantly faced with stressors (work, environmental toxins, not enough sleep, worry, relationship problems and more) and therefore are in this "fight or flight" mode for far too long -- much longer than was ever intended from a biological standpoint.
The result is that your adrenal glands, faced with excessive stress and burden, become overworked and fatigued. Some common factors that put excess stress on your adrenals are:[5]
Anger, fear, anxiety, guilt, depression and other negative emotions
Overwork, including physical or mental strain
Excessive exercise
Sleep deprivation
Light-cycle disruption (such as working the night shift or often going to sleep late)
Surgery, trauma or injury
Chronic inflammation, infection, illness or pain
Temperature extremes
Toxic exposure
Nutritional deficiencies and/or severe allergies
Signs and Symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue
When your adrenal glands become depleted, it leads to a decrease in certain hormone levels, particularly cortisol. The deficiencies in certain adrenal hormones will vary with each case, ranging from mild to severe.
In its most extreme form, this is referred to as Addison’s disease, a condition that causes muscle weakness, weight loss, low blood pressure and low blood sugar, and can be life threatening.
Fortunately, only about four persons per 100,000 develop Addison’s disease, which is due to autoimmune disease in most cases but can also develop after very severe stress.[6]
At the other end of the spectrum, as well as in between, lies adrenal fatigue (also known as hypoadrenia). Though the symptoms are less severe than in Addison’s disease, symptoms of adrenal fatigue can be debilitating. As Wilson writes:
“Non-Addison’s hypoadrenia (adrenal fatigue) is not usually severe enough to be featured on TV or to be considered a medical emergency. In fact, modern medicine does not even recognize it as a distinct syndrome. Nevertheless, it can wreak havoc with your life.
In the more serious cases of adrenal fatigue, the activity of the adrenal glands is so diminished that the person may have difficulty getting out of bed for more than a few hours per day. With each increment of reduction in adrenal function, every organ and system in your body is more profoundly affected.”[7]
Classic signs and symptoms of adrenal fatigue include:
Fatigue and weakness, especially in the morning and afternoon
A suppressed immune system
Increased allergies
Muscle and bone loss and muscular weakness
Depression
Cravings for foods high in salt, sugar or fat
Hormonal imbalance
Skin problems
Autoimmune disorders
Increased PMS or menopausal symptoms
Low sex drive
Lightheadedness when getting up from sitting or lying down
Decreased ability to handle stress
Trouble waking up in the morning, despite a full night’s sleep
Poor memory
Additionally, people with adrenal fatigue often get a burst of energy around 6 p.m., followed by sleepiness at 9 p.m. or 10 p.m., which is often resisted. A “second wind” at 11 p.m. is then common, which often may keep you from falling asleep until 1 a.m.[8]
Further, those with adrenal fatigue often also have abnormal blood sugar levels and mental disturbances, such as increased fears and anxiety, and rely on coffee, soda and other forms of caffeine to keep them going.
As the names implies, the most common symptom of adrenal fatigue is unrelenting fatigue, a feeling of being run down or not able to keep up with your daily demands. And because fatigue is such a common symptom, the syndrome is very often missed or misdiagnosed by physicians.
The Common Medical Test for Adrenal Function Cannot Diagnose Adrenal Fatigue
Adding to the problem of misdiagnosis is the fact that doctors typically use an ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone) test to check for problems with your adrenal glands. However, the test only recognizes extreme underproduction or overproduction of hormone levels, as shown by the top and bottom 2 percent of a bell curve.
Symptoms of adrenal malfunction, meanwhile, occur after 15 percent of the mean on both sides of the curve. So your adrenal glands could be functioning 20 percent below the mean, and your body experiencing symptoms of adrenal fatigue, and the standard test won’t recognize it.[9]
The test that will recognize adrenal fatigue, in all of its stages, is a salivary cortisol test. This is an inexpensive test you can purchase online and do at home, as no prescription is needed. However, if you suspect you have adrenal fatigue a knowledgeable natural health care provider can help you with diagnosis and treatment.
Natural, and Simple, Steps to Recover From Adrenal Fatigue
It takes time to burnout your adrenal glands, and as you might suspect it also takes some time to recover. You can expect:
Six to nine months of recovery time for minor adrenal fatigue
12 to 18 months for moderate adrenal fatigue
Up to 24 months for severe adrenal fatigue[10]
The good news is that natural treatments are very effective for this syndrome, and with time, patience, and the tips that follow it is possible to recover.
Probably the single most important area is to have powerful tools and strategies to address the current and past emotional traumas in your life. Prayer, meditation and meridian tapping techniques can be very helpful here. If you were to focus only on one area it would be best to concentrate in this area as this really is the central key to restoring your adrenal health.
Listen to your body and rest when you feel tired (this includes during the day by taking short naps or just laying down)
Sleep in (until 9 a.m. if you feel like it)
Exercise regularly using a comprehensive program of strength, aerobic, core, and interval training
Eat a healthy nutrient-dense diet like the one described in my nutrition plan, according to your Nutritional Type
Avoid stimulants like coffee and soda, as these can further exhaust your adrenal glands
Further, to maintain proper adrenal function it is imperative to control your blood sugar levels. If you are eating the right foods for your Nutritional Type, your blood sugar levels should balance out, and the following guidelines will also help:
Eat a small meal or snack every three to four hours
Eat within the first hour upon awakening
Eat a small snack near bedtime
Eat before becoming hungry. If hungry, you have already allowed yourself to run out of fuel (low blood sugar), which places additional stress on your adrenal glands
You may also want to see a physician well versed in bioidentical hormone replacement, and get tested to see if you could benefit from the use of DHEA. DHEA is a natural steroid and precursor hormone produced by the adrenals, and levels are often very low in people with adrenal fatigue. Keep in mind, of course, that DHEA is not a quick cure, and should not be used as a sole treatment.
Treating adrenal fatigue requires a whole-body approach, one that addresses the excess stress and unhealthy lifestyle habits that wore out your adrenals in the first place.
Interestingly the very first step in normalizing sex hormones, either male or female, is to first address the adrenal hormone system. For example if you were to only measure female hormones and then replace them with bioidentical hormone therapy, you will virtually be guaranteed to fail because the weakened adrenals will never allow the hormones to equilibrate properly.
Because your adrenal health is so important to your overall health and well-being, I highly recommend you work with a knowledgeable natural health care practitioner to find out if you have adrenal fatigue and then remedy it.
The tips above are an excellent starting point, however, and can be used by nearly everyone to help give your adrenal glands a healthy boost.
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What is Adrenal Fatigue?
What is adrenal fatigue?
What causes adrenal fatigue?
Who is susceptible to adrenal fatigue?
How common is adrenal fatigue?
How can I tell if my adrenals are fatigued?
Are there health conditions related to adrenal fatigue?
Can people experiencing adrenal fatigue feel their best again?
What is adrenal fatigue?
Adrenal fatigue is a collection of signs and symptoms, known as a syndrome, that results when the adrenal glands function below the necessary level. Most commonly associated with intense or prolonged stress, it can also arise during or after acute or chronic infections, especially respiratory infections such as influenza, bronchitis or pneumonia. As the name suggests, its paramount symptom is fatigue that is not relieved by sleep but it is not a readily identifiable entity like measles or a growth on the end of your finger. You may look and act relatively normal with adrenal fatigue and may not have any obvious signs of physical illness, yet you live with a general sense of unwellness, tiredness or "gray" feelings. People experiencing adrenal fatigue often have to use coffee, colas and other stimulants to get going in the morning and to prop themselves up during the day.
This syndrome has been known by many other names throughout the past century, such as non-Addison's hypoadrenia, sub-clinical hypoadrenia, neurasthenia, adrenal neurasthenia, adrenal apathy and adrenal fatigue. Although it affects millions of people in the U.S. and around the world, conventional medicine does not yet recognize it as a distinct syndrome.
Adrenal fatigue can wreak havoc with your life. In the more serious cases, the activity of the adrenal glands is so diminished that you may have difficulty getting out of bed for more than a few hours per day. With each increment of reduction in adrenal function, every organ and system in your body is more profoundly affected. Changes occur in your carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism, fluid and electrolyte balance, heart and cardiovascular system, and even sex drive. Many other alterations take place at the biochemical and cellular levels in response to and to compensate for the decrease in adrenal hormones that occurs with adrenal fatigue. Your body does its best to make up for under-functioning adrenal glands, but it does so at a price.
There is considerable information throughout the website about many aspects of adrenal fatigue. For a comprehensive explanation of how stress and adrenal fatigue affect your health and what you can do to recover and protect yourself see Dr. Wilson's book, Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome.
What causes adrenal fatigue?
Adrenal fatigue is produced when your adrenal glands cannot adequately meet the demands of stress.* The adrenal glands mobilize your body's responses to every kind of stress (whether it's physical, emotional, or psychological) through hormones that regulate energy production and storage, immune function, heart rate, muscle tone, and other processes that enable you to cope with the stress. Whether you have an emotional crisis such as the death of a loved one, a physical crisis such as major surgery, or any type of severe repeated or constant stress in your life, your adrenals have to respond to the stress and maintain homeostasis. If their response is inadequate, you are likely to experience some degree of adrenal fatigue.*
During adrenal fatigue your adrenal glands function, but not well enough to maintain optimal homeostasis because their output of regulatory hormones has been diminished - usually by over-stimulation.* Over-stimulation of your adrenals can be caused either by a very intense single stress, or by chronic or repeated stresses that have an effect.*
Who is susceptible to adrenal fatigue?
Anyone can experience adrenal fatigue at some time in his or her life.* An illness, a life crisis, or a continuing difficult situation can drain the adrenal resources of even the healthiest person.* However, there are factors that can make you more susceptible to adrenal fatigue.* These include certain lifestyles (poor diet, substance abuse, too little sleep and rest, or too many pressures), chronic illness or repeated infections such as bronchitis or pneumonia, prolonged situations that you feel trapped or helpless in (bad relationships, stressful jobs, poverty, imprisonment), or maternal adrenal fatigue during gestation.*
How common is adrenal fatigue?
Although there are no recent statistics available, Dr. John Tinterra, a medical doctor who specialized in low adrenal function, said in 1969 that he estimated that approximately 16% of the public could be classified as severe, but that if all indications of low cortisol were included, the percentage would be more like 66%. This was before the extreme stress of 21st century living, 9/11, and the severe economic recession we are experiencing.
How can I tell if my adrenals are fatigued?
You may be experiencing adrenal fatigue if you regularly notice one or more of the following:*
You feel tired for no reason.
You have trouble getting up in the morning, even when you go to bed at a reasonable hour.
You are feeling rundown or overwhelmed.
You have difficulty bouncing back from stress or illness.
You crave salty and sweet snacks.
You feel more awake, alert and energetic after 6PM than you do all day.
For more information, consult Dr. Wilson's book, Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome. It contains a wealth of insights and a series of tests you can do at home, as well as lab tests like the saliva test for adrenal hormones to help you determine if you are experiencing adrenal fatigue.* Also see Could I be experiencing adrenal fatigue?
Are there health conditions related to adrenal fatigue?
The processes that take place in any chronic disease, from arthritis to cancer, place demands on your adrenal glands. Therefore, it is likely that if you are suffering from a chronic disease and morning fatigue is one of your symptoms, your adrenals may be fatigued to some degree.*Also, any time a medical treatment includes the use of corticosteroids, diminished adrenal function is probably present.* All corticosteroids are designed to imitate the actions of the adrenal hormone, cortisol, and so the need for them arises primarily when the adrenals are not providing the required amounts of cortisol.*Find more information about the relationship between adrenal function and various health issues in Adrenal Function in Health Conditions.*
Can people experiencing adrenal fatigue feel their best again?
Yes, with proper care most people experiencing adrenal fatigue can expect to feel good again.
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Today's Bible Study
How We Can Have Peace
Read | Genesis 41:1-32
In Genesis 41, there’s an interesting story about a powerful king who had two unusual dreams in the same night. Because the dreams appeared to have some significance—and because the king couldn’t understand their meaning—he was troubled in his spirit. Consequently, he called for his magicians to interpret the dreams, but when they were unable to produce explanations, the monarch’s anxiety increased.
Then he summoned Joseph, who calmed the king with these words: “God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace” (v. 16 kjv). Interestingly, the Lord did not actually promise every aspect of the dreams would be explained, but rather He offered a “peaceable” answer.
As it happened, God did choose to explain this particular dream in great detail, but that isn’t always the case. Too often, we lose our peace when the Lord gives direction or correction coupled with very little explanation.
Jesus had numerous “hard sayings” that were never explained to His followers’ satisfaction. It bothered some of them to the point that “many of His disciples withdrew, and were not walking with Him anymore” (John 6:66). They simply were not satisfied with Jesus’ partial explanations.
In Christian service, we want every- thing explained: Where am I to go? What will I be paid? Who will go with me? In God’s timing, some of these questions may be answered. In the meantime, however, peace rests not in explanations but in the One who is Himself our peace (Eph. 2:14).
Another great day!
