Who would think that something the size of a walnut and weight of a grape can have such control over your health? The adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys, working hard to manufacture the hormones that make you vital and full of life. When they’re overworked, you’re overwhelmed with health issues.

What If?

Stress and poor diet put strain on the adrenals, causing brain fog. (Photo: Harman Abiwardani via Unsplash)

If you’re experiencing brain fog…

.. then you may have a nutritional deficiency. Many of the factory-farmed meat and processed foods we eat don’t support brain health. Your brain relies on a steady stream of vitamins and minerals, glucose, essential fatty acids, and amino acids to function. Stress and a poor diet put pressure on your adrenal glands, causing inflammation and changes to the three primary hormones (cortisol, dopamine, and serotonin) that determine your energy, mood, and focus.

If you’re feeling “puffy…”

…then you may be retaining water. Stress can trigger your body’s fight-or-flight response and pump out the hormone aldosterone. When functioning normally, this chemical regulates your blood pressure, and levels water and electrolytes in your blood. Under stress, aldosterone tells your kidneys to retain salt, which makes your body retain as much liquid as possible, so you feel bloated.

If you can’t lose weight even though you exercise and eat right…

…then your metabolism may have adapted. When you’re an under-eater and/or over-exerciser, your adrenal glands get stressed, produce an over-abundance of cortisol, and leave you with metabolic adaptation—or worse, metabolic damage.

Adrenal fatigue can run down your immune system.  (Photo via Pixabay)

If you’re constantly getting sick…

…then your immune system may be compromised. Continual stress can weaken the adrenals to the point where they can no longer adequately stimulate your immune system to keep you healthy. While you may only be dealing with recurring colds or the flu, proper immune system function is responsible for preventing more serious conditions like cancer and autoimmune diseases.

If you have a thyroid condition, and synthetic hormones don’t help…

…your adrenal function may be to blame. People with thyroid disorders often have weak adrenals. And if they’re underproducing or overproducing cortisol, your thyroid condition can get much worse.

If your libido is diminished…

… you may have low hormone levels. When your stress levels are high and energy levels are low, reproduction takes a back seat to survival and recovery. To conserve energy, your body lessens (and in some cases, stops) the production of estrogen and testosterone—the hormones responsible for your sex drive.

Boost Your Adrenal Function Naturally

Fortunately, a saliva and/or blood test for cortisol and DHEA can help diagnose adrenal fatigue, but you’ll require a variety of other tests to diagnose the cause. At Twin Cities Metabolism, we’ll start by asking you the right questions, follow with a battery of tests to banish any doubt about a diagnosis, and proceed with a customized treatment plan (which we’ll explore in next week’s post).

Ready to take charge of your adrenal function? We’re ready to guide you. Get in touch.