Adrenal fatigue is an unsubstantiated illness that is purported to affect the adrenal glands. Many athletes or body builders cite that due to adrenal fatigue, they need to seek out some form of adrenal fatigue treatment. Many companies often cater to this desire with a range of unregulated fitness supplements. No governing body has oversight on any health supplements. This means companies can market products that may very well not treat any illness despite claims to the contrary. Regardless, here are some common questions answered about the controversial topic of adrenal fatigue.
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A: Adrenal fatigue is a number of unconnected symptoms usually reported by people who are either under a great deal of physical or emotional stress or who engage routinely in intensive exercise. No study has ever shown adrenal fatigue to be an actual condition, nor have any official scientific studied been commissioned to determine if such a thing is possible beyond it being a birth defect.
Q: What are some symptoms of adrenal fatigue?
A: Commonly reported symptoms include fatigue, muscle and joint ache, rapid weight loss, low blood pressure, nausea, dizziness and loss of body hair.
Q: How has adrenal fatigue been popularized?
A: Any patients who have symptoms that doctors have difficulty diagnosing often seek alternative answers from a variety of non scientific sources. Adrenal fatigue was postulated by a number of alternative health gurus and other home health guides as a way of explaining symptoms that medical science didn’t have an answer for. This does not mean adrenal fatigue is not an actual disorder, but it does mean that any claims from unlicensed medical practitioners about the condition must be taken with a grain of salt.
Q: Is there such a thing as a lack of adrenal in the body?
A: Adrenal glands have a very important function to perform, that of manufacturing various hormones to ensure proper functioning of the body. Medically there is a condition called Addison’s disease where the adrenal glands fail to produce enough of a specific type of hormone. Nevertheless, it is often very easy to spot Addison’s disease early on as the lack of proper hormones will impact development. Fatiguing your adrenal glands due to activity or stress is, to the best knowledge available, not medically possible.
Q: What do advocates of adrenal fatigue say about this condition?
A: Proponents of adrenal fatigue claim that the adrenal glands can become fatigued through continual flight or fight responses being triggered in the body through ongoing hostility or stress. This causes a higher demand for adrenaline than the body can deliver. As a result, an improper release of hormones triggers the symptoms associated with adrenal fatigue.
Q: Is there any treatment for adrenal fatigue?
A: As this condition is not recognized as existing by the medical community, there is no approved form of adrenal fatigue treatment. Addison’s disease can be diagnosed through blood tests to determine the amount of adrenaline in the bloodstream. Health supplements offer solutions but are unregulated and their claims are unsubstantiated, negating their curative claims.
