Have you ever gone for a morning jog or completed a 30 minute extensive workout?
How would you describe how you felt after you were done?
Hopefully, if you worked hard enough, you should feel slightly sore, tired, out of breath, and sweaty. With any endurance workout, one normally should feel exhausted. This is because the adrenal glands release a hormone called adrenaline to provide a jolt of energy before we stop and completely feel the aftermath of the workout. This is a normal occasion for those who exercise on a daily basis. However, can you imagine if that aftermath feeling never went away? What if you constantly felt exhausted to the point of weakness? Unfortunately, some people do feel this way every day, and when they consult a doctor, they are told that they have a form of fatigue.
Normally fatigue can be a sign of different diseases such as cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disease, Lyme disease, or cancer. Another type is called chronic fatigue syndrome which is a condition rather than a symptom of another illness. However, other forms of fatigue actually stem from dysfunctions within the adrenal glands. These conditions are adrenal insufficiency (Addison’s disease) and adrenal fatigue.
The adrenal glands (located on top of the kidneys) are responsible for releasing anti-stress hormones such as cortisol, DHEA and adrenaline into the system to handle stressors and sustain hormone balance. But, when the adrenal glands are thrown off, this can result in a few outcomes relating to either of these illnesses. Both conditions share similar symptoms and one of them can even cause the other, although they are not one in the same. Unfortunately, due to misinformation or misdiagnosis, most patients are unable to understand the differences between them, which is why it’s important to finally explain what sets these two conditions apart.
What is Adrenal Insufficiency?
Adrenal Insufficiency is a type of autoimmune disorder called Addison’s disease that occurs when the adrenal glands become damaged due to persistent overproduction of hormones. There are three types of adrenal insufficiency: Primary Adrenal Insufficiency, Secondary Adrenal Insufficiency, and Tertiary Adrenal Insufficiency.
- Primary Adrenal Insufficiency: This type of adrenal insufficiency is often known as Addison’s disease and occurs due to damaged adrenal glands over a period of time. They can no longer produce enough cortisol to fight stress or boost energy levels. The body then suffers from a severe lack of hormones which causes an imbalance and can impact other areas of the body such as the thyroid.
- Secondary Adrenal Insufficiency: This type of adrenal insufficiency develops from an issue within the pituitary gland. This hormone produces adrenocorticotropin (ACTH). The pituitary gland is located at the base of the brain slightly behind the nose. Its responsibility is to regulate cortisol, sex hormones, ovulation (in women), control growth hormones (GH), blood pressure, metabolism and breast milk. If there is a malfunction with the pituitary gland, this will affect the cortisol production within the adrenal glands, thus leading to adrenal insufficiency.
- Tertiary Adrenal Insufficiency: This type of adrenal insufficiency occurs when the hypothalamus can no longer produce enough corticotropin. This causes the dysfunction within the pituitary gland which depletes the amount of ACTH released. As a result, the adrenal glands fail to produce cortisol in the bloodstream.
While adrenal insufficiency can be treated, it can turn into a chronic disease that leads to other issues within the body if it continues untreated.
What is Adrenal Fatigue?
Adrenal fatigue is a condition that occurs when an individual is exposed to chronic periods of stress. Many of its symptoms are extremely similar to adrenal insufficiency, however to a slightly lesser degree. During its early stages, some may not even feel fatigued. Instead, they’ll develop odd cravings for sugar, carbohydrates and sodium. As time passes and the hormones grow more out of balance, they’ll gradually start to feel sluggish and unmotivated during the day before having a boost of energy during the evening and night hours. Eventually, the stress that they’re handling in their daily personal and professional lives will become more overwhelming and further tax their adrenal glands. The moment that they burnout, the individual will suffer from low libido, depression, anxiety, digestive problems and constant exhaustion despite receiving a full night’s sleep. Soon, the adrenal glands will eventually shut down and adrenal fatigue will graduate into adrenal insufficiency.
What’s the Difference?
The difference between adrenal fatigue and adrenal insufficiency is that adrenal fatigue is when the adrenal glands gradually weaken due to stress, whereas adrenal insufficiency involves the depletion of cortisol levels due to damage of the adrenals. The symptoms of adrenal fatigue aren’t as obvious, since chronic stress is the main cause of it. As a matter of fact, adrenal fatigue is only one of many chronic diseases that can cause adrenal insufficiency. Also, out of the two, adrenal insufficiency is a more serious diagnosis as it usually indicates the adrenal glands are already damaged, while adrenal fatigue patients still have functioning adrenal glands that are in the process of becoming impaired.
How to Diagnose Them Correctly
Unfortunately, many patients suffering with adrenal fatigue are often misdiagnosed with adrenal insufficiency if their test results prove low cortisol production levels. This is because most conventional doctors don’t acknowledge adrenal fatigue as a real medical illness, and therefore don’t have the methods to test or treat it. Meanwhile, adrenal insufficiency is recognized by the medical community as Addison’s disease and is usually treated with hormone replacement therapy such as hydrocortisone and fludrocortisone acetate (to replace aldosterone). Since there is a lack of definitive scientific proof that suggests that chronic stress can alter cortisol levels and cause fatigue, most conventional doctors only consider adrenal fatigue a theory with nonspecific symptoms. Meanwhile, physicians do have the necessary scientific findings that suggest low cortisol levels induces low blood pressure, irregular periods (in women), weight loss, fatigue, and muscle aches. Additionally, testing for adrenal insufficiency is done with bloodwork, urine samples, and imaging tests.
At LifeWorks Wellness Center, we disagree with many of these statements and can test for adrenal fatigue using many of these same tactics. Additionally, we also treat adrenal fatigue with noninvasive treatments, detoxification methods, hydrocortisone, supplement regimens, peptides, and dietary changes. This in turn will prevent one from worsening their adrenal fatigue or developing adrenal insufficiency. Those who visit LifeWorks for either of these conditions will be required to consult with a LifeWorks practitioner to discuss their symptoms, medications, and medical history. This will help the physician to determine the best treatment program for each patient since these illnesses affect people differently.
LifeWorks Wellness Center is an alternative medical facility located in Clearwater, Florida. If you or someone that you know are suffering from adrenal fatigue or adrenal insufficiency, please call to schedule an appointment with one of our practitioners at 727-466-6789.
