Adrenal health

Why won’t my doctor recognize adrenal fatigue as an “illness”?

“Adrenal fatigue” is another name for subclinical adrenal dysfunction, also called adrenal imbalance. While adrenal fatigue is well recognized in other parts of the world, there has been some skepticism about it within conventional medical circles here in the US.

Perhaps part of the mystery lies in the conventional approach to testing for adrenal function. The current tests that doctors are likely to recommend are very good at detecting the furthest extremes of adrenal imbalance: Cushing’s syndrome at one end of the spectrum and Addison’s disease at the other. As described in our article on the adrenal spectrum, Cushing’s syndrome, simply put, is when the body produces drastically high levels of cortisol, and Addison’s disease occurs when the body’s cortisol production is severely deficient. In each case, the degree of adrenal imbalance has reached a stage where medical intervention is urgently necessary, and may even be life-saving.

That said, what’s absent from the conventional outlook is measurement of adrenal function that falls between the two guideposts of Cushing’s syndrome and Addison’s disease. Conventional practitioners could use a deeper understanding of these serious, full-blown adrenal disorders by recognizing that such conditions do not arise overnight. Less dramatic, “subclinical” manifestations of adrenal dysfunction can be terribly incapacitating for patients, too — and these warrant treatment as well. But in the minds of many if not most conventional practitioners, any degree of adrenal imbalance that isn’t Cushing’s or Addison’s falls “within normal limits.”

This is so unfortunate, because millions of people today suffer debilitating symptoms of adrenal imbalance, to the point that their quality of life may be significantly compromised. We know that overwhelming fatigue, inability to cope with stress, sleep disturbances, lightheadedness, recurrent infections, fuzzy thinking, low libido, marked irritability, and many other symptoms can and do arise even when the numbers on conventional tests look “normal.” You may feel unwell and know something is not right, yet have one provider after another tell you he or she cannot seem to find anything medically wrong with you.

When conventional lab results appear normal, many practitioners move on to other possible diagnoses, missing the opportunity to heal the underlying causes of adrenal imbalance. In this circumstance, some women may progress to diseased states, others may remain in limbo, and still others will continue to decline slowly, but all are wondering what could possibly be wrong with them. Worse, a practitioner may downplay or overlook your concerns, or imply that the problem must be psychological by giving you a prescription for an antidepressant, anti-anxiety, or sleeping medication.

In contrast, the medical model we follow (Functional Medicine) acknowledges and understands that every disease has a past, present, and future. Imbalance and dysfunction do not have to turn into medical emergencies or chronic disease states before an effort can be made to reveal and treat the underlying causes of patients’ symptoms!

Slowly but surely, adrenal health is gaining recognition as a legitimate issue for women — most likely because so many people in our fast-paced culture have it — and we hope that your doctor will soon accept the fact that adrenal imbalance is a real problem that can be easily addressed via a natural approach. Until then, do not be discouraged. We’re here to help, and the results we’ve seen are tremendously encouraging.

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• Frequently asked questions about adrenal health

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Last Modified Date: 04/15/2011