What Is Adrenal Fatigue, And How Can Chiropractic Care Help With It?
The adrenal glands play a vital role in keeping our bodies happy and healthy.
The two small, triangle-shaped organs sit above each kidney and produce many essential hormones. These include cortisol, aldosterone, and adrenaline.
The hormones produced by the adrenals regulate your metabolism, immune system, and blood pressure. They also control how your body responds to stress by triggering the ‘fight or flight’ response.
In response to prolonged stress, the adrenals release greater amounts of cortisol. This increase in cortisol can cause your adrenals to become overworked and stop producing the cortisol your body needs to function healthily.
This lack of cortisol is believed to be one of the main causes of adrenal fatigue.
What is adrenal fatigue?
Although adrenal fatigue is not a recognized medical condition, it refers to a group of symptoms thought to occur due to a lack of cortisol in the body.
The theory behind the condition is that if you suffer long-term stress, your adrenal glands work overtime to produce enough cortisol, leading to burnout.
Symptoms of adrenal fatigue
- Tiredness
- Trouble sleeping
- Salt and sugar cravings
- Body aches
- Unexplained weight loss
- Low blood pressure
- Lightheadedness
- Loss of body hair
- Irritability
- Skin discoloration (hyperpigmentation)
- Lightheadedness
An insufficiency in adrenal hormones can be diagnosed by blood tests and special stimulation tests.
How can a chiropractor help with adrenal fatigue?
There are many ways to ease the symptoms believed to be caused by adrenal fatigue.
These treatments include:
- Getting more sleep
- Exercise regularly
- Taking B-vitamins
- Quitting smoking, alcohol, and drugs
- Eating regular meals
- Eating more protein
A particularly good way to treat adrenal fatigue is with chiropractic care. In fact, the term adrenal fatigue was coined by chiropractor James Wilson in 1998.
As we know, stress is a major cause of adrenal fatigue. An effective way to treat stress is through spinal adjustments made by a chiropractor.
By realigning the spine, your chiropractor can help relax your body, release muscle tension, and help increase your blood circulation. This release of tension can help soothe the flight or fight response.
When your chiropractor adjusts misalignments in your spine, it also helps regulate your entire nervous system. This means the nerves that exit and supply the adrenal glands see a release of pressure.
If there is pressure on these nerves, your adrenal glands won’t be able to function as well as they should, leading to adrenal fatigue.
Chiropractic care and adrenal fatigue prevention
Along with helping treat adrenal fatigue, a chiropractor may help prevent the condition from developing in the first place.
Regular chiropractic care can help lower your stress levels, keeping many of the symptoms of adrenal fatigue at bay.
Chiropractic care also restores normal nerve function. This ensures your organs, including your adrenal glands, are functioning as they should.
If you’ve been experiencing mental, physical, or emotional stress, visiting a chiropractor will help.
At Sentinel Health and Wellness, our team of professionals have years of experience in spinal adjustments. We will help realign your spine, causing an immediate release of stress and tension.
