Adrenal Stress Disorder 

“I don’t feel well, I have so many problems, but my blood and other tests are ok. I don’t know what’s wrong.” 

The adrenal glands are located over each kidney and are important for many bodily functions. They are instrumental in managing stress in the body, but it is possible for them to be overwhelmed by it. 

A condition prevalent today is adrenal stress disorder (ASD), also called ‘functional hypoadrenia’. This is not a disease process as such; it is a condition in which the adrenal glands are incapable of meeting all the demands placed upon them. The adrenal glands are responsible for many functions and may thus cause a myriad of symptoms – fatigue, dizziness, joint pain, allergies, digestive disturbances, asthma, palpitations, back pain, headaches, impotence, colitis, chest pains, moodiness, mental anxiety, nervousness, mental sluggishness, shakiness, and so on. 

Because most doctors are trained to think in terms of disease rather than functional problems, they do not recognize adrenal stress disorder until it becomes frank Addison’s disease or other major failure of the adrenal glands to produce hormones. When these disease processes are present, hormone medication is necessary to preserve life. Fortunately, Addison’s disease and other adrenal failures are fairly rare, whereas adrenal stress disorder is very common in our society today. It is a condition in which the body is not functioning optimally, but a disease process is not present. 

Standard laboratory tests are designed to find Addison’s disease and other frank failures. The tests may not reveal adrenal stress disorder. A thorough case history in conjunction with general clinical and applied kinesiology examinations can detect adrenal stress disorder very easily when the physician considers functional disorders as well as disease processes. 

The condition usually develops as a result of three factors: (1) more demand – i.e. distress in forms – placed on the adrenal glands than they are capable of handling, thus depleting their reserves; (2) dietary indiscretions; and (3) structural dysfunction causing stress within the body. 

Hans Selye, M.D. researched this condition in the 1920’s and 30’s, providing the basis for our current understanding. He described the general adaptation syndrome (GAS) of adrenal stress disorder, which consists of three stages. The first stage is the alarm reaction, which is a call to arms of the body’s defensive mechanisms – provided by the adrenal glands – against stress. The alarm reaction is present during any stress, whether it is emotional, an injury, a demand to fight, or any upsetting factor. 

The second stage is that of resistance which occurs when the stress tat activated the alarm stage is prolonged, the adrenal glands actually grow in size to meet the demand of the long-term stress.

Third is the exhaustion stage, during which the adrenal glands become depleted. This is the final stage of adrenal stress disorder. 

Adrenal stress disorder is responsible for so many symptoms that many doctors not knowledgeable in its diagnosis and treatment have classified patients with this condition as hypochondriacs or as having “nervous” conditions, and have given them antidepressants r tranquilizer medications To better understand why there are so many symptoms, let’s look at the major classifications of hormones produced by the adrenal glands. 

Adrenal Cortex

      The adrenal cortex is the outside portion of the adrenal glands that produces three major types of hormones. 

1. Glucocorticoids are responsible for converting fats and protein for use as sugar in the body, and they release stored sugar. This activity helps prevent low blood sugar commonly causing depression, shakiness, headaches, unclear thinking, and many other problems. Glucocorticoids are also anti-inflammatory hormones that help prevent rheumatoid arthritis, colitis, duodenal or gastric ulcers, rhinitis, sinusitis, bronchitis, hay fever, asthma, chronic upper respiratory infections, skin rashes, and/or other inflammatory disorders that do not serve a useful purpose.
2. Sex corticoids are the male and female hormones, testosterone and estrogen. The female hormone, estrogen, is produced by the adrenal in very small quantities compared to the production by the ovaries; however, it is thought that this hormone is important in the menopausal female.
3. Mineralocorticoids play a major role in the mineral balance of the body. Minerals that are out of balance affect the body’s fluid balance, including the fluid inside and outside body cells. Blood volume is also affected. The mineralocorticoids are the body’s pro-inflammatory hormones, working with the glucocorticoids to help keep inflammatory processes in check.

Adrenal Medulla

       The inside portion of the adrenal gland secretes two types of hormones. The first, epinephrine – sometimes called adrenaline – has been known for a long time; it is the hormone primarily correlating with the “fight or flight” mechanism, enabling an individual to fight stress. Epinephrine and norepinephrine from the adrenal medulla help mobilize sugar from the body’s storage and control the autonomic nervous system. Since sugar is needed by nearly all tissues of the body, and since the autonomic nervous system controls the body’s organs and glands, you can see the wide effect of the hormones from the adrenal medulla. 

Along with the actions noted above, the adrenal gland plays an integral role in the delicate balance of the glandular system. It stimulates some glands and, in turn, other glands stimulate it. Failure of any gland tends to throw the entire glandular system off balance. 

People inherit their glandular patterns much the same as they inherit facial characteristics and body builds. Some people inherit very strong adrenal patterns that make them capable of abusing the adrenal glands with many forms of stress or dietary indiscretions without having health problems. Others, unfortunately, inherit weak adrenal patterns, allowing the cumulative factors of stress to cause health problems rather quickly and easily. When adrenal stress disorder is diagnosed in a person, it should be suspected that because of genetics his/her children, aunts, uncles, and other relatives might have the same condition, causing some of their health problems. 

What can be done about the problem?

     When adrenal stress disorder is present, a person tends to consume large quantities of adrenal stimulants and carbohydrates such as sugar, starch, and alcohol. Whenever there is stimulation, depression follows, and that eventually needs more stimulation. This continuing cycle may eventually lead to addiction.  

In order to rebuild the adrenals, it is necessary to withdraw from stimulants such as caffeine, cigarettes, alcohol, and sugar. Be careful – caffeine is present in many over-the-counter medicines such as aspirin compounds, cold medications, and pain-relief drugs, and sugar is added to many foods. The adrenal glands cannot rebuild when they are constantly being over-stimulated. 

If the condition has been present for a long time, a rebuilding program is necessary.  

Some or all of the following are necessary to bring the adrenal stress disorder under control:

Dietary change

Stress reduction

Withdrawal from stimulants

Nutritional supplementation