February 2022
Hello again everyone! I do hope you are all doing well. This is a follow up blog on the tail end of my last live on Facebook and I thought I would put it into writing.
Now we were talking about fatigue and with the erratic nature of technology I squeezed it into a 15 minute video. So, if in written form I might be able to elucidate a bit more. Here goes.
Now, as I mentioned, there are many reasons why we suffer fatigue. The most common ones are nutrient deficiencies, stress, lifestyle and even depression. Sometimes a few of these together. Please if you are or suspect you are depressed, see your GP first. You may need a proper diagnosis and treatment. However, natural medicine can help your health and wellbeing in compliment to that.
Other conditions such as hyper or hypothyroidism can cause fatigue, as does iron deficiency, blood sugar balance issues, Chronic Fatigue and Lupus. All of these can be treated by a naturopath and I can go into these at another time. However, the big one is Adrenal Fatigue or as we naturopath know it, Adrenal insufficiency. Its really more the HPA axis than just the adrenals.
Burnout can lead to this, and many people are suffering with it and just soldiering on. They have to. They have work, family life and responsibilities that they have to uphold, and this can be relentless. Especially if there is no one to take the slack.
The Adrenals that are the small triangular glands that are situated near the kidneys. They release hormones to assist in the survival response and to give us a boost of adrenaline or cortisol. The HPA axis stands for the Hypothalamus Pituitary Adrenal Axis.
The Hypothalamus releases CRH (Cortioctropic Releasing Hormone) which speaks to the Pituitary that then releases ACTH (Adrenocorticotropic Hormone) and this travels to the Adrenals. The adrenals release adrenaline (short term) and/or cortisol (long term) to perk you up in order to get you out of danger.
Energy is needed as fuel and so it triggers the release of glucose in order for you to have fuel. If this is long term and chronic then things in the body start breaking down or not function the way they should. Cholesterol is a building block of cortisol and so may be higher in blood titres. This leads to other issues and is for another time for me to discuss.
When you are depleted this way your circadian rhythms can be affected. You may be what we Nats call ‘wired and tired’. This is where our normal cortisol of being higher in the a.m. dip and cause us to be tired as we rise and then rise at night when they should lower. We then self medicate with caffeine. Sound familiar? The vicious cycle continues.
So if you have adrenal fatigue then the HPA axis needs treating as a whole. Rest and sleep in the form of good sleep hygiene is important. Not negotiable. Delegate workloads. It is vital you do not overwork or overload your body. Good nutritious food. Nothing from a packet. Bright coloured fruit and vegetables. Omitting alcohol, caffeine and sugary foods. Good quality, free range, organic, grass fed meats. Oily fish. Filtered water and herbal teas. Vitamin C is important to nourish the adrenals in particular.
How do I know this? Not just from my training but also from having experienced it.
Not all GPs or endocrinologist acknowledge ‘Adrenal Fatigue’ and this is a shame because it needs to be identified in time. To prevent other issues. A simple saliva test can be done and this can identify how your cortisol etc is tracking.
I do hope you all are looking after yourselves and that if you have any of the above issues that you find your way to a naturopath to help you.
See you next time and take care.
Lisa