ADRENAL GLAND BASICS, CORTISOL & ESTROGEN DOMINANCE
The adrenal glands are two small glands about the size of a large grape and are situated on top of the kidneys. The adrenal glands help the body cope with stress.
The adrenal glands have 2 compartments:
Medulla or inner portion – modulate the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) through secretion of two hormones called epinephrine and nor epinephrine
Outer adrenal cortex – comprises 80% of the adrenal gland and is responsible for producing over 50 different types of hormones in three major classes – glucocorticoids, mineralcorticoids and androgens.
The most important glucocorticoid is cortisol. When this is lowered, the body will be less effective in dealing with stress.
Mineral corticoids such as aldosterone modulate the delicate balance of minerals in the cell, especially sodium and potassium. This in turn, helps regulate our blood pressure. Stress increases the release of aldosterone, causing sodium retention (leading to water retention and high blood pressure) and loss of potassium and magnesium. When the body lacks magnesium, it will suffer from a variety of pathological conditions such as cardiac arrhythmias (palpitations), uterine fibroids, and osteoporosis.
The adrenal cortex is responsible for producing all sex hormones, although in small amounts. However, there is one hormone called DHEA that is made in large amounts in both sexes.
CORTISOL
The most important anti-stress hormone in the body is cortisol. Cortisol protects the body from excessive stress by:
Normalizing Blood Sugar – cortisol increases blood sugar levels in the body, thus providing the energy for the body to physically escape the threat. Cortisol works with insulin from the pancreas to provide adequate glucose to the cells for energy. In adrenal fatigue, more cortisol is secreted in the early stages. In later stages (when the adrenal glands become exhausted), cortisol output is reduced, and blood sugar balance becomes a problem.
Anti-Inflammatory Response – cortisol is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent. Its objective is to remove and prevent swelling and redness of nearly all tissues. These anti-inflammatory responses prevent mosquito bites from enlarging, bronchial tubes and eyes from swelling shut from allergies, and swelling from becoming too intense.
Immune System Suppression – people with high cortisol levels are much weaker from the immunological point of view. Cortisol suppresses white blood cells, natural killer cells, monocytes, macrophages and mast cells. It also suppresses the autoimmune system response to foreign insult.
Vasoconstriction – Cortisol contracts mid-size arteries. People with low cortisol (as in advance stages of adrenal fatigue) have low blood pressure. Cortisol tends to increase blood pressure.
Physiology of Stress – people with adrenal fatigue cannot tolerate stress and will then succumb to severe stress. As their stress increases, progressively higher levels of cortisol are required. When the cortisol level cannot rise in response to stress, it is impossible to maintain the body in optimum stress response.
COMMON CAUSES OF ADRENAL FATIGUE
Chronic stress is very common in western society. The most common cause of stress are work pressures, death of a love one, moving house, changing jobs, illness and marital disruptions. Adrenal fatigue occurs when the amount of stress overextends the capacity of the body to compensate and recover from stress.
Stressors that can lead to adrenal fatigue include:
Anger
Chronic fatigue
Chronic illness
Chronic pain
Depression
Excessive exercise
Fear and guilt
Gluten intolerance
Low blood sugar
Chronic or severe infection
Malabsorbtion
Excessive sugar in the diet
Excessive caffeine intake
Toxic exposure
Severe or chronic stress
Surgery
Late hours
Sleep deprivation
HOW STRESSORS AFFECT THE BODY
When a person is stressed, the body reacts by mounting a stress response – fight or flight! When a person experiences chronic stress, the cortisol levels may rise to such a high level that its production reduces as the adrenals become exhausted.
When cortisol is at extremely high levels another hormone called DHEA, starts to drop. The result is a high cortisol to DHEA ratio resulting in:
Reduced insulin sensitivity, reduced glucose utilization and increased blood sugar (can lead to weight gain and diabetes)
Increased chances of getting infections such as Herpes, yeast overgrowth, and viral infections
Increased loss in bone mass as calcium absorption is blocked and demineralization of bone occurs – leading to osteoporosis
Increased fat accumulation around the waist and protein breakdown, leading to muscle wasting and an inability to reduce weight
Increased water and salt retention leading to high blood pressure
Estrogen dominance, leading to PMS, uterine fibroids, and breast cancer
ADRENAL FATIGUE PROGRESSION
As the adrenals are constantly being signaled to produce more epinephrine, cortisol output is increasing in response. After some time, the adrenals will experience difficulties in meeting the body’s increasing demand for cortisol. The adrenals which make other hormones such as pregnenolone, DHEA, testosterone and estrogen, are too busy trying to make cortisol and the production of these other hormones decline.
Usually over a few years of constant stress, the cortisol production is reduced as the adrenals are too exhausted. Severe sex hormone imbalances (estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone) occur at this point.
The adrenal glands are responsible for producing about 35% of female hormones premenopausal and about 50% in menopause. Today, women often have exhausted adrenal glands by the time they reach their mid-thirties or early forties due to a stressful lifestyle.
ESTROGEN DOMINANCE
When too much cortisol is being produced, it will have multiple undesirable effects. For example, cortisol blocks progesterone receptors, making them less responsive to progesterone. Progesterone normally produced by the adrenal glands comes to a halt in favour of cortisol. Insufficient progesterone production leads to an imbalance of estrogen to progesterone. With reduced progesterone to offset estrogen, the body may experience undesirable effects. It is no coincidence that we see a proliferation of conditions associated with excessive estrogen (see estrogen dominance symptoms on website). Balancing hormones is much easier once adrenal function is improved.
Symptoms of adrenal fatigue are not always clear and can often be confused with many other problems. But by far the most common symptom is exertional fatigue. People often say, “I’m tired, I’m weak, I don’t have the energy I used to have, or I have to nap in the afternoon”.
There are other symptoms of adrenal fatigue:
Weakness after not eating for a while
Dizziness
Headaches of different kinds
Trouble thinking clearly
Dizziness when you get up too quickly
Low blood pressure (more common in women)
Heart palpitations (irregular heart beat)
Trouble getting out of bed in the morning
Tender spots in muscles, particularly the neck and lower back
Generalized aches and pains
Cravings for sugar, carbohydrates, and/or coffee
Weight gain in the waist
Nervousness / Anxiety
Cold extremities
Vertical nail ridges
