Fatigued Adrenals? Learn about the Dutch Test
People often come into the office to find the cause of their stress. If they have done any research or reading, they will often diagnose themselves with “adrenal fatigue.” This is a common buzzword today. So, what exactly is adrenal fatigue? What are the adrenals?
This article will cover all that plus tips for balancing the adrenals and supplement support. Scroll to the bottom of the article to find the supplement recommendations.
The adrenal glands are two small organs that sit on top of each kidney. They produce different types of hormones you need to stay alive and healthy. A hormone is a chemical messenger that travels in your bloodstream and controls the functioning of different parts of your body. In other words, hormones send the signals to make your body work.
The adrenal glands make the hormones cortisol, aldosterone, adrenaline, and noradrenaline. Additionally, they make the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone.
The hormones produced in the adrenal glands help:
Turning food into energy and managing blood sugar levels
Balancing salt and water
Keeping blood pressure normal
Responding to illness and stress (your "fight or flight" response)
Timing when and how fast a child develops sexually
Supporting pregnancy
If they are overworked, they become fatigued. In the case of the adrenals, they would no longer be able to secrete the right amounts of hormones, particularly cortisol. From that, you may feel extremely fatigued, lightheaded, have body aches, crave sugar/salt, and suffer from insomnia.
The Dutch Test informs us where your levels are for cortisol, estrogen, and testosterone. This will tell us the status of your adrenal glands and point out if this is a key issue.
One element that makes the Dutch PLUS test unique is that it tests for the Cortisol Awakening Response.
What is the Cortisol Awakening Response?
The cortisol awakening response (CAR) is the change in cortisol concentration that occurs in the first hour after waking from sleep.
On awakening, cortisol should increase about 50% in the first 30 minutes and then progressively drop the remainder of the day, allowing us to sleep at night. We get into trouble when it spikes at the wrong time, stays high, or never spikes at all.
Traditional hormone testing often leaves out this critical information about the HPA-Axis. That is why the most popular hormone test we order at the office is the DUTCH PLUS.
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, or HPA axis, is a term used to represent the interaction/communication between the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal glands. This plays an important role in the body's response to stress. This results in the production of cortisol.
What happens with a low or blunted Cortisol Awakening Response?
This can be a result of an underactive HPA Axis, excessive psychological burnout, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), sleep apnea or poor sleep in general, PTSD, chronic fatigue, and/or chronic pain. A decreased CAR has also been associated with systemic hypertension, functional GI diseases, postpartum depression, and autoimmune diseases.
What happens with an elevated Cortisol Awakening Response?
This can be a result of an over-reactive HPA Axis, ongoing job-related stress (anticipatory stress for the day), glycemic dysregulation, pain (i.e. waking with painful joints or a migraine), and general depression (not SAD). A recent study showed that neither the waking nor post-waking cortisol results correlated to Major Depressive Disorder, but the CAR calculation (the change between the first two samples) did. This measurement of the response to waking has independent clinical value showing dysfunction that may be hidden by current testing options.
What makes the Dutch Plus our go-to Cortisol Awakening Response test?
The DUTCH Plus® uses specialty, FDA-approved, and patented collection devices called Salivettes™. Salivettes™ are specifically made for testing cortisol when timing needs to be precise and are used in nearly all of the published CAR studies. The small synthetic cotton swab can be quickly saturated with saliva, providing a very fast and simple collection.
What can you do now to support overall healthy Adrenals
There are several action steps you can take to help take the burden off your adrenal glands.
Focus on stress reduction. Stress activates the “flight-or-flight” response in the body sets off a cascade of hormones (cortisol and adrenaline). While occasionally getting stressed is normal, a chronic state of stress will wreak havoc on the adrenals. As we know, the body is an ecosystem, so this will in turn affect many other areas of the body. Find the activities that make your life less stressful like breathing, meditation, working out, and cooking.
Experience a Cymatherapy Series- The AMI 750 applies sound trans-dermally through the feet or the hands via the meridian channels in the body and will support your health and keep the body de-stressed. With 10 different channels targeting areas like stress, pain, and the immune system, we test you for your unique protocol. Each series contains 12 cymatherapy sessions over the course of 6 weeks.
Change your diet- Focusing on what you eat is empowering. From last week’s email, we saw that sugar has negative effects on cortisol levels. Reducing your sugar intake and focusing on whole foods will help your body return to balance. Paring the Dutch Test will our Comprehensive Blood Panel can direct you to where what additional nutrients you need to support your health.
Make an appointment for an adjustment- Getting an adjustment not only helps the physical body, but also the emotional and chemical body. It may calm down your nervous system and reduce overall stress.
Resetting your circadian rhythm is an important part of healing issues with the Cortisol Awakening Response. Doing things like going to bed and waking up at the same time each day will help re-establish your circadian rhythm.
Additionally, try creating a new morning routine…
Get exposure to bright, natural light immediately on waking. Open the curtains, go outside, or use a full-spectrum lightbox or light bulb.
Exercise within 30 to 45 minutes of waking. It can be as simple as 10 minutes of stretching or taking a walk in the neighborhood.
Ready to take the next steps to understand what is happening with your hormones? Contact us to set up your appointment or to order the Dutch Test.
Supplement Support for the Adrenal Glands
Adrenotone - Designs for health
Adrenotone™ is a combination of standardized adaptogenic herbs and nutrients that are known to contribute to rejuvenating the adrenals. This product is designed to help support healthy cortisol metabolism, hypothalamic and pituitary function (HPTA axis), and catecholamine production (dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine).
Key components
B-vitamins and vitamin C are crucial contributors to energy generation at the cellular level, which may bolster adrenal function and combat the fatigue that is a hallmark of suboptimal adrenal function.
The amino acid tyrosine is a building block for thyroid hormones as well as the neurotransmitters dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine, which are involved in balanced moods and the ability to cope with stress.
Adaptogens are compounds that help the body regulate the production of various hormones and neurotransmitters. Whether the need is for an increase or a decrease, they facilitate the normalizing of these levels and the return of the body to homeostasis.
Rhodiola, ashwagandha, American ginseng, and eleuthero are adaptogens that have been used for centuries in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine to support healthy responses to stress.
An additional ingredient, licorice, helps cortisol stay in the bloodstream longer, thereby lessening the demand on the adrenals to produce more of it.
DSF: The DeStressing Formula by Nutriwest
DSF is the supplement aimed at getting you out of “fight-or-flight!” Glandulars, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals synergistically work together to support the various energy-producing systems of the body.
Cortisol is actually an anti-inflammatory molecule. However, chronic elevations of cortisol can lead to increased production of inflammatory cytokines that compromise the immune response.
Pantothenic Acid, (a.k.a. B-5) - Our adrenal glands need Pantothenic Acid to manufacture anti-inflammatory hormones such as cortisol. Pantothenic acid also helps to improve stress resilience.
Glandulars refer to the use of animal tissues to enhance the function of or mimic the effect of the corresponding human tissue.
Mineral 650 by Pure Encapsulations
Minerals are inorganic elements that come from soil and water, and are absorbed by plants or eaten by animals. Overall, minerals are not only important for your adrenals, but also for Bone and Tooth Health, Energy Production, Nerve and Muscle Function, and Immune Health.
Calcium helps restore calm to the body after a stressor passes, acting like a shock absorber for the adrenals.
Magnesium - Chronic stress and adrenal fatigue further deplete magnesium, leaving you at much higher risk of deficiency. It also supports balanced blood glucose metabolism and neurotransmitter production, helping stabilize mood and increase feelings of calm.
Zinc, manganese, selenium, and iodine help keep your endocrine system functioning. Because adrenal imbalance can trigger low thyroid function, it’s important to keep the levels balanced with trace minerals.
If you would like to order or receive more information on any of the supplements you see above, please contact us via email or phone.
Disclaimer: The information on this article is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this web site is for general information purposes only.