It’s just two small glands located on top of the kidneys that control everything from sleep to hormones.
The adrenals may even be the cause of the growing number of chronic fatigue cases being reported.
Dr. Marita Schauch will be lecturing on “adrenal burnout” in Chilliwack on Thursday May 19 at Sardis Health Foods at the Chilliwack Mall.
Many people underestimate the severe impact stress has on them.
“It’s so important to get that message out there,” says Dr. Schauch.
An unrelenting fatigue is the number one symptom.
“That could be someone who sleeps 10 to 12 hours a night and still gets up exhausted,” she said.
She knows because she experienced it firsthand.
“The first time I learned about adrenal stress was in naturopathic school - my colleagues and I had no idea that we were on our way to adrenal burnout,” says Schauch, co-author of newly released The Adrenal Stress Connection.
“When I started my practice, I was amazed at how these two small glands had the ability to control sleep, appetite, inflammation, digestion, anxiety/depression, hormones and much more.
“It is now standard in my practice, even if patients reassure me that they have no stress, to test the adrenal glands,” she said, adding that after a year, patients improve when adrenal health is restored.
People suffering from adrenal fatigue are much more likely to develop various other common diseases ranging from diabetes to cancer.
There are a number of ways to test for the adrenal condition, which is not typically recognized by the traditional medical system.
One is cortisol testing by saliva, which tends to be expensive, while another method is called orthostatic hypotension, and involves measuring blood pressure both lying down and standing up.
A third one tests the urine, since the adrenals are located so close to the kidneys.
Some of the supplements used in treatment include: B complex vitamins, C, and magnesium.
Dr. Schauch lives in Victoria where she has a clinical practice as a naturopath. Find out more about adrenal burnout May 19 at 7 p.m. at Sardis Health Foods at the Chilliwack Mall.