Written by Sean Hoen | Reviewed by Jessica Rodriguez CNP
With James L. Wilson, PhD
If you're feeling tired and fried, chances are you've probably heard of adrenal fatigue and wondered if it may be the source of your constant exhaustion. But what exactly is it, and how do you know if it's what's causing your lack of oomph? Let's investigate.
Adrenal fatigue is an increasingly common yet sometimes controversial diagnosis used to indicate depletion of the adrenal glands. Cortisol is a hormone released by the adrenals for use in the regulation of blood pressure. In response to stress, the adrenals release greater amounts of cortisol. Adrenal fatigue is thought to occur when the adrenals have become overtaxed by excess cortisol release and can no longer produce levels of cortisol necessary for optimal body function.
James L. Wilson, PhD, who coined the term adrenal fatigue in his book Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Syndrome, describes the adrenals as “two little glands that sit over your kidneys and are about the size of two large grapes and weigh about five-to-eight grams.”
According to Wilson, “The adrenals put out over fifty hormones. We often only hear about DHA and cortisol, but forty percent of women’s estrogen or progesterone are made in the adrenal glands and about forty percent of testosterone in males is made in the adrenal glands.”
Practitioners who treat adrenal fatigue consider the expansive function of these glands and the range of deficiencies that may occur when the adrenals aren’t functioning optimally. “They have a very profound effect on the entire body,” says Dr. Wilson. “They’re the glands that first respond to stress, but also the first to suffer as a result of stress.”
