The suggested treatments for healthy adrenal function are a diet low in sugar, caffeine, and junk food, and “targeted nutritional supplementation” that includes vitamins and minerals: Vitamins B5, B6, and B12. Vitamin C. Magnesium.
Typically, the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis recovers after cessation of glucocorticoids, but the timing of recovery can be variable and can take anywhere from 6–12 months.
Once you stop taking corticosteriods, your adrenal glands may be slow to start working again. To give them time to start making cortisol again, your doctor will gradually reduce your dose over a period of weeks or even months. Even so, your adrenal glands might not begin to work normally for many months.
Our adrenal glands—small organs located above the kidneys—usually deal with stress by producing hormones like cortisol. According to the theory of adrenal fatigue, when people are faced with long-term stress, their adrenal glands cannot keep up with the body's need for these hormones.
Recovery from adrenal fatigue can take anywhere from 3 months to 3 years. Each individual has a unique set of symptoms and an individual response to treatment. The recovery process depends upon the stage and severity of the adrenal exhaustion.
Specifically, vitamins such as magnesium, B and C can help prevent adrenal fatigue. Magnesium aids in calming and supporting the nervous system, improving your quality of sleep, reducing stress levels, and boosting energy production.
Perform simple, low-intensity movement. Get up and go for a walk for a half hour in the morning—just get low-level general movement. This will help with mental performance too. Perform daily stress-management, self-care activities, such as deep breathing, meditation, prayer, and journaling.
Eating eggs daily when you're suffering from adrenal fatigue is a good way to provide your body with high quality protein as well as healthy, high quality fat. Starting your day with two eggs could help speed recovery from adrenal fatigue. Try eating those eggs raw, soft boiled, or over-easy as much as possible.
Adding lemon to your water is a great way to alkaline your body. Many people with adrenal fatigue have highly acidic bodies. To help neutralize this, try drinking a glass of warm water with a slice of lemon in it daily. The right balance of minerals is essential for healthy adrenal glands.
Blood and urine tests help measure the amount of adrenal hormones, which can detect a functional tumor. A computed tomography (CT or CAT) scan or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan may be useful in diagnosing an adrenal gland tumor and determining whether it is cancerous.
More specifically, vitamin C is needed for the production of cortisol in the adrenal glands. Consequently, when vitamin C levels are low, the body cannot produce the necessary amount of cortisol when combatting stress. This results in adrenal fatigue.
Blood tests can find out if your cortisol levels are too low. The normal response after an ACTH injection is a rise in blood cortisol levels. People with Addison's disease and most people who have had secondary adrenal insufficiency for a long time have little or no increase in cortisol levels.
The response to stress, including elevations of cortisol, epinephrine, and fats, was dramatically reduced by supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids. They concluded that adrenal activation could be inhibited by adequate intake of omega-3 fatty acids.
Walking helps normalize the cortisol response, so it's great whether your cortisol is high or low. If your cortisol is low, you can continue strength training, just don't do any metabolic work.
Stage 1 (Alarm/Alert)
During the first stage of adrenal fatigue our body can create significant numbers of hormones needed for the response. If a lab test were given during this first stage it could show elevated levels of adrenaline, cortisol, DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone), norepinephrine and insulin.
Adrenal tumors can be malignant (cancer) or benign (not cancerous). Even benign adrenal tumors can be dangerous or cause uncomfortable symptoms. The adrenal glands are part of the endocrine system, which releases hormones into the blood system.
Adrenal fatigue is thought to occur when the adrenals have been overworked to a degree that they can no longer secrete levels of cortisol that are adequate for optimal function. Potential stressors include environmental and dietary influences, as well as anxiety and emotional stresses.