* results may vary based on a variety of factors

Adrenal Fatigue (Cortisol Deficiency) Houston

Adrenal Fatigue | Dr. Shel Wellness & Aesthetic Center

Do you ever feel as if you’re burning the candle at both ends? Do you wake up feeling just as tired as when you went to bed? Is coffee necessary fuel for you just to make it through the day? Stress is a common denominator-it unites us all. Whether you have a high pressure office job or you’re a homemaker and mom trying to juggle family life-we’re all under stress at different times. It’s important to recognize that excessive stress can effect our health. It can cause your adrenal glands to not function at an optimal level resulting in what is called ‘Adrenal Fatigue’ or ‘Cortisol Deficiency’.

Our adrenal glands are located on the top of the kidneys and produce cortisol. Cortisol is the natural adrenal steroid that is secreted in response to chronic stress, whether emotional, psychological, mental or physical. It is also secreted in the event of injury, infection, inflammation or allergies. Cortisol potentiates the immune system’s ability to fight infections. Cortisol also promotes the assimilation of thyroid hormones and sex hormones by u the cells of the body. It is also the body’s natural anti-inflammatory hormone.

When your adrenal glands function below the normal levels, it can cause a condition known as adrenal fatigue syndrome. Adrenal fatigue normally follows periods of intense stress in your life or after an infection or bout with disease. You will likely feel generally “unwell” and tired, long after your illness has been healed. Adrenal fatigue can cause changes to your metabolism, electrolyte balance, and cardiovascular system. It can be brought on by poor diet, poor sleep habits, stress, and chronic illness or pregnancy.

Some Signs You Might Have Adrenal Fatigue:

• Weight gain
• Exhaustion
• Insomnia
• Mood swings
• Anxiety
• Depression

Adrenal fatigue is a phenomenon characterized by a disruption of your adrenal glands’ ability to make cortisol in the right amounts at the right times in response to stress. The adrenals are the body’s hormonal powerhouse. Two little glands that sit on top of your kidneys, they’re the linchpin of a feedback loop coordinating nearly every hormone in your body. Adrenal glands that are in balance produce adequate amounts of hormones to power us through the day. These hormones impact just about every process in the body, from energy production and immune activity to cellular maintenance and repair. They are key regulators of glucose, insulin and inflammation, and play a major role in bone and muscle building, mood and mental focus, stamina, sex drive and sleep cycles.

Adrenal glands that are out of balance can lead to:

• High Cortisol —Results in insomnia, anxiety, sugar cravings, feeling tired but wired, increased belly fat & bone loss
• Low Cortisol — Causes chronic fatigue, low energy, food and sugar cravings, poor exercise tolerance or recovery & low immune reserves
• High or low DHEA — Dhea is one of the most abundant hormones in the body, and a precursor to estrogens and testosterone

What Causes Adrenal Fatigue?

An episode of internal and/or external acute stress or prolonged, chronic stress can cause adrenal glands to become overloaded and ineffective, causing an improper release cortisol.

• Stressful experiences like death of loved one, divorce or surgery
• Exposure to environmental toxins and pollution
• Prolonged stress due to financial hardship, bad relationships or work environment, and other conditions that entail feelings of helplessness
• Negative thinking and emotional trauma
• Lack of sleep
• Poor diet (including crash diets and inconsistent nutrition) and lack of exercise
• Pain
• Food sensitivities
• Nutritional Deficiencies
• Reliance on stimulants like caffeine or energy drinks

The Three Stages Of Adrenal Fatigue

There are three stages of adrenal fatigue. Each one is associated with a different type of cortisol imbalance, and typically people progress from stage 1 to stage 3 sequentially over time.

Stage 1: Wired and tired 

This stage is characterized by high cortisol levels, especially at night, leading to insomnia, insulin resistance and abdominal weight gain. People often feel energized but in an edgy “wired” way.

Stage 2: Stressed and tired

In this stage, many people wake up early in the morning (often around 3am) and are unable to fall back asleep. Later in the day some stressor kicks in, and they feel more awake. Their cortisol peaks early, flattens out, but often has midday or early evening rise.

Stage 3: Burnout 

This stage is characterized by exhaustion regardless of hours slept, a flat cortisol curve, and in some cases low DHEA and thyroid hormone levels ——– associated with higher risk of autoimmune disease.

Here’s an excerpt from Dr. Shel’s book…

“Adrenal fatigue can wreak havoc on your life. In the more serious cases, the activity of the adrenal glands is so low that you may have difficulty getting out of bed for more than a few hours per day. With each level of reduction in adrenal function, every organ and system in your body is more profoundly affected. Changes occur in your metabolism, thyroid and hormonal balance, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular system, and even in sexual function. Many other alterations take place at the biochemical and cellular levels in response to the adrenals not functioning well. Your body does its best to make up for the malfunctioning adrenal glands, but it does so at a price.

Adrenal fatigue is produced when your adrenal glands cannot sufficiently meet the demands of stress. What I have seen over the years is that adrenal fatigue occurs when stress has taken a toll, affecting your body to the point that your hormone and nutritional profiles are so out of balance that the body physically shuts down.”

Causes of Adrenal Fatigue:

• Hormonal
• Vitamin
• Supplemental
• Nutritional
• Lifestyle and Stress Management

What to Expect *

Once we have determined that you are showing symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue, you’ll need to have your Cortisol Levels checked, generally through a saliva test. We can then determine how to help your Adrenal glands function better through various courses of treatment.

We treat our patients who are suffering from Adrenal Fatigue by addressing their symptoms from the following standpoints:

• from a hormonal standpoint
• from a vitamin/supplemental/nutritional standpoint
• from a lifestyle and stress management standpoint

What’s the goal in treating Adrenal Fatigue?

To get you to a point where you really feel good again…make that ‘great’! To give you energy to live your life to the fullest. To help you finally get a good night’s rest. To help you get the excess weight off that has been holding you back. To get you back to being ‘you’.

Don’t Suffer through feeling sluggish and worn out. There are solutions. We would first need to test your levels as well as other labs to find out what imbalances you may have. If you are ready to get healthy we need to get you tested.

Why it is important to have balanced adrenal?

• Immune system
• Hormonal balance
• Metabolism
• Inflammation

We have here a podcast specially for you.

Testimonials

“I went in to see Dr. Shell feeling frustrated and feeling like I was going crazy after going to doctor after doctor for my symptoms. She immediately took action! She ran all the appropriate tests and prescribed exactly what I needed. and six months later I am still feeling better than ever! she truly gave me back my quality of life. Thanks to Dr. Shel I have my life back. *”

* Testimonial from actual patient of Dr. Shel Wellness & Aesthetic Center. Results may vary based on a variety of factors.