Holistic Healing: What is Adrenal Burn-Out?

Why the Adrenal Glands Are So Important

The adrenal glands are responsible for the production and secretion of a number of hormones vital to our proper functioning and well-being. Specifically, they produce the hormones that allow our bodies to prepare for and deal with stress, such as adrenalin, noradrenalin, cortisol and cortisone. In general, these hormones are known for regulating our body’s ‘fight-or-flight’ response.

So what happens when the adrenal glands aren’t functioning properly?

Symptoms of Adrenal Insufficiency or ‘Burn-Out’

The following symptoms vary in severity (from mild to extreme):

Permanent fatigue & need for excessive amounts of sleep
Poor Circulation & decreased tolerance of cold temperatures
Hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar)
Feelings of apathy
Depression
Lower resistance to infection
Tendency to constipation
Muscle and joint pain

The Medical world may often consider these symptoms and come to entirely different conclusions about their cause, which may lead them to prescribe hormones (in the case of Addison’s disease) or even anti-depressants. While there is indeed an overlap of symptoms when it comes to these various diagnoses, many have found that dealing with the body holistically and restoring balance throughout can lead to the restoration of the glands and complete recovery. As there are various degrees of adrenal burn-out, one should be cautious about applying a ‘one size fits all’ approach to your healing process. Extreme medication – such as anti-depressants – may not address the root cause and you could take a much longer time to recover completely.

What Causes Adrenal Burn-Out?

Adrenal burn-out or adrenal insufficiency comes about when the adrenal glands fail to produce sufficient amount of cortisol, which is caused by some or other form of excessive stress. Stress, as most of us know from experience, comes in many forms. Adrenal burn-out can be brought about by excessive familial, mental, emotional, financial and even spiritual stress. Nutritional deficiencies can put even more stress on an already stressed-out body, and chemical toxicity, stimulants and chronic infections may also exacerbate the problem. Generally speaking, people who live a fast-paced, high-stress, exhausting and non-stop life with little rest or relief from day-to-day worries tend to suffer from adrenal burn-out at some point in their lives.

Kinesiology: An Alternative to Medication

Recognising that you are burnt-out is the first step. Some people are even able to heal by removing the obvious causes of stress and anxiety in their lives, and by taking more time for themselves to rest and ‘switch off’. Sometimes, the recovery process is more complicated and can take more time, especially when the problem is chronic and there may be other deficiencies contributing to the burn-out. Kinesiology is one of the natural, drug-and-pain-free alternatives that addresses the body holistically and aims to restore complete balance to the individual. Using the body’s own intuition, kinesiology is able to establish the root cause of the issue and address it accordingly.

If you’re interested in restoring balance to your body, and want to find out more about how you can recover from burn-out, please do not hesitate to book a session with Robyn Lotz, or email her for more information.