Let’s discuss what constitutes adrenal fatigue and its causes. The sad fact is that many women suffer from this condition and may not even realize it. Adrenal fatigue occurs when the body is subjected to excessive amounts of stress. The adrenal glands are responsible for our fight or flight response when we enter stressful situations. They are also responsible for hormone production that our bodies need daily to function properly. When we are overly stressed, our adrenal glands are overworked by producing cortical in answer to that stress response. They cannot then produce the other hormones that we need to function in our daily lives.

So what are the signs and symptoms of adrenal fatigue? People with this problem do not feel well in the morning without several cups of coffee. They feel like they need a nap in the afternoon. They always feel like their energy is lacking and they are not able to perform all the tasks that they need to do on a daily basis. Other symptoms of adrenal fatigue include craving a large amount of carbohydrates and being so wired that they have to stay up until the middle of the night even though they feel exhausted the next day.

Adrenal fatigue seems to be more prevalent in women than in men but it does affect both sexes. There have been studies that show that it may be linked to fibromyalgia and hypothyroidism as well.

Some things that have been reported to reduce the effects of adrenal fatigue include dietary changes, Chinese herbs and acupuncture. Dietary changes include changing the times and amounts of food eaten during the day. Low blood sugar can lead to additional stress in the body so small frequent meals can improve this situation. Foods should be included in the diet that nurtures the kidney. They are beans, barley, pork, sprouts, eggs, sardines, blueberries, and cheese.

Adrenal fatigue is seen in Chinese medicine as a Kidney deficiency. It is treated with the Kidney Yin building herbs in the first step of the treatment which lasts for a period of two to four months. This phase is followed by treatment with the Kidney Yang tonics. Acupuncture points can be stimulated for the kidney and may be self-applied just inside the ankle between the medial malleolus and the Achilles tendon by massaging the area clockwise for five minutes on each side of the foot daily.