Does this describe you and how you feel everyday? These are a few of the most common complaints given by patients that walk into our clinic every day. They report feeling burned out, tired, never feeling rested, waking up at night, can’t get back to sleep, grumpy, irritable, walking around in a fog, can’t remember much of anything any more and no get up and go. It is what is known as Adrenal Dysfunction (AD).

Medicine is starting to recognize this issue, and it is gaining ground in understanding, yet it is addressed with a “watch and wait” mentality. We diagnose and treat Adrenal Dysfunction, so you do not “watch and wait” until the failure occurs. Watching and waiting eventually leads to getting the condition you are watching and waiting for, meaning waiting for the arrival of a train you do not want to arrive.

There are typically three levels of AD: Stressed and Tired, Wired and Tired and Crashed/Depleted. The final stage is failure of the adrenal glands which is then pharmaceutically managed. The three levels have specific laboratory findings that are easily discovered with some basic salivary testing and blood work. There are many studies that have been conducted using salivary testing for Cortisol levels (specific to adrenal gland function).

Accordingly these studies, mainly performed on endurance athletes also known as Over-Training, demonstrate salivary testing is the only reliable way to test adrenal function for cortisol measurement before the adrenal gland starts shutting down, leading to failure. Each phase has distinct lab findings along with history and physical examination findings that allow us to determine which of the three phases you are in.

These findings allows us to determine which form or combinations of treatment is best suited to your situation: acupuncture, chiropractic, nutrition, exercise therapy, hormone therapy and vitamin/mineral/herbal therapies. All of these have evidence in research to explain their benefit. Luckily, our office has all of these available.

As was stated the majority of patients that walk through our doors have some form of adrenal dysfunction when presenting with the complaints noted above. While that list is small it represents a good base for what most people walk around with in today's society. They go to their doctor and the doctor cannot find any reason based on the limited testing that they have experience with. More advanced, functional-based testing and broader blood work help us determine where the issue is, and what we can do as a team to get you better!

Jerry Bailey is a Chiropractic Physician, Certified Acupuncturist and a Functional Medicine provider. He has a Masters of Science degree in Nutrition and Functional Medicine. He is also a professor of Neuro-Endocrinology at the University of Western States in the Masters of Science in Nutrition and Functional Medicine program. Bailey works with patients on their health issues including IBS, Crohn’s, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hormone imbalances, stress, fatigue, chronic pain/fibromyalgia, headaches along with back pain, neck pain and arm/leg pain. Visit www.lakesideholistic.com for more information.