We are mind, body, and spirit. When we encounter extreme stress, whether physical, emotional or spiritual, our body comes to our rescue. If the challenge goes on too long, our body goes into overdrive to meet our needs. The danger then changes from outside of us,  to within.

Stress of life

This world is more than stressful, with demands of daily life. It has also become spiritually dangerous. Evil has invaded our society, our schools, our government, our homes and our families. Saints are experiencing many kinds of attacks against their lives and spirits.  Witchcraft is on the rise, and I see curses, Jezebel spirits, demonic oppression, crime, sickness, finances, mental strains, and broken relationships. On top of that, jobs are either stressful, or we lose them, causing the stress of finances.

We valiantly fight the good fight, pray for years to get victory. Even when the victory comes, we are temporarily energized, then suddenly we cannot go on anymore. If we have not gotten victory yet, the strain, and stress of constant failure, overwhelms us. Sometimes, the more we pray, the worse it gets. Where is the light at the end of the tunnel?  The longer we have to wait, the more trauma we experience. And all along, our body is trying to cope, and keep us going. Do we give up and not care any more, or do we force ourselves to keep caring? Finally our body fails us. We collapse.

Recall the story of Elijah, after he had successfully defeated the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel. There was a huge display of the power of God. But when Jezebel, just one person, threatened to kill him he panicked, and ran. He had just had a high stress situation, and he was depleted of all strength.So, even though he had a victory, his body could not handle any more stress. God had to take care of him by a brook, and send birds with food to feed him, until he recovered. He was undergoing temporary adrenal fatigue.

At this point, there are some who just think they are suffering from another spiritual attack, and pray against it. But they still feel badly.  What many get confused with is this: this increasingly heavy, fatiguing oppressive feeling is not a spiritual attack, although it resulted from dealing with one. It is a physical problem, and you need nutrition support, and an endocrinologist.  I can tell you from experience that most general doctors will do a thyroid test, and if that comes back negative, they quit thinking. When you tell them you are gaining weight and you are dieting, they just tell you to go on a diet, or cut back on food. They do not listen.

If you complain of total exhaustion, they will ask you if you are depressed. I went to various doctors over the years (probably about 10 different ones), and not ONE thought for 2 minutes about what I was saying. That is why I am putting this here.

Patients need to find out information for themselves, and take a role in directing their care.

The body and its hormone response

Our adrenalin is high because of the danger we face. Our cortisol levels go up. Cortisol is the stress hormone. At first this is adaptive, and helps us cope. But at some point we will “crash.” At this point, the stress hormone becomes the death hormone, unless we get it under control.

Adrenal Fatigue occurs when your adrenal glands – 2 small glands that sit on top of your kidneys – become overworked and depleted. Your adrenal glands are responsible for handling the stresses of your daily life, whether that be physical stress, emotional stress, or psychological stress.

When your adrenal glands become overworked, they cannot keep up with the stresses of your everyday life. You then start to manifest the symptoms of adrenal fatigue.

Note that just because you have one or two of the symptoms of adrenal insufficiency does not mean that you have adrenal fatigue. However if you find you have the majority of these symptoms then you may want to investigate further.

You’ll want to learn some of the common causes of adrenal fatigue to see if you can identify with any of these causes in your own life. You’ll also want to see your doctor for a full medical workup and diagnosis of adrenal fatigue.

This post is only about environmentally induced stress- where the causes are social, emotional, spiritual threats.  There are other reasons for adrenal, thyroid, dysfunction, example tumors, other diseases of the adrenal glands, etc. but I am not addressing them here.

Here are the key symptoms of adrenal fatigue:

You’re Tired For No Explainable Reason– this does not mean a little tired, which is cured with rest.  This is total exhaustion, which even months of rest cannot eliminate.  Naps are needed just to get through each day.  People with adrenal fatigue experience extreme physical exhaustion and they don’t have an explanation as to why (such as a strenuous workout). This isn’t just everyday tiredness it is extreme exhaustion.

You Gain Weight Easily – Especially Around the Middle – and it won’t come off with dieting or exercise.  People with adrenal fatigue often notice they gain weight very easily. They especially notice the extra weight around the middle – and it’s very hard to lose it, even during dieting and exercise.

You Have Difficulty Rising In The Morning – Those with adrenal fatigue often find they feel tired when getting up in the morning – even with a full night’s sleep. They often need stimulants like caffeine and sugar to ‘get going’ both in the morning and throughout the day.

You’re More Susceptible To Flus and Colds – If you have adrenal fatigue, you may notice that you seem to be catching every flu and cold that comes within 10 feet of you. You’ll also notice that it seems harder for your body to bounce back from illness.

You Often Feel Overwhelmed and Run Down – People with adrenal insufficiency often feel run down and overwhelmed with the tasks they have to accomplish. They may feel as if they can’t keep up and do it all. (This can lead to other symptoms like depression and social withdrawal)

You May Crave Salty or Sweet Snacks – This may include high protein snacks like meat or cheese. Some people with adrenal fatigue can have an increased craving for salt. You might also notice an intense craving for sweets and fast carbs like donuts, chocolate bars, pastries, ice cream etc.

You Feel Better In A Less Stressful Environment – Many people with adrenal insufficiency feel better when on vacation. Their symptoms may even clear up entirely but then return when they go back to their normal lives.

You Are Troubled By ‘Brain Fog’ or Inability to Concentrate – This may include things like the inability to remember certain details, appointments, etc. This may also include a feeling of confusion or difficulty concentrating.

Increased PMS For Women – Women with adrenal disorder may find their periods become heavier and/or irregular. They may also notice increased PMS mood swings and/or food cravings.

Those are several key symptoms of adrenal fatigue. 
Other symptoms include:

Lightheadedness/Low Blood Pressure
Tendency to Tremble When Under Pressure
Reduced Sex Drive
Heart Palpitations
Nervousness/Raw Nerves
Poor Digestion – bloating, acid stomach
Feel Most Energetic in the Evening – takes most of morning to wake up
Sensitivity to cold
Difficulty losing weight
Fluid retention, thirsty a lot
Insomnia, un refreshing sleep – sleep only for a few hours at a time, need to take naps
Bad teeth, gums
Ulcers – due to stress

Distinguishing between thyroid and adrenal problems, or a mix between the two:
The thyroid gland can not make enough T4 (hypothyroidism).
If poor thyroid function is the only cause, we typically see a reddish complexion, thinning of the outer eyebrows, easy weight gain, depression, sluggishness, excessive sleep,high blood pressure, and a decreased ability to fight infection.

Conversely, if poor adrenal function is the only cause, we typically see pallor, full eyebrows, difficulty gaining weight (if the problem is severe), difficulty losing weight (if the problem is moderate), can’t lose excess weight even while dieting anxiety, exaggerated startle reflex, insomnia and un-refreshing sleep, sleep poorly or less than seven hours a night, low blood pressure, allergies and auto-immune problems. bone loss (osteoporosis) because of excess cortisol, hypertension (high blood pressure), type 1 diabetes – not all cases, kidney stones, unusual or chronic infections, use caffeine or carbohydrates as “pick-me-ups, skin pigmentation issues

Adrenal fatigue is a likely factor in several medical conditions such as the following:
Hypotension
Fibromyalgia
Hypothyroidism
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Arthritis
Premature menopause

Higher and more prolonged levels of cortisol in the bloodstream (like those associated with chronic stress) have been shown to have negative effects, such as:
Impaired cognitive performance
Suppressed thyroid function
Blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia
Decreased bone density – osteopenia, which leads to osteoporosis
Decrease in muscle tissue
Higher blood pressure
Lowered immunity and inflammatory responses in the body, slowed wound healing, and other health consequences
Increased abdominal fat, which is associated with a greater amount of health problems than fat deposited in other areas of the body.
Some of the health problems associated with increased stomach fat are heart attacks, strokes, the development of , higher levels of “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and lower levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL), which can lead to other health problems!

Most people have a mixture of poor thyroid and poor adrenal function rather than purely one or the other, and therefore a mixture of symptoms.
In adrenal fatigue, the total cholesterol tends to run low to low-normal while the HDL tends to run high-normal to high.
In hypothyroidism, the opposite tends to occur with a high-normal to high cholesterol and normal-low HDL.

In the early stages of adrenal dysfunction, cortisol levels are too high during the day and continue rising in the evening. This is called “hyperadrenia.”
In the middle stages, cortisol may rise and fall unevenly as the body struggles to balance itself despite the disruptions of caffeine, carbs and other factors, but levels are not normal and are typically too high at night.
In advanced stages, when the adrenals are exhausted from overwork, cortisol will never reach normal levels (“hypoadrenia”).

Remedies:
Get tested for cortisol levels. See if you need medication. There are more serious diseases that can develop, like Addison’s and Cushing’s, so get checked well.
Rest
Get a one week de-tox kit from a health food store and follow the directions.  Do this every few months.  The food you eat is not sterile, and contamination is there in some degree, so eventually you will get something that will compromise you.
Get nutritional support- take this list with you to a health food store. You may be able to get bottles of supplements that combine some of these together, which will help reduce the cost.
The amino acids, for example, may all be found in the protein powders that can be added to milk. These make good milk shakes.  Drink at least one glass of milk a day with protein powder.
Vitamin B complex
Extra Vitamin B5
Vitamin C with bioflavinoids
Vitamin E
Vitamin A + natural beta- carotene and other carotenoids
Selenium
Coenzyme A
Coenzyme Q
L- Tyrosine
L arginine
L Lysine
Manganese
A good Multivitamin – with minerals,    calcium, magnesium, natural beta-carotene, copper, and zinc
Kelp for iodine
7 keto DHEA – nonprescription strength – 10 mg/day
Get a “super foods” powder mix of fruits and vegetables- add to juice and make a drink – do once a day
For women over 40 – take at least 1000 mg of calcium a day, plus both D and K. The K will help prevent kidney stones created by the calcium intake.
Try to cut back on coffee. But if you can’t, then add fresh milk to your coffee, instead of non dairy creamer. At least you get fresh protein that way.
Exercise – not too much, you are exhausted – but try to move around some, and not just sit all day.   start with just walking around the house.
Do not try to fast or diet – it is a waste of time, and will only increase the cortisol levels, leading to more weight gain. Wait until you get your energy back.
Avoid stress if you can. Spend time alone, read the bible, pray, listen to music, etc

Be patient. This could take weeks, or months, depending on how bad your condition is.
Do not forget that God is a healer. Pray, and ask God for wisdom in your unique situation, to control the stresses upon you, and pray for healing.
Remember, this is only for stress induced adrenal fatigue only. If you have a more severe situation, as in pituitary tumors, adrenal tumors, adrenal disease etc, then you need additional medical attention.
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