Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., presents how various treatments can help with adrenal insufficiency and can help regulate hormone levels in the body in this 2-part series. Since hormones play a vital role in the body by controlling how the body functions, it is important to know what the trigger is that is causing overlapping issues in the body. In Part 1, we looked at how adrenal insufficiencies affect different hormones and their symptoms. We refer patients to certified providers that include hormone treatments that relieve adrenal insufficiencies affecting the body while ensuring optimal health and wellness for the patient through various therapies. We appreciate each patient by referring them to associated medical providers based on their diagnosis when it’s appropriate to understand better what they are feeling. We understand that education is an excellent and inquisitive way to ask our providers various intricated questions at the patient’s request and knowledge. Dr. Jimenez, D.C., utilizes this information as an educational service. Disclaimer
Treatments For Adrenal Insufficiencies
Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., presents: When it comes to adrenal insufficiencies, the body has various symptoms that can cause the person to feel low on energy and pain in different areas. Since hormones are produced in the adrenal glands, they help maintain how vital organs and muscles work to keep the body functional. When various factors affect the body, disrupting the adrenal glands, it can cause hormone production to over or underproduce. To that point, it can correlate to numerous symptoms that cause the body to be dysfunctional. Fortunately, there are various treatments that many people can incorporate into their daily lives to promote hormone regulation.
Now everyone has different ways to lower their stress, which is fine as there are various treatments that a person may like to try, and if they are in a treatment plan that their doctor developed for them, they can find ways to get their health and wellness back. Many individuals sometimes participate in meditation and yoga to practice mindfulness. Now meditation and yoga have amazing benefits in lowering oxidative stress and cortisol levels associated with chronic stress. By looking at how adrenal insufficiencies can cause an increase in insulin, cortisol, and DHEA dysfunction in the HPA axis, many doctors would devise a treatment plan for their patients that can help lower the oxidative stress markers and regulate hormonal production. So if one of the treatments is meditation or yoga, many individuals who practice yoga and meditation will begin to notice how they are feeling after taking a few deep breaths and begin to feel mindful of their surroundings. This causes many people to improve their quality of life associated with decreased cortisol levels.
How Mindfulness Can Lower Stress
Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., presents: Another available treatment that can help with adrenal insufficiencies is an 8-week mindfulness treatment that can help lower cortisol levels from escalating in the body to cause more issues than a person is dealing with. Depending on what stage the HPA axis dysfunction is affecting the body, taking the time for yourself can benefit you in the long run. An example would be taking a hike on a nature walk path. The change in the environment can help a person relax and be at ease. This allows the body to let go of unnecessary pent-up stress affecting a person’s mood, functionality, and mental health when a change of scenery can help them relax and recharge. To that point, it allows the HPA axis to relax as well.
Another example of how mindfulness can help treat adrenal insufficiencies associated with hormonal dysfunction is by providing neurofeedback to those with chronic PTSD. Individuals with traumatic experiences have PTSD, which can hinder their ability to function in the world. When they go through a PTSD episode, their bodies will begin to lock up and tense, causing their cortisol levels to rise. To that point, this causes an overlap of symptoms associated with muscle and joint pain. Now how does mindfulness plays its part when it comes to treatment? Well, many doctors specializing in treating PTSD will do an EMDR test. EMDR stands for eye, movement, desensitization, and reprogramming. This allows PTSD patients to have their HPA axis rewired and reduce the neuron signals in their brains and help lower any cortisol levels causing adrenal insufficiencies in their bodies. Incorporating EMDR testing into PTSD patients allows them to find the issue causing the trauma through brain spotting, where the brain replays the traumatic memories and helps rewire the brain to release the trauma out of the body and start the healing process.
Vitamins & Supplements
Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., presents: Another technique many individuals can begin if they want to regulate their hormones is by taking supplements and neutraceuticals to help replenish hormonal function and the body. Choosing the right vitamins and supplements is not difficult if you don’t want to consume them in pill form. Many vitamins and supplements can be found in nutritious whole foods with specific nutrients that can improve hormone production and make a person feel full. Some of the vitamins and supplements that can help with hormone balance include:
Magnesium
B vitamins
Probiotics
Vitamin C
Alpha-lipoic acid
Omega-3 Fatty Acid
Vitamin D
These vitamins and supplements can help communicate with the other hormones the body produces and help balance hormonal production. Now, these treatments can help many people with hormonal imbalances in their bodies, and there are times when the process can be tough. Just remember that making these small changes can have a huge effect in the long run regarding your health and wellness. By sticking with the treatment plan that your doctor has come up with you, you will feel better over time and take back your health as well.
Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., presents how adrenal insufficiencies can affect the hormone levels in the body. Hormones play a vital part in regulating body temperature and help function the vital organs and muscles. This 2-part series will examine how adrenal insufficiencies affect the body and its symptoms. In part 2, we will look at the treatment for adrenal insufficiencies and how many people can incorporate these treatments into their health and wellness. We refer patients to certified providers that include hormone treatments that relieve various issues affecting the body while ensuring optimal health and wellness for the patient. We appreciate each patient by referring them to associated medical providers based on their diagnosis when it’s appropriate to understand better what they are feeling. We understand that education is an excellent and inquisitive way to ask our providers various intricated questions at the patient’s request and knowledge. Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., utilizes this information as an educational service. Disclaimer
What Are Adrenal Insufficiencies?
Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., presents: Many factors can affect the body, whether eating habits, mental health, or lifestyle habits all play a role in maintaining hormone function in the body. Today, we will apply these common dysfunctional cortisol patterns that patients present when they go in for a daily examination. Most patients often come in and explain to their doctors that they are suffering from adrenal dysfunction because different symptoms are associated with various stages of adrenal dysfunction or HPA dysfunction. Now adrenal dysfunction or hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) dysfunction is when the adrenal glands are not producing enough hormone to regulate the body. This causes the body to go through different stages of adrenal dysfunction if it is not treated right this way, causing the body to deal with muscle and joint pain that a person hasn’t dealt with throughout their life.
Many doctors and healthcare providers use a systematic approach that can help many people address whether or not they have adrenal dysfunction in their bodies. Today, we will discuss the relationship between female hormones and mood disorders associated with adrenal dysfunction. When it comes to adrenal dysfunction associated with hormones, many people will often get medicated for mental illnesses like bipolar disease or depression when their hormones are imbalanced. When hormonal imbalances begin to affect women in their early fifties due to premenopause, the mental disorder would often worsens and cause many other overlapping issues that can affect their hormones and their bodies.
Adrenal Dysfunction Affect The Body
Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., presents: Many women would have healthy diets, take yoga, be involved in spiritual practices, and hang out with their friends; however, when their hormone levels are imbalanced, they are dealing with other issues associated with HPA imbalances or adrenal dysfunction. By looking at the 24-hour corticotropic activity and determining how the circadian rhythm controls it, many doctors can look at the data presented to the patient. The way the data is being presented to the patient on how their hormone levels fluctuate in the body in the morning and how they rise or decrease throughout the entire day until they go to sleep.
With this information, many doctors can diagnose why this individual is having trouble going to sleep, constantly waking up early in the night, or not getting enough rest, making them exhausted throughout the day. So how is adrenal dysfunction associated with 24-hour corticotropic activity? Many factors can cause adrenal dysfunction in the body and affect hormone levels. When the body begins to over or underproduces hormones from the adrenal glands or the thyroids, it can cause cortisol and insulin levels to lose control in the body and cause various issues that result in muscle and joint pain. Sometimes hormonal dysfunction can cause somato-visceral or visceral-somatic pain by affecting the vital organs like the gut and the brain and start to cause issues to the surrounding muscles and joints. When the surrounding muscles and joints are causing pain in the body, they could be causing overlapping issues that can affect a person’s mobility and make them miserable.
How To Diagnose Adrenal Insufficiencies?
Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., presents: When doctors diagnose a patient suffering from adrenal dysfunction will begin to look at the patient’s medical history. Many patients will start filling out a long, extensive questionnaire, and doctors will begin to look at the anthropometrics, biomarkers, and clinical indicators found in physical exams. Doctors must obtain the patient’s history to look for the signs and symptoms of HPA dysfunction and adrenal dysfunction to determine the issue affecting the individual. After the examination, doctors would use functional medicine to look at where the dysfunction lies in the body and how the symptoms are connected. The numerous factors causing adrenal dysfunction in the body could be how a person’s eating habits are causing these issues, how much exercise they are incorporating in their daily lives, or how stress impacts them.
Functional medicine provides a holistic approach that considers lifestyle components causing issues in the person’s body. By connecting the dots on what the patient is saying and how these factors are causing adrenal insufficiencies, it is important to get the whole story from the patient to devise a treatment plan catered to the individual. They would appreciate that someone finally understands what they are going through and will begin to restore their health and wellness. By looking for the root causes, triggers, and mediators causing adrenal dysfunction, we can look at the expanded history that the patient is telling us, whether it be their family history, their hobbies, or what they like to do for fun. All these things are important to consider to try and connect the dots of the underlying cause of adrenal insufficiencies in the body affecting a person’s hormone levels.
Adrenal Insufficiencies Affect Cortisol
Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., presents: Now, do adrenal insufficiencies correlate with increased DHEA and cortisol hormone levels? Well, DHEA is a hormone that is produced by the adrenal glands naturally. DHEA’s main function is to make other hormones like estrogen and testosterone to regulate the male and female body. Cortisol is a stress hormone that increases the glucose levels in the bloodstream. Cortisol’s main function is to allow the brain to use glucose in the body while repairing the affected muscle tissues. When the body begins to over or underproduces hormones from the adrenal glands, it can raise the cortisol levels to cause resilience to the body, and the HPA axis begins to decrease. When this happens, the body starts to feel sluggish, which can cause you to feel exhausted throughout the entire day, even though you may have gotten a good night’s sleep.
Adrenal Insufficiency Symptoms
Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., presents: This is known as adrenal fatigue and can be associated with various symptoms that affect the hormone balance in the body. This can include non-specific symptoms like sleep disturbances, digestive issues, fatigue, and body aches can affect the hormone levels inside the body. This causes many individuals to feel miserable due to feeling low energy. Adrenal fatigue can also be associated with the different stages of HPA axis dysfunction. These can include:
Trauma
Food allergies and sensitivities
Dysbiosis
Changes in the gut microbiota
Toxins
Stress
Insulin resistance
Metabolic syndrome
All these issues can affect a person’s hormone levels and cause elevated cortisol to overlap many factors that cause somato-visceral problems. An example would be someone having gut issues associated with chronic stress who can start to feel pain in their joints from the knees, back, and hips which cause their hormone levels can fluctuate.
Preparing for the holidays is exciting but can generate intense stress and anxiety. This can cause individuals to feel tired constantly, which can lead to other issues like sleep problems, brain fog, digestive issues, and musculoskeletal disorders. Chiropractic care can return the body to optimal function, increasing circulation, restoring spinal alignment, re-energizing the mind and body, and preventing future fatigue and exhaustion.
Exhaustion and Fatigue
Primary causes of fatigue and exhaustion are stress, overworking, school work, lack of sound sleep, excessive caffeine or other energy boosters, and the holidays.
Stress Reduction
Stress is a leading contributor to fatigue and exhaustion.
Stress causes the muscles to contract, restricting blood circulation.
Chronic stress causes the musculoskeletal system to be in a state of continued constriction.
Constant muscle tension can cause injury and chronic conditions that can lead to secondary disorders like tension headaches and migraines.
Quality Sleep
High-quality rest means falling asleep naturally, staying asleep through the night comfortably, and waking rested and refreshed.
Lack of enough sleep strains the nervous system.
Not enough sleep or disruptions to the sleep-wake cycle (that can happen with shift work or traveling work) can cause physiological fatigue.
This causes reduced motor skills, similar to having a blood alcohol content of 0.1.
Nutrition
Proper nutrition is key to overall health and stress management. An unhealthy diet can be the main cause of fatigue. Just like putting the wrong gas into your car can cause major issues stalling or stopping entirely. The same is true with the body. The body is a complicated engine that requires healthy fuel to work properly.
Macronutrients(fat, carbohydrates, and protein) and Micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) are essential.
Chiropractic Care and Functional Medicine
Chiropractic care can be a long-term solution for fatigue and exhaustion.
Spine Realignment
Spinal realignment resets the body through better posture and brain function through the improved circulation flowing through the spinal cord.
Optimal spinal realignment:
Relieves headaches
Alleviates discomfort symptoms
Increases energy
Restores range of motion
Relieve Pressure On The Nerves
Chiropractic releases pressure on the nerves.
The central nervous system’s response to pain, energy levels, comfort, and mobility is impacted by the health of the nerves.
Just a minimal amount of pressure can reduce the strength of a nerve by 90%.
Nerves that are not working correctly have difficulty transmitting messages, often causing pain.
Loosen Tense Muscles
Chiropractic care and massage therapy can help relieve the tension in overworked muscles.
Fatigue and exhaustion can cause the muscles to work harder/overcompensate to try to maintain balance.
Over time, the muscles can’t keep it up and become frozen and tense.
Nervous System Regulation
Chiropractic care can restore nervous system function.
When the spine is not correctly aligned, the electrical impulses are not transmitted properly.
Common side effects include headaches, neck and back problems, and digestive issues.
Chiropractic care can restore the body to a refreshed and rejuvenated state. It can improve circulation, rebalance the body, increase oxygen levels and strengthen the immune system.
Adrenal Insufficiency: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment
References
Azzolino, Domenico, et al. “Nutritional Status as a Mediator of Fatigue and Its Underlying Mechanisms in Older People.” Nutrients vol. 12,2 444. 10 Feb. 2020, doi:10.3390/nu12020444
Chaudhuri, Abhijit, and Peter O Behan. “Fatigue in neurological disorders.” Lancet (London, England) vol. 363,9413 (2004): 978-88. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(04)15794-2
Evans, William J, and Charles P Lambert. “Physiological basis of fatigue.” American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation vol. 86,1 Suppl (2007): S29-46. doi:10.1097/phm.0b013e31802ba53c
Finsterer, Josef, and Sinda Zarrouk Mahjoub. “Fatigue in healthy and diseased individuals.” The American journal of hospice & palliative care vol. 31,5 (2014): 562-75. doi:10.1177/1049909113494748
Rosenthal, Thomas C et al. “Fatigue: an overview.” American family physician vol. 78,10 (2008): 1173-9.
If you have fatigue and mysterious pain in your joints, muscles, and ligaments that seems to come out of nowhere, you are not alone: many people throughout the world face such issues, which are often disabling. Thousands of people per year visit their doctor in hopes of isolating the cause of such pain; most of them have tried traditional and over-the-counter remedies for joint pain to no avail.
Joint pain can be caused by a variety of accidents or existing conditions: it can be the consequence of a fall, structural issues, twisted ligaments, pulled muscles, or an underlying inflammatory condition, among other possibilities. These obvious causes are easily diagnosed by conventional methods. However, pain can also appear spontaneously, with no apparent cause and clean medical workup, making the etiology uncertain. Such pain can be associated with Adrenal Fatigue.
Migratory Pain
For those who suffer from Adrenal Fatigue, some of this pain might be migratory. Migratory pain is a type of pain that moves throughout the body with no discernible pattern. One day you may feel pain in the right side of your body, but the next day you may feel it in the left side. All too often, this type of mobile pain of unknown origin comes with underlying symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue and does not usually respond to typical remedies for joint pain, baffling doctors and many other medical practitioners.
After telling your doctor about the pain you are experiencing, he or she will likely perform a variety of tests, perhaps including an x-ray scan. More often than not, the results may seem perfectly normal, and yet the pain persists. Your doctor may decide that you have fibromyalgia, however, your pain may actually be due to Adrenal Fatigue. In those with Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS), the body is in a state of tiredness caused by advanced and chronic stress. This stress strains the adrenal glands and�disrupts the NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) stress response, which is the body�s main mechanism of dealing with stress.
NEM & Remedies For Joint Pain
The NEM stress response is a complex system in which organs and bodily systems work together to protect the body from excessive stress. The system includes six types of stress responses: inflammatory, neuro-active, cardiac, hormonal, metabolic, and detoxifying. Together, these responses work to restore the body�s normal function during times of heavy stress. It is important that remedies for joint pain do not disrupt this complex system.
The�adrenal glands are the main control�center for stress responses outside the nervous system. Your body has two adrenal glands, which are about the size of a walnut, located directly above the kidneys. They control your body�s responses by secreting cortisol, a hormone that helps your body cope with stress. Properly functioning adrenal glands are a keystone to overall health and wellbeing. Due to today�s high-stress society, however, this natural defense can easily become disrupted, allowing toxins to accumulate and do great damage to the body. Excessive and chronic stress can overburden the adrenal glands, inhibiting hormone output and causing the body�s natural coping mechanisms to fail.
As stress and fatigue advance, new symptoms and ailments associated with Adrenal Fatigue will emerge. Early stage symptoms include low blood pressure, insomnia, and lethargy; advanced stage symptoms include anxiety, panic disorders, heart palpitations, low libido, hypersensitivities to medication, and food sensitivities. All of these symptoms can negatively affect your daily life. Eventually, as the NEM stress response fails, even the smallest bodily stresses can seem unbearable because your body�s natural coping mechanisms have been slowed and overloaded.
The Detoxification & Inflammation Circuits
The liver is�the body�s primary detoxification organ, aided by the extracellular matrix. A buildup of toxins and metabolites will therefore occur when the liver slows down to conserve energy. This is the body�s way of conserving the nutritional reserves it has left. As your body slows down, your liver becomes more sluggish and levels of toxins and metabolites increase, often leading to inflammation. These toxins accumulate and are not eliminated efficiently. This accumulation causes many other problems because the blood circulates these metabolites throughout the body constantly and rapidly, with a one-minute cycle.
Some of these metabolites can be quite toxic to the body. These metabolites may trigger inflammation, which in turn can trigger pain. Upon reaching the joints, these metabolites may become �stuck,� meaning they are slow to move through the joints and muscles. If your joints or muscles are already inflamed, the toxins and metabolites will further irritate the muscles, causing additional inflammation.
The Inflammation Circuit consists of the gut, microbiome, and immune system.�The gastrointestinal tract and microbiome�play an important role in breaking down and absorbing metabolites. If you are constantly eating unhealthy foods that your body can�t handle, you may trigger inflammatory responses. If you are constipated, and food is rotting in your intestines for long periods of time, then you are at higher risk of inflammation. This inflammation causes pain in random places because of the buildup of metabolites in the bloodstream. This also slows the immune system, because it has to deal with the extra toxins, compounding the inflammation.
If you experience migrating pain, this is an important clue that the cause of the pain may be metabolic, rather than structural (such as the strain of a ligament or muscle, which is usually more confined to a certain area). If you experience a dull to slightly severe pain of unknown origin that seems to migrate throughout the body and no one can seem to give you a direct answer as to the cause, you may be suffering from Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome. Consider metabolites, examine your stress levels, and investigate your diet, including supplements. In rare cases, some medications and supplements�even those often used as a remedies for joint pain�can trigger inflammation that is fundamentally caused by Adrenal Fatigue.�Pain medications may help temporarily, but they tend to hide the underlying condition, and can cause collateral damage. Remember, pain is a sign of an underlying problem. Suppressing or ignoring pain can cause long-term damage if the cause is not addressed.
Remedies For Joint Pain: Conclusion
Joint pain of unknown origin can cause a myriad of debilitating problems, including the additional stress of trying to find effective remedies for joint pain. It can be a scary and confusing time, especially when test results show no abnormalities and your doctor can�t figure out what�s wrong. It�s important to find and address the cause of the inflammation. If you experience other concurring symptoms similar to those of Adrenal Fatigue, find a practitioner who can support your NEM stress response. Proper restorative strategies will help your body cope with both the stress and the pain.
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Joint pain of unknown origin can cause a myriad of debilitating problems, including the additional stress of trying to find effective remedies for joint pain. It can be a scary and confusing time, especially when test results show no abnormalities and your doctor can�t figure out what�s wrong. It�s important to find and address the cause of the inflammation. If you experience other concurring symptoms similar to those of Adrenal Fatigue, find a practitioner who can support your NEM stress response. Proper restorative strategies will help your body cope with both the stress and the 
