Serving the greater Los Angeles, California area as well as the Santa Monica community, Dr. Nadini Verma, M.D. specializes in various types of hormone replacement therapy and other problems many women face including Adrenal Fatigue. She also treats menopause, infertility, PCOS, and menstrual irregularities.
Adrenal Fatigue Q & A
What is adrenal fatigue?
Adrenal fatigue is a controversial term and is usually a diagnosis of exclusion. It often refers to the inadequate production of one or more of the adrenal gland hormones. These hormones are essential to life and can get depleted due to adrenal gland overwork (often caused by chronic stress, demanding workloads,) and cause a feeling of being “burnt out.”.
Our adrenal glands, small organs that are located above the kidney, usually deal with stress by producing adrenal hormones mainly cortisol. A commonly held belief of adrenal fatigue is that when you are facing long-term stress your adrenal glands struggle, and are ultimately unable to keep pace with the body’s fight or flight response. The effects of stress are not limited to the adrenals; it is now known that they also affect the central nervous system. Cortisol is the most crucial stress hormone, and can be overproduced in response to persistent stress. Daily monitoring of cortisol can provide valuable information that will help form a treatment plan.
What are the symptoms of adrenal fatigue?
The impact of stress is unique to each patient. Women who have adrenal fatigue are often exhausted and unable to maintain the level of activity that they have been accustomed to in the past. Difficulty getting up in the morning even after adequate sleep, foggy brain, exhaustion after exercise are all common symptoms. Women with adrenal fatigue may feel tired throughout much of the day and have trouble concentrating. A lack of enthusiasm, feelings of apathy and disinterest, anxiety, nervousness, depression and insomnia may also occur. Many women with this condition go undiagnosed for long periods of time and feel there may be no relief. Comprehensive analysis is necessary to identify early or late stage fatigue and support each patient’s unique needs. Dr. Verma specializes in diagnosing and treating women who suffer from this condition.
How is adrenal fatigue treated?
There are a number of body stressors that may trigger adrenal fatigue. Dr Verma recommends good sleeping habits, practicing relaxation activities like meditation and yoga, moderate (not intense) exercise, eliminating or reducing alcohol and sugar, and checking for food or environmental allergies and chemical sensitivities. Along with Cortisol testing, we will test for all of these factors to determine if they affect you. In addition to helping patient’s manage stress, we will also design a customized treatment plan for each patient that may include diet adjustments, botanicals and vitamin supplements.