Why haven't I heard off adrenals?

by Glen Depke, Traditional Naturopath

To complete that question as asked by a client of mine, " Why haven't I heard of adrenals from anyone else?"

Understanding this situation a bit further, it is important to know that this was a client that had already spent tens of thousands of dollars with many other conventional and holistic practitioners. Even after spending the time, money and effort she still felt hopelessly lost in her chronic fatigue and overall chronic health issues.

Interestingly enough, this client was referred to me by a friend of hers and she was very resistant to evening coming in to visit Depke Wellness. Thankfully her friend insisted that she visit me but I can share that she came in 'kicking and screaming." I completely understand though because when you are dealing with such low energy and chronic health issues, while already putting a huge strain on your pocket book with little to no results, this is not an uncommon response.

As I went through the parameters of the protocols used at Depke Wellness, we discussed adrenal function. Recognizing that the adrenals tie into the thyroid, pancreas and ovary function, metabolism of fat and protein, regulation of body weight, mucosal tissue integrity, detoxification processes, immune system function, pro and anti-inflammatory states, cellular energy, glucose balance, bone and connective tissue turnover, muscular integrity, quality of sleep and mood, ability to memorize and learn and overall neural connectivity. I know, it sounds like a lot but this is so completely factual and so unbelievably misunderstood. I also explained to her that based on my past clients, I find that less than 1/10th of 1% of my new clients actually have balanced adrenal function. 

In fairness, I work health challenged individuals as people are not walking off the street telling me that they are in the best of health yet the want to be better. People come into Depke Wellness because the have health challenges.

I explained to my client as I do with all new clients that due to the fact that it is an almost 100% likelihood of adrenal insufficiency, it is essential that we begin our work together by looking at adrenal function as well as the imbalanced fundamentals of health that are actually leading to this adrenal insufficiency. 

If you are following other protocols and/or supplement programs and they are not working for you, it is very likely that you simply did not get your adrenals into a state of balance which is hindering progress across the board. This is why this client asked me, " Why haven't I heard of adrenals from anyone else?"

I cannot speak for other practitioners in regard to why they do or do not look at adrenal function. I understand that from a conventional standpoint, this is not a focus because there is not a prescription alternative to adrenal insufficiency. A simple understanding that medicine is medicine and without this, there are little if any options. Another aspect to consider from a conventional perspective is the fact that most conventional doctors look at blood testing. When you use blood testing for cortisol as an example, this only gives you a total cortisol level. This is often not a complete picture because you want to see cortisol levels through the day to make a comprehensive assessment of this function. Often I have clients come into Depke Wellness after their naturally minded conventional doctor completes a blood test for adrenal function, only to say that everything is fine. Many of these people end up as clients in Depke Wellness only to find that their adrenal function truly is not fine, based on more comprehensive saliva testing throughout a full day.  From a more holistic perspective, perhaps some practitioners have yet to learn the importance of adrenal function and refer out clients that do not progress with their particular programs. The focus or lack thereof with other practitioners in regard to adrenal gland function is likely multifaceted and not worth our time and effort to figure out the why or why not, but simply find someone to look at your adrenal function.

I want to be very clear with everyone that your adrenal function is not the sole challenge for your overall health issue but I would almost guarantee that it is a significant aspect of why your health is an challenge for you. This will be potentially different from one client to the next. I have some clients that feel much better the first day they are on their adrenal protocol, some that feel significantly better within a couple of weeks while some will have to get deeper into gut/brain challenges, infection and/or inflammation before they feel the benefits of our work together.

In the end for the client that asked me, "Why haven't I heard of adrenals from anyone else?", she ended up with a significant shift in her energy and health within only a couple of weeks and for this women, it was a boarder line miracle. 

Could you be next?