Millions of people have hypothyroidism. And many of these people also have the condition known as adrenal fatigue. When someone who has both hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue visits an endocrinologist, in most cases the doctor will tell the person to take synthetic thyroid hormone for the rest of their life, and that’s pretty much it. Nothing is done to determine or address the cause of the hypothyroid condition, and most don’t even pay attention to the adrenal fatigue condition.
As I’ve mentioned in the past, the primary reason why people with these conditions don’t receive the appropriate treatment is because most endocrinologists don’t know any better. They aren’t trained to find the cause of these conditions, as they are trained to treat such conditions with prescription drugs. Of course some people do really need to take synthetic thyroid hormone. On the other hand, every single person with hypothyroidism does not need to take synthetic or natural thyroid hormone for the rest of their life. Many of these people can have their thyroid health restored through natural treatment methods.
With regards to adrenal fatigue, this is another condition which has a cause, yet it amazes me that most medical doctors don’t know how to restore the health of people with this condition. Once again, medication is usually given to help manage the symptoms. The sad part is that unlike synthetic thyroid hormone, which frequently does a good job of managing at least some of the hypothyroid symptoms (but not always), prescription drugs given to help manage the symptoms of adrenal fatigue are often times ineffective.
What Causes Adrenal Fatigue & Hypothyroidism?
Let’s take a look and see how adrenal fatigue and hypothyroidism develop, how they relate to one another, and how one can restore their health when they have both of these conditions. Many people have problems with their adrenal glands. And as I’ve discussed in past articles, there are numerous factors which can lead to weak adrenal glands. The following represent three of the most common ways in which people develop weak adrenal glands:
1. Poor Eating Habits. Eating too many refined foods and sugars can weaken the adrenal glands. The mechanism is as follows: when eating refined foods, this spikes up the blood sugar levels. Insulin is then released from the pancreas to lower the blood sugar levels. As a result of this, the blood sugar levels come crashing down, and the adrenal glands secrete cortisol. For someone who constantly eats refined foods and sugars, this will cause the adrenal glands to frequently secrete cortisol, which will stress out the adrenal glands over time. Since most people don’t change their eating habits, the adrenal glands will become weaker and weaker over time, and this can lead to severe adrenal fatigue. So in order to restore someone’s adrenal health back to normal, they obviously will need to minimize their consumption of refined foods and sugars.
2. Insufficient Sleep. Many people neglect their sleep, which also can affect the cortisol levels. You should be getting a minimum of 7 to 8 hours sleep each night, and many sources suggest you should receive even more than this. Many people try to get by on 5 or 6 hours sleep each night, and this frequently will catch up to them over time, leading to weak adrenal glands. So for optimal adrenal health, one needs to make sure they’re getting sufficient sleep each night. Some people would love to get 8 hours sleep each night but due to an already existing adrenal gland problem they are unable to. These people will need to focus on the other lifestyle factors, and probably will need some adrenal support to help them get ample sleep in the meantime.
3. Inability To Manage Stress. Most people deal with chronic stress on a regular basis. It’s not the stress per se which causes problems with the adrenal glands, but instead an inability to manage the stress. It is of course just about impossible to completely eliminate the stress from one’s life. On the other hand, most people can do a much better job of managing their stress. And doing so is necessary for the health of your adrenal glands.
One way someone can develop hypothyroidism is by having compromised adrenal glands. When someone develops weak adrenal glands, this will put the body into a state of catabolism. This means the body is breaking down. Since the thyroid gland controls the metabolism of the body, the thyroid gland will slow down. While there of course are other ways people develop hypothyroidism, this is actually a common reason why people develop a hypothyroid condition. And when this is the cause, restoring a person’s adrenal health will correct the hypothyroid condition. But once again, the person who has hypothyroidism due to compromised adrenal glands is almost always told to take synthetic thyroid hormone, rather than help them fix the adrenal gland problem.
Restoring The Health Of The Person With Hypothyroidism & Adrenal Fatigue
For a person who has hypothyroidism due to weak adrenal glands, restoring both their thyroid health and adrenal health can be accomplished by following a natural treatment protocol. Such a protocol will focus on the lifestyle factors I discussed above (eating well, getting sufficient sleep, managing stress, etc.). In addition, the person very well might need to take certain nutritional supplements and herbs to help with the recovery process. There are certain herbs which are specific for adrenal support, such as the herb Eleuthero, which is a wonderful herb and is very effective in helping people with adrenal issues. Licorice and Ashwaganda are two other herbs which can help with certain adrenal issues.
In summary, many people with hypothyroidism can have their thyroid health restored back to normal through a natural treatment protocol. While there are different causes of hypothyroidism, one of the main causes is due to weak adrenal glands. And when compromised adrenal glands are the cause of the thyroid disorder, restoring the person’s adrenal health will in turn cure their hypothyroid condition as well.