A-Z adrenal health Articles

The adrenal glands are small, crescent-shaped organs located above each kidney. They are responsible for maintaining several key body processes, including blood pressure, stress responses, and the balance of our sex hormones (fertility and sexual maturation). Each part of the gland performs a unique function, all of which are essential for health, which is why it's important to learn how to spot adrenal disorders.

What Are Adrenal Glands?

Each adrenal gland contains an inner medulla surrounded by an outer cortex. The medulla releases epinephrine, or adrenaline. The cortex contains three hormone-producing zones. Each zone has a particular function and releases specific hormones. These hormones are aldosterone, cortisol, as well as several sex hormones. Adrenal hormones come from cholesterol, so adequate cholesterol intake supports their production.

What Hormones Are Produced By Adrenal Glands?

The major role of the adrenal glands in our bodies is to produce a number of different hormones. Each hormone is responsible for maintaining a unique part of our homeostasis (the balance in our body).

Epinephrine (Adrenaline)

The adrenal medulla is the central region of the gland and is responsible for secreting epinephrine (adrenaline). Fear or suprise activates epinephrine, causing noticeable changes throughout the body. This hormone is responsible for the "fight or flight" response of our ancestors. It prepares the body for sudden exertion, such as running away from or turning to fight a threat.

Aldosterone

The outer layer of the adrenal cortex releases the hormone aldosterone, which makes the kidneys hold on to potassium and sodium and keep them in the body. Because higher levels of these ions are present in the blood, they draw more water in to dilute them, which increases blood pressure and maintains hydration of our tissues. It also maintains the ion balance in the intestines.

Cortisol

The middle layer of the adrenal cortex produces the hormone cortisol, which helps the body adapt to long-term stress. During stressful periods, cortisol stimulates the liver to produce glucose and prompts fat cells to release free fatty acids for energy. At the same time, cortisol slows processes such as tissue growth, immune activity, inflammation, and other anabolic functions. Prolonged elevations in cortisol can also reduce the body's ability to use glucose efficiently, contributing to insulin resistance and blood sugar imbalances.

Sex Hormones

The inner layer of the adrenal cortex continually secretes DHEA, androgens, progesterone and estrogen. These hormones act to balance those released by our gonads (sexual organs). During development, these hormones support proper male sexual organ development.

Adrenal Disorders

Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia

An enzyme deficiency causes this condition, which may result in ambiguous genitalia in newborns. This deficiency prevents the proper synthesis of all of the hormones of the adrenal cortex, particularly cortisol. This can result in a number of potentially life-threatening symptoms depending on the severity of the condition.

Addison's Disease

The condition called Addison’s disease occurs when there is insufficient steroid hormone production. This autoimmune disorder causes the body to attach the adrenal glands. Sometimes the disorder occurs concurrently with other autoimmune disorders; however, not always do so. The symptoms of Addison’s are varied and may confuse sufferers by their assumed non-relatedness. Symptoms include: light-headedness, weight loss, nausea, fatigue, fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea, muscle weakness, sweating and joint pain. In severe cases, this disease can cause dangerous symptoms like low blood pressure and coma. One way to identify Addison’s, is by looking for a combination of darkened skin along creases and old scars and lowered blood pressure.

Cushing's Syndrome

Cushing's syndrome results from excessive cortisol levels in the body. This can be due to external sources or due to overproduction by the adrenal cortex. People with Cushing's syndrome have central obesity, growth failure, hirsutism (females taking on male sexual characteristics), acne, and a large, round moon face.

Adrenal Atrophy

Conventional treatment with high doses or long-term use of corticosteroids, commonly prescribed for asthma and arthritis, can lead to a shrinking of the adrenal glands. As adrenal glands shrink, their ability to function decreases.

Adrenal Failure

Adrenal failure is a rare but serious condition. It differs from adrenal fatigue. Symptoms of this condition are severe abdominal pains, diarrhea, vomiting, muscle weakness, profound fatigue, depression, extremely low blood pressure, weight loss, kidney failure, and eventually shock. The final stage is called adrenal crisis. Without treatment, it can quickly become life-threatening.

Adrenal Depletion / Adrenal "Fatigue"

Adrenal fatigue is not a recognized medical diagnosis. The term describes physical effects linked to prolonged stress. Symptoms may include fatigue, dizziness, headaches, memory problems, food cravings, and blood sugar imbalances. As the dysfunction gets more serious, other symptoms can occur, such as: fainting, diarrhea, depression, moodiness, feeling cold, discolouration of the skin, swelling and loss of body hair.

An endocrinologist manages most adrenal conditions. Healthy lifestyle habits can also support adrenal function during treatment.

Adrenal glands are small glands located on the upper pole of each kidney. Each adrenal gland contains an inner medulla surrounded by an outer cortex layer. The medulla produces the fight-or-flight hormones adrenaline (epinephrine) and noradrenaline (norepinephrine). The cortex produces sex hormones, stress hormones and other hormones responsible for water balance in the body. The adrenal cortex produces hormones from cholesterol, making adequate cholesterol intake important for hormone production. Discover which nutrients and supplements you can take to support your adrenal glands and help them operate optimally.

What Negatively Impacts Adrenal Health?

Stress and Adrenal Fatigue

Although actual organ failure of the adrenal gland is uncommon, our high-stress lifestyles, poor diet and abuse of drugs or alcohol often lead to adrenal depletion. Low adrenal function may cause fatigue, dizziness, headaches, memory issues, cravings, and blood pressure changes. As the dysfunction gets more serious, other symptoms such as fainting, diarrhea, depression, moodiness, feeling cold, discolouration of the skin, swelling and loss of body hair can occur.

Diet and Lifestyle Influences

It’s important to deal with stress in healthy ways in order to escape potential adrenal burnout. Deep breathing and regular exercise help relieve stress and reduce its effects on the adrenal glands. These activities support adrenal function. A few times each day, take 10 slow, deep breaths to increase your well-being and reduce stress. This simple activity will improve adrenal gland function.

To achieve full adrenal benefits, be sure to moderate or eliminate consumption of the following harmful substances: corticosteroids, alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, fried foods, processed and white sugars and flours and red meat.

Increasing foods containing high amounts of vitamins and minerals, like green leafy vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, legumes, garlic, onions and healthy fats will support the adrenal gland. The essential fatty acids found in fish and fish oil also support the adrenal gland.

Supplements For Adrenal Support

Nutritional supplements can also help to nourish and support the adrenal glands. Because these glands produce a large number of different hormones, they require several different precursors and cofactors to perform their task efficiently.

Vitamin C and Vitamin B-5 for Adrenaline

The adrenal glands require vitamins C and B-5 (pantothenic acid) to produce optimum levels of adrenaline (epinehphrine) for response to immediate urgent stress.

B-Complex

In addition to the role of B-5 in the synthesis of adrenaline, the other B vitamins also act as cofactors for the synthesis of other adrenal hormones. They also help promote efficient energy utilization in the body.

Licorice

The herb Licorice contains hormones similar to those released by the adrenal gland. Because of this, it can help to supplement low adrenal function and help to give a significant increase in energy levels.

Adrenal Glandular

Adrenal gland extract (New Zealand source) contains proteins and essential nutrients that can help optimize your adrenal functioning. This extract also contains the active hormones that can supplement the activity of an under-functioning gland.

Adaptogenic Herbs

Some herbs are able to help the body more easily adapt to stress, and these herbs are referred to as adaptogens. The ginsengs can act in this way, as can astragalus. Interestingly, in addition to boosting adrenal function, these herbs also help to improve immune functioning.

The adrenal glands are small, crescent-shaped glands that rest on the top of each kidney. They each have an outer layer called the cortex, which produces sex hormones, regulates water balance and blood pressure, and releases the hormone cortisol, which is responsible for our ability to manage long-term stress. The medulla (inner core) produces the sudden-stress response hormones called adrenaline (epinephrine) and noradrenaline (norepinephrine). Thus, these glands play a role in our fertility, hormonal balance, water balance (bloating), and particularly with our ability to handle stress. Chronic stress affects these glands more than any other glands.

What Is Adrenal Fatigue?

Adrenal insufficiency is uncommon, and can lead to a severe medical condition (adrenal crisis) that is deadly if left untreated. Chronic stress and poor lifestyle habits can deplete adrenal reserves. Many people refer to this condition as adrenal fatigue. Some examples of this poor lifestyle are: poor diet, excessive caffeine intake, and abuse of drugs or alcohol. Low functioning of these glands may cause lethargy, dizziness, headaches, memory problems, food cravings, blood sugar imbalances, and frequent infections. As the dysfunction becomes more severe, fainting, diarrhea, depression, moodiness, feeling cold, discolouration of the skin, swelling and loss of body hair can occur.

How is Adrenal Fatigue Treated?

When the adrenal glands completely fail, medical treatment is required to replace missing hormones to prevent shock and death. When function is simply sub-optimal, many different means of treatment exist. First and foremost, a healthy diet and lifestyle, including reducing life stressors can do wonders for their health. Unfortunately, today's fast paced world doesn't always allow for us to live the healthy lifestyle we would like, and sometimes these glands may need a little help for a particularly stressful period of time. Often this is where glandular extracts will come into play.

What Are Adrenal Glandular Extracts?

Like most glandular extracts, these ones are often from either bovine (cow), or porcine (pig) sources. These extracts contain all of the nutritional fundamentals, cofactors, and hormones present in the organ. Adrenal glandular provides comprehensive nutritional support for the adrenal glands. Its high hormone content makes it best suited for short-term use during periods of intense stress.

Other Adrenal Supporting Supplements

Other support supplements products include: vitamin C, B-complex, L-tyrosine, and herbs such as licorice and Siberian ginseng.

How Do I Take Adrenal Glandulars?

Manufacturers offer these glandulars alone or in combintaion formulas with adrenal-supporting herbs and nutrients. Extract concentrations vary between products. Always follow the dosing instructions on the product label.

Side Effects & Important Information

Adrenal glandular is very potent and should not be used for extended periods of time unless recommended by your healthcare practitioner. Long-term adrenal support should involve diet and lifestyle changes as well as stress-reduction exercises. Side effects of these glandulars may include: extreme fatigue, palpitations, blood pressure fluctuations, and anxiety. Discontinue use immediately if side effects occur.

Throughout history, people have used glandular tissues as food and as nutritional supplementation. Many different cultures often ate organs and glands from animals or fish to improve their general health or to treat specific ailments. These animal glandulars are concentrated sources of nutrients that can be specifically beneficial to their parallel tissues in the human body.

What Are Glandulars?

The term glandular extract has come to be an umbrella term used to describe both animal glandular and organ extracts that are ingested to nourish and support the corresponding human gland or organ. The glandular extracts that we use today are products made from the dried and powdered glandular (or organ) tissue of animals such as sheep (ovine), pigs (porcine) and cows (bovine). They often contain naturally occurring ratios of hormones and/or constituents and precursors of hormones found in the human body, although some (such as thyroid glandular), have particular hormones removed to prevent toxic effects from over-the-counter use. These extracts are often used when the gland of interest is under-functioning, or the person is experiencing symptoms of reduced function without corresponding altered laboratory results.

Exploring The Different Glandulars Available

Adrenal Glandulars

The adrenal glands, located on the top of each kidney, are responsible for our adaptation to stress: both for our "fight-or-flight" response and our adaptability to chronic stress. This type of glandular extract contains all the constituents, precursors and hormones present in the adrenal gland. Thus, this glandular extract is used to nourish the adrenals and promote proper response in times of greater stress. Because it is so potent, this extract is often only used for a short duration to prevent the occurrence of side effects.

Kidney Glandulars

The kidneys are two of the main organs of elimination and are responsible for filtering and detoxifying the blood as well as maintaining water balance in the body. Although the kidney is an organ and not a gland, it is placed under the same name umbrella to associate it with the other animal organs and glands ingested to nourish their human counterpart organ. Thus, kidney glandular is taken to help establish the healthy functioning of the kidney and to promote detoxification of the blood.

Liver Glandulars

The liver is a large organ located just below the diaphragm in the upper right abdomen. It is a central organ in our bodies and is responsible for the vast majority of our detoxification, as well as a litany of other functions. Much like the kidney listed above, the liver is an organ and not a gland but is placed under the glandular extract umbrella because it is being used in the same fashion as the glandular extracts listed here.

Pancreas Glandular Supplements

The pancreas is a relatively large gland that spans much of the upper abdomen between the small intestine, stomach, and spleen. It has two major functions performed by different subclasses of cells: it releases hormones such as insulin into the bloodstream to regulate blood glucose levels, and it releases digestive enzymes and bicarbonate into the digestive tract to break down complex food molecules and neutralize the stomach acid as it enters the small intestine. Although pancreatic extract was originally used to identify and treat diabetes, it has since been replaced by more effective pharmaceuticals for this condition. It is still used to treat malabsorption and malnutrition in those individuals with insufficient pancreatic enzymes.

Pituitary Glandulars

The pituitary is a small, pea-sized, gland located at the base of the brain. It is considered the master gland of the body and regulates the function of a large number of glands in the body. The pituitary is divided into two halves: anterior and posterior, which perform different functions. The anterior pituitary plays a role in growth, breast milk production, sex organ functions (male and female), thyroid gland function (and thus metabolism), water balance in the body (and in this way blood pressure), temperature regulation, and it also makes endorphins to relieve pain. The posterior pituitary plays a role in blood pressure control (blood vessel contraction), orgasm, and increasing muscle tone in the body for contractions during childbirth and intestinal peristalsis. Posterior pituitary extract has long been supplemented during intestinal surgery and childbirth to reduce bleeding and side effects. Anterior pituitary extract supplementation has been theorized to increase growth hormone rates, which can reduce physical aging, although human studies have yet to be performed.

Thymus Gland Extracts

The thymus is a gland located underneath the breastbone that is responsible for much of our immunological development during childhood, particularly for the subclass of immune cells known as T-cells. Because these T-cells are involved in fighting bacterial and viral infections in the body, thymus glandular extract has been considered as a possible support for immune function.

Thyroid Glandulars

The thyroid gland is responsible for regulating the majority of the body's metabolism, and dysfunction results in alterations in weight, body temperature, hair growth, bowel function, etc. Thyroid glandular extract is purified so that they do not contain thyroxine (T3 or T4) to prevent side effects of excess thyroid hormone being caused by an over-the-counter supplement. Instead, this glandular simply provides the nutrients, precursors, and lesser-known hormones produced by the thyroid that may be lacking in patients with symptoms of hypothyroidism.

Current Research On Glandular Extracts

There is little research directly on glandular extracts for a variety of reasons. The most important reason is that there is such a wide variety of constituents depending on the animal used, the life conditions and diet of that animal, as well as how the extract is prepared. Research in general, tends to examine the effects of single substances on particular outcomes of interest. Each study is supposed to be well-controlled and easily reproducible. This system works well for single drugs, herbs, and other therapeutics, but does not work well with complex and variable compounds. As such, it is often difficult to find studies on glandular extracts that are not brand-specific, meaning that they were funded by one specific manufacturer and may be biased. It is this variability that often makes finding a particular brand and type that is compatible and effective a matter of trial and error. This variability and lack of standardization eliminates the examination and proper determination of effective dose. Because of this, each manufacturer tends to have their recommendations based on their unique product. Because no better information exists, it is best to follow the suggested dosing guidelines found on the label of each specific supplement.

Cautions & Important Information To Consider When Using Glandular Supplements

A few of the glandulars listed above are still in general use today, although most have fallen out of favour in the supplement community, particularly those extracted from organ tissue. Increased restrictions on sales internationally, combined with fears of contamination with toxins or diseases have led to interest more towards other therapeutic ideas such as diet and lifestyle changes, supportive herbs and direct supplementation of nutrients to treat glandular and organ deterioration. There are certain instances where glandular extracts are still the best treatment available, and so care should be taken about which brand and type is used.

Prions and Mad Cow Disease

Although prions can infect many different species, the general public is most familiar with the infection of cows resulting in bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or "mad cow disease". Prions consist of an infectious misfolded protein that converts other nearby proteins to its prion form. Currently, all known prion diseases affect neural tissue. The prions then accumulate in the tissue, causing destruction and eventual tissue loss. This means of infection is a relatively new discovery for humans, as before 1960 it was generally accepted that infectious agents were only bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Interestingly, it is currently believed that prions can only be transmitted through ingestion, although there is some research looking into inhalation as well.

How To Select The Best Glandular Supplements

Glandulars and organ extracts are extracted from the corresponding animal organ either of a cow (bovine), pig (porcine), or sheep (ovine). The best sources for obtaining these extracts are animals that have been organically raised and have not been exposed to contagious diseases such as mad cow disease. The best source for glandular extracts is New Zealand where they are free from pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, and disease. There has never been a documented case of mad cow disease in New Zealand. For specific information on each glandular extract, please click on the links above.