THYROID AND ADRENAL HEALTH

All hormones in the body are interconnected and we are, for good and bad, hormonally driven beings. Understanding the delicate relationship between the thyroid and the adrenal hormones is foundational to finding balance in the system.

When the adrenals are overactive or insufficient it puts more stress on the thyroid and the steroid hormone pathways. They pick up the slack for the others and offer their resources to what system is most needy. Many patients wonder if their thyroid is to blame for their fatigue or slow metabolism. While this can sometimes be the case, it is often that underlying suboptimal thyroid function is actually a compromised adrenal system. It cannot be emphasized enough how pivotal a role the adrenal glands play in health and system regulation.

The adrenal glands are responsible for managing stress and stress can be more than what all consider it to be; it can be a hard workout, a busy day, staying up too late, eating too much or too little, being sick, being exposed to toxins, or having deficiencies in nutrients or hormones. In all of these situations, the adrenals glands become activated to respond the changing internal environment, to keep you upright and moving forward, to make sure you survive. Constantly activated adrenal glands burn out over time and can’t keep up with the stress regulation demands day to day; we call this adrenal fatigue.

Unwinding complex immune, hormonal and metabolic dysfunction always requires addressing the stress response and the role it plays in preventing the body from finding balance and vitality.