“You know what’s wrong with me?” I asked Super Dad. It was a loaded question, and Super Dad, being the loving diplomat that he is, humored me with a “nothing’s wrong with you, dear”. “My adrenal glands are depleted,” I retorted.

“Actually I think it’s just spring allergies,” he answered. My complaints had been how tired and sluggish I’ve felt and a myriad of peri-menopausal symptoms – sweating, acne, confused thinking, dizziness. I’m not pleased with how this middle age thing is going.

My impetus for this thinking was listening to a DVD from last year’s ATTACh conference by Drs. Purvis and Cross. I blogged about their Hope Connection program and specifically about their observation that the parents of these challenging/challenged kids often have depleted adrenal glands. I saw much of myself in the description.

Adrenal glands are responsible for manufacturing numerous hormones. The most well-known are the two stress hormones – adrenaline and cortisol. But they also regulate your blood sugar and the body’s minerals and they work in concert with the thyroid to maintain energy levels.

While Super Dad may have been right about allergies, to an extent, I realized it was much more than that. So, I started looking for answers. This article in the Vitamin Research News, The Hidden Causes Behind Hormonal Imbalances, explains much. It describes the difference between adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline is the “short-term” stress hormone, while cortisol is produced as a result of both acute and long-term stress. Prolonged stress is hard on your adrenal glands. First it causes high levels of cortisol, which elevates your blood pressure, throws your blood sugar out of whack and causes weight gain, memory loss, dizziness, night sweats…well, you get the picture.

Then, the adrenal glands are so overworked that they eventually crash, and your body is not able to produce enough adrenaline. This looks like chronic fatigue syndrome, inability to concentrate, craving for sweet or salty foods, anxiety, headaches…and yes, Super Dad…allergies.

Hmmm…how do I know this fits me? Well, about 18 months ago I had a car accident. I was stopped and my car was rear-ended, hurting my backseat passengers. I saw it happening in my rear-view mirror. My brain washed with adrenaline and cortisol. The results of this were unmistakable. For the first 6-8 months I was totally stressed out everytime some came up behind my car quickly. I was obsessively looking in my rear-view mirror. In fact, I talked with my daughter’s trauma therapists about doing EMDR, as even the most minor of accidents 6 months later produced a totally catatonic moment.

Then, about 6 months ago I noticed that nearly all of my symptoms have stopped. I realized that even the near-misses in Atlanta’s traffic didn’t produce that rush of adrenaline that any healthy person would get. I feel “flat” on the inside, I’m thinking even the best roller coaster ride in town wouldn’t help things.

So what can be done?

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