My Experiences with Adrenal Fatigue
I see and treat patients with Adrenal Fatigue every day in practice. And it’s not just people in their later years who are affected: high school, university and college students are increasingly becoming the ones who are experiencing this condition the most.
I faced this myself as a student. I worked my butt off in high school because I knew that I wanted to go into medicine one day, and I needed top grades to get into the University of Victoria for my prerequisites.
When I started at UVIC I had 5 courses a semester, plus a part-time job and of course a social life and exercise. I finished with top grades, and the following fall I started at The Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in order to complete 4 years of naturopathic medical training. Those 4 years now are a blur, but I again somehow managed to hold down a full class load, social life, exercise regimen, and two part time jobs.
How did I do that? To this day, I’ll never know. My colleagues and I look back and laugh about it now, about how hard it was. But while we were all immersed in it, we never imagined that we were slowly burning the candle at both ends and our poor adrenals were slowly deteriorating…
When I finished school in the fall of 2005, after sixteen board exams over three days, I was exhausted. I slept constantly for six months, averaging 12-15 hours a night and still waking up exhausted in the morning. I knew that my body and definitely my adrenals needed it. I started on an adrenal nourishing program that included eating cleanly and supplementing, and I have been feeling pretty darn good ever since!
I do still have a hectic life that includes a full time practice, lecturing and educating all over North America, a social life and a loving husband, but as long as I maintain balance, a healthy diet and my adrenal supplements, my body is equipped better to deal with the stress.
My experiences have made me pretty passionate about helping people understand adrenal health, so I encourage you to pay attention to your energy and stress levels: if you're feeling absolutely wiped and can't seem to manage routine tasks that used to come easily, try filling out my Adrenal Health Questionnaire and seeking treatment. It can make a world of difference.