How the adrenal glands react to stress
Unfortunately, many people are in a state of constant, prolonged or repeatedly intermittent stress. Their adrenal gland works overtime to deal with these real or perceived stressors. Eventually, the adrenal gland can’t keep up; it tires out and you develop a state of “adrenal fatigue”. Dr. Hans Selye MD is credited with developing the three phases of adrenal stress, known as the “alarm phase” the “resistance phase” and the “exhaustion phase”. 

Alarm Phase — This is the healthy adrenal gland’s response to a physical or emotional stressor. The adrenal glands put out a great deal of cortisol and DHEA in response to stress signals. Overall this is a healthy response but, if prolonged, it begins to deplete the stress hormones, including DHEA and cortisol.

Resistance Phase — This is when the adrenal gland undergoes what we previously referred to as the “pregnenolone steal”. The cortisol level can be normal or elevated during this phase. In response to the needs of the body for extra cortisol to handle the stress, the adrenal gland diverts pregnenolone away from making DHEA. For this reason, the DHEA is usually low.

Exhaustion Phase — This is the final stage the adrenal goes through in response to stress. The precursors to both cortisol and DHEA are exhausted and both the DHEA and cortisol levels are diminished. In fact, the cofactors required to make cortisol are diminished first and the pregnenolone remaining often shunts back toward making DHEA again, which may normalize or become elevated.

Salivary tests of the cortisol and DHEA burdens can help your healthcare practitioner decide where in the phases of adrenal fatigue you might be in. By doing proper testing through an Adrenal Stress Index or “ASI test”, the healthcare practitioner will receive a diagram similar to the one below to help make the determination of where you are in the adrenal stress phases. 

The most important thing in adrenal fatigue is to recognize when it occurs and reduce the level of physical, emotional or mental stress that take a toll on the function of the adrenal gland. The only way to find out if you have an adrenal problem is to have it properly tested with an Adrenal Stress Index saliva test. 

Recommended Testing

Adrenal Stress Index (ASI) Panel

Copyright 2008 © Dr. Keith Ungar, DC /  The Center for Natural Medicine. All rights reserved. 

Recommended Testing

Adrenal Stress Index (ASI) Panel