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Treating Sex Hormone Imbalances

Sex hormones are that are involved in the regulation of sexual development and reproduction. The primary sex hormones are estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. Men and women have all of these, just in different amounts and ratios...

When men and women have low energy caused by an imbalance in their sex hormones, it is usually from different hormones. For men, it is usually due to a testosterone deficiency. For women, it is usually due to estrogen and/or progesterone imbalances.

Sex Hormones & Low Energy

The symptoms of menopause are no joke. They are incredibly uncomfortable and can change the quality of your life significantly. When a woman comes to me with menopausal symptoms, she is usually pretty desperate for relief. I use both natural and pharmaceutical therapies to get her that relief.

Treating Thyroid Disease

I am a big believer in natural medicine. It can be very powerful and work very well. I prefer to use it as long as the natural treatment is safe and strong. Unfortunately, when treating low thyroid, we usually need both the natural and the prescription treatments. In college, I learned from playing the card game euchre not to “send a boy to do a man’s job.” In medicine, this means using the treatment that you know will work. If I think a natural treatment will work, but I know that a medication will work, I should use the medication as long as there are no significant side effects. This is because I want to make sure you get results right away so that you can get your life back

Treating Thyroid Disease

Thyroid disease is one of the most common health problems we face today. The majority of people with thyroid dysfunction have hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism (“hypo” means low) is a condition where the amount of thyroid hormone in your body is less than what is needed for optimal function. According to the American Thyroid Association, more than 12 percent of the US population will develop a thyroid condition during their lifetimes, and more than half will be unaware that they have a problem. Women are five to eight times as likely as men to develop thyroid problems.

Advanced Adrenal Recommendations

Last week, I went over the recommended supplements to treat Adrenal Fatigue. This week I’ll go over adrenal recommendations as well as a plan to reduce stressors.

Treating the physical symptoms is only the first step. Once you start to feel better, it’s important to begin addressing the causes of the problem: the sources of stress that compromised your adrenals in the first place.

Testing & Supplement Options for Adrenal Fatigue

Last week we discussed the main symptoms as well as the causes of adrenal fatigue. This week, I will focus on testing and supplement options for treatment.

If you have most of the symptoms listed last week, you probably have adrenal fatigue. However, how do we test for adrenal dysfunction?

How Adrenal Fatigue Causes Chronic Fatigue

This week I will discuss how adrenal fatigue is a primary cause of chronic fatigue.

It's estimated that up to 80% of adults experience adrenal fatigue during their lifetimes, yet it remains one of the most under-diagnosed illnesses in the United States. Conventional medicine does not yet recognize adrenal fatigue as a distinct syndrome

Food Allergies & Low Energy

Food allergies can cause almost any symptom the body can manifest, including low energy. The gastrointestinal tract maintains a delicate balance of good bacteria, specialized immune cells, and various neurological and hormonal activities. In fact, 80% of your immune system resides in your gut, so anything you put in your mouth can trigger a reaction. Once your digestive system detects what it considers a “foreign particle,” your immune system reacts, and the inflammation that follows creates pain and dysfunction.

Food and Your Energy

Food is a touchy subject, especially if you’re not feeling well. We have a lot of emotional attachments to it, and it can give us joy at times when nothing else can. However, food allergies play a significant role as a cause and contributor to fatigue and, as a doctor, I have seen amazing improvements in the health of my patients when they change their food choices.

How Adrenal Fatigue Causes Chronic Fatigue

EnergyMD Resources & Blog

November 21, 2023•4 min read

This week I will discuss how adrenal fatigue is a primary cause of chronic fatigue.

The adrenal gland is a little triangular organ about the size of a walnut. There are 2, and they sit atop each of your kidneys. It is divided into 2 main parts:

The central part which produces epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine. These are the two primary acute stress hormones.
The outer part produces the stress hormone cortisol, sex hormones, and aldosterone, which helps control blood pressure and salt balance.

Cortisol dysfunction leads to adrenal fatigue.

The stress hormones epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol allow you to react quickly in dangerous situations by fighting or running away, aka your fight-or-flight response.

While historically, this stress response was needed only occasionally and for a short amount of time, unfortunately, in today’s 24/7 society, we are inundated with daily stressors that cause a chronic, continuous release of these stress hormones. This, in turn, creates in your body a sense of chronic stress and dysfunction.

Cortisol has many functions in the body, including:

Providing the energy needed to get out of bed in the morning and function during the day.
Regulating the immune system, insulin, blood sugars, inflammation, tissue repair, electrolyte (salt) balance, circadian rhythm, thyroid, and sex hormone function.

Prolonged physical, mental, energetic, or emotional stress can deplete your cortisol and lead to adrenal fatigue, a syndrome that depletes the hormones produced by the adrenal gland.

Symptoms

The 3 main symptoms of adrenal fatigue are:

impaired day-to-day functioning because of fatigue.
malaise after exertion (physical, cognitive, or emotional), and
unrefreshing sleep.

The symptoms must also be accompanied by either cognitive impairment and/or low blood pressure.

You may have adrenal fatigue if you have:

1. Difficulty being out of bed for more than a few hours a day because of fatigue

2. Tiredness regardless of the length of time one sleeps

3. Unusual tiredness in the morning and the afternoon around 3 p.m.

4. Low blood pressure (top number less than 110)

5. Orthostatic hypotension (dizziness or lightheadedness when moving from sitting or lying to a standing position)

6. Cravings for sweets/sugar and/or salt (potato chips!)

7. Sleep problems (hard time falling asleep and/or staying asleep)

8. Lack of interest in sex

9. Poor memory or “brain fog”

10. Increased inflammation and pain

11. Weight gain, especially around the middle

12. Get every cold and flu bug going around

13. A feeling of overwhelm about tasks that you used to be able to handle easily

14. An improvement in your symptoms when on vacation

15. A second wind if you stay up after 10 p.m.

16. Post-exertion malaise. An individual with adrenal fatigue may exercise (or even just wash the dishes!) for 10-15 minutes, and then must sleep the rest of the day.

The Causes of Your Adrenal Fatigue

Adrenal fatigue can develop gradually over time, or it can come on more acutely, typically following an illness, an infection, or after a particularly stressful period in your life. Normally, when experiencing a stressful event, the adrenal glands produce more cortisol to regulate and maintain balance in the body.

Experiencing at least one major stressor (physical, mental, emotional, or energetic) can lead to Adrenal fatigue. These stressors require the adrenal glands to produce more cortisol in response to the stressor until the adrenal glands can no longer keep up with the demand and become “burned out."

Physical stressors may include:

Motor vehicle accidents,
Surgeries,
Too much exercise
Toxicity from heavy metals, chemicals, molds, infections, emotions, electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs), and allergies.

Mental and emotional stressors may include:

Relationship stress (breakups, divorces, the death of a loved one)
Work stress,
Past emotional trauma (abuse, childhood trauma).

Energetic stressors include exposure to:

Batteries,
Electricity,
Electromagnetic frequencies that disrupt our DNA (genetic material) and damage our cells.

In the next post, I will discuss testing for adrenal dysfunction and supplement treatments to fix your adrenals.

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Evan H. Hirsch, MD

Evan H. Hirsch, MD, (also known as the EnergyMD) is a world-renowned Energy expert, best-selling author and professional speaker. He is the creator of the EnergyMD Method, the science-backed and clinically proven 4 step process to increase energy naturally. Through his best-selling book, podcast, and international online telehealth programs that can be accessed from everywhere, he has helped thousands of people around the world increase their energy and happiness. He has been featured on TV, podcasts, and summits, and when he’s not at the office, you can find him singing musicals, dancing hip-hop, and playing basketball with his family.

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