Adrenal Fatigue (AF) The adrenal glands are the main control center for stress responses outside the nervous system. Your body has two adrenal glands, which are about the size of a walnut, located directly above the kidneys. They control your body’s responses by secreting cortisol, a hormone that helps your body cope with stress. Properly functioning adrenal glands are a keystone to overall health and wellbeing. Due to today’s high-stress society, however, this natural defense can easily become disrupted, allowing toxins to accumulate and cause a variety of health issues, including low back pain and sciatica. Excessive and chronic stress can overburden the adrenal glands, inhibiting hormone output and causing the body’s natural coping mechanisms to fail.
As stress and fatigue advance, new symptoms and ailments associated with Adrenal Fatigue will emerge. Early-stage symptoms include low blood pressure, insomnia, and lethargy; advanced stage symptoms include anxiety, panic disorders, heart palpitations, low libido, hypersensitivities to medication, and food sensitivities. All of these symptoms can negatively affect your daily life. Eventually, as the NEM stress response fails, even the smallest bodily stresses can seem unbearable because your body’s natural coping mechanisms have been slowed and overloaded. Stress has been associated with other chronic pain issues, including low back pain and sciatica or sciatic nerve pain.