Spiritual Warfare and Adrenal Fatigue

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We are mind, body, and spirit. When we encounter extreme stress, whether physical, emotional or spiritual, our body comes to our rescue. If the challenge goes on too long, our body goes into overdrive to meet our needs. The danger then changes from outside of us,  to within.

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Stress of life

This world is more than stressful, with demands of daily life. It has also become spiritually dangerous. Evil has invaded our society, our schools, our government, our homes and our families. Saints are experiencing many kinds of attacks against their lives and spirits.

Witchcraft is on the rise, and I see curses, Jezebel spirits, demonic oppression, crime, sickness, finances, mental strains, and broken relationships. On top of that, jobs are either stressful, or we lose them, causing the stress of finances.

We valiantly fight the good fight, pray for years to get victory. Even when the victory comes, we are temporarily energized, then suddenly we cannot go on anymore. If we have not gotten victory yet, the strain, and stress of constant failure, overwhelms us. Sometimes, the more we pray, the worse it gets. Where is the light at the end of the tunnel?

The longer we have to wait, the more trauma we experience. And all along, our body is trying to cope, and keep us going. Do we give up and not care any more, or do we force ourselves to keep caring? Finally our body fails us. We collapse.

Recall the story of Elijah, after he had successfully defeated the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel. There was a huge display of the power of God. But when Jezebel, just one person, threatened to kill him he panicked, and ran. He had just had a high stress situation, and he was depleted of all strength. So, even though he had a victory, his body could not handle any more stress. God had to take care of him by a brook, and send birds with food to feed him, until he recovered. He was undergoing temporary adrenal fatigue.

At this point, there are some who just think they are suffering from another spiritual attack, and pray against it. But they still feel badly.

What many get confused with is this: this increasingly heavy, fatiguing oppressive feeling is not a spiritual attack, although it resulted from dealing with one. It is a physical problem, and you need nutrition support, and an endocrinologist.

I can tell you from experience that most general doctors will do a thyroid test, and if that comes back negative, they quit thinking. When you tell them you are gaining weight and you are dieting, they just tell you to go on a diet, or cut back on food. They do not listen.

If you complain of total exhaustion, they will ask you if you are depressed. I went to various doctors over the years (probably about 10 different ones), and not ONE thought for 2 minutes about what I was saying. That is why I am putting this here.

Patients need to find out information for themselves, and take a role in directing their care.

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The body and its hormone response

Our adrenalin is high because of the danger we face. Our cortisol levels go up. Cortisol is the stress hormone. At first this is adaptive, and helps us cope. But at some point we will “crash.” At this point, the stress hormone becomes the death hormone, unless we get it under control.

Adrenal Fatigue occurs when your adrenal glands – 2 small glands that sit on top of your kidneys – become overworked and depleted. Your adrenal glands are responsible for handling the stresses of your daily life, whether that be physical stress, emotional stress, or psychological stress.

When your adrenal glands become overworked, they cannot keep up with the stresses of your everyday life. You then start to manifest the symptoms of adrenal fatigue.


Note that just because you have one or two of the symptoms of adrenal insufficiency does not mean that you have adrenal fatigue. However if you find you have the majority of these symptoms then you may want to investigate further.

You’ll want to learn some of the common causes of adrenal fatigue to see if you can identify with any of these causes in your own life. You’ll also want to see your doctor for a full medical workup and diagnosis of adrenal fatigue.

This post is only about environmentally induced stress- where the causes are social, emotional, spiritual threats. There are other reasons for adrenal, thyroid, dysfunction, example tumors, other diseases of the adrenal glands, etc. but I am not addressing them here.

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Here are the key symptoms of adrenal fatigue:

You’re Tired For No Explainable Reason- this does not mean a little tired, which is cured with rest.  This is total exhaustion, which even months of rest cannot eliminate.  Naps are needed just to get through each day.

People with adrenal fatigue experience extreme physical exhaustion and they don’t have an explanation as to why (such as a strenuous workout). This isn’t just everyday tiredness it is extreme exhaustion.

You Gain Weight Easily – Especially Around the Middle – and it won’t come off with dieting or exercise

People with adrenal fatigue often notice they gain weight very easily. They especially notice the extra weight around the middle – and it’s very hard to lose it, even during dieting and exercise.

You Have Difficulty Rising In The Morning

Those with adrenal fatigue often find they feel tired when getting up in the morning – even with a full night’s sleep. They often need stimulants like caffeine and sugar to ‘get going’ both in the morning and throughout the day.

You’re More Susceptible To Flus and Colds

If you have adrenal fatigue, you may notice that you seem to be catching every flu and cold that comes within 10 feet of you. You’ll also notice that it seems harder for your body to bounce back from illness.

You Often Feel Overwhelmed and Run Down

People with adrenal insufficiency often feel run down and overwhelmed with the tasks they have to accomplish. They may feel as if they can’t keep up and do it all. (This can lead to other symptoms like depression and social withdrawal)

You May Crave Salty or Sweet Snacks

This may include high protein snacks like meat or cheese. Some people with adrenal fatigue can have an increased craving for salt. You might also notice an intense craving for sweets and fast carbs like donuts, chocolate bars, pastries, ice cream etc.

You Feel Better In A Less Stressful Environment

Many people with adrenal insufficiency feel better when on vacation. Their symptoms may even clear up entirely but then return when they go back to their normal lives.

You Are Troubled By ‘Brain Fog’ or Inability to Concentrate

This may include things like the inability to remember certain details, appointments, etc. This may also include a feeling of confusion or difficulty concentrating.

Increased PMS For Women

Women with adrenal disorder may find their periods become heavier and/or irregular. They may also notice increased PMS mood swings and/or food cravings.

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Those are several key symptoms of adrenal fatigue. Other symptoms include:

Lightheadedness/Low Blood Pressure

Tendency to Tremble When Under Pressure

Reduced Sex Drive
Heart Palpitations

Nervousness/Raw Nerves

Poor Digestion – bloating, acid stomach

Feel Most Energetic in the Evening – takes most of morning to wake up

Sensitivity to cold

Difficulty losing weight

Fluid retention, thirsty a lot

Insomnia, un refreshing sleep – sleep only for a few hours at a time, need to take naps

Bad teeth, gums

Ulcers – due to stress

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Distinguishing between thyroid and adrenal problems, or a mix between the two:

The thyroid gland can not make enough T4 (hypothyroidism).

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If poor thyroid function is the only cause, we typically see a

reddish complexion,

thinning of the outer eyebrows,

easy weight gain,

depression,

sluggishness,

excessive sleep,

high blood pressure, and a

decreased ability to fight infection.

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Conversely, if poor adrenal function is the only cause, we typically see pallor,

full eyebrows,

difficulty gaining weight (if the problem is severe),

difficulty losing weight (if the problem is moderate), can’t lose excess

weight even while dieting

anxiety,

exaggerated startle reflex,

insomnia and un-refreshing sleep,

sleep poorly or less than seven hours a night

low blood pressure,

allergies and auto-immune problems.

bone loss (osteoporosis) because of excess cortisol

hypertension (high blood pressure)

type 1 diabetes – not all cases

kidney stones

unusual or chronic infections

use caffeine or carbohydrates as “pick-me-ups

skin pigmentation issues

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Adrenal fatigue is a likely factor in several medical conditions such as the following:

Hypotension

Fibromyalgia

Hypothyroidism

Chronic fatigue syndrome

Arthritis

Premature menopause

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Higher and more prolonged levels of cortisol in the bloodstream (like those associated with chronic stress) have been shown to have negative effects, such as:

Impaired cognitive performance

Suppressed thyroid function

Blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia

Decreased bone density – osteopenia, which leads to osteoporosis

Decrease in muscle tissue

Higher blood pressure

Lowered immunity and inflammatory responses in the body, slowed wound healing, and other health consequences

Increased abdominal fat, which is associated with a greater amount of health problems than fat deposited in other areas of the body.

Some of the health problems associated with increased stomach fat are heart attacks, strokes, the development of , higher levels of “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and lower levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL), which can lead to other health problems!

Most people have a mixture of poor thyroid and poor adrenal function rather than purely one or the other, and therefore a mixture of symptoms.

In adrenal fatigue, the total cholesterol tends to run low to low-normal while the HDL tends to run high-normal to high.

In hypothyroidism, the opposite tends to occur with a high-normal to high cholesterol and normal-low HDL.

In the early stages of adrenal dysfunction, cortisol levels are too high during the day and continue rising in the evening. This is called “hyperadrenia.”

In the middle stages, cortisol may rise and fall unevenly as the body struggles to balance itself despite the disruptions of caffeine, carbs and other factors, but levels are not normal and are typically too high at night.

In advanced stages, when the adrenals are exhausted from overwork, cortisol will never reach normal levels (“hypoadrenia”).

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Remedies:

Get tested for cortisol levels. See if you need medication. There are more serious diseases that can develop, like Addison’s and Cushing’s, so get checked well.

Rest

Get a one week de-tox kit from a health food store and follow the directions.  Do this every few months.  The food you eat is not sterile, and contamination is there in some degree, so eventually you will get something that will compromise you.

Get nutritional support- take this list with you to a health food store. You may be able to get bottles of supplements that combine some of these together, which will help reduce the cost.

The amino acids, for example, may all be found in the protein powders that can be added to milk. These make good milk shakes.  Drink at least one glass of milk a day with protein powder.

Vitamin B complex

Extra Vitamin B5

Vitamin C with bioflavinoids

Vitamin E

Vitamin A + natural beta- carotene and other carotenoids

Selenium

Coenzyme A

Coenzyme Q

L- Tyrosine

L arginine

L Lysine

Manganese

A good Multivitamin – with minerals,    calcium, magnesium, natural beta-carotene, copper, and zinc

Kelp for iodine

7 keto DHEA – nonprescription strength – 10 mg/day

Get a “super foods” powder mix of fruits and vegetables- add to juice and make a drink – do once a day

For women over 40 – take at least 1000 mg of calcium a day, plus both D and K. The K will help prevent kidney stones created by the calcium intake.

Try to cut back on coffee. But if you can’t, then add fresh milk to your coffee, instead of non dairy creamer. At least you get fresh protein that way.

Exercise – not too much, you are exhausted – but try to move around some, and not just sit all day.   start with just walking around the house.

Do not try to fast or diet – it is a waste of time, and will only increase the cortisol levels, leading to more weight gain. Wait until you get your energy back.

Avoid stress if you can. Spend time alone, read the bible, pray, listen to music, etc.

Be patient. This could take weeks, or months, depending on how bad your condition is.

Do not forget that God is a healer. Pray, and ask God for wisdom in your unique situation, to control the stresses upon you, and pray for healing.

Remember, this is only for stress induced adrenal fatigue only. If you have a more severe situation, as in pituitary tumors, adrenal tumors, adrenal disease etc, then you need additional medical attention.

As I said, the fatigue can be a result of both the thyroid and the adrenal exhaustion, giving mixed signals. Here is a check list you can use, to see where you fit:

Signs and Symptoms: Adrenal Fatigue vs. Low Thyroid Function
Key: – generally absent; +possibly present; ++ often present; +++ always or almost always present
Signs and Symptoms	Adrenal	Mixed (1)	Thyroid
Body Type	Mild: Gains weight easily; Moderate: Can’t lose weight; Severe: Thin, can’t gain weight	Gains easily,goes to tummy/hips first, very hard to lose	Weight gain, generalized or global, extremely hard to lose
Face Shape	Eyes, cheeks sunken when severe	Normal	Full, puffy around eyes
Eyebrows	Tend to be full	Normal to sparse	Very sparse outer 1/3 to 1/2
Tissue Around eyes	Sunken appearance, may have dark circles	Normal or some “bags” under the eyes	Puffy around the eyes, often bags under the eyes
Facial Coloring (2)	Tendency to pallor, especially around mouth. In dark skin, it darkens around mouth, forehead, sides of face	Pallor around mouth (more visible with light skin)	Ruddy or rosy complexion, including around the mouth
Hair quality	Thin and wispy. May become straw-like or straighter. Dry. Falls out easily. Sparse on forearms or lower legs.	Tendency to become sparse	Tends to be coarse, sparse, may become wavy or curly (rare) or change color. If severe enough, hair loss is common.
Nails	Thin, brittle	Break easily	May be thick
Skin Quality	Dry, Thin, Finger-prints often “smoothed out” or flat/shiny and may have longitudinal wrinkles over finger pads (probable cause is low collagen level)	May be thin, dry, bruise easily, poor healing.	May be oily or moist. Poor healing, May bruise easily. Skin thickness is normal (not thin). Typically good quality finger prints.
Fluids/Secretions	Dry skin, little secretions. Can’t hold onto water.	Mixed, e.g. dry body and oily face	Good secretions. Skin may be oily. Tendency to fluid retention.
Connective Tissue Quality (ligaments, tendons, skin, hair, and nails)	Lax ligaments or flexible (e.g. flat feet, double jointed). Joint strains/sprains are common.	Mixed	Poor flexibility.
Pigment Distribution	Vitiligo (white spots or patches) in late stage. May tan too easily. In dark skin, darker on forehead, sides of face, around mouth and chin/jaw.	Milder version of vitiligo (small patches or tiny white spots on arms and/or legs) and dark patches if dark skin.	In pure hypothyroidism, vitiligo and hyperpigmentation are very rare.
Connective Tissue Quality (ligaments, tendons, skin, hair, and nails)	Lax ligaments or flexible (e.g. flat feet, double jointed). Joint strains/sprains are common.	Mixed	Poor flexibility.
Fluids/Secretions	Dry skin, little secretions. Can’t hold on to water.	Mixed, e.g. and dry body and oily face	Good secretions. Skin may be oily. Tendency to fluid retention.
Light Sensitivity or Night Blindness	++	+	-
After Image (e.g. seeing the image of a flash bulb or bright light moving by longer than others)	++	+	+/-
Typical Pains	Headaches, migraines, muscles, carpal tunnel	Muscles, carpal tunnel	Occasionally joints, muscles, feet/lower legs
Temperature Pattern (see Metabolic Temperature Graph)	Thermal chameleon (hot when it’s warm and cold when it’s cool). Poor thermoregulation. Tends to low body temperature around 97.8 or lower. Fluctuating pattern.	Fluctuating pattern, usually averaging 97.8 but can be lower	Stable, non-fluctuating pattern, average can be from low 90′s to a little below 98.6
Cold Intolerance	+++	++	+/-
Heat Intolerance	+	++	+++
Cold Hands / Feet	+++	Happens often	-
Warm Hands / Feet (in spite of low body temperature)	-	Happens occasionally	++
Sweating	May be excessive in early phase. Poor sweating in late phase.	May appear normal	Normal to increased, more oily than ‘wet’
General Reactivity: Emotional, physiological, immune, etc.	Hyper-reactive (over)	Moderate	Hypo-reactive (under)
Immune Function	Tendency to over-react results in allergies, sensitivities, autoimmune problems	Mixed	Tendency to under-respond results in infections (sinus, bladder, bowel, skin, etc.)
History of EBV or Mononucleosis	+++	++	+/-
Sensitivity to medications, supplements etc. Needs small doses	++	+	-
Intuitive (3). Picks up other peoples feelings (e.g. at malls, parties).	++	+	+/-
Personality Tendency: Humor	+/-	+	++
Personality Tendency: Serious	++/+++	++	+/-
Depression (10)	+	++	+++
Anxiety(11), panic attacks, worry, fear, insecurity, feelings of impending doom (any combination). “I thought I was dying…”	+++	++	+
Obsessive Compulsive Tendency (11) (12)	++	+	+/-
Startle Easily	++	+	-
Tolerance to Change/Stress	Poor	Poor/Moderate to good	Moderate
Sleep Patterns	Tendency to one or more: Insomnia, light sleeper, waking up at 2-4 AM, unrefreshing sleep	May or may not have sleep disturbance	Tendency to one or more: Sleepiness, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, unrefreshing sleep
Mental Abilities	Poor focus, clarity, concentration, short-term memory. ‘Brain fog’	Poor focus, clarity, concentration, short-term memory.	Poor focus, clarity, concentration, short-term memory. ‘Slow thinking’
Energy Pattern	Complains of fatigue or exhaustion, “wired and tired”, can’t persevere, low motivation	Variable energy that can be good or poor.	Complains of being tired, sluggish, low motivation
Exercise Tolerance	Causes fatigue. Can’t persevere. If severe, body temperature drops after exercise.	Mixed	Can’t exercise much. Tires easily.
Edema (swelling), non-pitting in lower legs	-	+/-	+
Standing still is difficult or causes discomfort. Walking is easier.	+	+/-	-
Fibromyalgia / chronic fatigue	++	++	++
Orthostatic Hypotension (light-headed when getting up to stand from laying or sometimes, even sitting)	++	+/-	-
Blood Pressure	Tends to run low, e.g., from 80/50 at the low end to 110/70 at the high end	Can be low, normal or high	Ranges from normal to very high and poorly controlled by medications
Heart Palpitations (“feels like my heart was about to jump out of my chest”).	++	+/-	-
Mitral Valve Murmur or Prolapse (4)	++	+	+/-
Dietary Habits	Often lean toward being vegetarian or avoids certain foods	Tends to have fewer dietary restrictions than the pure adrenal type	Tends to eat everything
Digestion	Often has difficulty digesting meat, or other proteins. Some foods troublesome (5)	May be normal or difficulty with some foods.	Poor but they often think it’s good.
Bowel Function	Tendency to be irritable, or hyperactive, transit time may be too fast (food exits stomach too fast causing poor [enzymatic] digestion)	Poor/mixed	Tendency to constipation, hypoactive, slow transit time (food leaves stomach too slowly) and poor mechanical digestion.
Malabsorption	+++	++	+
Cravings	Sweets, carbohydrates, salt (any combination), black licorice	Mixed	Fats
Blood sugar. (Hypoglycemia = low blood sugar. Hyperglycemia = elevated blood sugar)	Tendency to hypoglycemia. May need many small meals or “crash”	Can range from mild hypoglycemia to hyperglycemia	Normal to hyperglycemia
Problems with menses and /or fertility (females)	++	+	+/-
Typical Findings on Blood Tests
Blood Tests	Adrenal	Mixed (1)	Thyroid
Chem: Total cholesterol (6)	Usually low to low normal (e.g., under 160)	Mixed: Can be low, mid-range, or high	Usually over 200. Very hard to reduce.
Chem: HDL (6) (the good cholesterol)	Tends to be relatively high	Mixed: can be high, low, or midrange	Tends to be relatively low
Chem: Cholesterol/HDL ratio	Usually 3.0 or less	Can be high, low or mid-range	Usually 3.5 or more
Chem: Serum Potassium	Tends toward high normal (typically 4.0 or higher)		Tends to be under 4.0
Chem: Serum Sodium	Tends toward low normal (typically 140 or lower)		Tends to be over 140
Chem: DHEAS	Low to low normal
Sugar levels	Tend to be low, e.g. 60′s to 80′s	Tend to be normal or elevated
CO2	Tends to be at the low end (23 or less) (13)
Chem: Testosterone	Tends to be low-normal to low
CBC: WBC (7)	Tends to be low normal (e.g. 3.5 to 5)	Normal to low normal	Often in the mid-normal range or high end (e.g. above 7)
CBC: Platelets (7)	Tend to low normal	Normal to low normal	Normal to high normal
CBC: MCV (8) (mean corpuscular volume)	Often 93 or higher. Taking vitamin B12 regularly may normalize it.	Tends to be high or high normal. Taking B12 regularly may normalize it.	Tends to be 90 or less
CBC: RDW (9) (reticulocyte distribution of width)	Normal to high normal	Normal to high normal	Normal to high normal
Blood type	Most are type A		Often type O
Platelets	Typically under 200	Typically under 300	Typically over 300