These glands are part of the endocrine system and are involved in many essential life functions. The adrenal
glands help produce more than 50 critical hormones, including :
- Estrogen
- Progesterone
- Cortisol (the stress hormone)
- Cortisone
- Norepinephrine
- Dopamine
For example, the adrenal cortex, the outer layer of the adrenal gland, is responsible for the production of corticosteroids (also called adrenal steroids), including the well-known stress hormone cortisol.
Under conditions of stress, high amounts of cortisol are released—and chronic stress eventually depletes the body’s resources and its ability to adapt.
One such condition is known as Addison's disease. This occurs when the adrenal glands cannot produce enough mineralcorticoids and/or steroids such as cortisol resulting in the body's inability to handle stress.
Cushing's disease is quite the opposite. This occurs when the adrenal glands do not turn off and continue making excess amounts of
cortisol.
While those are the extreme illnesses associated with the adrenal glands, we deal daily with patients suffering from some form of adrenal exhaustion.
In TCVM the adrenal glands are included in the water element and relate to kidney energy. The kidneys are seen as the single most important organ affecting the length and quality
of life.
- they control the internal Qi (chi),
- balance Yin/Yang and
- house the Jing ,which is your pet’s life force.
*Abundant Kidney Qi (Chi) correlates to a strong physical constitution as well as a strong will and healthy bones and
teeth.
One of the best ways to support kidney jing is through hormone support. Unfortunately, the majority of pets today have been spayed or neutered. This common procedure removes a major source of estrogen and testosterone which are vital hormones for development and longevity.
The good news is the adrenal glands can produce testosterone, which in
the peripheral tissues can be converted to estrogen, as long as the adrenal cortex is working correctly and is healthy.
So even if your pet is spayed or neutered, their body can still produce some of the much needed hormones, as long as their adrenal glands are healthy. This, in turn, strengthens the kidney jing which leads to great healthy and
longevity!
If we want to keep the adrenal glands healthy, it's important to understand the stressors.
Primary stressors:
The underlying cause of adrenal fatigue is ongoing, continuous unresolved stress.
This stress can be emotional, mental, physical or external such as; poor diet, heavy metal toxicity, extreme shock and emotional trauma, excessive exercise, physical trauma, working too hard without enough rest, pharmaceuticals, excessive use of cortisone therapy, lack of sleep or chronic inflammation/ infections.
We see many dogs and cats who suffer a tremendous amount of environmental
stress.
- Crating for long periods of time.
- Lack of exercise
- Processed food - high starch diet resulting in chronic inflammation.
- Annual vaccinations
- Flea and tick chemicals.
- Prescription antibiotics
- Excessive sugar intake
- Drinking tap water (chlorine and fluoride)
- GMO foods
- Eating too many whole grains (plus gluten)
- Emotional stress
- Exposure to toxins and pesticides
During the early stages of adrenal fatigue the body produces an excess amount of cortisol to deal with the constant fight or flight response initiated by the stress. High cortisol levels can result in obesity, increased cholesterol and blood pressure, altered brain chemistry causing depression and anxiety, insulin resistance and osteoporosis. If we fail to address the
stress, eventually your pet's adrenals will become so exhausted that they will no longer be able to produce an adequate amount of cortisol or other necessary hormones to maintain normal physiological function.
Symptoms of Adrenal Exhaustion
- Warm seeking
- Anxiety
- Chronic low-grade infections - upper respiratory, skin, urinary tract or gastrointestinal
- Overheating at night or during sleep - getting up several times to cool off or lay on the tile floor
- Needing to go to the bathroom at night
- Depression, lack of interest
in normal activities
- Headaches - this may not be something you notice but it is something that we see often
- Hypoglycemia
- Increased allergies
- Insomnia
- Vertigo
- Lower back pain in kidney area and
sacrum
- Low blood pressure
- Muscular weakness - especially hindlimb weakness
- Cognitive dysfunction
- Sensitivity to light, noise, touch, movement
- Sleeping excessively or acting exhausted
- Weight gain
or loss
- Nausea/Vomiting
Treatment:
- Diet is key! We recommend pursuing a diet consult so we can make sure your pet is eating the best food for their constitution and body type, age, etc. We also recommend food allergy testing to make sure your pet is not eating a
food that is not taxing the immune system.
- Acupuncture is excellent for strengthening the adrenal glands. We want to keep the kidney meridians open and strengthen the qi, especially during the winter months!
- Exercise is crucial for our pet's health. They were born to move! While it is harder to exercise during the winter when it's cold, try to keep in mind, a
little is better than nothing! Short but more frequent walks. This is also a good time to consider indoor activities like doggy day care or underwater treadmill!
- Adaptogenic herbs: These herbs are used to nourish the kidney yin, qi and yang, along with the spleen qi. The most common adaptogenic herbs in use today are Astragalus and Ashwaganda. We have many Chinese herbal formulas that combine Astragalus with other
helper herbs. Since most of these herbal combinations can alter qi, yin and yang, we prefer examining the pet prior to prescription.
- Probiotics: Exposure to chronic stress and of course,
pharmaceuticals, can lead to changes in the composition, diversity and number of gut microorganisms, which can reduce the microbiome’s ability to function as it should. Poor gut bacteria leads to weak digestive qi (chi) which weakens the immune system and consequently the adrenal glands.
- Medicinal Mushrooms : The most important mushroom for tonifying kidney jing and adrenal health is Cordyceps. The second most potent mushroom for adrenal health is the Reishi
mushroom. Reishi mushrooms boost immunity by increasing the activity of the body's natural killer cells, they lower the stress response, increase sleep quality, and help restore hormonal balance. Mycoforte
combines both of these mushrooms along with a few others.
- Glandulars: Glandular Therapy is one of the simplest, safest and effective holistic modalities available. The science behind the use of a glandular supplement for pets, is that glands, when taken internally, support and nourish the corresponding gland in the body. In the wild, the ingestion of glands is part of
the animals' nutrition. Glandular supplementation is obviously missing from the majority of domesticated animals diets. We recommend Adrenal Life Force for larger dogs and those that do not have food allergies to beef. We recommend Adrenal Support suspension for our smaller dogs and cats and those that have allergies to beef.
