Many people suffer from what is considered Adrenal Fatigue or Burnout and believe fasting causes additional stress on their adrenals, raises cortisol and worsens them.

Two particular things happen when we start to fast that are important concerning the adrenals:

• Adrenaline goes up 15%

• Cortisol doubles

When people first hear that, they immediately think that doubling cortisol would make them miserable. They immediately think the cortisol doubled because inflammation went up. 

Cortisol is the anti-inflammatory hormone secreted in response to oxidative stress and inflammation. Cortisol doesn’t cause inflammation. It helps reduce it.

During the first 24 to 36 hours of a fast, cortisol doubles not in response to new inflammation but to initiate the detox and recycling process and considerably lowers the inflammation in the whole body.

The potent anti-inflammatory effect seen in fasting accelerates the healing process, resetting and calibrating the immune system and hormone receptors, and relaxes the gut.

Adrenaline increases in the fasted state, producing motivation, mental clarity, and the general feel-good sensation many people describe. Adrenaline increases when fasting to get the body and focus ready to go and find food.

Cortisol is roughly made equally in the adrenals, brain, and body fat. The adrenal response and responsibility in adrenal fatigue is only one-third of cortisol production. The brain keeps inflammation in the brain low, and the fat makes it for the fat tissues that generate low-grade inflammation according to the amount one has.

In the fasted state, whole-body systemic inflammation drops considerably in all tissues allowing cortisol to work more efficiently and effectively as the recycling process and body fat reduction can accelerate.

This system-wide drop in inflammation carries over well past the time we end our fast, producing a lower cortisol requirement and improving adrenal fatigue.

Eating is the number one source of chronic inflammation in our lives, leading to high cortisol levels and contributing to adrenal fatigue, among many other issues.

Fasting resets hormone receptors completely regenerates the immune system, and removes cellular debris from our organs, hormonal glands, tissues, and skin increasing overall hormonal sensitivity, improving hormonal communication efficiency, and lowering the baseline oxidative stress in the whole body.

The body takes a detailed inventory of tissues and organs that need cells replaced, repaired, and grown, so when food is reintroduced, ending the fast, stem cells are produced in massive amounts to go to the areas needed to rejuvenate and strengthen the body as it heals.

When the four phases of a complete fasting cycle are well executed, from the prep and planning, support, time fasting, and the reinforcement ending the fast, the body will function more efficiently and healthier, including the adrenal function and response.

The more fasting is included as part of a healthy lifestyle and practiced in an ongoing fasting rotation, the more comfortable the fasting will be experienced. When the frequency of fasting increases over time, more healing will occur, and deeper detoxification will continue.

People with adrenal fatigue definitely can and must incorporate fasting into their lifestyle to improve and, in time, overcome their adrenal fatigue.

Like any other condition or individual situation, your prep, planning, and long-term strategy must reflect your condition and progress accordingly. No use jumping into something you are not ready for or trying and going too fast too soon.

As always, I am here to help and have a structured step-by-step program that will teach you how to set up your fast and progression, progressing little by little as you improve if you need some hand-holding and accountability. Message me for more info.

We can do better!

Dr. Don