Adrenal fatigue is a pseudoscientific term used by alternative medicine providers to suggest that the are exhausted and unable to produce adequate quantities of , primarily cortisol, due to chronic stress or infections.
Definition
Neither the condition nor the symptoms have any stable or recognized definition.
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History
The term "adrenal fatigue" was invented in 1998 by chiropractor James Wilson and applied to a collection of mostly non-specific symptoms.
Lack of evidence
A systematic review found no evidence for the condition, supporting the consensus among mainstream endocrinology that it is a myth.[
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Tests
Blood or salivary testing is sometimes offered, but there is no evidence that adrenal fatigue exists, and it cannot be tested for.
Diagnosis
Adrenal fatigue is not an accepted medical diagnosis.
Dietary supplements
The concept of adrenal fatigue has given rise to an industry of dietary supplements marketed to treat the supposed condition. These supplements are largely unregulated in the U.S.; they are ineffective and costly; and they in some cases may be dangerous.
See also
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Hypocortisolism
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List of topics characterized as pseudoscience
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Adrenal insufficiency
External links
