Adrenal fatigue is apseudoscientific term used byalternative medicine providers to suggest that theadrenal glands are exhausted and unable to produce adequate quantities ofhormones, primarilycortisol, due tochronic stress or infections.[1] There is no scientific basis for the existence of adrenal fatigue, and the term should not be confused with a number of actual forms of adrenal dysfunction such asadrenal insufficiency orAddison's disease.[1]
Neither the condition nor the symptoms have any stable or recognized definition.[2]
The term "adrenal fatigue" was invented in 1998 bychiropractor James Wilson and applied to a collection of mostlynon-specific symptoms.[1][2]
A systematic review found no evidence for the condition, supporting the consensus among mainstreamendocrinologists that it is a myth.[3] There is noevidence supporting the concept of adrenal fatigue, and it is not a valid diagnosis recognized by the scientific or medical communities.[1]
Blood or salivary testing is sometimes offered, but there is no evidence that adrenal fatigue exists, or that it can be tested for.[1][2][4]
Adrenal fatigue is not an accepted medical diagnosis.[5]
The concept of adrenal fatigue has given rise to an industry ofdietary 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.[2][4]
There is no scientific basis for the existence of this disorder and no conclusive method for diagnosis
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