swifty...
If you mean Real and Treatable in the traditional sense of
traditional allopathic medicine, with AMA certified diagnostic
criteria, and approved and study-verified medicines for treatment,
then no, it's not.
The condition is a syndrome, much like the example of "nervous
exhaustion" which you mentioned. This means it's a collection
of symptoms which, when added up, point to the condition being
present.
This syndrome was popularized by the publication of the book,
Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome by Dr. James
L. Wilson. Smart Publications, 2001.
On Dr. Wilson's website he notes:
"Despite its prevalence in our modern world, Adrenal Fatigue has
generally been ignored and untreated by the medical community."
http://www.adrenalfatigue.org/
A self-test based on the collection of symptoms which point
to the syndrome is on his site.
A telling fact is that this pioneering 'expert' on the syndrome
keeps referring people to buy his book for the full picture:
"To find out for sure, consult the book Adrenal Fatigue:
The 21st Century Stress Syndrome by Dr. James Wilson."
http://www.adrenalfatigue.org/doi.php
He does the same with the question "Can people with Adrenal
Fatigue ever fully recover?":
"Yes, with proper treatment most people can fully recover
from Adrenal Fatigue. For detailed information about how
you can support your adrenal glands, protect yourself from
stress and recover from Adrenal Fatigue see Dr. James
Wilson's book Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress
Syndrome and check out Programs for Adrenal Recovery on
this website."
http://www.adrenalfatigue.org/canrecover.php
And again, in the Programs for Adrenal Recovery, which are
only partially available on his website. For example:
"If you scored between 89-132 (women) or 88-130 (men) on
the Adrenal Fatigue questionnaire (p.61, Dr. Wilson's
book) take the dietary supplements below in addition to
following the exercises and lifestyle recommendations
given in the book."
http://www.adrenalfatigue.org/programmoderate.php
And the last clue is in the supplements which he "prescribes"
to treat the syndrome, which are also sold from his website,
and were formulated by him. There's also the fact that they
are not medicines, but herbal and nutritional dietary
supplements which must include the typical FDA disclaimer:
"The information provided in this site is not a substitute
for professional medical opinion. It is provided for
informational and educational purposes only.
Adrenalfatigue.org and any parties or people associated
with it are not making any medical claims on this site.
All references to possible benefits to be derived from
consuming the products discussed on this website are
purely for informational purposes and no medical claims
are made or maintained. These products are sold purely
as dietary supplements."
http://www.adrenalfatigue.org/disclaimer.php
Nevertheless, the syndrome has been widely adopted by a
number of practitioners in the field of alternative medicine,
such as naturopaths, and is also being promoted by those who
make their living selling supplements, such as this page from
The Compunder website:
http://www.thecompounder.com/AdrenalProtocolMead.html
But, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that this is a mythical
condition made up by naturalists who want to sell you products,
even if that seems to be the case in some situations.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome was another such syndrome that was
widely recognized by practioners of altenative therapies long
before medical doctors began to give it serious consideration,
and alternative therapies and dietary supplements have been
able to achieve some major successes in dealing with it.
So, while the syndrome remains ambiguous due to the very
nature of the various and vaguely-defined symptoms which
make it up, there are success stories, such as the case
study in the article titled, 'Utilizing Nutrition as Medicine'
by: Trisch Marcino-Hadley, N.D., Ph.D. ©2002, on the ANMA
(American Naturopathic Medical Association) website, where
the subject in the case:
"Charlie scored high in adrenal fatigue and overactive
sympathetic nervous system."
The outcome:
"He is continuing to maintain a good diet and has gained
a few pounds, however, his muscle tone is greatly improved.
His overall physical appearance and lab tests indicate a
tremendous improvement today over 2 years ago. He has
decreased his dosages of prednisone and immunosuppressant
drugs. He is now at 25% of the prescription medications.
I am continuing Charlie on his current whole food
supplementation and diet protocol. Hopefully, some day,
he will be able to completely discontinue all of his
prescription medications."
Much more on the page:
http://www.anma.com/mon62.html
Please do not rate this answer until you are satisfied that
the answer cannot be improved upon by way of a dialog
established through the "Request for Clarification" process.
sublime1-ga
Additional information may be found from an exploration of
the links resulting from the Google searches outlined below.
Searches done, via Google:
"Adrenal Fatigue"
://www.google.com/search?q=%22Adrenal+Fatigue%22
"Adrenal Fatigue" AMA OR JAMA
://www.google.com/search?q=%22Adrenal+Fatigue%22+AMA+OR+JAMA |
