Catecholamine Fatigue Is Worse Than Adrenal Fatigue
Beware! Catecholamine Fatigue Is Worse Than Adrenal Fatigue
What is catecholamine?
These are hormones which are made by adrenal glands. These hormones are released by the adrenal glands found on top of the kidneys and go into the blood streams when a person becomes under physical or emotional stress. Catecholamine is found in the main three forms; dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine (also called adrenalin).
What is the role of Catecholamine?
The role of Catecholamine can be understood by looking at the functions of the various components which form them. These compounds are dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine (also called adrenalin). Catecholamine especially dopamine and the norepinephrine are the principal neurotransmitters which mediates various activities or functions of the central nervous system.
The main function of catecholamine therefore is the regulation of functioning of the central nervous system. It sends signals which help the body to prepare to respond to stress or fright and adequately prepare the body to fight it.
How does catecholamine work?
When catecholamine gets into the body system via blood streams, it works by increasing the rates at which you heart beats, the blood pressure, breathing rate, the strength of your muscles, and also the mental strength. To ensure enough supply of blood to the main organs of the body (such as brain, kidneys, liver, lungs, heart etc.), it regulates the amount of blood going to the skin and intestines. This ensures that the main body organs are sufficiently supplied with blood.
What are the effects of catecholamine deficiency?
Just as we discussed earlier, catecholamine is a very important hormone. It is one of the two main neurotransmitters whereby the other is serotonin. Deficiency in catecholamine has been known for years to cause variety of diseases. The following are some of the diseases/ illnesses associated with deficiency in catecholamine:-
- Depression or being moody – one of the effects of lowness in catecholamine which is known to be very common, is depression. This is one of the factors which make the catecholamine fatigue by far worse than that of adrenals. When a person who is addicted of a given substance and is also diagnosed with catecholamine fatigue, the problem becomes even more complicated to address. Before a successful addiction recovery program is undertaken, the problem of catecholamine fatigue needs to be first address. This is because it causes depression which makes it impossible for recovery from addiction to occur. The reason behind this difficulty is that for success in the addiction recovery to occur, your mind must be in good working condition. Depression in itself is a disease, and when adjoined with addiction it may make the recovery from addiction chances next to impossible.
- A feel of anxiety – when a person is a victim of catecholamine fatigue or deficiency, the levels of excitement may be high. This is because the catecholamine is a component of neurotransmitter, which is the hormone responsible for regulation the brain’s reward system. This deficiency leaves the system un-regulated, and thus the levels of excitement may remain high, especially when initially triggered high. In this respect, catecholamine which supposed to regulate the levels of this excitement is low, and thus the levels of excitement remain high.
- Insomnia may also occur – a state of sleep disorder is also very likely to occur. The principle behind it is that all the metabolic functions in our bodies are controlled from our minds and neurotransmitter plays the main role in this control. When there is a deficiency in catecholamine, it becomes very difficult for the brain to regulate the metabolic rates, which would facilitate sleep through activities such as regulation of the rate at which the heart beats.
- Other common problems may include: – panic attacks, obesity, bulimia, anorexia, migraines, ADD/ADHD, Fibromyalgia just to mention a few.
What are the possible causes of depletion in catecholamine in the body?
There are several factors which have been attributed with causing depletion in catecholamine in our bodies. Some of these factors are:-
- Simulants use – researches have shown that among the causers of depletion in catecholamine from our bodies is the use of stimulants. When one uses these stimulating substances, they lower the effectiveness of neurotransmitter and thereby creating resistance to the neurotransmitter.
- Nutritional triggers – catecholamine (neurotransmitters) are made from proteins, and thus to ensure that they remain at a high level, we must take foods rich in proteins. When we take foods which are low in proteins for quite a long time. There is a likelihood of development of catecholamine deficiency. For a person who is an addict of a given food which is low in protein, catecholamine deficiency is a possibility.
- Some medications especially SSRI, deplete catecholamine – research has shown that, administration of some SSRI medications can deplete serotonin receptors by 40 – 60%.
- Stress – it has also been argued that stress can also contribute to the decline in the levels of catecholamine.
Why must catecholamine fatigue be addressed before addiction recovery program is embraced?
Catecholamine fatigue is more serious than the adrenal fatigue, although closely related. This is because unlike with adrenal fatigue, catecholamine fatigue is usually accompanied by depression and thus not unless it is addressed first, it becomes very difficult for the addiction recovery program to be successful.
Can catecholamine levels be restored?
Repletion of catecholamine is very easy. You just need to understand where it is synthesized from. Catecholamine and serotonin comes from the same source, which are the amino acids, vitamins and the minerals which are common in the foods we eat. These minerals are the ones which are converted into neurotransmitter, which catecholamine forms part. Therefore, to get your catecholamine restored into your body, you just need to eat much of the foods rich in these nutrients. Such foods may include: – bananas, pineapples, eggplants, red plum, tomatoes, walnuts, just to mention a few.
Alternatively, you can get these nutrients as supplements or seek advice from doctor for the administration of drugs rich in the nutrients.
From this discussion, we can clearly see the need for addressing catecholamine deficiency before we address the addiction recovery. Are you now thinking about where you can get help out of addiction or catecholamine fatigue? Your solution is here; call or visit us at Awaremed Resource And Wellness Center.
Beware! Catecholamine Fatigue Is Worse Than Adrenal Fatigue
Related articles
