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It has been known for over half a century that about 80% of those suffering from burnout (strongly linked to adrenal fatigue) also have a number of symptoms of low thyroid. If your adrenal fatigue has a thyroid component, it is usually necessary to strengthen both the adrenals and the thyroid simultaneously for full recovery to take place.

The thyroid is another endocrine gland sensitive to the effects of stress. Unlike the adrenals that have many functions, the thyroid has one major function, to control the rate at which energy is produced in the individual cells of the body. However, getting your thyroid function tested has the same disadvantages as testing for adrenal function using blood tests: marginally low thyroid function does not show up on these standard tests. Compounding the problem, insurance companies have limited thyroid testing to only one test (the TSH) instead of allowing a wider range of thyroid blood tests that could give more information.

There are some observations, though, that you can make yourself to determine if your thyroid may be low. Although these are not precise or conclusive, I have found them valuable clinical indicators that make me suspect thyroid function to be lower than optimal:

1) Your basal body temperature, taken before rising in the morning, is below 98.20F (oral) or 97.20F (underarm).

2) Your stamina or capacity does not improve with increased exercise. (Typically, as you exercise, your stamina and capacity increase with repeated exercise, even if you have adrenal fatigue).

3) At 9:30 PM you hit a wall and are ready for bed but there is no 11:00 PM second wind (as is often seen in pure adrenal fatigue).

4) Reaction time is slightly slower than you know it should be when you are driving a car, engaging in sports or operating equipment.

5) You gain weight easily, especially around your hips and thighs, even when eating the right foods in normal portions.

6) The outside of your eyebrows are much thinner than normal.

7) You feel sluggish and not fully awake much of the day. (Those with pure adrenal fatigue usually feel awake by 10:00AM, or if not by 10:00AM, after the noon meal.)

8) Your energy does not noticeably improve after your evening meal or after 6:00PM.

If approximately half of the above indicators are present, then you may have a low thyroid component to your adrenal fatigue. If so, there are several possible solutions. Both your adrenals and thyroid are ultimately regulated in similar ways by a gland called the hypothalamus, in the brain. Taking a hypothalamus extract may help normalize your thyroid as well as your adrenal function when they need a little fine-tuning. Sometimes your thyroid only requires the addition of a nutritional supplement containing the proper nutrients in a form that can be easily absorbed and utilized efficiently by the thyroid. This can help the thyroid to rebound in 2-3 months.

Note that both of these glands are very sensitive to and easily undermined by body burdens. If low thyroid seems to be a factor in your adrenal fatigue, check for body burdens again before doing anything else. These include:

	Lack of fresh, good quality food
	Food allergies, intolerances and sensitivities
	Sub-acute or chronic sub-clinical infections
	Incomplete recovery from anesthesia
	Lack of sleep
	‘Sick building’ syndrome
	Living or working in toxic fumes
	Lack of fresh air

These symptoms indicate defective adaptation of your adrenal glands to the stresses you are experiencing. If you are experiencing more than three of these symptoms, chances high that you have adrenal fatigue - or burnout. They are warnings that something needs to change if you want to feel well again.