"In Age Of Internet Diagnoses, Endocrinologists Confront Myth Of ‘Adrenal Fatigue’" - Regina Schaffer
Recent data from the CDC reveal that reports of chronic stress and fatigue are on the rise in the United Staes. According to the 2016 National Health Interview Survey, 3.5 percent of respondents reported serious psychological distress vs. 2.7 percent in 2007, whereas 13 percent reported feeling restless some of the time. National Health Interview Survey data from 2011 revealed that 15 percent of women and 10 percent of men reported feeling very tired or exhausted. For those researching nonspecific symptoms like fatigue, an inability to handle stress, mild depression or a lack of energy, a common term will surface in online searches — “adrenal fatigue.” Yet the symptoms said to be associated with so-called adrenal fatigue — an inability to focus, feeling tired all the time, lack of enthusiasm or energy — are often “pain of life” symptoms that many people have, according to Alice Levine, MD, professor of medicine, endocrinology, diabetes and bone disease at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
- Alice Levine, MD, Professor, Oncological Sciences, Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Research Director, Endocrine Fellowship Program