Dr. Betty MurrayHelping Women Navigate Menopause | Speaker, Author, and Advocate for Women's Health Over 40

Adrenal Fatigue Is a Myth? Here’s What’s Really Happening

24 Sept 2026 · 1 min

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In this segment Dr. Betty Murray argues that the popular notion of "adrenal fatigue" is inaccurate. She explains that the adrenal glands do not become incapable of functioning; instead, the hypothalamus and pituitary send altered signals—characterized by reduced pulsatility and diminished cortisol‑receptor sensitivity—that cause the adrenal glands to down‑regulate their output. This results in a state of cortisol resistance, which impairs cortisol’s normal anti‑inflammatory actions and leads to downstream inflammation. Dr. Murray frames the condition as hypothalamic‑pituitary‑adrenal (and gonadal) axis dysregulation rather than a true fatigue of the adrenals.

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Your adrenals never get so fatigued that they cannot function. They get the message from the hypothalamus and the pituitary and the lack of pulsatility and receptor sensitivity to that cortisol to then downregulate adrenal function to slow the system down so you can cool your jets. Adrenal fatigue is not real. It is hypothalamic pituitary adrenal gonad dysregulation that causes all of it. And essentially you get resistance to the receptors that bind to cortisol. And help it respond appropriately, which brings downstream inflammation, 'cause cortisol can't do its normal anti-inflammatory efforts.