There are many components of a healthy
“energy” system in our body. When one or more of these components is out of sync, you will experience manifestations of low energy. These systems and their malfunctions include:
- Thyroid gland: Cannot make enough thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism).
- Adrenal glands: Becomes too weak to handle stress of the body’s normal energy production system and forces the body to lower production of energy.
- The enzymes (cellular machinery) which make energy are held back due to toxins or lack of vitamins or minerals.
- Hormones: Growth hormone, testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone become imbalanced.
The adrenal glands are small, walnut sized organs perched on top of each kidney. The adrenals are responsible for producing the hormones that allow your body to respond to stress, good or bad. A good example of adrenal response is the “fight or flight” response to a stressor. Adrenal fatigue, from mild to severe, is almost always caused by some form of stress. This stress can be physical, such as an injury, emotional, environmental (exposure to toxins), infectious (viral, bacterial, parasitic, fungal, etc.) or any combination of these.An often overlooked trigger of adrenal fatigue is recurring infection, especially respiratory, such as bronchitis, pneumonia and sinusitis. Asthma is often a sign of adrenal fatigue. One particularly bad infection or multiple less severe infections can all be triggers. On the flip side, those with adrenal fatigue often experience frequent respiratory infections. No matter what the stressor, your adrenal glands respond the same.A major stressor such as the death of a loved one, a divorce, loss of a job, or small chronic stressors that never allow you to fully recover all lead to adrenal fatigue. Adrenal fatigue occurs when the capacity of the body to cope with and recover from stress is exceeded.
Your chiropractor or other medical professional can order salivary adrenal testing. Most insurance will not pay for these tests and you will need a knowledgeable practitioner to help interpret the results. Salivary hormone tests are pretty accurate BUT they must be done at exactly the right time. You can do the saliva test yourself at home and mail it to a laboratory.
- Know your stressors and do what you can to eliminate or lessen them. This can include figuring out food sensitivities, being less “busy,” meditation to calm down, intitiating yoga or daily meditation.
- Remove toxins from your environment.
- Use Proper Supplementation:
- Sufficient amounts of B vitamins (especially B5) along with Vitamin C are essential in recovery. Daily Balance is a potent multivitamin and multimineral formulation which will also satisfy the B vitamin requirement for adrenal repair. However, it would be necessary to consume 2 tablets 3 times daily for approximately six months to reach the necessary dose schedule to repair adrenal function versus the normal maintenance dose of Daily Balance which is 2 tablets a day.It is best to use a natural, buffered L-Ascorbate form of Vitamin C versus synthetic ascorbic acid which is most commonly found in most store-bought formulations. Taking higher levels of non-buffered ascorbic acid for your vitamin C requirement can cause an upset stomach and can damage your body’s delicate pH balance. In order to ensure positive outcomes it is important to consume the correct forms of nutrients in the right dose. Active C is a buffered source of 100% natural L-Ascorbate.Magnesium is essential to the proper function of the nervous system. Several of the steps needed to create energy require Magnesium. Adrenal fatigue often results in varying degrees of constipation and Magnesium can also alleviate this problem. Your chiropractor or holistic medical practitioner can help you determine what and how much to take.
- Herbs: Many professionals recommend licorice root to support adrenal function. However, licorice root is a stimulating herb and will function similar to the way caffeine stimulates the adrenal gland. Over stimulation is the problem and shouldn’t be used for the solution. Focusing on adrenal restorative herbs will provide long-term support and healing.Rhodiola rosea is a popular plant in traditional medical systems in Eastern Europe and Asia and works on harmonizing the central nervous system, decreasing depression, enhancing work performance, eliminating fatigue, stabilizing moods, as well as working as a healthy mood regulator. Research also demonstrates its ability to restore healthy sleep rhythms, poor appetite, irritability, idiopathic hypertension, and unexplained headaches. The biologically active substances salidroside, rosin, and rosavin present in the rhizome of the plant increase the ability to concentrate and enhance mental and physical power.
Two additional herbs (with long crazy names) Magnolia officianalis and Phellodendron amurense have also been shown to have an amazing impact on adrenal repair. Relora®, is an all-natural, proprietary and patented extract of Magnolia officianalis and a proprietary extract of Phellodendron amurense. Magnolia officianalis is a tree native to the rain forests of the Far East and its bark has long been used in a variety of ways, including to control stress and anxiety.Together, these extracts support or restore levels of the cortisol and DHEA hormones in the body. This promotes the management of stress-related issues. Magnolia and phellodendron work together by binding to stress hormone receptors in the nervous system to promote relaxation and feelings of well-being, yet do not attach to the receptors associated with sedation and dependency.
Others herbs commonly recommended are Korean and Siberian Ginseng root, however we have found most ginseng on the market contains high levels of pesticide residues and therefore we do not recommend them at this time. - Adrenal Cell Extracts: Another method of rebuilding the adrenals is through the use of bovine adrenal cell extracts.
- Treatment with prescription hydrocortisone: Hydrocortisone is the natural corticosteroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands. Prednisone, prednisolone and others are synthetic with major adverse effects on the body. Avoid these at all costs. In rare cases, a person may need short-term treatment with hydrocortisone. This is by prescription only and you must have a knowledgeable practitioner working with you. There are drawbacks to this therapy however. Your body becomes “dependent” on the medication and the adrenals produce LESS. Once it is withdrawn, it can take weeks to months for the adrenals to produce enough by themselves. This is a therapy of last resort and should not be undertaken unless all else has failed and adrenal fatigue is severe.
- The adrenal-depleted body needs salt. Take ½ teaspoon of a high quality sea salt with a glass of water every morning.