If the function of the adrenal gland is compromised, many symptoms may appear such as:

• Fatigue,

• The need for more sleep,

• Irritablity,

• Anxiousness,

• Low libido,

• Sighing or yawning a lot

• Long standing poor immune system

If you have any one of these problems, you may want to keep reading. I am going to cover how fatigue starts to build, dietary guidelines, natural supplements, and herbal remedies.

Just so you know, I have had to work my way out of two adrenal crashes for myself.  You would think I would learn after one, but what I want you to realize is there are specific ways to drive your body in to the ground and specific things to do to bring it back to life.  The last straw that forced me to change my life was my wife kicking me out of bed.  I knew things were bad when I slept through 6 snooze alarms.  I literally could not get out of bed.  In case you need a red flag to look for, here it is.  I never use an alarm clock anymore, and depending on the type of job you have you may need one, but if you need a snooze alarm, you’re in trouble.  You can go many years with this behavior, but it is an early warning sign that your adrenal glands are fatigued.

The first cause of adrenal insufficiency and fatigue.

Stress

…yes, the little pest that we all seem to be annoyed by.  It is not possible to have zero stress, but how much we take on and more importantly, how well we handle stress will determine the effects on our bodies.   Stress to me — is conflict.  Not just an argument, but conflict in emotions, in how you live life, who your friends are or just your desires.  I know that sounds vague but it boils down to:

• Having things you don’t want.

• Doing things you don’t want to do.

• Desiring things you can’t have.

The adrenal glands allow us to adapt to stress.  Lots of stress can burn them out.  Fixing the stressors  in your life is the most critical job in getting out of adrenal fatigue.  I’ve done it twice.  Both times I had too many irons in the fire, and as they say I was burning the candle at both ends.  I made the changes you see here.

The second cause of adrenal insufficiency and fatigue.

Diet…

Eating a good diet in general helps but there are some very specific foods that directly affect the adrenal glands.  One interesting point that relates to stress and diet is the outpouring of adrenaline with a high stress level.  The adrenaline causes a rise in blood sugar, which if isn’t used in a “fight or flight”  now has to be lowered with the pancreas producing insulin.  It can perpetuate blood sugar problems.  Also, take care not to allow the blood sugar to go too low by skipping meals, that will just kick the adrenals into high gear to produce a hormone known as cortisol to raise the blood sugar.

Carbs…

Eating refined carbohydrates and sugars can lead to a blood sugar roller coaster.  As insulin floods into your bloodstream it often crashes the blood sugar below acceptable levels.  Your adrenal glands have to come to the rescue and raise the blood sugar by increasing cortisol output again.  As a reminder, refined carbs are things like cereal, most bread, muffins, donuts, most pastas and stuff that comes in a box.

Fat…

This is one of my favorite topics because it is often the most misunderstood.  One of the greatest myths of all time is that of a low fat diet.  It has caused more disease and problems than almost any other dietary advice ever given.  The adrenal hormones that are in such precious demand to combat the stress of life are made from FAT and most specifically cholesterol.  Yes, you read that right.  Now look at this scenario.  A forty year old, in a high stress job / life, kids, taking cholesterol drugs and following a low fat diet recommended by his doctor.  That’s pretty common.  Now look at the symptoms above and they are pretty common as well.  Hmmmm.  Fat as I refer to it is good fats not just any old fat.  The best fat an adrenal fatigued person can consume would be cod liver oil.

Salt…

This could almost be as controversial as eating fat.  Salt isn’t as evil as it is led to be.  Once again this refers to unrefined sea salt, most specifically Celtic Sea Salt.  I will have more articles on this later but for now I will relate to clinical cases.  The adrenals use salt in abundance for many things.  We see this very clearly with people when we do the purification program and salt is eliminated from the diet.  If people are suffering from moderate to advanced adrenal fatigue and we deprive them of salt, they get more tired and lethargic.  As soon as we add Celtic Sea Salt back into their diets they spring to life like a man crawling through the desert who finds a bottle of water.

Caffeine…

Caffeine is a stimulant to the inner part of the adrenal gland.  It causes a rise in adrenaline, which in turn causes the outer adrenal parts to kick in to calm you down.  Constant caffeine intake can lead to adrenal gland burnout.

As you fix some of these things you may be wondering what else you can do.  Here are some of the whole-food supplements and herbal supplements I have used over the years.  When it comes to the adrenals there are quite a few things that you can use this is not an all-inclusive list, but some of the major things I have used and why.  Best to talk to me about specific problems if these problems relate to you.  As a side note, what always makes me feel better than any supplement–an adjustment.

The two supplements I am currently using that you can see on the front desk anytime are:

1. Adrenal Complex Tablets:  I use these for fatigue, sleep, irritability and any anxiety.  I mostly use them to combat general fatigue.

2. Rhodiola and Ginseng Tablets: I take one everyday to give my body a little boost of energy and truth be told I have another secret.  I did a little research into lactic acid build-up and I use this to help prevent this.  Just exactly why this is so important I will let you read the much longer explanation in my new book coming soon.

3. Cataplex B:  I take this every day.  The wheels of energy manufacturing (Kreb’s Cycle) need the specific natural B’s in this supplement.  It also helps with my nerve conduction and as a chiropractor, I love it when my nerves are humming along at top speed.  If you also read Bruce West’s articles , you will appreciate how important and powerful this is for the heart.

4. Withania Complex:  I used this many years ago during my first adrenal crash.  When I was in chronic fatigue and just generally run down this helped pull me out and then after I felt better I used the next one.

5. Eleuthero:  This is Siberian Ginseng, and is typically used to maintain resistance to stress.  So, that is how I used it.

6. Drenamin: As an ongoing adrenal food supplement.  This has been good for overall maintenance.

7. Astragalus Complex: This goes back about 10 years ago, after we started the office I was so busy with a new family, new business, new home and lots of constant stress.  I was sick and had a low grade illness that wouldn’t go away.  I think I would have done even better if they had the Adrenal Complex back then, but that is fairly new.

If you need to get better these things aren’t that difficult to change.  A life of energy and vitality is worth it.  Most of us have some adrenal fatigue and could benefit from some of the suggestions here.

Remember: Identify and fix the stressors in your life.  Eat fewer refined carbs, more good fats, get some Celtic sea salt and less caffeine.  If you are feeling some of the effects I was you may want to try some of the supplements.  For questions, just post a comment on the bottom of this page.

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