What Do The Adrenals Do
The adrenal glands are the bodys emergency system. When the body is under chronic stress, the adrenals will send out cortisol into the bloodstream. Over time, chronic cortisol output can weaken the endocrine system, immune system, liver, digestive system, and brain. It can also cause the thyroid to slow down and in some rare cases, it will speed up . So, if you are wanting to reduce your thyroid symptoms, start with healthy adrenal glands.
This Is How To Recover From Adrenal Fatigue
Recovering from adrenal fatigue depends upon you. It means changing your lifestyle, changing your relationships with other people, and taking good care of yourself. I tell my patients to treat yourself just like you would a newborn babywith a lot of loving care and attention. When you are tired, go to sleep. When you are hungry be sure you have plenty of healthful, nourishing food. When you are stressed by someones demands, learn to say no, at least temporarily. In this way, you will slowly learn to take the stress off your adrenal glands and allow them to heal.
Start Recovering From Adrenal Fatigue
Natural recovery from adrenal fatigue is very possible, and herbs can play a large role in treatment.
Using an herbal blend to support your adrenals, managing stress, supplementing if needed, and eating a healthy diet are all key parts of recovery.
Taking these steps can get you back to feeling like yourself!
Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice and should not be substituted for medical advice. Please consult your health care provider, herbalist, midwife, or naturopathic physician before taking herbs, supplements, etc. Here’s the link to our full disclaimer.
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Green Tea Benefits Oral Health
There are several green tea advantages on oral health. The Open Dentistry Journal published research in 2016 that found green tea helped prevent or reduce periodontal disease, bad breath , and cavities. Research implies that these green tea benefits come from its ability to decrease activity of bacteria in the mouth. The consumption of green tea can also lessen stress and inflammation in the oral cavity tissues caused by smoking tobacco, and could decrease risk of oral cancer due to its antioxidant concentration.
Spend More Time Outdoors
Because I have a job thats indoors, I need to make it a point to get outside more often. I believe there is something coded in our DNA that gives each of us an affinity with the sun and fresh air so that we seek out these health-boosting influences. I also like to practice earthing, or walking barefoot outside, as much as I can to help de-stress. Something about that skin-on-earth connection feels literally grounding and refreshing.
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Eat At The Right Times
Too many of us follow a similar, unhealthy pattern. Skip breakfast, have a sandwich for lunch and then a big meal in the evening. If youre looking to make your Adrenal Fatigue worse, this is a great plan to follow!
The importance of breakfast for Adrenal Fatigue sufferers cannot be overstated. When we sit down at our breakfast tables we have been fasting for approximately 12 hours. Our bodies need fuel, and the need the right kind of fuel that is going to last us through the morning. At breakfast you should be eating a high quality source of protein combined with a small amount of high quality carbohydrates. A vegetable omelet or two poached eggs with blueberries would be two good examples. A healthy breakfast smoothie packed full of healthy fats would be another. The typical American breakfast, packed full of sugary cereals, waffles and more, is exactly what you shouldnt be eating.
Also be aware that Adrenal Fatigue sufferers struggle to maintain optimal blood sugar levels throughout the day. This is because cortisol is intimately involved with blood sugar stability. As a consequence, Adrenal Fatigue sufferers should focus on eating lots of small meals throughout the day, with a maximum of three intervals. This will help to reduce food cravings, blood sugar crashes and stresses on your HPA axis.
Here Are Some Common Symptoms Of Adrenal Fatigue:
A tendency to be a night personHair lossWaking up in the middle of the night with difficulty falling back asleepYoure a slow starter in the morningFeeling keyed up and having trouble calming downLow blood pressureClenching or grinding your teethChronic low- or middle-back painDifficulty maintaining chiropractic adjustmentsChronic fatigue or getting drowsy oftenAfternoon yawningPain on the medial side of the knee or kneesNeeding to wear sunglassesDizziness when you stand upDifficulty losing weightGaining weight around the waistlineGetting upset or angry easily
Doesnt that sound like modern life? No wonder people are having so many endocrine issues!
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Adaptogens Chronic Stress And The Hpa Axis
So how do adaptogens work? Lets take a look at the HPA axis so we can understand their function.
Your hypothalamus is the part of your brain that recognizes stress. Under stress, your hypothalamus signals your pituitary gland. Together they signal your adrenals to produce and release hormones to deal with a crisis. This is known as your HPA axis.
Chronic stress keeps your HPA axis constantly engaged. This is bad news for your overall health. Its also taxing to your adrenal glands and micronutrient reserves. Your adrenal glands have to work incredibly hard to keep up with the constant demands on them. If the adrenal gland never gets a break, adrenal fatigue and dysfunction can result.
Adaptogens support a more balanced response to ongoing stress. They augment the optimal production of stress hormones and cortisol production to prevent adrenal fatigue and HPA axis dysfunction. Adaptogens also help modulate cellular sensitivity to stress hormones, thereby encouraging a healthier overall response to stress.
Teas Vs Tinctures Whats The Difference
Teas extract the nutrients found in herbs using water, while tinctures extract them using alcohol. While this may seem at first just based on preference, theres more to it than that.
While teas can draw out many of the nutrients found in herbs flavonoids, vitamins, and minerals, for example there are some that are left behind. Alcohol extracts the hard to get compounds such as alkaloids, which are often considered to have therapeutic value. In fact, theyve been the subject of pharmaceutical research in the development of medicines.
Of course, teas are ready almost immediately, and tinctures take about six weeks to brew. So although tinctures may be preferred in some cases, teas are a deeply nourishing and quick option. This delicious recipe uses the decoction method to maximize the amount of nutrients extracted, which is especially important when roots and berries are used.
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Best Herbs + Natural Treatment For Adrenal Fatigue
- 10 August, 2020
- 5 min read
Adrenal fatigue is coming to the forefront as a common health problem in our high-stress, fast-paced culture.
Right now, adrenal fatigue is technically not a medical diagnosis, but it is a very real health issue that many people face.
Symptoms include fatigue, difficulty falling asleep or waking up, sugar or salt cravings, brain fog, digestive problems, depression, and unexplained weight fluctuations.
If you think you might have adrenal fatigue, here’s more about what it is, what causes it, and natural treatment with herbs.
First Change Your Lifestyle
The two most important steps to take are: 1) Change your hectic lifestyle and 2) learn stress reduction techniques.
The idea here is to lower the demands on your adrenal glands. If you continue an exhausting and demanding way of living, your adrenal glands will be constantly struggling to catch up. Full recovery will be difficult if you dont deal with stress.
For stress reduction, yoga, tai chi, meditation, prayer and deep breathing are proven to be effective.
For stress reduction, yoga, tai chi, meditation, prayer and deep breathing are proven to be effective. They are simple, and available. Other ways of lowering stress are being out in nature or doing gentle exercises such as walking. There are also many phone apps for guided imagery and meditation. All these things get you out of the high alert mindset.
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Why Does Adrenal Fatigue Happen
Adrenal fatigue might be attributed to prolonged physical, emotional, and mental stress. In turn, this can give rise to a variety of health issues like poor sleep quality, inflammation, or even blood sugar spikes. Adrenal fatigue is believed to be caused when the adrenal glands become incapable of meeting the demands of a constant fight or flight response attributable to chronic stress. When you are subjected to stressful situations, your adrenals react by releasing cortisol to help your body prepare for a dangerous predicament. However, if such a situation is for one reason or the other prolonged, your adrenals will in the long run become worn down. This makes them unable to respond to stressful circumstances.
How To Buy A Good Herbal Tea For Your Burnout
Well, you can find quite readily available herbal teas on most supermarkets and food stores. They are also available online. Its quite easy to find. However, a good herbal tea purchase needs some considerations.
Herbal teas are not medicine. They thus arent regulated by the FDA and other regulators. So a trustworthy source is always a common sense. Have a tea infuser? Whole leaf teas are good in this case. Like to grow your own herbs? That would be for sure an enjoyable way to have a secure source of tea.
Although some herbal teas are highly safe to drink, some might interact with other treatments. Consider your pregnancy or known medical conditions/allergies. Talk with your doctor before taking a new type of herbs. Its always a good idea. Also, most herbal teas are safe to consume in regular but small amounts. But it is important not to go overboard at once.
The final consideration is, of course, which herbs to choose for your tea.
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How Do Herbs Help Adrenal Fatigue
Luckily, certain herbs have properties that can help support your adrenals and keep stress under control.
Many of these herbs are referred to as adaptogens. They help adrenal fatigue by increasing your bodys ability to adapt to stress through increasing mental and physical endurance. They also protect your cells from the damaging effects of too much stress.
Studies show that adaptogens help increase resistance to external toxins as well as boost immunity and protect your brain from free radical damage brought on by excess stress. The molecules in many adaptogens also have a similar structure to compounds that help inactivate your fight-or-flight system the one thats active during times of stress.
Other herbs on this list work as mild sedatives to help calm your nervous system, which can help give your adrenals a break from constant stress. You can use these with adaptogen herbs for a combined effect.
I Merit My Herbal Teas
In burnout, untreated stress and fatigue can lead to long term effects. These are such as insomnia, depression, weight gain, and lowered immunity. A simple & natural cure that you might neglect is a good herbal tea. Among those, rooibos, chamomile, green tea, ginger, and licorice are the most popular teas. They are great for relaxation, stress and fatigue relief.
I used to buy those very nice teas as gifts to friends and family during special occasions. Since my burnout, I decided that I merited them as well. I take care and love myself as I do to my beloved one. And I have to say, these royal herbal teas brought me sweet comforting moments. Try them and find out which one you prefer.
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How Does Chronic Inflammation Stress You Out
What is inflammation? You probably know the word flammable which means something can go up in flames. The word inflammation comes from the Latin, inflamare, meaning to set on fire. In the human body, the fire happens in your tissues and organs where you cannot see it. It is often silent which means you dont feel it.
In the short run, inflammation heals injury and prevents an infection. Conversely, long term inflammation is the cause of 90% of all chronic diseases.
Inflammation is the bodys way of responding to harm. In the short run, inflammation is good. If you step on a dirty object, inflammation heals the injury and prevents an infection. When it happens all the time, it is a threat to your health. Long term inflammation is involved in 90% of all chronic diseases. These include heart disease, cancer, Alzheimers disease, arthritis, and many others. Inflammation is one of the causes of adrenal fatigue.
Ask Your Doctor About Diagnostic Labs
Because adrenal fatigue symptoms are so non-specific and could be indicative of other diseases such as depression, sleep apnea, fibromyalgia, and certain autoimmune diseases, it can be hard to make a medical diagnosis. Seeing a medical professional or endocrinologist to establish a baseline of whats going on in the body is the first step to overcoming adrenal fatigue. In addition to conventional blood labs, I recommend:
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All About Your Adrenal Glands
Your adrenal glands sit on top of your kidneys, like little kidney baseball caps. They regulate many critical hormonal jobs in your body, but one of their primary jobs is to control the release of your main stress hormone, cortisol. Cortisol is essential for survival.
Our bodies are built for stressful events. When our ancestors were chased by predators, the sympathetic nervous system responded by switching the body into fight-or-flight mode. During this stress response, the adrenal glands release cortisol, which increases blood pressure and blood sugar for faster response and better survival. When the predators were gone, cortisol decreased, and so did blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Normal balance was restored. However, ongoing stress doesnt turn it back off.
What Causes Adrenal Gland Exhaustion
- Not enough sleep or poor quality sleep
- Stress
- Too much work and not enough rest
- Not enough good fats in the diet and too many unhealthy fats
- Deficiency of vitamin C, magnesium and antioxidants
- Stimulants: caffeine, nicotine
- High sugar diets
- Chronic illness. This is a major stress on the body and places a large demand on your adrenal glands.
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Strategies To Heal Adrenal Fatigue
The adrenal glands help the body to adapt to stress and reproduce through the unique compounds they produce and secrete. Over 50 essential hormones are produced within the adrenal glands. These hormones are critical to health and vitality. When we are overstressed, the adrenals pump out stress hormones until they fatigue and crash, which can be devastating to the body.
Although the adrenals are no bigger than the size of a walnut, they have an incredibly important role in the human life cycle. Some of the many different hormones created by the adrenals include steroid hormones such as adrenalin, norepinephrine, cortisol, aldosterone, estrogen and testosterone .
Eating Out Cheatsheet What To Drink During A Night Out Cheatsheet Travel And On
We live in a society where its okay to work ourselves to death. We know no other way were always working towards exhaustion. Thats kind of the goal, but what a lot of us dont realize is that by working ourselves so much, we may not be working ourselves to death, but were definitely working ourselves into something called adrenal fatigue.
And I wanted to do this video because I want to share with you three simple, yet effective ways that you can combat adrenal fatigue, but I also want to explain what adrenal fatigue really is, and how its affecting your day-to-day life, not only in the office, not only at home, but in the gym, and when it comes to getting in the best shape.
You see, when were stressed out, our bodies have a natural response, and like you see in many of my other videos, our bodies release that hormone called cortisol. Cortisol is fine and dandy, it does what its supposed to do it elevates our blood pressure, and it gets us prepared for that fight or flight response, that adrenaline response, that noradrenaline response.
Now, those neurotransmitters and those hormones are imperative, theyre crucial to our success and survival. We really need them, but the problem is when we have these chronic bouts of stress, when were constantly exhausted, were constantly fatigued, and were constantly stimulating ourselves with caffeine and other stimulants, it makes it so that our bodies cannot really recover from being in that stressed out state.
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Are Your Poor Adrenal Glands Continually Exhausted
Do you continually feel tired, depressed and rundown? Do you wake feeling exhausted rather than refreshed? What about cravings for sweets or salty food? These are all possible symptoms of adrenal fatigue.
In a nutshell, adrenal exhaustion is caused by too much stress and too much work. Several other factors contribute to the condition, but adequate rest and relaxation is a hallmark of overcoming adrenal fatigue. In todays world it is almost inevitable that most people will experience some degree of adrenal exhaustion at some point in their lives. Life can be so busy and stressful, plus caffeine, nicotine, allergies, food additives and sugar all place physical stress on the adrenals.
Eat Healthy Fats Every Day
Avocados
Avocados contain beneficial B vitamins and monounsaturated fats that boost neurotransmitter production and brain health. This fatty superfruit also contains potassium, which naturally helps to lower blood pressure.
Full-fat kefir
Bacterial imbalances in your gut can contribute to brain problems because the gut and brain talk to each other through the vagus nerve. Kefir is rich in beneficial bacteria for your microbiome and also has fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and K2, which are important for brain health, so it helps out from both ends of this critical connection.
Coconut oil is super versatile you can cook with it, put it in smoothies, or just eat it off a spoon as I do. It offers good fats like medium-chain triglycerides that can help with brain function.
Wild-caught fish
Omega-rich foods like Alaskan salmon can help decrease inflammation, which is crucial for brain and hormonal health.
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