Why Supplements Alone Arent The Cure
Adrenal fatigue supplements alone will not cure you.
Im not saying supplements arent important I believe they have their place. But supplements and vitamins wont cure adrenal fatigue.
You need to uncover the underlying or root cause. The most common root causes of adrenal fatigue are:
These three areas blood sugar, sleep, and inflammation are the other levels in your pyramid. Before you add vitamins for adrenal fatigue, make sure you address each one.
To clarify if you are having problems with blood sugar, inflammation or sleep, supplements are NOT going to help.
Magnesium Both The Adrenal Spark Plug And Calming Agent
Magnesium has a calming effect on the nervous system and is also required for energy production. In the first phase, when there is adrenal overproduction, when you are tired and wired, a magnesium chelate would be a good form to use. Glycine is a calming amino acid and is the best choice for a chelate because it is the smallest amino acid giving it the greatest absorption potential.
This form of magnesium allows for larger amounts of magnesium to be absorbed more quickly and be better retained by the body, as compared to other forms.
Glycine magnesium delivers 8.9 mg of magnesium per 100 mg of the product that is chelated with 55 mg glycine.
Try: Wellena Magnesium Replenish, a highly absorbable form of magnesium chelated to two molecules of the amino acid glycine.
This very stable form of magnesium should not cause gastrointestinal symptoms and is less likely to be stimulating, like the malate form for some.
Magnesium is involved in over 300 enzyme reactions in the body and is found to be increasingly deficient in our diets. Start with 100 mg and try to work up to 100 mg three times per day. Sometimes this form of magnesium will also loosen bowels so stop at that dose when it happens.
To read more about how to boost magnesium for hormone-balancing here is one of my most popular articles.
To learn more about how to balance your hormones with supplements , you can download our FREE Supplement Guide here.
Medication Misuse: Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome And Misuse Of Adrenal Supplements
A position statement by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists published in Endocrine Practice is aimed at raising awareness in the medical community about the risks of off-label use and misuse of hormones and dietary supplements.1
In recent years, there has been an increasing trend worldwide in dietary supplement use. These products are usually advertised as safe despite limited or no data to support their efficacy or safety, and they are often taken without the supervision of a healthcare provider.1
Major concerns regarding the unsupervised use of dietary supplements result from the lack of rigorous assessment before distribution as such, they may contain undeclared pharmaceuticals or unregulated hormones.1
Adrenal Fatigue: Origins and Evidence
In his 2001 book entitled Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome, James L. Wilson, DC, ND, PhD, a naturopath and chiropractor, coined the term adrenal fatigue, which is claimed to be the result of overuse of the adrenal glands.2,3 According to this theory, adrenal fatigue develops secondary to chronic or extreme stress and is characterized by a constellation of common nonspecific symptoms, including physical and mental complaints.2,3
Off-Label Use of Adrenal Supplements
Recommendations for Healthcare Professionals
Disclosure: Several authors of the AACE position statement1
References
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Pantothenic Acid For Adrenal Function
Pantothenic Acid is used in the production of stress hormones secreted by the adrenal glands. With overstimulation, this B vitamin gets depleted as well.
Astudyfound that pantothenic acid supplementation stimulates the ability of adrenal cells in male rats to secrete corticosterone and progesterone.
Dosage is 100-1000 mg per day.
Try:Wellena B Maximus which contains pantothenic acid as well as all your B vitamins.
Symptoms Of Adrenal Fatigue
Symptoms of adrenal fatigue are said to include:
- constant exhaustion,
- a reliance on substances such as caffeine,
- and nonspecific digestive issues.
It should also be noted that these so-called symptoms of adrenal fatigue are also symptoms of other medical conditions. Trouble falling asleep can be a sign of insomnia, constant exhaustion can be a sign of a mental illness such as depression, nonspecific digestive issues can be related to dietary problems, and craving salt can be a sign of dehydration. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you should see a doctor, to rule out the possibility of any other medical conditions.
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Dr Nikolas Hedberg Dc
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Adrenal adaptogens are one of the most commonly prescribed supplements by functional medicine practitioners due to the impact of chronic stress on the majority of sick patients. Stress breaks your body down in every way imaginable so mitigating the negative effects of stress is priority number one in most patients.
Iâve been using adrenal adaptogens in my practice for over 15 years now and Iâd like to share my favorite adrenal adaptogens that may help you feel better. Adrenal adaptogens can cause negative reactions in some patients so do not take any of these without proper evaluation from a healthcare practitioner to avoid side effects.
How Sex Hormones Are Affected
In addition to cortisol and catecholamines, the adrenal glands make the great-grandmother of all sex hormones called pregnenolone. Pregnenolone is crucial for fertility and hormone production of DHEA, progesterone, and cortisol. DHEA is the grandmother hormone and makes testosterone and estrogen. So, an interesting thing happens when there is stress in the body and more cortisol production is needed. The body diverts pregnenolone from converting to progesterone and it is converted into cortisol.
This is one of the main reasons why a woman who is under stress of any kind may have trouble getting pregnant. Its really a safety mechanism by the body to prevent a pregnancy when there is stress. This diversion of pregnenolone usually causes a decrease in progesterone and DHEA levels and subsequently estrogen and testosterone.
If you need to get a deeper education and appreciation for this important hormonal imbalance, I suggest reading a comprehensive article I wrote about adrenal fatigue here.
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What Is Adrenal Fatugue
The adrenals are two triangle shaped glands that are situated over top of the kidneys.
The job of the adrenal glands is to regulate the hormonal release of cortisol during stressful events.
These hormones are used by the body to regulate different actions like heart rate, mental acuity and overall physical strength.
When high stress levels are few and far between this release of cortisol is not a problem.
However, when stress becomes chronic and cortisol is released continuously, this becomes a big problem.
The adrenal glands eventually become over-fatigued and are no longer able to keep up with pumping out the amounts of cortisol that are needed.
This also affects other hormonal regulations in the body and creates a domino effect.
This then becomes what we refer to as adrenal fatigue.
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Top 7 Adrenal Support Supplements
When indicated, adaptogens, a type of herbal dietary supplement, can be used to improve resistance to stress and balance cortisol levels. Adaptogens, such as Withania somnifera, Rhodiola rosea, and Panax ginseng, have been shown to play a role in the regulation of the HPA axis as well as improve mental work capacity and tolerance to mental fatigue during periods of stress. Additionally, certain nutrients, such as vitamin C, and magnesium, may play a role in adrenal health.
How Is Adrenal Fatigue Diagnosed
Physicians diagnose adrenal fatigue based on the patients symptoms. A physician may offer a blood or saliva test, but scientific studies do not support these tests to diagnose adrenal fatigue. Therefore, the results and analysis from these tests are not reliable and cant be considered accurate.
However, because the adrenal glands produce cortisol, it is common for a corticotropin stimulation test to be ordered. Since the adrenal glands respond to stimulation by releasing cortisol, the stimulation test can either prove or disprove that the glands are burned out.
Aside from the corticotropin test, physicians may order other diagnostic testing to exclude the possibility of any other medical conditions, such as anemia, obstructive sleep apnea, irritable bowel syndrome, other thyroid issues, growth hormone deficiency, menopausal problems, low aldosterone or renin, or any other systemic illness. A patients physicians may work together to also exclude conditions such as depression or anxiety, poor diet, overtraining, or stress at home or work.
Adrenal fatigue can also be related to several other adrenal-related issues. Other adrenal-related problems can include thyroid issues, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome , leaky gut or intestinal permeability, anxiety, cravings, weight gain, low blood pressure, or blood sugar imbalances. There are also several other adrenal gland disorders.
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Top Supplements For Adrenal Health
Approximately 25% of Canadians and 33% of Americans report feeling somewhat or extremely stressed most days. While acute stress is necessary for protecting the body from immediate threats, unmanaged chronic stress commonly experienced by many adults can result in numerous negative health effects over time. Chronic stress may result in dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and subsequent imbalances in cortisol, the bodys primary stress hormone produced by the adrenal glands.
Certain nutrients, such as vitamin C, magnesium, and dietary supplements known as adaptogens may help support HPA axis function and modulate cortisol levels during times of physical or psychological stress. This article will review the bodys physiological response to stress, outline the signs and symptoms of cortisol dysregulation, and provide an overview of the top supplements for adrenal support.
So Is Adrenal Fatigue Real
Many doctors and naturopathic doctors in the alternative medicine realm believe that adrenal fatigue is a significant medical problem that can be helped with supplements and dietary changes. The doctors who validate adrenal fatigue believe that it is a lesser version of adrenal insufficiency.
However, according to conventional medicine, adrenal fatigue isnt an accepted medical diagnosis. On this side of the argument, doctors say that non-specific symptoms, such as dizziness, fatigue, depression, and low blood sugar are found in many other diseases and conditions. Narrowing down your mental and physical health problems to just adrenal fatigue can prevent you from finding other underlying causes of your symptoms.
Fleseriu finds that that the diagnosis is more of a feeling than an actual medical condition. She tells Womans World readers, The idea of the adrenal getting tired from stress has not been proven at all and additionally, we have clear-cut clinical studies showing that cortisol gets actually high and not low with stress. Interestingly, the symptoms of adrenal fatigue, are very vague, multi-organ, non-specific, are not even overlapping too much with the ones caused by adrenal insufficiency.
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Is Magnesium Good For Adrenals
The mineral magnesium is part of the energy mechanism that keeps cells running smoothly and prevent adrenal fatigue. Magnesium is a catalyst for more than 200 chemical reactions in the human body. The energy centers in your cells, including those in the adrenal glands, need magnesium for optimal operation.
Best Supplements For Adrenal Fatigue
The right adrenal fatigue supplements can make a world of difference in improving your symptoms. Find out which six supplements are the top recommended by professionals to help heal your adrenal fatigue.
If you have adrenal fatigue, recovery is so important since the constant tiredness can be debilitating to your work, family, health and social life. You wake up tired in the morning, you feel like you need a nap around 3pm and you feel wired but tired at night rendering yourself unlikely to sleep well during the night.
Does this scenario sound familiar to you? This is all too common for those suffering with adrenal fatigue.
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How Do You Beat Adrenal Fatigue
- Score4.5/5
Walking, Yoga, deep breathing, meditation, or stretching. No vigorous or aerobic exercise, which depletes the adrenals. Avoid alcohol, processed foods, and tobacco. Nicotine in tobacco initially raises cortisol levels, but chronic use results in low DHEA, testosterone, and progesterone levels.Read more
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How to Fight Adrenal Fatigue: Health Hack- Thomas DeLauer
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Additional Treatments For Adrenal Fatigue
Using supplements should really only be part of your plan if you plan to increase your energy level.
While taking supplements can definitely provide an almost immediate boost to your energy levels, they should be accompanied with other lifestyle changes.
Why?
Because these lifestyle changes all contribute to your low energy in the first place!
That means if you don’t improve your diet, change your sleeping patterns or reduce your stress that your symptoms will eventually come back.
Taking this approach, combining supplements with lifestyle changes will result in long term benefits for you.
#1. Stress Management & Stress reduction
Number 1 on the list is to help reduce and/or manage stress in your life.
This is listed as number one because it is THAT important.
What you need to understand is that in some cases you will not be able to reduce the cause of stress in your life , but if it is something you can reverse or eliminate then you should make that your #1 priority.
If you can’t remove the stressor in your life then you need to use tactics to help manage your stress and reduce its impact on your quality of life .
You can do this by adopting the following strategies:
#2. Quality Sleep
As you already know, your sleeping schedule directly impacts melatonin production and thus cortisol levels.
Beyond this, a general lack of sleep has been associated with weight gain and general inflammation in the body .
If your sleep is anything but this, then you need to fix it ASAP.
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How To Treat Adrenal Fatigue
So many people suffer from adrenal fatigue! The three basic tenets involved in healing our adrenals are:
- Diet and healthy lifestyle changes
- Proper supplementation to give our adrenals the nutrients they need to function properly
- Detoxification of heavy metals
Most people are gluten-sensitive, so a gluten-free diet is best. Gluten increases inflammation and weakens our immune response, leading to leaky gut. Because there is a close link between gluten sensitivity and dairy sensitivity, many people need to remove dairy products as well, especially pasteurized dairy. Sugar, alcohol, and caffeine all drive the adrenals to produce more cortisol in the short term, but deplete the adrenal glands in the long term. Finally, having a nutrient-rich diet full of green leafy vegetables and healthy fats support the adrenal glands ability to function properly.
How Do You Overcome Adrenal Fatigue
Adrenal fatigue is not a condition that you can supplement yourself out of. Supplements have their place in treating adrenal fatigue. But they wont bring about a cure on their own. The underlying or root cause needs to be identified and removed before your body will be able to recover.
For more information on the common causes of adrenal fatigue, please see my previous post.
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Q: What Is Adrenal Insufficiency
A: Adrenal insufficiency is a state in which your adrenal glands dont function properly and cannot secrete the vital hormones your body needs to function normally.
Adrenal insufficiency can be caused by Addisons disease, a pituitary disorder or another disorder. Some symptoms of this life-threatening dysfunction include extreme exhaustion, lack of appetite , diarrhea, nausea, low blood pressure and low blood sugar.
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