Fruit to Roots Adrenal Fatigue series part 2
The average person’s stress levels, diet and toxic load are ridiculously worse today than they were 100 years ago. Which is weird given the fact that they were much more active physically and had the added pressure of farming, surviving etc.
As we have already covered, adrenal fatigue is basically caused by the inability of your adrenal glands to cope with stress. Yet in order to begin to address it and heal from it, we need to know how this even happened in the first place. It’s one thing to know your adrenals have tanked, it’s a whole other deal to recognize how it all went down.
1st- Emotional stress
The number one cause of adrenal fatigue is, without a doubt, stress. This can come from any area of your life. Relationship issues, bossed busting your chops, moving, whether wanted or unwanted to a new city, or sleepless nights after a newborn baby or dealing with a chronically ill child- all of these and more have the exact same effect on the body. These examples may seem like low level stressors, however if left unchecked or not even addressed during these times it can have long term affects on the body. Even simply practicing deep breathing, using essential oils to combat extra levels of cortisol produces in the body can have huge benefits.
2nd Insufficient sleep
Have you ever felt like you’re burning the candle at both ends? Personally, I enjoy having 101 projects going at ones, with self-imposed end dates to meet. Yet this prolonged has wreaked havoc on my body at times. If you’re someone who struggles to find a work-life balance and even to some extent just can’t fit enough into a day, you’re probably not getting enough sleep. Back in the day, the previous generations got a beautiful 9 hours of sleep per night. As time and years have passed, the average now sleeps 6 hours each night. Remember, the body is designed to heal itself and getting adequate sleep is a large part of that healing process. Seven to eight hours of good solid sleep is idea in order to give the body all it needs to heal.
3rd Trauma
Seasons of severe physical trauma can also lead to adrenal fatigue. It used to be thought that a single, physically traumatic incident would have no long-term impact besides the obvious scars and healing. But ample evidence now suggests that these types of trauma moments have an enduring impact on our health and may even affect things like hormonal balance and the adrenals years later. This isn’t only something like a car crash or other type of accident. Surgeries are at the top of the list for physical traumas. For women like me who did not want a c-section but an upside down baby caused this to be the case, this would fall under the category of physical and even emotional trauma.
4th Chronic disease
It may seem like an obvious point to make, but few think about the affects of being unwell for long periods of time can have on the body. Not only for the person but possibly for those caring for the one who is sick. The added strain on the body for both is enormous. All disease places a tremendous strain on the adrenal glands.
They become overworked and exhausted. Not to mention if someone uses conventional treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation, these are stressful to the body as well.
If you have experienced one or all four of the above mentioned situations, or if you are currently walking through these things, please know there are tangible things you can do right now to help. Even if your situation is not yet resolved, keeping your adrenal glands nourished and cared for will go a long way in healing your body as a whole.
What to do
Vitamin Bs 6 & 12
Vitamin Bs play an important role in cell metabolism. Improving your metabolic pathways boosts your energy levels and is a fabulous way to reduce the fatigue felt while healing from adrenal fatigue. B6 acts in several of the pathways that are used to create adrenal hormones. And B12 helps with energy production, cell repair and the maintenance of our red blood cells. The amounts that you need of each these B vitamins are quite different. Personally, when I first stumbled on this situation in my own body, I took 2-3 Super B daily and Ningxia Nitro. I then discovered I need more help so in addition to that I took Standard Process Adrenal Complex. All three seemed to right everything for the time being. In recent months I noticed the situation creeping in again and switched it up to Nitro, Opti-Adrenal and B-12 from Optimal Health Systems. These sources of B have given me a huge amount of Bs without needing to take 5-6 Super B. I’m saving my Super B (because you all know I have a little backstock) for when I am in maintenance mode. Knowing your body goes a long way into choosing the right amount of supplementation.
Vitamin C-Super C
This powerful antioxidant vitamin is directly involved in the production of cortisol in your adrenals. So besides the obvious health benefits, (boosting your immune system, protecting from free radicals), vitamin C is also an essential building block for the recovery of your adrenal glands. Begin with 1000mg of vitamin C and then gradually increase over time. Super C is my go to on this, especially because I’m a fan of chewables so I do not mind taking ten chewables to get the amount I need each day. Also, it’s a pretty tasty little snack for those times when I am feeling peckish in the afternoon.
Magnesium
Various studies estimate that 75% of Americans are deficient in magnesium. We’ve talked at length on this but know that magnesium helps to maintain energy flow. A lack of magnesium can result in situations like fatigue and depression.
Life 9
Having a healthy gut will help draw out all the goodness of food so you can see that improving the health of your gut will increase the ability to get more essential vitamins and minerals that we need to maintain our energy levels and produce the hormones that we need. Also, Life 9 supports our immune system and may prevent future getting future illness that may weaken the adrenals further.
Herbal Supplements
Herbs should also play an important part in the recovery from Adrenal Fatigue. You can find some herbs in our supplements, such as Ashwaghanda in PowerGize, and you can also drink herbal tea throughout the day to help heal and repair the adrenal glands. Licorice root and ginseng are two wonderful herbs that support the adrenal glands. Ningxia Nitro (now back without limits!!) has Ginseng as well.
Essential oils
No repair would be complete without our oils. The most optimal choices for caring for the adrenal glands are Nutmeg, En-R-Gee , Lavender and Ylang Ylang. Using Nutmeg and En R Gee over the adrenal glands in the morning and then Ylang Ylang and Lavender in the evening gives the adrenals a bit of a reset. Most of the time the natural bio rhythm is off in the glands. Applying specific oils at the right time can adjust the cortisol production levels.
If you have adrenal fatigue from trauma, using a blend like Trauma Life over the adrenal glands and over the heart will help heal from that as well.